Khosi wiped the back of her hand gently over her mouth and smiled dreamily. She could still feel Bongani’s lips on hers. She stood still for a moment, before she crossed the road to her house.

She was a few metres from the door when she heard someone running up behind her.

“Not so fast,” a voice said out of the dark behind her. Khosi screamed as she felt the person grabbing hold of her arm.

“Let me go,” said Khosi fiercely, turning round. It was Sbu. She felt relieved. “Sbu,” she said, her heart pounding in her chest. “What’s going on? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“It’s me who should be asking you what’s going on,” said Sbu.

Khosi peered at him. It was very dark and Sbu still had his hoody up. She was struggling to see his face. She shook her arm to free herself, but Sbu would not let her go.

“Come on,” said Khosi, trying to pull away from Sbu’s hand holding her arm tightly. “You’re hurting me. Let me go.”

“Not until you tell me what you’re doing with that chef guy,” said Sbu.

Khosi shivered. Sbu’s voice was angry.

“Hey Sbu,” said Khosi, trying to laugh. “That’s none of your business. You and I broke up over a year ago, remember?”

“But there’s never been anybody else,” said Sbu, giving Khosi’s arm a hard tug. “You and I still have a special thing going. Everyone knows that.”

Khosi pulled her arm again, and Sbu reluctantly let her go.

“There was no-one else because I was totally focused on getting my Matric. Sbu, we’re only friends,” said Khosi, gently, as she reached out and briefly touched his shoulder. “You’ve got to stop hoping, Sbu.”

They stood in silence for a minute, and then Khosi took a step towards her front door. She began to fumble in her bag for her key. Her hands were still shaking. Sbu moved closer. She could feel his breath on her neck. With relief Khosi found her key and pulled it out. But her hand was shaking so much that she struggled to get the key in the lock. Sbu was almost pushing himself up against her.

“Sbu,” she said turning around. “I am very tired. It is late. Please go home.”

He took a step back from her. Khosi looked closely at him, and added: “Sbu listen to me. I heard talk in the restaurant that from tomorrow there will be a security guard there on duty patrolling, 24/7 That’s what I heard. So forget about robbing it Sbu. You’ll never get away with it.”

Just then Khosi heard someone on the other side of the door fiddling with the lock. She heard the sound of a key being turned. She turned towards the door, and when she turned back Sbu had disappeared, just as quietly as he had come. Nhlanhla was standing in the doorway.

“Hurry up and get inside,” said Nhlanhla, irritated, and half asleep. “You’re keeping me awake with all the racket you’re making at the door.”

Khosi followed her inside.

“Sorry,” she said quietly, as Nhlanhla locked the door behind her. “I couldn’t find my key.”

Nhlanhla muttered and went back to bed.

Khosi slipped into her pyjamas in the dark, and pulled her duvet tightly around her. Although it was a hot night, she found that she just couldn’t stop shivering. Was she to blame for giving Sbu hope? Had she encouraged Sbu when they had shared their plans of escape out of this little town? But now the person she wanted to escape most was Sbu himself.