The Soles Of Damini Manor

CHAPTER 29: ROCK BOTTOM

Kanyin

My eyelids flicker open, and I first notice the bed above me. I shift to my side, ready to cuddle into Terna's warm body, but my hands caress the empty space next to me. I sit up, glancing around my room. There is some bedding crumpled on the floor, but no sign of who was in bed with me. I took a shower when we were finished and all I need to do right now is get dressed. I climb out of bed to find his black sweatshirt on the bed above, a definite indication that he's still at the manor. I decide to be bold, slipping on his sweatshirt over my underwear so it reaches right above my thighs.

His shirt has a blend of high-end perfume coated on it. Most importantly, I get to smell him up close. I have to thank Dad for always handing me protection despite the fact that I never imagined I would be sexually active at this age. It would have been really frustrating to have to dash to the drugstore with our overlapping desires. Sex with Terna was much more mind-blowing than I expected. I felt his love from every contact our bodies made, and I know it's only a matter of time before his words feel less stuck. He called me his love multiple times in a moan, and I could sense that I was so close to hearing those three words leave his lips.

I read online that getting intimate generally speeds up realization, and while I was skeptical at first, our actions over the last thirty minutes have cleared my doubts. He was gentle, attentive, and loving. If those aren't signs of love, I don't know what is. I doubted myself last week, but I trust I can fix him. I can help him get over his trauma and teach him what love is. I'm willing to give him all my love, and I'm hoping that he's able to give back what he's receiving.

The incessant clamor of voices downstairs invades my mind distracting me from my reminiscing. I check myself out in the mirror before skipping down the stairs. Yvonne was supposed to arrive an hour ago, and I'm very sure she and Terna must have gotten into a squabble the moment she found him at the manor. It explains the voices from downstairs and why he left only half-dressed. The distant voices grow louder as I descend the last stair.

My eyes lock on hers, and I immediately take a step backward. Madam K is standing in our hallway in her signature red outfit. A large gray sack is slung over her shoulder, and opposite her, with his back to me, is a shirtless Terna in just his joggers.

Her eyes find mine, and she lets out an audible huff. "And now she's awake. That's why I said stall her, not fuck her," she reprimands.

I don't want to believe she's speaking to my boyfriend, but his face contorts into a mixture of guilt and remorse when he turns to me. That's strange. She must have threatened to hurt him like she did with Deb. That's why he looks stressed and guilty. He must feel too embarrassed to show his fear in front of me, so he's going with guilt instead.

"Terna, you need to stay away from her,'' I urge him, beckoning for him to come to me, but his feet stays glued to the floor.

Madam K's sinister laughter echoes through the room. "You still don't get it? You really are a dumb diva," she says, taking two strides toward me.

My palms are clammy. "Don't get what?" I probe, not flinching from our proximity.

She stares at my shirt with disdain before plastering a sly smirk to look at my face. "You're wearing his shirt," she points out. "Well, this isn't a good impression on your boyfriend's mother," she says, tilting her head sideways.

"What? What do you mean, mother? You aren't his mother," I tell her. "What is she talking about, Terna?" I ask him, my breath rasp as I try to make sense of my newfound information.

She can't be his mother. Terna said his mother left him when he was a child. He has repeatedly said she has never reached out. I trust him, and I don't plan on doubting him. This is similar to what happened when Kola suspected Deb. I'm not that type of person. Terna has my trust just as I have his.