Zara's Safari

Chapter 32

The closer I got to my house the faster I ran. I felt like one of those eighties power woman in those music videos with the crazy wind machine blowing back her gigantic perm. I could almost feel my shoulder pads bobbing up and down as I ran.  I was almost expecting to run through a clothesline of random red chiffon material that was blowing in the wind for no reason whatsoever. That would have completed the look. That and blue eye shadow.

As I aproached the house my excitement built to an absolute fever pitch, I was clutching the ticket in my sweaty paws now so tightly I hoped I hadn't crunched it beyond recognition.  I literally barged through the boors, pushed them open as hard as I could and ran in- yes, I was so Bonnie Tyler in Total Eclipse of the Heart right now.

I ran down the corridor almost bumping into several things as I went. My dad was there, which was odd, he was usually at work. Maybe this was part of the new leaf,

“Dad! Dad! I’m going to do it. I’m flippin going to South Africa,” I ran past him and was already heading up the stairs when his words stopped me.

“Zara, I don’t think that’s a good idea-“

“What? You were the one who told me to follow my heart and all that stuff, what are you saying, that I shouldn’t go anymore---“

He held his hand up and cut me off, “No. No, I’m not saying that. If you went he wouldn’t be there.”

I looked at my dad puzzled trying to figure out what he was saying.

“He’s here.”

“Riaan?”

My dad smiled and nodded, “He’s been here for a few hours already. We’ve been getting to know each other. I like him”

“Where is he?” I think I nearly blew the roof off with the pitch of my voice.

“He stepped out about half an hour ago, he said he was going to get something,”

“Why didn’t you call?”

“You’re phones off.”

“It is? I reached for my phone and it was dead. Shit. "Which direction did he go in?”

“Why don’t you rather wait here, he said he would be back soon.”

I shook my head violently, I didn’t want to wait another minute.

“He went left.”

I ran out, turned left and started sprinting. Now I really was in a music video or something. The woman, chasing after her love, through the streets. Usually it was raining, at least it wasn’t now.

Where the hell would he go?

I was just imagining a whole hour long chase scene in my head when,

BANG.

As I ran around the corner I ran right into someone, I was in such a hurry that I didn’t even look at them, I steadied myself for a second or two before I started moving again. I felt an arm grab mine, pull me hard and then I was face to face with him.  Well almost, there was a crushed and mangled bouquet of flowers in between us obstructing our view of each other, I practically had a Lilly up my nose. We both pushed the flowers out the way and his face came into proper view.

“Riaan,” I was all I could manage through the heavy breathing, I was so out of breath from the running.

“Zara,”

“Riaan, I’m… I was going to coming… I was-“

He cut me off with a hard kiss. I pushed him away a few seconds into it- I literally couldn’t breathe

“Crap! I am so out of breathe, give me a minute,”

He burst out laughing as I bent over and took in a few deep breaths.

“You always know how to make an entrance,” he said rubbing me on the back as my breathing started slowing down again, and the second it did, I grabbed him hard and kissed him back.

The flowers crunched between us again and a few people stared at the dramatic scene as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in even closer. The kiss was so frantic; as if we'd been separated for a whole year and were only seeing each other for the first time now. It did feel like that though, I had missed him so much. We both pulled away, out of breathe now for reasons other than running.

We both launched into the fastest conversation that two humans have ever had, and I have no idea how we understood each other, but we did.

I started. “I’m so—“

“Me too,”

“And I want to—“

“Me too, please can we---“

“Try again. Yes.’

“I don’t care if you still want parts of your London—“

“I don’t want it.”

“Really?”

“I want to come back with you.”

“Really?’

“I’m sorry I—“

“I also doubted you.”

“It was—“

“Yes, It was wrong of me too."

"Unfair."

"So unfair and wrong."

“I’m so sorry.”

“Me too”

“I really---“

“Me too. Love you.”

“Love you. A lot.”

“A lot”

“A lot”

We both smiled, and then burst out laughing again, perhaps from the ridiculousness of the conversation, perhaps because we were so over joyed and happy.

We kissed again.

It was different this time. It said everything. It promised everything. It spoke of waking up together in that house every morning. Of conversations about our day over dinner in the evening. Watching sunsets together.  It spoke of forever. Of soul mates. Of kids running in the garden, of growing old together and sitting in rocking chairs on the porch. Of sharing our lives. Sharing everything. Of love that comes around once in a lifetime.

He was the one.

My one.

And I was his.