Chapter 47: Chapter 47

I watched him leave feeling at odds with a lot of things but shrugged it off.

“It’s probably just the night and all that’s happened.”

I opened Andre’s door and turned on the lights. He didn’t have a coffee table like I had in my living room so the only thing I had to move was the sofa, I pushed it against the wall and did the same to the armchair until there was a big enough space for the mattress. Because of all that happened that night, I found myself creeping into the room to check the balcony door and twisting the handle twice to make sure it was locked. I had just done that when Andre and Shewa came in carrying the mattress. Andre caught me coming out of his room.

“What were you doing in there?”

“Making sure our throats aren’t slit tonight. Good thing you locked your balcony door.”

He gave me a look but said nothing. Shewa stood back and let him put the mattress down. He was adjusting the edges when I looked up and caught her mischievous grin. She put the points of both her index fingers together and wagged her brows a few times. I did the cutthroat gesture telling her to cut it off. She continued to tease me. When Andre made to stand up she suddenly stopped.

“Oh, Andre, you are far too kind.” She jumped on the mattress and closed her eyes. “I can’t wait to have this bed alone to myself.”

“Alone?” I shrieked aghast at the idea of having to share a bed with him. “We are sleeping together, Shewa.”

Andre glanced at me saying nothing. Shewa sat up with a pretentious confused look.

“We are? I thought you were going to share Andre’s bed?”

“Shewa, stop playing around. We are sleeping together, I don’t want to cause Andre any inconvenience.”

“What makes you think I would be inconvenienced?” Andre asked.

“I – I-,” I stuttered.

“We shared a bed together before remember? I didn’t eat you up. But if you are sure you want to stay with Shewa then I’m not going to push. If there is anything you both need though I can get them for you.”

I scratched my head. “I need my toothbrush and my nightshirt,” I said looking away from him.

“Is that all?” he asked, his voice low and way too personal even with Shewa in the room.

“Yeah, that’s all.” I turned to Shewa to break the intimacy growing between us again. “What about you? Do you need anything?”

“I guess I do need my toothbrush and my pyjamas too but I can go get them myself…”

“No I’ll get them for you both,” Andre said already heading for the door.

He didn’t wait for either of us to object before he opened the door and left. As soon as the door closed Shewa glanced up from the bed at me.

“Before you say anything,” I said in a firm sharp voice before she could begin with the interrogations. “There is nothing going on between Andre and me!”

“Sure, that’s why he is risking himself to get your stuff from your room.”

“And he is getting yours too don’t forget. I think you are being nosy here.”

“It’s my job as a journalist to be nosy. A little Birdy told me that you and Andre have been getting intense with each other and one of you is lying to the other about your feelings.”

I threw my hands up in the air in frustration and made my way to the kitchen to escape her, she stood up to follow me. Hanging behind me as I opened the cupboards looking for a distraction she continued to talk.

“Your little Birdy lied, Shewa, there’s nothing going on between me and him. Ever.”

“Then why does he look at you that way? And before you lie and say it’s not what I think it’s been that way since he arrived. First, it was you avoiding him then you both pretending to hate each other. I’ve been watching Bianca, because I love juicy gossip. Andre likes you, you like Andre.”

I faked a smile. “Right! If I liked Andre why would I go through the effort of putting him and Siobhan together?”

“That is a question only you can answer,” she leaned against the counter and smiled at me, her dimples deepening. “Were you trying to keep him away or were you trying to delude yourself with the thought that he would be better off with Siobhan, the hotter friend? It’s not the first time that’s happened you know? You shrug off the good guys hoping they would go for Siobhan instead.”

This time I did laugh. “You are blind and you are delusional. I don’t have to shrug off anyone, Siobhan has always had it all and that’s how it has always been. And since you’ve been monitoring my life like a totally normal person you will realize that while you have been deluding yourself with the thought of Andre and I somehow being in love, I have been working on my relationship with Aaron.”

She didn’t say anything.

I looked away to pick a jar of peanut butter to keep myself busy. When I looked back at her she had a long-suffering look on her face.

“What?” I queried.

“You are one blind girl.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Hey, I got your stuff,” Andre said from the kitchen door. Shewa and I both started like kids caught doing something wrong.

“Thanks,” Shewa said recovering quickly. She made her way to him and grabbed her toothbrush and pyjamas. “I need to use your bathroom so a little privacy will be appreciated.” With a meaningful glance at me, she left us both in the kitchen.

As soon as she left the intimacy of the small kitchen space pressed on me. “I took your peanut butter, sorry.”

“It’s cool. So are you gonna change here or what?” he joked.

Walking over to him I took the toothbrush and shirt he brought. “Very funny. I will wait till Shewa is done, thanks.”

As I made to move away from him he reached out to hold me back. “Wait, did Siobhan tell you why she asked you to choose me?”

My eyes widened in surprise but I concealed it quickly enough. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t lie to me, Bianca. Did she tell you?”

I thought about denying it again but the look in his gray eyes challenged me to do otherwise.

“How did you know?”

“I am not blind, deaf and dumb, Bianca. I saw her pull you away for a few seconds and the next minute you guys came back she chose to stay alone with Aaron?”

“What are you insinuating, Andre?”

He scoffed. “I am not insinuating anything! I’m merely stating what a blind man can see, what you are too blind to see. Did she tell you?” when I didn’t respond he laughed. “Of course, she didn’t.”

“She told me she made a little mistake and you were mad at her?”

He dropped my hand as if it scorched him. “That’s what she told you? That’s the only thing she said and you bought that?”

“What do you want, Andre? What are you trying to say?”

“I thought you were smarter than this. I mean I guessed you are Head Girl because the School Board found you capable physically and psychologically to lead this school now I’m beginning to think you are not as smart as I gave you credit for.”

“How dare you?!” I fumed. “I thought we were past this, Rios? You can’t keep trying to bring me down just to make yourself look better. You can’t keep trying to raise a wall between Siobhan and me…”

“I am not raising a wall here!” he yelled. “You raised that wall when you willfully chose to be blinded to everything your precious best friend does. I think it’s quite possible that you don’t give yourself as much credit as you should and why is that? You turn blind eyes to her faults and let her throw the towel over your eyes and you know why? Because you don’t think you are worth more than what you think of yourself and honestly? I am beginning to think I made a mistake thinking you were far different and better than your shallow-minded friend.”

Without thinking I suddenly raised my hand and hit him hard on the cheek.