Ghungroo - The Siren Call of Lovers (#1 - Completed)

Chapter 32 -Secrets have a Way of Unravelling

Chapter 32

The apartment is quiet. Tina is probably asleep. I go straight towards my room.

I'm about to enter my bedroom when I hear sounds coming out of Tina's room. It's soft, muffled sounds. Is Tina sick?

Without a second thought I open her room door. The sight before me is baffling. My mind does not comprehend it at first. Her nightlight is on so I can see everything clearly. Tina is on her bed, naked. It's definitely her that's moaning.

On top of her is Rahul, butt-naked too, doing things to her that only lovers should be doing.

What the fuck!

They are having sex. I cringe at the thought. My best friend and my brother. When did this all start? How could I not have known?

My eyes takes in the sight of them together but the connection to my brain is lost. It's all so surreal. So... unnatural.

This is bad. Bad. So...bad...

Tina looks up and sees me. Her body stiffens and her eyes widen.

Rahul stops and following Tina's gaze, turns around and sees me.

"Layla?"

I don't even know which one of them calls my name. I need to get out of here. I can barely breathe. I close Tina's door wanting to shut the sight of them together permanently out of my head.

I make my way to the lounge. Grabbing my bag off the couch, I head towards the front door.

"La, wait!"

It's all I hear as I slam the door shut. I head down the stairs sobbing. I am clearly in shock. My body is numb. I feel betrayal slice through me like a blunt knife. How could they!

My best friend and my brother. Rahul and Tina. Tina and Rahul. Having sex.

This thought keeps playing in my head. I can't get the image of them in bed together out of my mind.

I make it down to the street and start walking. It has started to drizzle. I had not noticed the change in weather earlier.

Dammit. That's Cape Town for you. Four seasons in a day. I shiver a bit. My body's definitely in shock because it's still warm outside. Even with the rain, it's warm, yet I'm shaking.

In my haste I had forgotten my jacket. I hug myself and keep walking, not caring for my destination. I need to clear my head.

A car slows down next to me and the window rolls down.

Great, it's Riaan. Of course it's him. His appearance everywhere I go does not surprise me anymore...Just what I need right now.

"Get into the car, Layla."

He's talking, but I'm not listening.

"Please go away, Riaan,"

"Look," he says, "just get in, okay. I'll drop you off wherever it is you need to be. Just get in. It's not safe."

The 'not safe part' catches my attention. He's right. It's almost midnight. I'm upset, not stupid. Getting a cab at this time will be almost impossible.

Reluctantly, I stop. Riaan pulls to a stop and I get in. He gets back onto the road and drives. I feel tears prick my eyes but I concentrate on not crying in front of him.

We drive in silence for a while. Where am I going to go to at this time of night?

I can't go to my mother's house in this condition. She will just make things worse and worry.

Besides what do I tell her? That I just saw my brother, her son, naked, doing the dirty with Tina? No, going to my mum's is a bad idea.

Kumari Devi will be none the better. She will call my mother immediately.

Nobody I know will be home. It's a Friday night. In a students life, that translates to 'party night'. Exams are over, there's no point in even calling and checking.

In no way am I going to let Riaan know I'm homeless for the evening. I'll figure it out.

"You can drop me off at Sip's place," I say finally. My voice is strangely soft, defeat is evident in it. I don't care anymore. I'm tired.

"Hell, no," Riaan say. "If you think I'm going to deliver you straight into the lion's den, then it's you that is insane. Anyway, he probably has company. He looked quite cosy with the woman he was with earlier. Do you want to disturb someone else's evening as well?"

Riaan's right. Sips was probably still out deejaying. He did say earlier in the week that he had a gig and couldn't make it to supper tonight ... Or he could be home with Kate...

Wait...What did he mean by disturbing 'someone else's evening as well'? Did he know about what just happened in my apartment?

He wasn't there. How could he possibly know. Unless...

"What do you mean?...You knew...this whole time, you've knew...you tried to stop me going up..."

Dammit, I am such a fool. Of course Riaan would know. Rahul's his best friend.

Tina's my best friend, yet she didn't trust me enough to tell me about her and my brother. Are they serious, or is it just a fling? I need to know.

"Relax Layla. I only found out tonight. They were planning on telling you soon. I knew they were up there together because I've been parked at the curb waiting for you to get home. Rahul and I split up early. Neither of us were in the mood for supper. I saw Rahul enter the building with flowers and wine shortly after Tina got home. Their intentions were clear."

He looks at me and sees the hurt on my face.

"It's not that bad, you know. They are quite serious about each other. I've never seen Rahul so into someone before. Rahul asked her to be his girlfriend tonight, actually."

"Still, it is a shock for me. It's the last thing I expected. They hang out together but I never thought..."

We sit in silence again. Riaan drives with purpose. He obviously has a destination in mind. I don't care where we go to. I know I'm safe with him. I'm still pissed at his little show earlier, but I know I'm safe.

I can't seem to shake the image of my brother having sex with Tina. It's etched in my memory. How will I face Rahul again? He's always been so private about his love life and I never asked questions.

"They were...they were you know...having sex when I walked in on them."

My words are barely audible and I can't help but blush once the words spill from my mouth.

Riaan laughs then. A soft, low laugh.

"It's okay, Layla. People do that, you know."

He hesitates for a second but then asks, "Was that what you were going to do with David tonight...spend the night with him?"

Boy, could I use this moment to my advantage. I could say 'yes' or 'maybe', and have him seethe silently beside me. But I'm in no mood for games.

"No," I say truthfully.

I'm tired. All I want is a soft spot to crash and to lick my wounds in peace, before falling into a dreamless stupor.

There's just been too much that's happened today. The exhibition...dinner with David...Riaan confronting David over our kiss...and now finding out that my best friend and brother have been going at it like rabbits behind my back.

This is too much for me to handle right now. I need to sleep.

I hold my head with one hand, placing my elbow on the window ledge on the car door for support. I stare out blankly at nothing in particular. I'm tired.

Everything else can wait till the morning.

I couldn't resist posting again today. Things are getting too exciting, right?

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