Kamaia thought about it for a minute, slowly nodding before turning back towards Jude. Charlize and Bukayo left the two on their own, going to the other side of the arcade.
Their bowling alley was still being set up, so the two sat in a painfully awkward silence. There was a huge gap of space between them on the bench, Jude being respectful of Kamaia and not wanting to push her boundaries, and Kamaia just didn't want to be near him.
"So—" Jude started, before being interrupted by Kamaia.
"Please don't speak, or God give me strength I don't know what I'll do to you."
─── ༉‧₊˚✧ ───
"How are you so bad at this?" Kamaia muttered. It was their third round of bowling, and so far she had won the last two. Bukayo being the smart person he was, paid for unlimited rounds since he knew she'd end up ignoring Jude and not solving the issues between them.
"You know what they say about guys who are bad at bowling," he smirked in response, receiving an eye roll from her.
They decided to take a break in the middle of the round to get some food. Whilst they sat in the booth, Jude couldn't help but let his eyes wonder over Kamaia's face. She looked less stressed in some ways, the circles under her eyes were gone, the crease in her brows whenever she was upset at something wasn't visible... so he must've been doing something right.
"How have you been?"
"How do you think I've been?" she scoffed at the idiocy in his question, knowing full well he'd been keeping tabs on her ever since she blocked him.
"Right, that was stupid to ask," he mumbled. "Can we, um, talk about it?"
"There's not that much to talk about, Jude. You want football and not a relationship, and I respect that. So I'll remove myself from you in order to not get hurt. Again." She concluded, scanning her eyes over the menu placed in front of her.
He winced at her emphasis of 'again' knowing full well that he'd hurt her multiple times, and also that there was just something about him that kept bringing her back. But every time, he'd just break her heart. She couldn't keep defending him anymore.
"I talked to my mum about us. Again," now it was his turn to emphasise. "She didn't send me to my room this time, but she took my electronics away for like four days until I 'came to my senses' or whatever that meant," he explained.
I love Denise, Kamaia thought. Her son, however? Not exactly.
"Well did you come to your senses?"
"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't be here," he sassed back. But when she raised her eyebrow at his change of tone he quickly corrected himself. "And I very much do want to be here because I want to fix everything."
"You said that last time, now look at us!" Kamaia smiled sarcastically.
"Just listen to what I have to say. Please?" When she gestured for him to carry on, he did so. "I've never... been in a relationship before. I don't know how to do the whole commitment thing and I'm still learning. I'm not making excuses for the way I've treated you because, believe me, I've been told enough times about it.
"But at the same time, I'm not going to let myself lose you because I don't know how to keep you. Yet. I want you and only you, and I realise now that you're not going to stop me from achieving other stuff, if anything, you'll me get them. So I'm really sorry for all the things I've said to hurt you; I'd never do that on purpose."
Kamaia didn't know what to say. On one hand, he was the biggest dick she has ever met, but she liked that. On the other hand, she could tell that he was genuine ─── whenever Jude was speaking passionately about something, he'd give eye contact and use his hands when talking, both of which he just did.
And lastly, Kamaia would always go back to Jude. No matter how bad it was for her. Only this time there was something different about it.
"Okay. I forgive you. But this is the last time, Jude, I mean it." She sighed, finally looking him in the eye. She could see the smile spreading on his face, and fought every urge not to mirror his expression. "On a few conditions."
Jude felt his body tense up at that and Kamaia swore she saw his eye twitch. "And those are...?"
"First, we keep this relationship private. As in people can know we're together, but it's mor private than secret. That way, you don't have too many people asking you about me and I don't have to limit my comment section because of 13 year olds." Jude nodded at her words.
"Secondly, no labels. I still don't trust you that much and I know you can be persistent so consider this me 'getting my lic back'" she put air bubbles around the quote, and Jude immediately got the reference, having seen the episodes of Baddies West himself.
"And thirdly, no kissing. You're on time out." At that, Jude's lips parted into an 'o' shape, a small scoff leaving them. "Are we good?"
"So basically, we're a couple minus the label and all the stuff couples do?"
"Yes. Exactly that."
"I'll take it."
─── notes.
you guys better eat the hell
out of these votes and comments
(like you always do) bc.....
1.5k WORDS ?????? pray for
my fingers fr 😞
spent my valentines day watching
chick flicks and cursing couples on
my fyp wbu x
TWENTY THREE.
Start from the beginning
