A miracle in Disguise

Peter quickly put down all the snacks he was carrying and rushed towards me. He began to rub my back gently. Surprisingly he spoke, though with a deep voice, but in a low key, "why on earth would we dumb you, you are our friend and you will always get our support, the way you support us."

Before I could respond, Chris also walked towards me with a big smile and said, "ah come on bro. How can we call ourselves friends if we dumb you like that. It's not going to happen, not today and not ever."

On the far corner was Stanley , who was still standing as if waiting to be given permission to take a sit. Peter turned his head and looked at the corner where Stanley was.

Before he could say something, Stanley exclaimed. "Guys, I came uninvited. I brought some drinks. It happend that I was bored in my room. Then I overhead Peter talking to Chris on the phone as I was taking a walk. They were planning to visit you. So I thought, if I bring something, though uninvited, you guys won't chase me away, because you are too kind."

We both looked at him and exclaimed in unison, "of course not, chasing who?" We laughed uncontrollably and began to enjoy our drinks. We had a good time together, and we agreed to take Stanley into our group. The only thing that was left was for Sarah to tell us what she thinks, though we knew that it's going to be a yes.

Afterwards, I walked these guys out as they were going back to their respective places. As we were walking, we saw Thando and her friends taking a walk. My heart stopped for a moment, and the guys could see that something was wrong.

As we approached the girls, my heart raced. I felt lightheaded, as if I was floating on a cloud. When Thando greeted me, her voice washed over me like a warm summer breeze. My hands shook slightly, and I found myself lost in her beautiful dark eyes. For a moment, I forgot the presence of my friends. It was just her and me, standing in a sea of infinite possibilities.

That moment, my face became pale and I could feel a hollow in my stomach. My heart felt like it had stopped. Was I crushing on her. That's what came to my mind. Why am I becoming like this. Then with a cracking voice, while breathing fast, I responded back but with a fake smile that hides how I was feeling.

As we passed them, Chris said to me, "Aww someone seems to be crushing on Thando." He laughed and I quickly denied it, though deep down I was wondering, am I crushing on her, was it the reason I felt a hollow in my stomach. I then stopped walking and said, "guys, I will see you tomorrow God willing."

The reason I wanted to go back was Chris. I knew he wasn't going to stop talking about Thando, so I had to run away from that.

Monday morning, I didn't call the guys but we met in the lecture hall. It's funny that all this time even if we are in the lecture hall, I couldn't see where Thando used to sit. But now that I was crushing on her. I could see her and my heart would melt.

Stanley made things awkward for me, because at times the girls would accompany him as he comes to join our group discussions. That means I was seeing Thando more often and I grew more and more into liking her. I never opened up to my friends that I liked Thando. However, Sarah knew by my reactions when Thando was around us.

Two weeks down the line. I was alone going back home after having parted ways with my friends. I saw Thando and two of her friends. As I looked at her, I noticed how her hair catches the light, her smile that made me feel like my heart is melting.

As she turned to look towards where I was, I could imagine and see her turn in slow motion, her beautiful eyes shining and her skin reflecting the sun. Deep in my thoughts, thinking about her and how she looked.

The girls greeted me, but I couldn't hear anything. At last one of her friend said, "hello," while snapping her fingers. I lifted up my head as someone who was lost in his thoughts but then snapped out of it. All I could see was Thando despite the fact that she was with her friends.

As I turned to look towards where she was, Thando's eyes met mine. Her lips curved into a slightly shy smile as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the sunlight illuminating her smooth, golden skin. My heart fluttered as I found myself lost in her gaze. The other girls greeted me again, but their voices were mere background noise to the symphony of my thoughts. And I greeted only her.

As I passed by, the girls turned to Thando and whispered, "Wow, Thando, I think Cedric has a crush on you." They giggled, glancing at my outfit. "But look at how he's dressed. There's not a single day you'll see him in nice-fitting clothes." Thando smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, who wouldn't want a queen like me?"

The girls' laughter echoed through the hallway, but I knew the truth. My mom used to get these clothes from her boss, and she'd pass them down to me. We couldn't afford new clothes, let alone food and tuition fees.

Meanwhile, Thando's friend Charlotte watched me with a secret smile. She was a church girl, with a kind heart and a gentle soul. Her beauty radiated from within, and I had no idea that she'd fallen for me on the day of the presentation.

As soon as the girls parted ways, Thando began talking to herself. "So Cedric is in love with me, since when?" From that day onwards, I think I made it more clear to her that I was crushing on her, which is what I didn't want her to know until the day I could have the guts to ask her out.