Etched

Chapter 11

He very gently separate them step by step, to hurt me as little as possible. We split apart and I scoot deeper in my blanket to hide away the blush residing on my face. AB reaches forward to grab Ken's phone but he is quick to hide it from his view. He really has got guts to tease AB.

"Uh-huh, No no big guy. We don't throw gold away when we catch its sight" He says smugly. He starts humming the chorus of 'Thinking out loud' loudly, wiggling his brows.

AB abruptly stands up, making no eye contact with me whatsoever. He gathers his possessions and storms out the house without talking or interacting with anyone at all. Not that he is known to do anyway. Ken follows him out, continuing his humming and I remain confused with a flushed face. What on earth was I thinking, blindly cuddling him. Angry Bird. Sleeping with him like we were long lost buddies. We barely talked, I hardly know him yet I'd slept all over him. What must he be thinking of me?

Coming to think about him, I don't even know what his name must be. Great, just great. But AB is just what fits fine. I don't think I would want to know his name just yet.

Ken walks in the room, lifts a pitcher without any notice and pours it all over the sleeping body of Cassie. He walks forward unperturbed by her screams, keeping his calm face on, he splashes the remaining water over me.

"I was awake, you booger!" I yell, rubbing away the cold water droplets from my face. Cassie jumps up cussing and starts throwing pillows at Ken, he dodges them professionally.

"Yeah I knew. But I thought cold water would bring you out of your angry bird daze and besides I never wanted you to feel left out. If Cassie is wet, you are wet."

"And if we are wet, you are wet too." Cassie and I yell at the same time.

"There, there. You don't want me to tell you what it sounds like to me, now do you?" he winks, causing us to groan. "Enough crying. Come outside and help me clean the masterpiece you've made. I just slipped on the fackuting slime. My bottom just shattered" he says scowling. We giggle.

"What is fackuting and bum? What are you Ken, five?" Cassie asks groggily.

"Nope! Much older than that but Smurf hates it when someone cusses. My ass hurts really bad though!" Ken all but whines,

"Serves you right" I reply.

We clean the porch and head off to our respective places. It was Sunday and I was really tired, so I just cleaned my place, called Jerdy and lazed around Netflixing the entire length of the day. It was fun. Preparing my clothes for office next day, I set my alarm to wake up at the right time. Its exciting to rejoin your job after good 15 days of break. I flicked open the night bulb and fell asleep.

***

Entering the office, a wave of a totally different vibe hits me, unusual than the familiar mundane environment of the premises. The atmosphere all so different from where I'd last left it. The tired and scowling faces now replaced with glowing ones, emanating excitement and what seems to be the spark of hope and expectance for something good coming up, something positive. The sudden happy atmosphere washing over me in hopes of dragging me to join them in their warmth, and so is my mind. Wanting me to melt and smile wistfully but their remains a nagging void within me that seems to suppress the growing ecstasy. Indicating that there indeed is something coming up, something that might satisfy others but not me.

Shrugging my thoughts away I walk past the people in the bustling ground floor of 'The White GOI', ignoring their acknowledging better yet judgemental stares. A few snide comments whistle past me whiffing around the topic of my absence but I pay no heed to it and head off to the work station, waving and smiling on my way to the genuinely nice people who ask me about my health and me going MIA.