Giving you control.

Chapter 7.

(Baraka's P.O.V)

Light floods my eyes when I come to be, chasing away the lingering remnants of the dreams I was having. I see a multicoloured butterfly fly past up ahead as my eyes clear, leaving a trail of sparkly dusk that fades as it falls. I groan, my head still fuzzy as it rushes to try and catch me up on my whereabouts. Last time I checked, I overreacted and ran out on Mika, then basically 'broke up' with Wangui. If I really did end up on the fields, I surely fell asleep in the middle of nowhere. What in the quirky sad storyline is my life.

I try moving my body to stretch my bones, to relish the warmth of the sun on my skin, but where I lay is no longer grass but wood. I adjust my head slightly where it lays, on a  pillow-like surface with a warm soft fabric unlike the rest of my body. It’s so comfortable, that I never wish to wake up.

Something is also shielding my eyes from the sun I realise, as I begin to drift asleep once again. I feel soft fingers wrap around my head and gently start trailing along the side of my face, twirling in my afro, drifting me back to the shores of reality am attempting to swim away from.

From above me, her silhouette surrounded by the golden hue of the sun, she smiles down at me, her other hand lifted above my face to shadow my eyes from the sun.

I feel my heart leap in my throat, bursting as my eyes open fully to take all the world in, unable to glance away from her. Her dark brown eyes look sparkly and her hair appears to be floating in the wind. This is exactly how I envisioned my encounter with an angel if it ever happened. I blink a couple times just to be sure am not dreaming, but her gentle smile never fades, it pierces through my pent up confusion into my heart, and I wish we'd stay like this a bit longer.

"You...you... you passed out." She starts nervously, but calmly delivers when my fingers wrap around her other hand. I lay our intertwined hands on my chest.

"You’re here." My voice is hoarse from sleep.

She nods in response.

"You’re awake!" she sounds like a memory, leaving me wondering what part of this is supposed to be real. Me lying on her lap, or her being here all together.

I'm bad for her. I was mean to her and everyone else.

"I’m so sorry... for everything I did, for what I said." I say, my hand squeezing hers tight, fighting the tears climbing up my throat. What's with all these overpowering emotions.

It would be embarrassing, to cry in front of the girl I like, but I do feel deeply apologetic.

"Baraka..."

"I just felt suddenly overwhelmed," I say as she blurs out of vision. "I don’t want this to end."

"I’m sorry I pried in your business. It wasn’t my place at all to do that." She says.

I notice her blue blouse, and the beaded necklace tied around her neck like a chocker. She changed her clothes again I almost believe, but when my hand reaches out for hers hanging in the air for me, I notice the hand knitted sweater am wearing. She gave me the...her sweater!

Realisation hits me hard and I jump out of her lap, any trace of sleep I had completely dissipating, but the bench is not wide enough for my unsettledness so I begin to fall. She tries to keep me in place by grabbing me only to lift my sweater awkwardly when I plummet onto the ground with a soft thud in a sitting position. I hear a muffled giggle behind me and my cheeks get as hot as a fresh mandazi.

"Aaah...you were wet...when I found you." She explains shyly, letting go. I can’t even look at her out of sheer embarrassment. I can't help imagining how deeply I must have been out of it to not feel someone touching me.