As they got into the room, Tieho locked the door and put the key in his pocket. They sat next to each other on the bed. They started a general conversation, but not about what Tieho wanted them to do. He hugged her close and they started kissing. In the middle of the foreplay, Tieho decided to take a step further: to go beyond foreplay.

He pressed her flat onto the bed. He started to explore her body with his hands while kissing her passionately. He pulled up her T-shirt and started stroking her breasts with vigour, down to her stomach, then down to her pubis underneath her dress. She tightened her thighs. Then he was about to dip his hand into her underwear, when she forcefully pushed him aside. She was breathing like a scared individual. Her face bore a frown, and she looked like she was about to scream. Tieho asked her why she acted like that.

“You want to sleep with me?” Masoabi asked, with her eyes wide open like a raging bull.

“Yes,” Tieho answered promptly.

“Well, I’m not going to sleep with you,” she said, still fuming. “Open this door!”

Tieho refused to unlock the door. The key was still in his pocket of jeans.

Masoabi started digging with her hands into his pockets to seek for the key. “Give me the key!” she shouted.

Fearing that Masoabi could attract some attention from the neighbours, Tieho allowed her to take away the key from his pocket. As she drew it out, a sealed box of Lovers Plus condoms fell out of his pocket and hit the floor. Masoabi started laughing at Tieho. Tieho gazed down to find the small box of unused condoms, resting on the floor.

He never picked it up, though. He was embarrassed; he had gone wrong in his mission. He wondered how he would face Masoabi and her friend, Molula, the following day. Then he wished that the Earth opened up and swallowed him at that moment, to escape his great embarrassment.

Masoabi unlocked the door and went out, leaving the key in the lock. Tieho drew it off, walked out slowly, closed the door and locked it again from outside, leaving the box of the condoms on the floor. He trailed after Masoabi, and when he caught up with her, there was a huge silence between them.

Still the disappointment engulfed him. Then he definitely knew, by the look of things, that it was now over between them. Masoabi showed him a red card and it was the sad end of their relationship.

Though Tieho was still into her, he had to accept the reality, move on with his life, and forget about his disastrous moment. It was the first time he experienced such a disaster. Since each and every relationship has its own ups and downs. Tieho had to pick himself up, learn from his mistakes, actually communicate his desires with his girlfriends, and decide, together, how their relationships would go.

Tell us: What lessons do you hope that Tieho learned from his time with Masoabi?