Author's Note: Here is the first chapter. Do let me know what you think of it... Vote... Share... Comment... It is highly appreciated. Enjoy.
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Chapter One: Welcome to Johannesburg
I still had a week before starting school, so I was going furniture, grocery and car shopping. I called Lindo and he answered after three rings.
"Hello Ndo", he said in his beautifully deep voice.
"Hey Ndo", I exclaimed excitedly. I smiled at the matching nicknames.
"What's up?" he asked in his usually lazy tone. Something in my stomach clenched, in an unfamiliar way. I dismissed the feeling; maybe it was because, I had missed him.
"Oh. Nothing much, besides the fact that, I'm in Joburg and I need a shopping buddy", I said.
"Ohhhhh", he drawled out, excitedly. "My girl's in my hood".
"Yeah; I'm here. So, will you come to Laborie so we can go shopping?" I asked.
"Of course. I'll be there in 15 minutes", he said. I squealed excitedly.
"See you soon, babe", I said.
"Sure Ndo", he said and I disconnected the call.
Fifteen minutes later, I got a call from him telling me that he was outside. I ran out of my apartment, not forgetting to lock, and ran excitedly to the front gate. Once I saw my best friend, I screamed and ran to him. He opened his arms and I jumped on him, catching him in an excited embrace. He caught me and spun me around, laughing with me.
"I missed you so much, Ndo", he said, inhaling my neck. I was still in his arms, but he had stopped spinning and I had my legs around his waist.
"I missed you, Ndo", I said, enjoying being in my best friend's arms again. When he placed me on my feet, he smiled down at me and that tightening feeling returned in my stomach. What was that?
"How has my girl been?" he asked.
"I've been great, babe. How have you been?" I asked. He took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly.
"I've been good, but I really missed you. I'm glad you're finally here. When did you arrive?" he asked, as he took my hand. We started walking to the direction of the main road.
"I got here yesterday. And before you ask; yes, I slept on the floor", I said. He frowned at me.
"Why didn't you call to say that you were here and without furniture? I would have let you crash at my place", he said as a matter of fact. I shook my head.
"I love you buddy, but I wasn't going to survive being with three, crazy guys on my first day in Joburg", I said.
"You know us very well though, so you're just being dramatic", he replied. I shook my head again.
"And where was I going to sleep, smart guy?" I asked.
"On my bed, of course", he said as if I had slapped him. I frowned.
"And where were you going to sleep?" I asked and he made a tsk sound.
"You make it sound like we haven't shared a bed before", he replied. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, okay", I said. "I should have told you, but I didn't want to be a bother", I said. He stopped walking and I turned back to see what was holding him back. He had a look of total befuddlement on his face. I couldn't help it, I rolled my eyes again.
"A bother?? A bother, Ndo? How could MY best friend be a bother to me?" he asked incredulously. I laughed at his ridiculousness, and took his hand urging him forward.
"I'm sorry I said that, Ndo. Next time, I'll call you", I said. He cocked an eyebrow at me and I smiled innocently at him. He shook his head slightly, and then put his arm over my shoulders. "So, first thing on my shopping list: car", I said. Lindo stopped again and when I turned around, I found his mouth gaping open in utter shock. I laughed.
"Your parents are like the coolest pair of parents in the world", he said in awe. I nodded in agreement.
"I know. I thank God for them every day. So, where are the car shops around here?" I asked.
"Let's get a taxi and go to North Gate", he said as he raised his hand and a taxi stopped next to us. He opened the door for me and I climbed in and he sat next to me. He put his arm over my shoulder like he always did. I think he enjoyed doing that. I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder.
I decided to buy a red 2010, Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4. It was still early in the day, so I still had time to ready the car's documentation. After that was done, Lindo and I drove around the city. It was some sort of tour, him telling me what the buildings and other things were. After we had lunch, we drove to Cresta to buy furniture.
I bought a fridge, black couch, small coffee table, double bed, flat screen TV and a DStv decoder. I bought red and purple bedding and curtains, and couch cushions. I bought a study table and chair, and red and purple beanbags for lounging around. I bought a black rug for the sitting area. I gave the shops I went to the address to my apartment. Once I had bought the furniture, I bought kitchen necessities and then, Lindo and I drove back to my apartment to wait for the furniture to be delivered.
Once everything was in my apartment, Lindo and I left and went to Campus Square, the closest mall to Laborie to buy groceries. I was exhausted and my feet hurt. Two trolleys later, Lindo and I went to get S'pha and Alex so they could come help set my apartment up. It took us almost the whole night, but we managed to get everything in order. Since I had already packed my clothes in the closet, I didn't have that to worry about as well. Plus, I had called the DStv installer and he was coming in the morning the next day. I looked around my new home and smiled widely.
Since I was too tired to cook for my friends, we went to the McDonalds drive through to buy ourselves some food. I felt like I had spent way too much money, but I could pay my parents back for the money that I spent once I got a job. When we got back to the house, we watched movies and then S'pha and Alex said they needed to leave. Knowing they were as tired as I was, I drove them to their commune. They had argued that they would walk, but that wouldn't sit well with me, so I forced to drive. They eventually agreed.
After Lindo and I got to my apartment, we watched another movie, not really paying attention to it, as we were busy talking the whole time, catching up. Sometime during the night, we fell asleep and then, when I realized I was uncomfortable on the couch, I woke him up.
"Go sleep on the bed, Ndo", I said. He stood up, rubbing his eyes sleepily and I took his hand, leading him to the bed. He climbed under the covers and I went to change into my pyjamas in the bathroom. Once I had done all my hygiene stuff, I shuffled tiredly to the bed. I climbed in next to Lindo. He stirred in his sleep, and then pulled me closer to him. I snuggled onto his chest and closed my eyes. He kissed the top of my head and I sighed.
"Goodnight, Ndo", he whispered.
"Night, babe", I said, and then drifted off to a blissful sleep.