With Pain Comes Love Book 1

Yaya 21

So Melokuhle is dating the girl I saw him with today? I knew it! Why would he kiss me knowing he's seeing someone? The kiss changes everything. I was kind of mad at him, but mostly, I was mad at myself for being that stupid. Why did I kiss him back? What was I hoping to gain from it anyway? When Ledi and I got home, he called me, but I straight up ignored his calls. What did he want from me now? Ledi walked in a while later and threw herself onto my bed.

"I just got a call from Melo," she announced.

"Where did he get your number?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"I didn't ask... anyway, he was calling to make sure we got home safe," she said.

"That's nice of him," I muttered, walking to my closet and stripping off my clothes layer by layer. Ledi followed me, her eyes sharp with curiosity.

"What happened tonight?" she pressed.

"What do you mean?" I feigned ignorance, hoping to avoid the conversation.

"I'm not stupid. I noticed the tension between you guys after the whole fight incident."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Naledi."

She wasn't buying it. "When you and Melo left the table, you were on good speaking terms. Then suddenly, you come back acting all awkward... what happened? Did he hurt you?"

"What? No!" I denied, feeling cornered.

"Then why are you ignoring his calls?" She waved my phone in my face, her observant nature shining through. Naledi was too sharp for her own good. It was best to just tell her because, one way or another, she'd find out.

"He kissed me in the toilet, and I kissed him back," I confessed.

She screamed and started jumping up and down, all excited. "So this means that he is not dating the girl you saw him with, and that you two actually might be something!"

"No! It was just a kiss. Besides, he has a girlfriend, and we agreed it was a mistake and it will never happen again," I clarified, hoping to temper her excitement.

"WHAT???" she exclaimed, disbelief evident in her voice.

"What?" I asked, walking back to my room wearing my pajamas.

"You guys kissed. How was it?" Her curiosity was palpable.

"It was normal. It was a kiss; there's nothing to it really," I lied, trying to downplay the significance.

"Liar! You like him, friend," she accused, her voice filled with knowing.

"Even if I do, it doesn't matter now. He has a girlfriend." I couldn't hide the hurt in my voice. It stung to know he had someone else. Weren't we hitting it off? It wasn't like I was playing hard to get or anything, but seeing those sides of him I hadn't seen earlier were slowly making me fall for him. This man kissed me twice! Am I crazy for falling for the guy? Why now, anyway? I think I need a distraction in my life.

"Melo kissed you knowing very well he has a girlfriend," Naledi began, her tone a mix of exasperation and concern. "Why do I get the feeling that he's with this girl for the sake of being with someone? Or maybe because you've pointed it out to him so many times that you weren't interested, he decided to stop chasing?"

I sighed, feeling a knot of frustration in my chest. "But Ledi, I wasn't playing hard to get. I honestly wasn't interested in the guy before, until he apologised and started showing me sides of him I never knew existed."

Naledi's eyes softened as she played with my hair, her fingers gently weaving through the strands like she was trying to untangle the mess of emotions in my mind. "What you do from here on is all on you, baby girl. You can either tell him how you feel about him or keep it to yourself, but I must say this—nothing eats you up like the words you never said..."