Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The second my eyes opened, they were fixated ok the bedside table where I had out the R 100 note. My stomach began to rumbled

A took it and stared at the number.

"A death wish on a piece of paper," Sibongile's voice echoed in my head. She was right. I knew she was right.

Why would Zuko even give me his number, why me out of all people, there were plenty of girls.

I was the type of gkrl who to stays indoors until the weather cleared. My mother hadn't scrubbed floors and saved every cent just so I could throw it all away on a man like that. Maybe...

But my skin still felt the heat of his touch. My pulse hummed faster just thinking about him. I closed my eyes and I was back at the arena. I saw his lips, his brackets and that smile.

"I think I'm in love with him."

What did I just say? That was insane. I was nineteen. I was supposed to be smart. Yet here am I.

Okay,... Omphile Msingo ...oh not so bad. My new last name...no longer Omphile Ntloko. I pictured a white dress walking down the aisle. His family on the side and Sibongile as my brides maid.

"God, Omphile, get a grip!" I hissed to the empty room. "Marriage? You don't even know his middle name."

I grabbed my phone, my fingers trembling. *Just to see if it's a real number,* I told myself. I punched in the digits.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I hit the green call button.

The screen changed. *Calling...*

Panic, cold and sharp, flooded my throat. What would I even say? *"Hi, I'm the girl from yesterday"* There are so many girls from yesterday for him. I slammed the red 'end' button before it could even ring.

I threw the phone onto the bed as if it had burned me.

I needed to move.

I needed to be normal. I walked to the small kitchenette, my movements stiff and robotic. I put the kettle on, the click of the switch sounding like a gunshot in the silence. I took out a bowl, my mind still spinning in circles. The kettle whistled. I made a bowl of oatmeal and walked back to the bed, sitting down heavily.

Crunch

I froze. I felt something hard and rectangular beneath my thigh.

I slowly stood up and looked down. My phone screen was glowing. The call timer was ticking.

0:07...0.08

I had butt-dialed him.

I lunged for the phone, my hands slick with sweat, intending to hang up and disappear. But then, a voice came through.

"Hello... Omphile? You okay there?"

I almost dropped the phone into my oatmeal. I pressed it to my ear, my face flushing deep crimson. "I—I… Zuko?"

"The one and only," he said. I could hear the smirk in his voice, that effortless confidence. "I was wondering how long it would take you to look at that note . I wasn't expecting that you'd call, I was trying my luck. Though I didn't expect a silent phone call on a Saturday morning. Missed me already?"

"I didn't mean to!" I blurted out. "It was an accident. I sat on my phone. I wasn't... I wasn't calling you."

"Is that so?" He chuckled making my toes curl. "Funny how accidents happen. Usually, when people sit on their phones, they don't dial all ten digits of a number they just got. You sure you didn't just want to hear my voice?"

"I'm sure," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"Well, since you've got me on the line," he murmured. "I've got plenty of time today, for you specifically. Why don't we make this official? Let's go on our first date. I'll come get you."

The air left my lungs. "A date? Today? Zuko, that's… that's so fast. I'm in my pajamas, and I have studying to do."

"Just this once, Omphile. And I definitely don't move slow," he teased, his voice humming with a playful, dangerous energy. "You spent all yesterday watching me spin. Why stop now?"

I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth despite my terror. He was so arrogant, yet I couldn't look away even over the phone. "I'll think about it," I said, trying to regain some of my dignity.

"You'll think about it?" He laughed softly. "Don't make me wait too long, omphile. I'm not a patient man, and I've got a feeling you're worth the drive. Call me when you realize you've thought about it enough."

He hung up, leaving me standing in the middle of my room, my heart doing a frantic dance. I looked at the R100 note, then at my textbooks. The "smart choice" was clear, but for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure I wanted to be smart. I wanted to be the girl in the passenger seat of a red Gusheshe.

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