Themba sits on the chair, looking at me, maybe checking if I mean it. He holds my hand, and I pull it away. He pulls it back, then he kisses my lips. I hold him tightly. I am too attracted to him. The kissing goes on for a few minutes. He is hungry for me.

“Baby, I love you,” he whispers.

He sits down when we hear someone walk in. It’s the doctor. Themba rubs his lips with his hand, and I lick my mouth and my lips and smile. Maybe he has forgotten Faith; it’s about us now.

“Miss Ashley, you are going to be discharged. You are doing well,” he says.

Themba hugs me, and I can’t believe I have won him over. Then I pack all my stuff in a satchel. I wear my clothes, and it feels good finally removing the blue patient’s dress. Themba watches my naked body; hopefully he will come back to me. I miss his touch and kisses. He signs the discharge form. I sit in a wheelchair to the exit. A nurse pushes the wheelchair to the exit, and Themba follows.

I get into a car that belongs to Themba, a black Yaris. He is always a gentleman; he opens the door. He drives while staring at me. Is he really into me? He doesn’t take an hour to drive to my place. He opens the door for me. He helps me to stand up, then I walk to my door. I rent a one room house. There are two rooms, so I use one while Themba rents the other. Both our doors are outside. I sit on the bed and he places my bag on the floor.

“Baby, let me go prepare dinner in my room. I will be back,” he says, kissing my forehead.

I lie on my bed when he walks out of my room. I remove my shoes, and I think about our relationship, and then I fell into a deep sleep.

“Ashley…Ashley dinner is ready,” Themba pats me continuously until I sit upright.

He helps me to get up and walk to his room. The candles are lit, and the food looks charming. I smile as if I have entered my own heaven, my own paradise. He pulls the chair for me as a gentleman.

“This is a most stunning gift to the love of my life,” he says, holding my hand.

Now I don’t understand what it means. First, he wants us to be friends and nothing more. Themba amazes me. He wants me to keep changing from lovers to friends, friends to lovers and so on.

“Themba, I don’t want you to keep changing our status. You know I love you so much…Let’s stick…” I say gently.

“Let’s eat, babes,” he says, grabbing the knife in his right and fork in the left.

I just take the fork because my body is in a bit of pain. I can’t handle using a fork and knife. We eat silently, but I keep staring at him while I crunch the stir fry rice and chicken. It is my favorite meal because it is nutritious.

“Baby, I didn’t know I still wanted you,” he says, taking the plates away after our meal.

“Themba, I thought…” I say confusedly.

He puts his finger on my lips. He helps me stand up, then his arms are on my waist, his lips on mine. We kiss and I can’t resist him. He is my only weakness. I can’t control it, even if he sometimes doesn’t want what I want. He is always against us getting back together. If he only knew that he is my hero. I just can’t believe he is on top of me, being intimate with me. I lay awake on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart and his breathing. Maybe he has thought about this and has had a change of heart.

I had enough, I miss you bad.

What I did, leave it in the past.

Yes, your girl is coming back.

Like I never left.

Said back in the building, back on the block.

You and me together, we are back on top.

Kind of love, it can’t stop.

Like I never left

The song keeps playing in my mind as I sleep peacefully.

TELL US: Do you think this will last?