Today began like any other typical day. Jenner woke up feeling inexplicably happy, took a shower at six in the morning, enjoyed melted butter and ginger jam slathered on toasted rye, and stepped out of the house without disturbing her parents sleeping in.
Most would dread being forced to get up early on the weekend just to do some more work, that sort of misery was stored for the week. But not Jenner, there was an evident spring in her step, and she could certainly get used to it. Exposure to time at the store gave Jenner much-needed insight into what she might be keen on trying as a first career postgraduation. She was certain she finally came to a decision.
Among the other things exacerbating this serotonin-fueled mood was the re-emergence of Jackson. She figured it was only a matter of time before they would circle in on him, Tswelopele's sighting was not a coincidence. Nothing ever really was. Her feelings of relief and endearment might have not been immediately reciprocated by her cousin, but all he needed was time. Jenner was thankful to have seen him again.
Another reason why she was in such a great mood. Clinton Motsepe is her boyfriend, and to this very day, Jenner was still in disbelief that they had made it official. It might have been the loneliness from being without a man or her loving nature talking, but Jenner just considered herself very lucky.
Although communicating with him was often a challenge, Clinton made up for it in many ways. He was a reflective person and always wanted to do better for Jenner. Over time, expressing his feelings became easier for him. Although he was initially stubborn about it, he eventually trusted Jenner completely and felt free to be himself around her.
There was nothing they needed more outside of each other. They would see each other as often as four times a week, date nights were a massive part of their culture and FaceTime calls remained their go-to communication method. Even for the most insignificant things like when Clinton disturbed Jenner in a lecture only to ask if he should get sweet chilli or cheese Doritos. He moved with a weird, unique bravado.
Outside the bravado that is unbeknownst to everyone around him, Clinton suffers from Bipolar II – a minor precursor to his ever-present anxiety. While he eventually coped with the treatment for his bipolar disorder, it was the anxiety attacks he was more prone to. At its worst, a week would not lapse without Clinton experiencing an anxiety attack, to varying degrees of severity, but with recent changes made in his life including the advent of Jenner, everything has just been so much better.
Amani went as far as jokingly accusing Clinton of 'simping' his way to Jenner's heart, and that he was not exactly given a fair chance himself.
'Hey pumpkin,' Jenner answered her phone through her AirPods as she walked down De Korte Street, hands tucked deep in her pocket, and took confident strides in her black Palladium boots.
'Jenner! Are you still at the station? I am so sorry I slept in, I knew I was supposed to come fetch you!' Clinton groaned in shock. He just woke up.
'No worries, you needed rest anyways. You sounded pretty tired last night.'
'Do you still need a ride I could hurry on down to ...'
'No, no worries, babe,' she reassured. 'I am already approaching work.'
'You drove yourself?'
'I just took the train.'
'Jenner ...'
'Before you start complaining. It's not a big deal, you know I hate driving to work anyways.'
'That does not change that I do not want you travelling on public transport, plus it's freezing cold.' Clinton responded.
