C3 Open secret

I drank the chocolate in silence while my aunt watched. The rain had begun before we left the place which gave the impression of a cemetery ground. Our clothes were drenched in the rain and I was physically trembling like a leaf in winter. Gehal was right, after all, I couldn't handle the rain.

Auntie made us change into something warm and cozy, she handed me hot chocolate from the boiling kettle.

I made slurping noises as I sipped from the cup taking my time to savor the flavor. The room was in total blackness as we'd had a power outage for days.

I couldn't quite make anything out of Gehal's face with the dim light that was produced from Auntie's antique lamp, but I could tell she was bluntly irritated by the noises I made. She couldn't reprimand me, Auntie was already mad at us for staying out late, and in the rain. One part of my lip curved up at the thought of the adventures we'd have and the troubles Gehal might cause for herself while we stayed here.

Deep down I knew my sister was resisting the urge not to bring up the scene that left her dumbfounded earlier.

She kept her body motionless in the darkness while I studied her, drinking abstractly. I shifted my gaze unto Aunt Veke.

The lines on her forehead were covered with beads of sweat despite the cold atmosphere, and at intervals, she bobbed her creased face vertically. Her aging skin was pale and shabby, but she still maintained a delicate appearance which made it obvious that she must have been extremely beautiful during her youthful days. Since she rarely visited us during our childhood, that speculation only left a feeble fuse to the imagination.

“I'm going to bed auntie,” Gehal said standing up from the couch, I watched her drag her feet lazily across the floor as she made her way to her room, slamming the door loudly enough to make me cringe.

“Finish up with your drink and go to bed, it's late.” Aunt Veke suddenly turned in my direction with a somber face.

I gulped down the whole content in an instant and let out a yawn, putting my hand across my mouth to thwart the sound.

It is the third month and I haven't seen it yet. Not even the slightest sign of its arrival. A sudden feeling of unease towered over me as I remembered the fling I had months before we came to stay at Aunt Veke's. I couldn't be pregnant, I thought to myself. A few months before the terrible incident that claimed the lives of both my parents, I had been attracted to this one guy who had been delivering pastries to momma for a long time.

“Hey…um…Eve.”

“My name's Ivy.” I interrupted

“Ohh, Sorry about that.”

There was an awkward silence after he had said that. I was too dazed to speak. His chin, I noticed for the first time, had a slight cleft. I registered every single detail of his features as if seeing him for the first time. The whiteness of his evenly spaced teeth, the lock of straight black hair that fell over his forehead, obscuring his hazel eyes which were ringed with long dark lashes that resembled a woman's.

“Are you home alone?” he started

“I…no...” I stuttered, not finding the right words to use.

“Uhm what I meant was, Is your mother in?”. He interrupted before I could embarrass myself over his first question.

If he used to think much of me before, the way I fidgeted before him like a shaky leaf in winter had definitely shattered that thought.

“Ev…Ivy, is your mother in?, I brought some pastries”. He corrected himself as he took a step further, bridging the distance between us. He stood a few hairsbreadths taller than me.

“She just stepped out a while ago but she'll be back soon.” I tried to conceal my nervousness, but the traces of it in my voice gave me away. I bit my lower lip in disgust.

“Can I bring these in then?” He dangled the paper bag before making his way into the house, debarring me the chance to oblige or refuse his request.

I gulped, trying to ease the lump that was rising in my gut.

He placed the item gently on the dining table. I waited for him to turn so he could gaze at me with those flaming hazels of his, but I was disappointed. He maintained his position, staring straight at the painting on the wall.

“Do you like it? I drew that, see.” I said trying to get his attention back on me and show off at the same time. I thought I saw his eyes flicker for a moment or it was just me being delusional.

He turned his head, his eyes still fixated on the drawing, inspecting every inch of it.

“Where did you learn to draw like that?” his stare fell back on me, and I heaved before answering.

“People are born with different gifts, well this is mine.” The words kept repeating themselves in my head. “should I have said something else? that seemed irrational.” I contemplated within myself.

His shoulders drooped and then he finally brought his eyes downwards, gazing directly into mine.

His piercing stare had a blazing effect. Everything came to an abrupt standstill, The air around became murky making it difficult to breathe. I thought my heart missed two beats when his hands cupped my face.

“What are you doing?” I questioned skeptically, unsure if I should push him away or drag him closer to me and fulfill my heartfelt desires.

He responded by slipping a warm hand behind my head. Our bodies rested against each other. My delicate, goose-fleshed, and hairless skin against his coarse, hirsute torso.

“Won't you want to examine this work of art?” He gave a mischievous smile as he took my hand and positioned it on his chest. He really was a work of art, a stunning piece as a matter of fact, but I couldn't voice out my thoughts as I was too overwhelmed by it.

He brought his face down on mine. His peculiar scent now stronger up close, clouded my memory. My composure returned and I tried shoving him aside but he just won't budge.

“I don't know if we should...”

“Be here at your house doing this?” he cut me off in the middle of my course, his grin spreading wider. He had read my mind and that made me choke on my spit. His intense stare lingered, and couldn't bring my face to meet his. I let my hand slide down in resignation. My heart almost popped out of its place when my hand met with his...

... Oh My Goddd!!!, The words echoed in my head. I jerked my hand off in a split of a second.

“I think we shouldn't be doing this.” I voiced out almost in a murmur against my yearning. Even though I had plainly reprimanded him, I hoped within me that he would urge me to place my hand back on his... No, what was I thinking?!.

Mom would be home anytime soon, Dad was away on a business trip, and Gehal was out fishing with her friends. I had declined the invitation to join them in the activity. Now I wished I had gone along with them instead of being stuck in this situation that seemed gratifying.

“We won't take long on this.” he took my hand and lurched us forward toward the kitchen. His lips were warm on mine, and it drove a flaming sensation through me. His hands were all over me, rooting for a spot to feast on before delving his fingers up my skirt.

Usually, I could smell it when it was coming, but the past three months have been completely different. I didn't get the usual scent and every trail of it seemed vague. I sensed it tremendously a few months back and it flowed naturally. Why had it ceased, I pondered, allowing my mind to absorb unrest, “foreplay couldn't get one pregnant”. I thought aloud The only logical explanation for its abrupt seizure was pregnancy. The mere thought of it plunged at my heart.

I wasn't exhibiting any signs of pregnancy nor did I put on weight, rather I had lost a few pounds in the last couple of months.

The suspense was chawing me down inside gradually and I needed to confirm if indeed I was pregnant. I hadn't gotten my way around this new environment, so I decided to get a pregnancy test kit on the internet.

The delivery took more than its speculated time. I was so engrossed in my drawing I forgot I was expecting a package today, my eyelids were heavy as I fought to stay awake and continue my work, but my body system had other plans as I drifted off to sleep.

Four knocks on the door were enough to make Gehal spring to her feet. She opened the door to a nosy-looking man with a sly smile on his face, making the chip in his tooth visible, his eyes were large and they looked tired. His customized orange T-shirt was tucked neatly into his brown pants, which were held solemnly by a worn-out belt. His appearance spoke much about his job making it easy for her to tell what he was here for.

He placed two fingers on the tip of his face cap before speaking.

“A delivery package for a Miss Stroman,” he said shyly keeping the smile

“I'm Miss Stroman,'' Gehal responded dryly, fixing her eyes intriguingly on the small brown box in his left hand.

He took out the scrapbook from under his armpit, withdrawing a ballpen from his pocket, he held them out to her.

“Please sign here ma'am…and here…”

She stared at the content before collecting the pen and scribbling on its surface. “That'll do it, thank you so much, Have a wonderful day ahead,” he said and turned to leave

“Sure.”

She studied the inscription on the parcel with great concern wondering what Ivy could have ordered. She started ascending the stairs to Ivy's room. Stopping halfway, she raised the box to her face, tilted her head to the left, and squinted her eyes, and then something dawned on her.

If she took the package to Ivy herself, she wouldn't get to know what was inside. Her curiosity got the better part of her as she ran back down the stairs to the living room.

She grabbed a pair of scissors while still contemplating opening it. Lacing the scissors into it, she tore the box open recklessly.

Her jaw fell downwards in astonishment, it took a while for her to recover from the shock as she picked up the item that had fallen from her hand to the floor.

Gehal dashed into my room unannounced, slamming the door hard behind her. The noise frightened me, causing me to wake up from my deep slumber.

“You didn't tell me you had a lover.”

"Where is it? Let me have it.” I said ignoring her question.

She threw the kit on the floor and was not minding if it broke. I took it and placed it on the bed before helping myself up with the support of the bed stand.

“What do you need it for?.” she started

She walked up to me and sat down on the bed beside me. I scooted over to the window, placing both arms on the rail with my fingers intertwined.

“You know you can tell me anything, I won't mind.” she continued.

I turned around and watched her face, a concerned look resting all over it.

“I'm fine, I just need it for my art. Let me have it.”

“Oh and I'm the duchess of France, nice to meet you.” Her poor imitation of a French accent sounded as if it was an animal in labor, literally, and left a few particles on my face.

I sensed the wit in her voice, Typical Gehal, I cleaned the spit she had spattered on my forehead and wiped it stylishly on her dress.

Telling her the truth was no deal, I just didn't want Aunt Veke getting worked up unnecessarily, I had already done enough of that to my parents.

“Ivy…” she called out

“What do you need a pregnancy kit for?.” her tone was tranquil.

“ I haven't seen my period for three months.” I blurted out.

“Tell me you're joking.”

“Fine, I'll tell you. I'm joking.” I replied with a straight face. Gehal's puffed cheeks flushed red with irritation. Realizing that I was trying to play games with her, she inhaled deeply and didn't allow herself to succumb to my tactics.

“Who's responsible?.”

“Responsible for what?!” I inquired.

“The pregnancy of course.” she pointed out.

“I'm not preg…uh... I don't know if I am yet. It'll be irrational if I was since I don't have a boyfriend.”

A wide grin settled on her face. She got up in excitement.“You can get pregnant from a one-night stand.” She batted an eyelid at me.

“I'm not like you.” I retorted.

“What is that supposed to mean, are you calling me a whore….”

“I came across a lube among your things.” I cut her off. For a moment she stood there paralyzed on the spot as shock bridged her freckled face.

My lips spread in a guileful smile. “I…I... it's not…m..mi..mine.” she stuttered and my grin only grew wider. Her face fell. Maybe this will teach her not to taunt me anymore. She turned her back on me and headed for the door. She paused in her footsteps as if she quickly remembered something.

“I'm telling Aunt Veke, you are going to the hospital tomorrow morning to get a clue on what's wrong with you,I don't think you might be pregnant.” she paused and held her breath before continuing.

“And you should learn to mind your business, don't go around putting your nose in other people's property.”

she chose her words carefully trying not to sound defeated. My eyeballs rolled into their sockets and gave her a sickening stare.