That Incident

ELEVEN

❦

𝘗𝘈𝘕𝘐𝘊

I couldn't help but wonder why everything revolved around Triton. My thoughts and everything. I had almost forgotten that someone knew of that incident and how it was for me.

They were watching the episode about Tanya's bra. The part where Tanya started wearing a bra ridiculously stuffed with tissue.

Once you wear a bra—that could sort everything out. It got you attentions, questions and gifts too. I was considering trying it out. Ridiculous thinking. I could recall wearing a push up bra in Jss3 to school. How the guys ogled. It was pretty embarrassing.

"Aubree is here so we can start working on the assignment now." Alisha said picking up the used plates from the coffee table.

Someone had literally skinned the chicken and ate only the fleshy part. What a habit.

"I'm sorry I hate the skin of chicken so I didn't eat it." Triton said when he noticed me staring as Alisha took the plate away with a frown.

"It's okay." I mumbled.

He looked really calm. He looked way better wearing casual clothes. I couldn't stop myself from staring. His uniform hid a lot. He looked like he was spent all day in the gym working on his body.

I could literally see his bulging biceps in the navy blue varsity jacket he wore. He also had a new haircut.

Aubree, how are you so sneakily observant of everything about him?

"Your hair grows rapidly, Aubee." Tunde commented.

He couldn't say my name right. Ugh!

"I think we should work on our assignment separately. Tunde and Alisha could stay here while Aubree and I—do you have any place we can stay and do the assignment. The group discussion is meant to be confidential since it's a presentation." Triton said.

He was right. And I didn't want to stay with Tunde and Alisha cause she might spill one or two beans about me or something. I didn't like the idea of staying with Triton either. I wondered why Mrs Audu paired us.

Power couple, she said.

"The study room."

The study room used to be my father's favourite spot and later became my mother's drinking spot. She would curl up in a corner flipping through photo albums while sipping at always filled glass of red wine. She was intoxicated by the excess drinking.

"Sorry. The place hasn't been cleaned up for the past few days." I apologised embarrassedly.

The empty bottles littered around were enough to fill an empty trash can.

"It's okay. My mum's also alcoholic."

"My mum's not alcoholic. It just that she's going through a lot." I said rolling the blinds to let the strong redolent air of alcohol to escape.

Aubree just agree that she's alcoholic. Who drinks this amount of wine?

He only smiled and kept silent.

"So Maya Angelou used this poem to voice out the inequality between the white and black Americans. The racial based oppression. The first line talks about the free bird. A metaphor used for the white and the second line about the caged bird. This poem is like probably the reason for the song of freedom by the caged bird...." He was saying while I stared away in admiration. He was so engrossed in getting the assignment done.

I stared at every details on his body. His jet black curly hair. The little beauty mark on his left cheeks. His well sculptured lips. There were so many unique features.

"Aubree?" He called my name in a soft tone.

I realised he noticed I was staring fixedly at him. Absentminded to anything he had been saying.

"Sorry I got lost. I'm just worried about my mum." I lied.

But really, I am really worried about her just that I wasn't thinking of her at the time but of Mr Triton.

"She looked fine to me." He mumbled taking a gulp of water from the water bottles I brought from the fridge.

I was left at an uncomfortable silence of staring at his very visible Adam's apple toing and froing. He noticed the way I stared and dropped the almost empty bottle on the table after corking the bottle close.

"You have been staring, Lotachi." He said drawing nearer. The first time hearing him call my native name and I kind of liked it.

"Umm...have I?" I mouthed completely lost in empty thoughts.

His hands slowly reaching out to mine. Our lips meeting. I felt my heart pounding really hard. I couldn't tell why it raced really fast. I couldn't tell what it was. If it was excitement or what?

My first kiss. Even though Fred and I were in a relationship, we had never kissed maybe because I never wanted to.

It was going all way. Probably weird way to put that.

The softness of his lips. The breathing. We were completely lost at our own fantasy..... when there were vivid flashbacks of that night.

He had kissed me in this exact way but it was so suffocating. I was running out of breathe. I pleaded they let me go. His hands wandering with rough caressing.

I just got reminded this wasn't my first kiss. My first kiss was forceful. My hand tied at my back.

Tears rolled down my cheeks wetting his face. I felt a wave of panic. Shorten breathing. A slight weakness at my knees.

"Let me go." I whispered shakily.

"Aubree, are you okay..." His voice echoed withdrawing.

Let me go, I had begged him. He didn't listen. He just kept doing what he wanted.