3rd December 2023🥀 — Midnight.

“I still can't believe we drove all the way here. At midnight!  It's crazy Leo. Crazy!” Dominique says, exhaustion affecting his emotions.

It's midnight and I'm at his doorstep.

The green door stands before us, and although this is insane, inappropriate and weird on many levels, there's this courage in me that won't back down.

“You better be right about this.” Dominique says, he knocks, quite aggressively.

His suit is disheveled, his party hat gone and the garland shoved into his pocket.

“I am.” I tell him confidently.

Dominique nods, choosing to trust me.

After another round of Dominique’s harsh knocking the door is pulled open.

“What in the— it's midnight. What are you guys doing here? How do you know where I live? What-who—” Oratile rambles off, a tired frustration cast on  his face.

Oratile's in  green pajamas, that consist of really short-shorts that are borderline illegal. (In my opinion) It makes his legs appear longer, thinner.His  big brown eyes are smaller now,  he blinks sleep away and wipes crust from his eyes.

His face is a pattern of sleeping lines.

Dominique laughs, his energy having returned at the sight of Oratile.

“Dude, you sleep like this?” Dominique  points  at the short-shorts.

I laugh as well, the feeling contagious.

Oratile groans, looking fully awake now. “I'll shut the door.”

“Fine. Sorry.” I quickly say, recovering.

Dominique snickers, covering his mouth with his hand until the laughter dies, but the amusement stays lit in his green eyes.

“Care to explain? Why are you here? And couldn't this wait till like—oh I don't know in the morning. You could've sent me a text.”

“Exactly my words.” Dominique cuts in, coughing exaggeratedly.

“It wouldn't be the same.”

Oratile's baffled but he takes in my gaze, his resolve breaking. He nods, sighing.

“If I know you, Leonardo July, like I think I know you then  you're not here for no reason.”

A silence settles over us, thoughtful.

I decide not to waste anymore time with it.

“I know you're in love with Lisa.”

Oratile doesn't hesitate, he moves to shut the door in our faces but Dominique is quick, placing his foot by the door way.

Oratile groans, hiding behind the door.

“I'm not…in love with Lisa. I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Open the door and say it to my face.” I demand, smirking.

Dominique smirks alongside me, his foot still blocking the door.

Oratile sighs, pulling the door open, a bashful look on his face.

“Ow.” Dominique says, motioning to his foot that got hit by the door.

“ Oratile,this is your chance. You've spent the whole year keeping your feelings to yourself. Hiding. Regretting in silence. I know how you feel man. I've been there but you shouldn't stay there… if you love someone, you should let them know.”

Oratile sits with my words, his eyes distant. “Not a whole year but years. I've…”he clears his throat, looking away. “I've had feelings for her all throughout highschool.”

Dominique gasps, it's exaggerated. “Not to be rude or anything but anyone with eyes, a brain and common sense could tell you loved her. Oratile you are not good at this whole secret love thing.”

Dominique laughs, triggering my laughter and it bubbles, creating cramps in my stomach.

“I'll close the door.” Oratile threatens, motioning with his arm by the door.

We calm ourselves down, the moment turning serious again.

The silence settles, searching and deep.

Oratile breathes.

“I don't love her…” Oratile denies, while blushing like a bride. A bride in green really short-shorts. (It's disturbing at this point.)

“And I'm the tooth fairy.” Dominique replies, “are we done stating lies?”

“Okay!” Oratile relents, an openness clearing up in his eyes. “I like Lisa…like a lot.”

Dominique cheers, his voice echoing loud into the night. Oratile shushes him, looking anxious.

“Finally you admit it.” I say, flashing him an easy smile.

“But what does that have to do with anything? Lisa’s out of my league. I've accepted that. She doesn't even know I exist. I'm sure.”

“Spare me the pity party talk,” I cut him off, “ She probably knows who you are and even if she doesn't. It's a perfect opportunity for you to make her know you exist. Get a good first impression.”

“Friendly advice,” Dominique adds, “don't show up in these shorts.”

And just like that the two of us fall back into a fit of laughter. Dominique smacking my back for exaggeration.

Oratile's cheeks are inflamed. A fire in his eyes. “Are you guys helping me or teasing me?”

“Both.” Dominique answers, earning a shove from me.

“Sorry,” I apologize, composing myself.

Oratile stays, quite for awhile, battling inwardly with himself. A frown grows on his face, his eyes hold mine, fragile.

"You should leave. We both know Lisa likes you. It's you she's after and now...you want me to tag along like a second option she doesn't even notice."

His words hit like a dart. Dominique shares a look with me, silent.

"Lisa doesn't like me." I tell him, my eyes steady on his.

"She does!" Oratile practically yells, " I'm not delusional Leonardo. And what you're doing right now is  wrong. Just because you don't like someone back doesn't mean you have the right to push them into the arms of  someone else."

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Yeah, that's not what he's doing." Dominique pitches in, a feeble attempt at defending me.

"Then what are you doing? Why are you here?" Oratile presses, irritated, emotional.

❄️
She deserves better." Oratile said, a little softer, "Someone who will see her for more than just her body and achievements. There's no denying that that girl is gorgeous but that's not all she is...

When we dropped Lisa and Maggie home, all I could think about was how I could fix the mess of emotions I found myself in. I felt terrible. I felt terrible because I was the reason for someone's tears and broken heart. When I was driving back home with Dominique I thought about the beginning of all this, specifically that day when Wyatt told me that Lisa liked me.

I thought about all the guys who openly shared their attraction towards her. Then there was Oratile, who only told me, exposing himself without even meaning to. He was more quiet and reserved with his feelings, they were hidden behind a veil, but unlike any of the others, his feelings were genuine, going deeper than the superficial.

I knew at that moment that I couldn't fix anything as much as I tried. I hurt her, even though it was unintentional the pain was still there and undeniable.

I couldn't fix it but I could talk to the person who always wanted to love her and tell him that it's all Lisa's been waiting for.

I explain all of it to Oratile, he listens without interrupting and when I'm done  we all release an exhale.

"I tried  talking to her...at the party. That time in the hallway. She didn't notice." Oratile's words are soft, defeated.

"She was overwhelmed." I explain.

He nods, his expression not revealing a thought in his mind.

"You can't give up on Lisa yet." Dominique speaks, gaining our attention. " Not when you're love has been hidden from her eyes. You're not second option because Leo isn't option at all. Leo is just all she's noticed. The only source of kindness. Maybe that's why she likes him because he treats her  the way she knows she deserves but  she doesn't really like Leo, like on an intimate level. Olivia and her, I've seen something different in both their eyes when they  talk about Leo."

At the mention of Olivia's name, my chest warms, slowly coming alive.

We're not here for her, I remind myself.

"Lisa's not going to love you now. Or tomorrow or in the next week or the week after."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Dominique." Oratile adds, amused.

We all laugh.

"Hold up," Dominique adds, holding up his hand, " I'm getting to the motivational part. Leonardo, hum an inspirational tune."

"No."

Dominique smiles, having expected my answer. "Your love has to show up. For now, be  selfless. Lisa's waiting on someone to love her right, her hope is close to desperate. Not that it's bad but it means when she sees a little bit of something she's been waiting for, even if she's not really in love, she'll hold on because she's fragile. But when I looked in Olivia's eyes...there's something calm, something certain and at peace with when she talks about Leo. "

I have to remind myself that we're not here for me, again because I have a million questions to ask about Olivia. Was she really calm and certain about my love?

Do I possibly still have a chance?

“So what…do I make her fall in love with me? That's not how things work. And what about when —” Oratile rambles off, his thoughts going through a million possibilities.

Like every exam and test, although Oratile is a genius, he second guesses every second guess.

“Stop. It's not about making her fall in love." I remind him, "It's about your love. Your love  finally being  in her life and not hidden, suppressed or far.”

Oratile's brows furrow, he stays silent.

“Lisa really needs a friend right now Oratile,” I confess, the image of her crying, engraved in my mind.

“But almost everyone around her seems to have ulterior motives. She just needs…a friend.”

Oratile nods.

“ and I feel like you're the guy. You don't have ulterior motives. You're —”

“You're wrong.” Oratile cuts me off.

A pause.

“Everyone has an ulterior motive. I believe that's how humans are wired. We'll always want something in return. Even if we say we don't. It's engraved in us.”

Dominique and I share a look, feeling protective  over Lisa.

“What's your ulterior motive?” I ask.

Oratile smiles, genuine. It's his words that bring my heart to ease, knowing that Lisa's story doesn't end with tears.

“It's love... Hopefully. If it's hope you said you saw in her eyes, then I want to tell her that's what I see in my eyes everytime I look in the mirror.”

❄️❄️❄️

When I get home, it's one thirty. The door creaks, loud and irritable  as I key it open.

The house is dark, the furniture a blend of shadows. I close the door, feeling the weight of today settle on my body in bone —tired exhaustion.

I make my way into the house, passing by the living room but I stop once I see Mkhulu.

The television, playing on its own, dimly illuminates him in the darkness of the house.

Mkhulu has fallen asleep on the couch, his mouth agape. He snores, softly.

He was waiting for me.

Looking at him like this, I get this weird feeling like I missed him throughout the day. I'm taking steps towards him. I shake him by the shoulders, waking him.

“Mkhulu. Mkhulu it's me Leonardo. I'm back.”

Mkhulu jolts awake, he groans out something incomprehensible.

I laugh at the ‘i just woke up' look on his face.

Mkhulu groans, regaining his senses, he rubs his eyes. He breathes, tired but alert now.

“Young man. As of today you'll never be stepping outside of this house. Ever. Like ever, ever.”

“Wha—”

He holds up his hand, silencing me. His lips are pulled to a firm line, his jaw taut.

“Do you see the time? It's five in the morning. The day has  started and you're coming back from yesterday.”

Mkhulu stands up, as if sitting is not enough, while he shouts at me.

“It's not five Mkhulu,” I laugh at his exaggeration. “ It's past one.”

Mkhulu's frown deepens. “ Still too late. Didn't this party start at eight? I thought it was gonna be for ten minutes. I expected you home at eight, twenty.”

“Mkhulu, when have you ever heard of a party that was for ten minutes?”

Mkhulu's more ticked off by this, he opens and closes his mouth to speak, not finding any right words.

“Well,” Mkhulu finally starts out, “ back in my day—” he's cut off by my laughter and Mkhulu despite his earlier frustration, easily falls into this laughter with me.

We calm down, moments later, the joy mirrored in both our eyes. “Did you have fun?”

“Yes.”

Mkhulu switches off the television, the living room goes completely dark, everything is a form of shadows. He puts his arms around me, leading me out the dining room.

“Good. Cause the fun you've had tonight is the fun that will be added onto the next ten  years of your life. So no more fun for you. You've had enough and it causes me stress.”

“I'm just going to nod and pretend I agree.”

Mkhulu yawns, saying more but it's incoherent, clogged by the haze of sleep.

Mkhulu hugs me, patting my back. “Goodnight Leo.”

He departs into his room while I step into mine.

I collapse on the bed, answering the call of sleep, falling asleep to a thought that's been ringing in my soul  eversince Lisa brought it up.

Did Olivia really give me a hint?

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Did anyone catch the hint Olivia gave Leo?

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We'll be seeing Olivia again, in the coming chapters.