Lost at Heart

Chapter Five: Shadows

It was raining when Ayla opened her eyes.

she then sat up on the bed as she stole a glance at her roommate who lay in foetal curl clutching her teddy bear.

She sprang from the bed and helped Titi by warming her soup.

Then she reached for her smartphone still in her tote bag as she fished it out and opened the device - a message caught her eyes plus two missed seconds barely a minute old. It was Ray's.

She then took a long bathe and then applied her vanilla lip balm and strawberry body mist before she decided to wake up her girlfriend.

After which she told Titi she was going for night class, which she nodded , stifling a yawn and then quickly bolted the door after Ayla had stepped out.

When Ayla arrived at the classroom where he said he was, he beckoned on her to come as he beamed a bright smile, and offered her a seat.

After an hour or so of reading and chatting in-between, Ray asked her,"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Then she answered simply "No-no."

"Really?"

"Why do you ask?" she queried.

"Nothing."

Then out of the blue he asked, "Can we play Truth or Dare?"

"You called me out in this chilly weather_ Let's get down to business - we have two tests tomorrow."

His eyes was fixed on her face.

"You are sitting too close," as she drew an imaginary line with her pen and added "One might think you want to kiss me."

Then he mumbled to himself, barely audible. "Just like my dream."

"What did you say?," Ayla asked.

"Nothing, fine girl."

"If you are unwilling to study then I have to go," Ayla said her face contorting like a cat that tasted citrus.

"Fine by me - am feeling cold already. could you lend me your jacket? - am freezing!"

"Are you ready to go?"

"Let's finish this topic and then your summary - I will snap it."

"Fine.."

Soon they were outside the classroom block, and he was now wearing her signature jacket.

Ben saw them from a distance and his blood boiled with venom.

He made a move towards their direction but stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Ray extend a hand across her shoulder.

Was he dreaming or what? He had more important things to attend to, he tried convincing himself before he strode towards the class ahead of him.

During break the next day, Ayla' mum visited her daughter prompted by the urgency in her voice when she called yesterday night.

"Ayla sweetheart, have you been feeding at all?"

"Mum, am fine," was her cute reply, "It's just that I don't understand how protecting Ben could be that hard?"

"Actually, I meant you should protect Ray, but from a distance."

Ayla raised her head now turning to face her mother, " What do you mean?"

She brushed the question aside in a meantime and then asked her daughter,"Have you seen this person before?" She then stole a glance at the picture of Sarah, Ray's mother and lied.

"I don't think so."

Then she returned the phone to her mother.

"You have to be sure. Just to be on a safer side, avoid her son and of course her - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," her mother said.

Ayla was quiet but her feet wasn't.

Then her mom revealed everything to her.

"So because you were very close to Ben' daddy back then, she grew jealous and wanted more...So what happened later with her then boyfriend Alex?"

"I guess I should have let you in on that so that you will be more prepared. Anyways, that's their business, not yours." Then she paused then asked her daughter, "You have seen Sarah, haven't you?"

"She drove me in her car once - she seemed harmless though," Ayla said in a low voice.

As a reply, her mother said, "I sent you here hoping to mend "Ayla's past" with the old Sarah a very good friend then."

Then Ayla ,"She did mention once that resembled her old friend, same name as mine - Ayla."

Then Ayla's mother rose from the seat as her daughter kissed her on the cheek.