KYLE
I have been contemplating to react to my actions, but today is a different day. I have done things that I am not proud of, and if Alpha ever finds out, I am as good as dead.
It has been at least a year, and life was just empty without Yolanda in my life. Alpha is definitely suspecting me of Yolanda’s injuries that I caused her, he even stopped me from being in contact with his daughters. I only stayed away because I am scared of him, but otherwise, I am living on the edge. Even after a long time, he is still looking for the culprit, but without any proof or Yolanda confessing, then I am still safe.
I have just parked my car at Yolanda’s apartment block, and I am disguised as a delivery man who is going to deliver a package to her apartment. The package is real, and it is from me, just to show him how sorry I am for the pain I have caused her. She did not deserve it and did not deserve me. I hope she forgives me.
I get out of the car with a bouquet and a medium-large box carrying a set of Chanel bags. She is a woman with style lately, so I figured that maybe there is a chance she might accept the gift and forgive me. I really hope she does.
I head to the reception and tell them what I came about. The male receptionist grabs the landline and calls Yolanda to inform her about her delivery.
“Sir, she asks that we sign for her, and you can leave it here,” The male receptionist tells me.
“I was given direct instructions to deliver it personally on her door,” I let them know before they report back to her.
“Sir, you may proceed to the second floor, room B-02,”
“Thank you,” I say in relief, proceeding with my way.
I am nervous and I am sweating. I do not want to scare her the way she was the last time I saw her at the mall. I just wanted to say sorry and knowing that she has forgiven me would make me feel better.
I stop in front of her door and ring the doorbell. It takes only a few seconds before she opens the door, not even looking at me as she is busy on her phone.
“Please put it in there,” She directs me inside her apartment and follows me behind. “I need to call my dad and ask if he sent this because I was not expecting any delivery today,” She says, uncertainly.
I slowly turn around and face her as I slowly take off my cap.
“No need to,” I say, looking at her flabbergasted face. “They all come from me,”
“Kyle,” She whispers in a shaky voice.
“Baby, I am sorry,”
“Kyle, I am tired of this. I am trying to move on, but you keep taking me back. Just leave,” She starts crying.
“You don’t know how much I regret it. Babe, I also want to move on, but I cannot do that without you. I still love you so much,”
“No!” She cries out, shaking her head vigorously. “You can’t still love me, Kyle. You and I are over and if you loved me the way you claim that you did, you would have never hurt me the way you did. I loved you, Kyle but I don’t think I would want to go back to someone who’d hit me again for something I did not even do, so leave my apartment before I call my stepdad and tell him everything,”
“I am sorry, Yolanda. Tell me what I have to do for you to see how sorry I am, please,”
“I forgive you, Kyle, I honestly did forgive you, but I want you to leave and never show your face here, ever again. What you and I had is done and I have moved on with my life, and so should you,”
These words felt like a stab in my chest. When did she grow up so quickly? The naïve girl I thought I would find is no longer there; I don’t see her anymore. A lot has changed about her, and I am scared that she might really mean everything she just said.
My time here is limited, so I better leave before I get dragged out of here. This hurts a lot, but I am a man and I have to toughen up.
“Alright then, sweetheart. I wish you all the best, and I will always love you. Again, I am so sorry.”
YOLANDA
I watched him walk out of the door, taking my heart with him. Why now, why did Kyle have to come now and evoke all these emotions and feelings out of me? I loved him so much and I should have still been with him had he not hurt me. He broke my trust, and it is so hard to gain it back, plus then, it will never happen because I am with Daniel and in a few days, we will be going to Zimbali for our vacation which I am excited about.
I close the door and head back to sit on the couch, letting my tears roll out of my eyes.
Why did he take so long to come and see me?
Just as I am sitting, my phone rings on the couch and I check it, only to find that it is Daniel. I take a long deep breath in and let it out before I answer it.
“Daniel,” I answer.
“Daniel?” He asks in a warning tone.
“Sorry, daddy,” I correct myself.
“Are you alright?” He asks.
“Yeah, I am just tired,”
“From?”
“Daddy,”
“Yolanda, you need to start opening up to me. I am too old to play a guessing game with you, especially when you are not feeling well,”
“I know, daddy, but I am truly fine, trust me,”
“I don’t believe it, but I will find out, baby girl. Anyway, I am off to a meeting, and I don’t think I will make it to you on time unless you want to come with me; actually, I want you to come with me. I will pick you up in fifteen minutes,”
I heave a sigh, shaking my head.
“I don’t feel like it, daddy,”
“Okay, then. I guess I’ll see you later. I will sleep there tonight when I come back from my meeting,”
“What!?” I gasp, jumping up on my feet. What does he mean by sleep here? It has only been a week since we got into a serious relationship, and now he wants to sleep here. Does he know that I still haven’t gotten used to the idea of dating my stepfather?
“To sleep here?” I sceptically ask.
“That is what I just said, baby. I will check on you in an hour, alright?”
I slowly nod my head and breathe out.
“Alright,”
As soon as he hangs up, I stand up and look around my messy apartment. s**t, I need to get rid of the box Kyle brought here. I don’t even know what is in it, but it must go, including the flowers.
I should probably change the guestroom’s bedding because Tory has been using it as if he owns it, and I hope that he never shows up because I am preparing the room for Daniel.
Will he even agree to sleep in a separate room from me?
Just as I head down the passage, my phone rings, making me take a turn back to the lounge where my phone is and answer the unsaved number.
“Yolanda, hello,”
“Please hear me out before you hang up on me,”
“Kyle?” I ask.
“Yes, it is me. I just want to ask you something, then I promise that I will leave you alone after I get my answer, but I want to do it in person,” He requests.
“What is so important that you cannot tell me on the phone?”
“Because it would be better if I do it personally. Please meet me at Levels Café in an hour, and I promise I will never bother you again.” He says before hanging up.
I declined to go with Daniel to his meeting, and now I have to say yes to Kyle. But if I don’t do this, Kyle will keep coming back to bother me, which I don’t want, and if I say yes and Daniel finds out, I might be in trouble.
I need to make sure that I get back home in time before Daniel does.
***
I park my car at the Levels Café parking lot and grab my bag before I make my way to the entrance. This is one helluva café. Quite exotic and expensive. I never came here before, but I have heard so much about it, plus Thando is an influencer, she was always invited to such clubs so I might have heard a glimpse about it from her.
As I enter, I notice Kyle sitting at the bar alone and he raises his hand at me. I make my way to him, and I must say, as soon as he left my place, this is where he came because he looks tipsy.
“How much did you drink because this is not how you left my house?” I say as I take a seat next to him.
“Why are you worried?” He asks.
“Did you call me for this?”
“I had five shots, and this is my second bottle of beer. Would you like to order something? It is on me,”
“Why am I here, Kyle?”
He chuckles and shrugs.
“Straight to the point, huh?” He takes out a cigarette and looks at me. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Kyle, you are wasting my time,”
He sighs and puts the cigarette away.
“I am leaving, babe. Your father is sending me away for a few months to train for a better rank,”
A rank? Is Daniel running an army?
“So what is that supposed to do with me?”
“Everything. Daniel is a smart man, and I know he suspects me of the pain I have caused you, so he is keeping me away from you, but this is not really why I wanted to meet with you. I want to tell you why I did it and how I feel,”
“What about how I feel, Kyle?” I throw the quiz at him. “Have you ever wondered how I feel every time I see you? Have you ever wondered how it feels like walking into my apartment in my own space and remembering the first day I moved in? It haunts me, Kyle, because all I see is me lying on the floor with broken glasses, helpless, and in pain because the man I loved tried to kill me. I saw the abusive signs, but I chose to ignore them because I loved you, but on the last day, you showed me what my worth is. You hurt me and I don’t know why you did it,”
“I was so stupid. I did something and I blamed you for it. That day was not supposed to happen, Yolanda,”
“Yet you let it happen, Kyle. Instead of talking to me, you
“Yet you let it happen, Kyle. Instead of talking to me, you beat me, Kyle,” My tears start flowing out of my eyes.
“I didn’t mean to… I am so sorry, baby,” He puts his hands on the sides of my face. “I was jealous, greedy, and damn stupid. I cheated on you, baby, please forgive me,”
I gasp, shooting my eyes at him.
“You did what?”
“You were spending the day with your father, and I tried to call you but you wouldn’t answer my calls until your phone went off, so I went to a club, went back home with a girl, and when you called in the morning, regret engulfed me and I took it out on you and blamed you for it…I didn’t mean for it to happen,”
“Not only did you cheat on me, but you also blamed me and hit me for it,” I sob.
He sits back and looks down, not saying anything.
I start thinking about myself and the night before I decided to move into my apartment. I left because I also did something unholy. I am not as innocent as he may think, but I am not about to confess to a woman beater. He was wrong, in so many ways; I just wonder whom Kyle cheated on me with.
His phone rings. He looks at me after checking it and gets up, excusing himself to answer the phone. I decide to order two shots of tequila for myself. While I wait for them, I look around this Café and everyone is just enjoying themselves, socialising. Just as I turn to look to my right, a figure blocks my view. My eyes widen and I freeze.
“Get up, take your things, and let’s go.”
Aksara