The Void Between Hearts ~~ongoing~~

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26| ℬᎾℳᎯ

   Tjan ends his song, I blow him a kiss, he catches it and blows me another, I blush hard.

   Remind me again why I did not want to come to prom?

   The hostess asks us back to our seats. Ivan leads me, I'm totally sold to this love, it's not wrong, it doesn't feel like it is. I've loved him all my life and I know he has too. I'm forgetting I'm sick, that's what he does, so why would I deny this? 

   "Punch?" A waitress rounds our table,

   "Yes please," Ivan stands up and helps her with the tray. He serves me a glass before serving Chinny and Albert. I smile at him. He smiles back with a wink.

   "Thanks, anything else?" The waitress asks.

   "I guess that will be fine," I say.

   "On the contrary," Chinny smirks at me. I shake my head, smiling as she goes on. "I'd like to have a taste of the shrimp cup and the Chinese rice, with a bit of Nigerian Jollof rice."

   "Right up." The waitress leaves.

   "I saw you guys getting it on." Chinny says, my blood runs cold but it warms up immediately.

   I'm not hiding anything.

   "Mhmmm, like you have no idea how on we were." I wink at Ivan.

   "Have you seen Quincy?" Chinny asks.

   "Why would she care?" Ivan steals the words from my mouth.

   "Because she's serving him what he deserves?"

   "I haven't seen him. I saw Jacklyn when we walked in, besides, Quincy is dead to me. After tonight, I'm probably going to forget he even existed, so enough of the Quincy talk." I say. 

   The waitress returns with a platter. To one side is the shrimp cup, filled with three big juicy looking shrimps nestled within stewed veggies. In the middle, is a plate of Chinese rice and chicken sauce. Finally the Jollof rice in all its steamy orangey goodness with a nice lap of roasted chicken and potato salad.
 
   God that looks so good.

   "Sorry, I'd also like to have these, if you don't mind." I say.

   "Sure, no problem." She kindly smiles.

   "And me too." Ivan and Albert follow. She smiles still, so kind. She leaves us.

   "Selfie!" Chinny squeaks, raising her selfie wand up, we pose and in a flash, she captures a memory we'll never forget.

   "We should take some shots at the photo booth." Ivan suggests. He winks me again and I shake my head.

   "Yeah, we can tik tok right after." Albert says.

   "Tik Tok, definitely." Chinny says.

   The waitress walks back. I see a crest on her jacket, it reads Vivian. 

   "Thank you, Vivian." I say as she passes the food around. The aroma bathes all my senses and for a while, all I can think of is how I can't wait to get it in my mouth.

   "Hello people, I know it's kind of bad timing being that you guys are feasting but I still have to do this. Put your hands together for. . ."

   "Achukwu Leke make you give me Kpalanse scatter your baka!" 

   "Argh!" Chinny screams. The moment between focusing on her food and seeing her on the stage twerking to Rema's lady is inhuman. I can't help it, I stand up to support my crazy half. I'm excited to see Rema but since he's not exactly my go to artiste, I just whistle and watch Chinny live her best life. 

   Ivan's hand brushes my arm as he stands too. "She's an awesome dancer." He says.

   "She could get a doctorate in the art of twerking." I say.

   "She's really an expert." He says and I laugh.

   "Let's go to the photo booth." He whispers into my ears. The goose bumps rise again.

   "We were supposed to go together. All four of us."

   "Chinny isn't getting done with Rema any time soon, we should get started, they'd join us." He says. I don't know why I can't resist him.

   We walk off to the Galleria. The greenmen are playing arcade games, they don't look so dirty after all, they actually cleaned up good. Andrew and Jackson are arguing about who has the unbeatable record. I know they don't have dates.

   Jessica is hoverboarding with Fatia they have been best friends since JSS1, loners. They point at Ivan and mouth "one hundred." I smile. Some other students are pooling. The booth is empty, we slide in. 

   "I love how private this is." Ivan says 

   "Mmm. I know what you're thinking."

   "Fish lips!" I suggest. Snap!

   "Pout!" Snap!

   "Cuddle!" Snap!

   "Kiss?" He suggests 

   I laugh. "Bad boy." Snap! 

   Walking out of the booth, we meet Jacklyn. She eyes me up and down before proceeding to Ivan. I try to put myself together. Squeezing the photo-strips more than they can handle.

   "Nice suit." She says, "I remember you from somewhere, I can't really place it. I'm Jacklyn by the way," she eyes me again. "You can call me Lyn, that's what all my friends call me." 

   Don't strangle her, just play deaf.

   "Bo, I saw a mocktail bar around the corner, we should try it." Ivan says and I can feel the sting.

   "Sorry, he doesn't do scraggly." I say. Her face twists into a nasty frown. "And why aren't you with your little pup?" I ask, not expecting an answer.

   "How dare you?" she seethes.

   "You wouldn't come within two centimeters of her. I would hate to put you in your little corner." Ivan warns and she backs up.

   We walk away having created the biggest scene of the evening.