twenty-four

Siphosethu Zulu

It had been a week.

A full week of swollen eyes and silent screams into my pillow.

I had cried every single day since walking out of his apartment. But this morning — his birthday — something in me shattered deeper.

I woke up before the sun, my chest already heaving, my heart heavy. I didn't even check my phone anymore. I knew there would be nothing from him. Just silence. Cold, endless silence.

But today... today is his birthday.

The 24th.

I had planned everything.

The week before he "left," I went to that vintage vinyl store in town because he once told me he missed the sound of old-school R&B. I got him a limited edition Boyz II Men vinyl, wrapped it in matte black paper, and tied it with a gold ribbon — his favorite colors. I even got him a small card and wrote inside, "To my king — may this year be softer than the last, and may your heart always feel at home with me."

That gift still sat on my desk.

Untouched.

Unopened.

Unclaimed.

Just like me.

I stared at it now with burning eyes, my vision blurred by tears that refused to stop. I clutched the box to my chest and rocked back and forth like a child, the sobs tearing out of me like screams in a storm. He was supposed to wake up to my voice. To kisses. To pancakes shaped like the number "24" and a corny birthday video I made with clips from the past year.

Instead, I was alone.

And he... he was somewhere else.

With her.

I couldn't breathe.

Every memory haunted me — our date when he carried me into the waves, laughing like he didn't have a single worry. The night I was crying over a failed test and he held me while playing lo-fi beats until I fell asleep. The way he used to hold my hand in public like it was something sacred, like I was something sacred.

And now?

Now I felt disposable.

Replaceable.

Forgotten.

Katlego Moeketsi

Birthdays used to mean something. Not just cake and wishes — but reflection. Growth. Gratitude.

But today, nothing felt worth celebrating.

I woke up early, before the noise of the family filled the house, and just lay there. Staring at the ceiling. Waiting for something... anything. A message. A missed call. Even a voice note that said "happy birthday" through gritted teeth.

But there was nothing.

Just silence.

Siphosethu's silence.

I checked my phone again. Not that I expected any changes. Her name didn't pop up. No notification. Nothing. I tried calling — again. Still blocked. On WhatsApp. On Instagram. Even SMS. I couldn't reach her at all.

And the worst part?

I had no idea why.

No fight. No warning. No cold text to end things. Just... gone.

And my chest? It was doing this weird tight thing, like it was caving in on itself. Like grief — except she wasn't dead. She just disappeared from my life like I never existed in hers.

And today was supposed to be our day.

She'd been planning something. I could feel it in how she giggled when I mentioned my birthday last month. She said I'd love it. Said she was working on something small but meaningful. And if you knew Sethu, you knew her "small" gestures hit the hardest. She didn't have to go big to show love — her presence alone was always enough.

But now?

Now she was absent.

And I felt it everywhere. In my bones. In the way my hands twitched, wanting to reach for her. In the way my chest ached when I remembered how she used to write "my baby" under my posts even when I didn't tag her.

She was just... gone.

*********************************************

Later That Day

The drums had started. The meat was already on the fire. My mom was fussing with the decorations like this was a royal banquet and not just a 24th birthday in the backyard.

"Boy, come here," my father called, raising a glass. "You're a man now. Twenty-four. When do we get to meet this girlfriend of yours? Or are you hiding her?"

Everyone laughed. I didn't.

I smiled the safest smile I could manage. "She's just not ready to meet the family yet."

"Eish, why? You've been together long enough," my mom added, narrowing her eyes.

I looked down. I didn't have answers for them — hell, I didn't even have answers for myself.

How could I explain that the girl I planned to build a life with had ghosted me like a stranger? That she had blocked every possible way for me to talk to her? That I couldn't even apologize or ask if she was okay or if I had unknowingly hurt her?

What had I done?

I racked my brain all week, but everything between us felt... normal. No tension. No coldness. Just love. Gentle, quiet love. The kind that filled a room without needing words. Until it was just... gone.

Maybe she got scared.

Maybe I pushed too much without realizing it.

Maybe I missed a sign.

Maybe I was the sign.

As the music played and people handed me drinks and gifts I didn't care about, I found myself zoning out again. Wondering if she was okay. Wondering if she still thought about me. If she cried today like I almost did this morning.

I knew her heart. I knew how soft it was. I just didn't know why it had suddenly hardened — or if I'd ever get the chance to hold it again.

I tried one more time to message her. My hands trembled.

But all I saw was the same notification:

"You can't send messages to this user."

And all I felt was the same question:

Why?

It was already 11 p.m., and the day had been... heavy. Emotionally draining. I smiled, I laughed, I pretended. But behind the birthday-boy mask, I was still haunted by one question — why did she block me?

I was ready to call it a night when Tlotli came up to me, a weird grin stretched across his face.

"Boy," he said, nudging me like he'd been dying to spill something, "I've got a surprise for you. Back at the apartment. Just you and me. You're gonna love it. Let's go."

I raised an eyebrow. "At this hour?"

"Trust me," he said, pulling me by the arm like a kid on Christmas Eve. "It's your birthday. Let's end it right."

Part of me wanted to say no. I was drained. Mentally. Emotionally. But Tlotli looked like he'd been planning this all week. So I sighed and agreed.

We drove back, and the streetlights washed over the car in flickers. My stomach twisted with anxiety — not because I was scared, but because I didn't want to fake another smile. I'd been wearing that damn mask all day.

But the moment we got to the apartment...

Bro.

The hallway lights were dim. There was music thumping from inside my flat — bass deep enough to feel through my chest. I paused at the door, looking at Tlotli.

"Dawg... What did you do?"

He just smirked and opened the door.

And boom — lights, smoke, music, people shouting "Happy Birthday Kat!", bodies moving, laughter, drinks flying... and strippers. Actual strippers. In my living room. My own apartment had been turned into a full-blown club.

I froze. I literally didn't walk in. I just stood there.

Part of me wanted to shut the door and walk away. It didn't feel like me. Not tonight. Not in this mental state. Not with the way Sethu had ghosted me. This? This wasn't the peace I was looking for.

Tlotli noticed.

"Ai, don't be soft now," he laughed, handing me a drink. "It's just for tonight, bro. You deserve this. Forget her for one night."

I hesitated.

Then, eventually... I stepped in.

Not because I wanted to wild out — but because I didn't want to kill the vibe my boys had worked so hard to create. They meant well. I could see it in their faces. They were just trying to make me forget, even if only for a few hours.

So yeah, I stayed. I drank a little. Laughed when the guys roasted me. Gave hugs. Took pictures. Smiled through it.

But deep down?

I still wished it was her who had said, "I've got a surprise for you."

Because this wasn't the surprise I really wanted.

Siphosethu Zulu

I couldn't sleep.

My mind wouldn't let me. I tossed, turned, stared at the ceiling, closed my eyes — but nothing worked. The intrusive thoughts were louder than ever. Why did I block him? What if he thinks I don't care? What if I ruined something good?

Kat had been nothing but good to me before everything. He didn't deserve the cold shoulder — not on his birthday. I knew it. I just... I didn't know how to face him. But the guilt was swallowing me whole.

Then I saw the box.

The gift I had carefully wrapped two weeks ago. Sitting there. Untouched. Waiting. Just like my heart.

"It won't kill me," I whispered to myself. "Dropping it off won't kill me. Returning his keys won't kill me."

I ordered a cab. 00:06 a.m.

I told myself I'd knock, give him the box, the keys, and leave. Simple. Closure. Clean.

But when I got there, the second I stepped out of the cab, I heard it — music. Loud, thumping, vulgar music. Laughter. Shouting. I blinked up at the building. His apartment. Lit like a party venue. It sounded like chaos. It felt wrong.

I almost turned around.

I should've.

But my legs carried me in anyway. I pushed myself to walk. Maybe they were just chilling. Maybe it's just his teammates. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

But when I opened that door...

I froze.

Three naked girls. Not half-naked. Not tipsy. NAKED. Surrounding Kat like he was a king on a throne. Twerking on him. Hands all over his chest, his arms, his thighs. One was licking his ear. Another had her whole body pressed against him. He was sitting there — laughing, maybe drunk, maybe not — but he didn't push them away.

And in that moment... something in me cracked.

Not my heart. My heart shattered two weeks ago when he didn't fight for me.

This was different.

This was rage. This was humiliation. This was confirmation. All the things I feared... were right in front of me.

I didn't make a sound. I didn't scream. I didn't confront. I just quietly walked in, went straight to the kitchen, and placed the gift on the counter — the one wrapped with love, with care, with memories. Then I took his key off my chain, placed it gently next to the box, and turned to leave.

That's when I heard it.

A voice behind me. I couldn't even tell if it was Kat or one of the guys, but someone called out — "Wait!"

I didn't.

I bolted out the door, down the passage, back into the lift.

Katlego Moeketsi

I saw her.

Not in a drunk haze. Not in a vision. I saw her.

It was her. Sethu.

My heart dropped. My chest tightened. I was sitting there with girls dancing on me, my shirt off, trying to pretend I was enjoying the birthday surprise Tlotli had set up — but the second I saw her silhouette by the door, everything inside me froze.

"Sethu!"

I jumped up, pushed the girls off me — they complained, someone laughed, music still blaring — but I didn't care. I grabbed my shirt, threw it on without thinking, and ran out of the apartment.

My legs carried me down the hallway, three steps at a time. My lungs were burning. My heart beating faster than it ever had on the pitch.

And there she was.

Just about to open the cab door.

I sprinted.

"Wait! Sethu! Wait, dammit!"

She flinched. Tried to climb into the car. I reached the driver first, pulled out my card and paid without a word. "You can go." He looked at me like I was crazy, but the man drove off — leaving me alone with the only girl who had my whole damn heart.

I turned to her, breathless, voice cracking. "Why did you block me?" I asked.

She didn't answer. Her face was stone cold. Until she snapped:

"Why don't you go and ask your whores inside?!"

I don't even know what happened next.

My hand moved before my brain could stop it.
SMACK.

A sharp sound. A louder silence.

Her head turned with the force. Her cheek bloomed red.

She looked at me, completely stunned. Tears filled her eyes instantly, and her hand flew up to her cheek. And that's when I realized...

Oh God.

"Sethu..." My voice cracked again. "Sethu, I didn't mean to... I didn't..." I took a step closer, reaching for her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I swear, I didn't even realize..."

She was already crying. Quiet, broken sobs. Trying to back away from me.

"Please... I just wanna go home, Kat. Let me go home."

I shook my head. "No. No. Not like this. You can't leave like this. We need to talk. You blocked me for a week. I've been going mad. You ignored everything. Then tonight, you come and drop off a gift and keys like it's goodbye? No. Not like this."

Her eyes flared. "There's nothing to fix, Katlego. Nothing! You ghosted me for a week. Didn't say a damn thing, i came to your apartment cause i missed you and guess what were you doing? BUSY FUCKING ANOTHER WOMAN ,you couldn't wait any longer for virgin marry . I was crying like a fool. On your birthday, I wake up missing you, only to remember you never even reached out. And now I find you there, surrounded by naked girls? And you slapped me?! You think there's something to fix?!"

I blinked.

My voice caught. "Fucked who? What are you talking about?!"

She sniffed hard, turned her face away.

I stepped in front of her. "Sethu, what are you talking about? I didn't sleep with anyone."

She laughed bitterly. "That's rich. That's real rich coming from the guy who was off the radar for a week and then suddenly pops up half-naked with strippers."

I shook my head, desperate. "Those girls aren't mine. They were a surprise. Tlotli turned the place into some club vibe — I didn't even want to go in. I swear, nothing happened. Not tonight. Not last week. I didn't touch anyone. I couldn't — I was in f*ing Europe last week!"

She froze. "...What?"

"I was in Hospital. For recovery. I injured my hamstring. They flew me out with the med team. I was meant to return on Monday, but I extended for extra rehab. That's why I went silent — and before you say anything, I know I should've told you. I just... didn't know how to. I felt stupid. Weak. And when I came back and saw you had blocked me... I didn't know what to do."

Sethu stared at me like she didn't believe it. "You weren't in the lineup. I checked. I didn't see your name."

"Because I was out. Injured. They didn't release it. They were waiting for final scans. I swear, I didn't cheat on you, Sethu. I didn't even flirt with anyone. I couldn't stop thinking about you the entire week."

She looked down. Her eyes were drowning.

"Why didn't you fight for me when I blocked you?" she whispered.

"I thought I'd hurt you too much to fix it. I thought I lost you for real."

She covered her face, sobbing silently. And God, seeing her like that — broken, confused, hurting — I felt like the worst man alive.

I gently reached for her wrist. "Come with me. Please. Just... come sit with me. I won't talk if you don't want to. Just be near me. That's all I need right now."

She didn't reply, but she didn't pull away either.

I led her up to the patio — the only quiet space left.

The wind was cool. She sat stiff, shoulders trembling. I sat beside her, staring out at the city lights, wishing I could take every mistake back.

She finally spoke, voice hollow. "I thought I lost you too."

I turned to her. "You didn't. You still haven't. Not if you'll let me stay."

She didn't say anything else. But her tears kept falling.

And before I could reach for her again, before I could promise her forever or beg for one more chance — the world spun. My vision blurred. My head dropped forward.

The alcohol finally won.

I blacked out.

With her next to me.

And my heart still aching.

If Kat wasn't the one sleeping with that woman last week... then who was it? Should Sethu believe him and give him a chance to explain — or has too much damage already been done? If you were Sethu, what would you do?