And lastly, my favourite of them all.
I love you, Zioh.Pink papers. The notes I had opened on Day 365.
I wanted to let her know how much I owed her for that gift, but it seemed Tshabina no longer remembered any of it. When I brought up the 00:00 notes—the ones I had opened on Day 276—she just looked at me as if they meant nothing to her. It was as if she didn’t remember at all.
But it was okay. I planned to spend the rest of my life paying her back.
Then there was Aditya’s return. I didn’t like his return, because it meant my time with Tshabina grew even shorter. Even though she’d still come to this penthouse after work as usual, we spent the whole day together, she stayed the night, I cooked her favourite meals, and we ate side by side. It never felt enough, as if the emptiness inside me was never filled.
What was wrong?
I couldn’t feel her.
It was as if she were here, but not really. Present, yet absent.
The ping of my phone cut through the noise in my head, and warmth flickered across my face as I read the screen.
At first, I stared for a long while, trying to make sense of the words.
Oh, it’s her.
I shook my head again, firmer this time, trying to scatter the voices clawing at me. “I said, shut the fuck up.”
Sophie:Good morning, handsome. So… are we still going to the park today?
Zioh:Morning, baby. Shall I pick you up?
Sophie:No need, let’s meet there, okay?
My brow furrowed.
Zioh:Why? Is Tsabinu still angry? I can talk to him, Tshabina.
Sophie:Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around.
I stared at the message, frowning.
Odd, Tshabina was never this casual when it came to her brother. She cared deeply about him and always tried to reason with him and reassure him. But now…?
I exhaled, shook the noise from my ears, and blinked until I could focus again. A smile tugged at my lips as I got up and headed towards the bathroom to get ready. Then I stopped, remembered something, and quickly typed.
Zioh:I’m cooking. Fancy having breakfast with me first?
Sophie:Didn’t you say you’ve got therapy this morning?
Zioh:Yeah, Ladie will be here soon. Would you like to join us for breakfast? We could even ask Ladie to join.
Sophie:No need, Zi. Let’s just meet at the park.
I stared at the screen a while longer.
Zioh:Alright. Take care, baby, I mean it.
Again, I lingered over the words, reading them deeper than I should. Strange. She used to be the one desperate to know everything about me, about the illness, therapy. I had thought she’d be glad to meet Ladie, remembering how devastated she’d been when I told her I was sick. That was why I forced myself to let her see more and told her that my therapist was here, even when it was hard.
Shaking my head again, I pushed towards the bathroom, and another notification buzzed.
Dave:Sir, should I check in on Miss Sophia again? I can closely monitor her now that Mr Bakti has returned and Cindy’s around. Unless you’d prefer, I will only watch at the office while you’re away.
