I Never Left You

8. Movie night alone

This week has been a quite busy one with assignments and project work that even the days I spend volunteering at the orphanage were highly occupied with work. It's Friday lunch and am scrolling through my IG trying to keep up with the latest gossip and news updates when Leah slumps into her usual seat that I always save her. She tries to eat on my fries but I quickly snatch them away and she starts calling me the bottomless pit. My lunch is always made up of junk food but breakfast is always healthy meals, I don't like accumulating junk in my body. Besides junk food has never been good for the body but it tastes like heaven.
"So what are you doing Friday night? " Leah asks, with a mouthful of fries.
"Movie night as always" I reply sipping on to my apple juice and not taking eyes off my phone.
"Boring. C'mon Az, I'm hanging out with Austin and his friends tonight, come join us, it would be so much fun. "
"Ray already invited me out but if it makes you feel better, I turned him down, I have this proposal am writing for the orphanage and I need this afternoon and evening to finish it off, besides I promised mum I will be home for the weekend, so I need to be sober enough to drive" I conclude.
"wow, so many valid excuses for not hanging out with your bestie. Fine I will let you be this weekend."  Leah says as she pouts her mouth . I love my bestie for always being understanding. Ray has been texting me all week asking if I could hang out with him but I have been putting up as many excuses as I can. Not that am trying to avoid him,but am trying to keep him at an arm length. In the friend zone to be precise, you wouldn't know how excited I  was to find out that the father of my daughter was still alive. At least I  won't have to explain to Christa when she's grown up thatcher father went MIA the day after she was conceived.
Since we don't have classes after lunch, me and Leah visit the shopping mall such that she can get a perfect outfit for a night out with her boyfriend and their friends.  It's the least I can do to make me feel less bad not going with her to the party.  Two hours later we match out of Queen's mall after matching so many outfits. We come out laughing at something that Leah picked in her favourite serie: 40 and single. She claims that her outfit will blow Austin's mind out and I couldn't agree less.
All that laughter and shopping left us hungry so we stop by an ice-cream shop and continue to catch up as much as we can since we won't be available for the whole weekend. Few minutes later my empty bowl of chocolate vanilla is smiling at me and that sweet flavor is still lingering on my throat. Leah also finishes her pineapple chocolate. We maybe gluttons but trust me our figures are the right shapes, most times were always teasing each other on having two bottomless pits instead of stomachs where all the food we eat ends up for it never appears under our skins.
By 8pm am done finalizing with my proposal so I shower and prepare for my solo movie night. Meanwhile Leah is fixing her make up ready to for another weekend madness party. I will miss her tonight but luckily am going to start a new series so I won't notice am all alone in the room. I dry my hair and roll it in a messy bun as I look for my pink and blue overall, yap there are sleeping overalls for big girls and I bought this particularly one because it matches one Christa has.
Leah is looking amazing in her army green vest dress ,red jacket and matching boots, she's really gorgeous from head to toe,not to mention the way she's tied her hair in cornrows. I quickly snap a pic of her, we hug each other goodbye and promise not to miss her. Having exchanged a few pleasantries with Austin who's not happy with me for not coming along. He grabs Leah's weekend bag and they head out. I ask Leah to close the door behind her as I gather my snacks. Having arranged my pizza, soda, juice, lays and popcorn ( of course all for me) I warm boot the laptop while I check my phone. No notifications, I call my family briefly and wish them a goodnight and assure them that I will see them early tomorrow.
I open my bag of lays as episode one of "If Loving You Is Wrong" starts, as am about to put earphones in my second ear, I hear a knock on the door,  am wondering what Leah could have forgotten and why would she bother knocking. Nevertheless I go get the door,
"Ray, what are you doing here? " I ask in utter shock,  how did he find out which dorm I lived in and later the room,
"May I come in?" he dodges my question.
"In a moment," I quickly shut the door, rush to the dressing table hiding away all the pictures that have Christa in the room,  I never expected him to show up on my door unannounced. As am about to open the door, I remember the wallpaper on my laptop and change that. After ensuring that all evidence of his daughter is hidden I take a deep breath and open the door for him to come in. "Please come in", I say giving him my plastic smile. He hands me a gift bag as he enters and I hesitate to take it but he insists that it will make him feel less bad if I did. I open it briefly and find its a knitted sweater which I  thank him for and put aside. I motion him to have a seat on Leah's bed since seats are scarce in here.
"You look good in your overall btw" Ray compliments.
"Thanks, so how did you find out where I lived? " I ask impatiently
" Az, we don't study GIS and map referencing to leave it in books, we have to apply it" he says smiling and proud of himself. I was able to locate the coordinates of your phone but I didn't know which room you stayed in so I had planned on coming and asking anyone I saw around which room Azra Fall sleeps in but luckily I found Leah and Austin in the parking lot and begged her to tell me your room.
Wow, where there's a will there's a way indeed. I ask him what brings him here and he claims he came to hang out since I  have been avoiding him all week. Besides am sure Leah already told him am going to be here alone. He motions to my laptop and asks what we're watching tonight. This boy is impossible, I have been abstaining away from him like he's a plague and here he is under my covers ready to spoil my movie night. I debate between kicking him out and enjoying his company tonight so I go with the latter. I inform him that he is welcome to stay and watch on condition that he doesn't touch anybody my snacks. I grab my Lays and move to the other side of the bed careful to leave a reasonable distance between us.
"The wall lover as always" he says, as he is about to click on the space button and play the serie, I hold his hand and ask him why he really is here. "Well, you have been bringing up all the excuses in the world not to hang out with me, your texts are shorter than my hair and I desperately wanted to see you and here I am." he finishes. Satisfied with his explanation I only manage to say "OK " and rewind the serie so we can start afresh but my heart is doing summersalts screaming "oooh my God!, he's here." I hand him a pack of popcorn and we watch If loving You Is Wrong in silence. "Thanks for taking an effort to bring me a gift." I say to him mid serie
"Consider it as a gift saying long time no friend" he replies giving me his signature smile that not only gives me butterflies but also a whole damn zoo in my stomach.