He Was My Ecstasy

He Was My Ecstasy Chapter 2

Zuri's POV

The hallway talk was everything, just an ecstasy pill my numbness needed. I do not know why people call him "Bad Boy" because he was not bad and I did not want to hurt him, he was caring. I guess I was falling for him but I hardly knew what love is, maybe my heart knew better. As I walked home, crossing paths with Liam, I felt pain, a sharp, sweet kind of pain, like when you press on a bruise just to feel something. He was becoming a d**g I could not resist or stop and this was something I had to make poetry, so I took out my diary on my bed and wrote: "Ecstasy." Joy and addiction. A high that ruins and heals at the same time. You know it will destroy you, but you take it anyway. Before I could finish the last line, my phone buzzed and I heard a notification, it was him, Liam. I felt a sigh of relief upon seeing the "hi" he had sent, like my chest finally remembered how to breathe.

Liam: hi

Me: Hey, how are you

Liam: I am good, hope you went home safely.

Me: Yes I did, and you?

Liam: Perfect journey indeed.

Me: Lol "perfect journey", who says that

Liam: A guy who was thinking about you the whole walk home

Me: ...

Liam: Too much?

Me: No, just enough.

We talked all night about nothing and about everything, about music, and why winter smells like mud, and the dumbest teachers in school. His name on my phone was 'Ecstasy' because he was a d**g and I was already addicted. Around 2am he typed: Liam: Can we meet tomorrow? Me: Where. Liam: My uncle's garage, after I’m done helping, 12:00? Me: Is that allowed. Liam: It’s a secret meetup, just you and me and maybe some grease. Me: 12:00 dead, I’ll be there.

We talked till late and he was funny, a guy of my dreams, my first love, maybe, just maybe. The next day started like any other, with laughter, sunshine, and a promise to meet Liam. I went into my insuite, brushed my teeth and took a long shower, letting the hot water sit on my shoulders, and for once, I didn’t feel numb in the shower, I felt nervous. I went downstairs and had breakfast, two slices of bread, and I couldn’t finish. I took my phone only to find a message from him. Morning beautiful, hope your night was great, I will contact you around 11:00 hours, I want to go to the garage, Good Morning. I only smiled and said "It is fine, bye." He replied fast, like he was waiting for it. I went upstairs and tried to sleep but I couldn’t, I just stared at the ceiling, counting the minutes. My 11:00 hours alarm rang and I woke up, took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and took my phone. It was 11:15 hours. Liam: Are you still coming? Me: Of course, yes, 12:00 dead, I will be there. I did not wait for a reply because my hands were shaking a little. I took off my drying towel and put on a simple pink tracksuit with an oversized sweater, white shoes, and a white cap, and I was matching my clothes with my phone case, stupid, but I did it anyway. I took a while looking at myself in the mirror because I was beautiful and I admired myself, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t look away. I took my phone because it was time to leave. I walked quietly through the streets, observing how children played tag, and skipping, and sharing sweets. I could clearly see the friendships were fake, the kind that break when someone gets a new best friend, like those I had back in primary, before Tino, before everything.

When I reached the garage, I saw him leaning against the wall like he owned it, in a gray hoodie, with hands in pockets, and that tired smile that wasn’t tired when he looked at me. I always wear oversized sweaters and he wears hoodies, and I liked that because we matched without trying. "You're late," he said. "By 2 minutes," I said. "Worth the wait," he said. We entered the garage and it smelled of spilt oil and grease and metal, and the sound of tools clanged somewhere in the back. We walked further to a basement and the air changed, it smelled of fresh mint and red roses, someone had put a small vase in the corner, just like the Bulawayo style of making something beautiful out of something rough. He pulled out two plastic chairs and a small table and we sat down and had a simple lunch, chips and a cold drink he bought from the shop upstairs. We began talking about school and about his basketball team and about the poem I was writing.

From nowhere I said, "You are indeed my ecstasy." The words slipped out before I could catch them. We made eye contact and I said, "Jokes, forget I ever said that," rushing and looking down at my drink. He didn’t laugh, he drew close to me and held my waist gently, like he had preciously earned it, and his hands were still rough from work but warm. "And I guess I am a felon," he said quietly, "because I have fallen for you." My breath caught. "I give you a key," I whispered, "a key to open my heart, your love is like a d**g, an ecstasy pill killing me softly." I could smell the mint from his breath, from the gum he was chewing. He was so close and his eyes dropped to my lips and mine did too, it nearly happened, a kiss. The door upstairs banged and we jumped apart like we’d been burned. "Uncle!" Liam whispered, and ran to go check. I sat there, heart pounding, holding the key he didn’t know I’d already given him.

Liam's POV

I went to the garage early, I helped, changed oil, carried tires, got that day's salary and stuffed it in my pocket, and all I could think about was 12:00. I got hold of my phone and messaged Zuri. We talked all night about stupid things and real things, and I was falling for her, fast, too fast, but I didn’t care. The next day arrived and we had a meetup. She walked in wearing pink and white, looking like sunshine in a place that only ever smelled like oil. When she told me I was her ecstasy, I felt the truth in her words and it hit me right in the chest. I could not control it and I told her I loved her. She didn’t say it back, not with words, but she gave me a key and that meant more.