The Seven, and their Wealth. II

XVI - Jackson.

Jackson turned the key and pushed open the door; making his escape from the cool, overcast day that lingered into his warm home.

Brutally cold days like these were excellent reasons for brewing hot chocolate. Jackson was obsessed with it.

'Hey, there you are!' a young man nattered, lounging on the chaise sofa, buried under warm white fleece blankets.

Lwandle Mlangeni. Only a month older than Jackson, he stood at the same height as him and was of a much lighter skin tone. They weren't always the best of friends upon initial acquaintance, gelling together as well as oil and water.

When Malcolm was still in town, and had a budding romance with Jackson, he intentionally was tight-lipped around the details of his previous romances. This was because they were much closer than Jackson understood. Playing the role of a destiny-maker, Malcolm (with the strength of ten gods) tried to keep these worlds apart, until an imminent collision crushed all his efforts.

It was only on a casual, unsuspecting Wednesday morning, a few autumns ago, in a car ride to campus, that he came across the sight of Lwandle with his new lover – someone very close to Malcolm. In Jackson grew a concern. Prior to this, the pair had put one another through a lot. The end of their relationship could never be described as amicable.

Lwandle utilized his new relationship as a springboard to get back with Malcolm and, naturally, a nasty set of events unfolded. His undesirable return came with animosity for Jackson, whose life on (and off) campus was made deeply difficult. It escalated far beyond what anyone saw; Lwandle cunningly outed Jackson to his Clement – leading to Jackson's ejection from the Malaka family home.

At the height of their feud, Jackson and Lwandle nearly got physical at a nightclub; Jackson then realized that the fighting was far from worth it, he had much bigger problems at the time. Malcolm was unwavering in his love for Jackson, and he assured him that Lwandle meant nothing anymore.

Lwandle eventually grew worn out from the havoc caused by him, and just as quickly as he appeared, he vanished into thin air. It would not be long before he made his return, where Jackson ran into a sobbing Lwandle in one of the many restrooms on campus.

He had just learned that Lwandle had lost his place of residence and had no other option but to head back home, it was much harder for Lwandle to just be. Jackson, understandably, fought the urge to offer him a place to stay but eventually cracked a warm smile and said, "I know a place you can stay."

Lwandle was taken aback, and when he took his first step in his new home, Lwandle and Jackson's feud of nearly a year and a half had finally come to an end. It turned out to be a great living arrangement, slow some days.

Eventually, Lwandle moved on from Malcolm. Influenced mostly by the chance encounter with some Obakeng Motloung.

Obakeng and Jackson are well acquainted with one another. An honest guy who has nothing but the best intentions for Lwandle, Jackson – the third wheel – had seen the deep love they had for each other and was even there, as a witness, when they made their promises to one another.

'I was worried I was going to be stuck in that office for far much longer than I should have,' Jackson replied, taking off his gloves and placing them on the kitchen counter.

'How did the appointment go?'

Jackson sat on the same couch as Lwandle and exposed his teeth, showing Lwandle the braces he just had gotten installed. He hated the idea of getting braces, there were far too many dietary restrictions that came with it and Jackson was far from ready for that commitment. He was not left with much of a choice.