Chapter X
X
Everything that had happened prior to Mo laying her eyes on Golden Boy was insignificant.
They spent every moment they could together.
He was open and curious, wanting to know her, her thoughts, her opinions.
She found she was more herself when she was with him.
She wasn’t Mo with the sharp mouth, or Mo who never finished what she started.
She wasn’t even Mo the dark-skinned beauty.
He seemed to appreciate her most at her messiest, silliest, most unhinged.
They spent their time laughing—at the world, at their families, at themselves.
He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sketching.
She was lying next to him, reading her latest Mills walk outside the estate and see if she could find a way home.
“I don’t think we have been introduced.”
She turned to face the speaker, a dude with a body that looked as though it had been built on steroids.
She was about to tell him to find his square root, and then she remembered that her boyfriend was at this party and he had left her to sink or swim.
Just then, the DJ began to blast Salt-N-Pepa’s “Shoop.”
“I’m Mo. Do you dance?”
“Ah, it’s your lucky day. I am the best stepper here.”
“Fantastic.” She headed to the dance floor, scanning the crowd for Golden Boy as she moved.
She didn’t bother to check if her dance partner was following her—she knew he would.
She started dancing, confident in the way her hips moved, the places her feet landed, the way her arms lifted, dropped and circled the air.
He moved behind her. A few people were looking at them.
He was matching her pace and style. She resisted the urge to slap the guy’s hand from her waist. She would endure him, at least until Kalu spotted her and was appropriately enraged.
But when Kalu appeared, he simply placed a light hand on her dance partner’s shoulder and said, “Ola, that’s my girl, man.”
“Oh shit. Kalu. Damn. My bad.” The guy took his hands off her as if she were hot coal.
He backed away and disappeared into the crowd.
He didn’t even bother to say goodbye. Mo was even more irritated, and so she turned away from Golden Boy and walked off—but not without glancing back to check that he was following her.
“I’m thirsty,” she said to no one in particular.
“Are we going to talk about what just—”
“I want something to drink.”
He sighed and placed his hands on his hips.
“You are being really immature right now.”
“I was just dancing.”
“Mo. Mo…you were not just dancing.”
“You left me here for over an hour.”
“I…I am really sorry about that. I thought you would be okay. But you could have just found me and told me how you felt. I would have corrected myself.”
She opened her mouth, and then shut it again. He was right, she could have looked for him. She didn’t want him to think she was childish. Still, he’d abandoned her and it had hurt.
“You just…you left me.”
He pressed his lips together, and for a few beats they stared at each other. “Come, let’s sit,” he finally said, gesturing to some free chairs. They would be shielded by huge potted plants, and it was quieter.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“What did you think would happen when you left me in a place where I knew no one?”
“You’ve always been so…I didn’t even think you would look for me.”
She glanced away. He reached out for her hand, and she held it from him.
“Talk to me, Mo.”
She couldn’t tell him the truth. He had two parents who showered him with love. How could he understand how easy it was for a person who purported to love you to abandon you?
“Just go and chill with Lisa. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to be with Lisa. I was just helping her out—her cousin was wasted and we had to find him a ride home. Don’t vex. I want to be here with you.”
“Well, you have a sorry-ass way of showing it.”
He nodded. “Be gentle with me, I haven’t done this before.”
“Done what before?”
“This…the dating thing.”
She paused, and then his words registered. She laughed. “You mean…am I your first girlfriend?”
“No need to shout it.”
“But…why?”
He shrugged. “It just never came to anything. I would start talking to a babe, go on a few dates, and then things would sort of fizz away.”
“I didn’t realise.”
“Look, you’ve got to be able to talk to me, Mo. I’ll make mistakes, but I promise you I am willing to correct them, so long as you tell me what’s gwining.”
He reached for her hand again, and this time she let him have it. He put it to his lips and she felt the friction all the way to her toes.
“Am I forgiven?”