I gasp in surprise after realizing my red bag was missing.
How do I begin to tell you about the criminal that stole my heart?
Kelvin was 17 years old while I was 16 and it wasn't so long when we concluded our secondary school. Kelvin and his family had just moved into the compound just opposite our house. I was watching them closely from our balcony as they were packing in their luggage out of the lorry into the house. I didn't find anything interesting until I got a glimpse of kelvin. To my greatest surprise, he was the same boy I met at the mall who bought me a beautiful red heart-shaped bag just few days ago. I tried calling out to him but he never responded, I guess he couldn't hear me. So I decided to go inside before mom heard me. Then maybe I could go meet him when mom and dad are away.
Just when I wanted to turn away and go down, I heard him call out to me.
"Hi Ella, How are you doing?
And what are you doing up there?
Immediately I heard him, I turned back and smiled as I waved back at him without saying anything. Trying to communicate with him through gestures. I tapped my chest and pointed down, trying to explain to him that I reside here. And he nodded to affirm that he understood me. I wanted to go downstairs, but mom doesn't like it when I associate with boys. She barely knows his parents. That's why I went back inside hoping they would step out. So I could go meet Kelvin and, luckily for me they did.
Immediately mom and dad stepped out. I rushed downstairs to go greet Kelvin. As I ran to hug him. I halted on the way when I realized mom and dad were actually outside exchanging pleasantries with Kelvin's parents. Mom noticed me and called out to me to come greet them, of which I did and that alone guaranteed me to call Kelvin my friend and playmate.
From that day on, Kelvin and I started spendingtime together. We would play a lot of games both indoors and outdoor games in the compound and shared lot of common things together like eating together and sometimes we study together.
Sometimes we play under the rain, as usual mom would come out and scold us to get in so we won't feel cold and get sick. Most of time we would sit out in the field telling each other our different life stories, and other days we just chilled out in the evening sitting outside my house's balcony counting the stars and how beautiful they are.
I was very excited that mom and dad had no issues with us and they had supported our friendship so I had nothing to worry about.
As we grew closer I realized I had started growing butterflies in my belly whenever he came around. But I didn't think he would look at me the same way I did with him because he never acted that way for once.
I tried testing him to see if he had developed feelings or if he just wanted us to be friends. Unfortunately, he didn't respond the way I wanted him to. The various ways I tested him just made the results futile. So I came up with a plan to make him jealous. Maybe if he sees me with someone else, he would probably confess his feelings to me.
I made arrangements with my cousin of who I knew he wouldn't be familiar with. I begged him to come over and stay, probably just for a few days I'd be carrying out the test and he agreed.
When my cousin Ken had arrived, the moment he stepped out of the car, I ran out to go hug him as we had planned. Then I gave him a peg as I slowly turned to look at Kelvin, who was just leaning by their entrance door observing me and my cousin quietly and when I waved back at him he refused to respond, so I just concluded that what ever act I had made there must have gotten him upset. I smiled sheepishly and went inside but I wasn't satisfied with that. So I told my cousin I would like to play our favorite games with him just to see how he would react, but after all the noise I made trying to gain his attention to come outside, it went futile again.
It was evening when Kelvin called me, He said he wanted to speak with me and the balcony, and even when I tried to read his facial expressions I couldn't tell what exactly he wanted to discuss with me. But I followed him without questioning him and when we finally got to the balcony he asked Did you do that? "Hugh, what exactly did I do? I replied, but he asked again? "why did you let him take your heart?"
On hearing that, I laughed out so loud and replied "come on Kelvin what do you mean? by letting him take my heart"
"I see, it's obvious you didn't value what I gave you, and since you didn't give him, so he must have stolen it. Why did you let him steal your heart?" Kelvin said to me in a very angry voice. I couldn't bear to see him getting upset with me.
So explained the whole act to him. I told him he's my cousin and that we were only acting to see his reaction. But he said, "I know what I'm talking about. Just go check if you'll see your heart where you left it". This time I was bit perplexed. So he led me inside to the place I normally hang my red heart-shaped bag, the one he got for me. And he said "I told you he stole your heart but you won't believe me".
I gasped in surprise after realizing my red bag was missing.
The story was inspired by The inkwell fiction prompt 158