Wanderlust

December 1: Chapter 2

Nic came back a few moments later. The sky was starting to hide behind the moving clouds. They were sparse, but they still made their presence know. He came back with a blue backpack slung over his shoulder. His walk was casual, taking long strides across the sand underneath his bare feet. The wind ruffled his hair.

He opened the backpack and pulled out a blue towel that matched the bag. He moved his surfboard to place his towel down next to hers.

“What made you choose to come to Cape Town?” Nic sat down on his towel and finally, he was on the same level with Minnie. She could see him much better. The sun placed harsh shadows around his jawline, or rather what was left of it, as it hid behind the clouds.

“I don't know. It just seemed like a nice place.”He shrugged, his legs stretching out in front of him. They were rather long, Minnie tried to think how tall she would be if she stood next to him. She couldn't come up with anything. “You?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice, my parents gave me two options.” She told him, her parents weren’t big fans of freedom. They didnt like things (and people) not going their way. “Cape Town or Johannesburg.”

“Your parents?”He asked, his eyes were studying her. She heated under his gaze, she looked away to the sea.

“They paid for this trip.” Minenhle nodded, the wind picked up a little. Blowing a cool breeze across the beach. She wanted to wrap her arms around her body for warmth, but she opted not to. She could handle a little chill, she could, couldn't she?

“My parents wouldn't give me money to go anywhere." Nic slanted his head to the right, his hair moved along with his head. It was being swept up with the wind.

“How long are you going to be here?” Minnie asked, meeting his sea green eyes. They were already looking at her, she was melting at this point. No boy had ever paid her this much attention. Not that she was looking for it, she found it odd.

“I don’t know, for as long as the surfs good and I can stay here.” He shrugged, placing his arms behind him. Holding himself up using his arms. The muscles moving, clear in her view, through the swimsuit.

“Don’t you have to go back home for school or work?” She questioned, she was drifting out to sea with his eyes. She had never been a fan of green, but she was certain that they’re colour was the best shade of green there ever was and will be.

You just met the guy, she nudged herself, give it time before you catch feels.

“Nah, I work where I stay.” Nicholas waited for her reaction, she didn’t feel as if she had much of one to give. Her father never did work at home, but her mother preferred it. It was the best place to keep an eye on your children, especially during the holidays. Her brother was a party animal. It didn’t hurt to have parental supervision at times.

“What do you do?” Minenhle wiggled her toes, Nic’s eyes watched her with a wicked eye. She smiled.

“I sell my drawings and paintings. I make art commissions and sometimes do singing gigs.” He looked over the ocean, eyeing it carefully. Minnie gave him an odd eye. How could he afford to survive doing art and sometimes singing gig? “Fine, I also have some really good stock in America, it comes in useful.” He noticed her eyes and added. “How old are you?”

“I’m legal.” Minnie brushed it off, smirking at his gaze.

“I’m going to take a guess.” He sighed, pretending to pat a non-existent beard. “Eighteen.”

“How did you know?” She gasped. She shook her head, a soft smile spread across her lips.

“It was just a random guess.” Nic smiled, meeting her eyes once again before looking back to the sea. A shiver ran down her spine.

“You?” Minnie nodded at him. He didn’t make her guess his age. Which she was grateful for, but he was still looking at her. She was slowly melting, and she certainly could not understand why he was looking at her. Did she have something on her face?

“Nineteen.” He said, his eyes remained on her. Her insides were melting, and her smile widened.

“Why aren’t you going to college?” She was careful about the question, it was starting to scare her.

“I decided to take a gap year that has turned into two. I didn’t want to go back to a school environment.” Nicholas’ eyes moved away from her, to the sea in front of them.

“I don’t either, but my parents are forcing me to.” Minenhle looked around the beach once again. Nothing much was happening. Far from them, off to the right there was a man playing fetch with a big brown dog. To their left, there was a few people milling about. The sky was getting cloudier by the minute. It was threatening to rain.

“To study what?” Nic questioned, she brought her eyes back to him. He was still looking at her with his green eyes.

“Accounting.” Minnie grimaced at the sound of the word. She had done Accounting all the way to matric and she didn’t feel like carrying it over. Or working in a normal office job, she was still so young. Not to mention how boring it would be if she did. A constant nine to five, five days a week. It would drive her mad.

“But you’re so talented.” He nodded towards the sketchpad, she looked down at as well. The cover was a plain black with a large spiral holding the pages together. On the bottom right hand corner, in white gel pen and with cursive spiral writing was her name “Minenhle Ntuli”.

“My father doesn’t think art is something you could live off of.” She kept her gaze on the sketchpad. “I can understand his concern but-”

“You want to still do it.” Nic finished off, she smiled at him.

“I’ve been trying to get the university to change my course but it’s a long process.” Minnie sighed, her knees raised. She sat up straighter.

“What are you going to study?” He questioned.

“A Bachelor of Fine Arts.”

“That seems fun.” He nodded.

For a second, they sat in silence. Neither saying nothing, until it started to rain. Minnie sprang up, stuffing her things into her bag. Nic was up as well, backpack slung over his shoulder. The rain wasn’t pouring but it was just enough to make the beach unpleasant.

They both made a sprint for across the street and onto the covered area right in front of the hotel.

The two turned to watch as the wind picked up and dropped once more. The rain falling from the sky, soaking both of them. Minnie shook her head at the weather.

“Hey, you wanna go get changed?” Nic turned to her, grinning like he had before. A dangerous glint in his eyes. She didn't know whether or not to trust that look but she wanted to find out what was hiding behind it. She gave him a weird look.

“I wanna show you something.” He continued. It didn't explain much but she looked him over again.

“I'll be right back.” Minnie slipped inside the hotel, a small smile spread across her face.

****

She didn’t know what to wear.

Minnie had stood in the elevator contemplating what she was going to wear, and she came up with nothing. And then in front of her suitcase, everything in her sight. She still didn’t know what to wear. It was as if she hadn’t pack properly when she was certain that she had only a few hours earlier.

She stripped out of her outfit and pulled a pair of black skinny jeans on. It was the most comfortable pair she owned, they stretched to fit her hips and her ass. It was hard to find jeans that fitted around her hips and weren’t too big at the waist. It was as if the makers had forgot that they were making clothes for people that weren't twigs.

Minnie then resorted to pulling out random tops, until she found one that “Didn't look too bad”. It was a rose pink off the shoulder top with a layer of matching lace on top. The sleeves reached her wrists and the top had a little lace pink ruffle over the chest area. She pulled a white denim waist coat on top and a pair of silver bangles to match the silver studs in her ears. She placed her braids into a bun, leaving two loose strands in front and grabbed a plain black satchel bag.

The bag was filled with a normal jacket, her wallet, phone and her sketchpad. She zoomed back downstairs, her umbrella in hand and her black ankle boots on her feet. There was a confident stride in her steps, precise and careful.

Minenhle found Nicholas leaning next to the front door of the hotel. He didn’t seem bothered by his surroundings, his drying wet hair or the fact that he was garnering strange looks by strangers that drove and walked by. The rain had stopped, he looked down at his phone. Somehow, he had pulled a pair of sweatpants on and a matching grey shirt. It clung to him, framing his body.

The moment she stepped out, Nic was looking at her. He started at her head and worked his way down to her shoes. She heated beneath his gaze, his green eyes were not judgemental. They seemed to be looking for an explanation on something. What, she didn’t know but she hoped to find out.

“You look good.” Nic commented, the two shared a small smile in between them and he lead them towards a parked grey 4x4 parked on the side of the road. She wasn’t surprised by his choice in automobile. He placed the surfboard in the open back of the car and opened the door for her. She thanked him, lifting herself into the car. He closed the door behind her, ran to the other side and started up the car.

“Where are we going?” She asked as she tied her seatbelt. Her heart was beating in her ears. The interior of the car was clean, she didn’t expect that. The grey seats seemed new washed and the car had a light new car smell. The tinted windows told nothing about the outside environment.

“First we should get something to eat.” Nic explained, his hands turning the steering wheel and pulling out of the road. “Then, I could act as your tour guide.”

Minnie eyed him sceptically, he shrugged.

“I've been here for a few months.” That didn’t make her less sceptical, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I also come here often enough.”

That didn't ease her in the slightest. She waited for a further explanation.

“I have a few friends, who can help.” Nic added, turning into a busy street. It began to rain once again, the droplets of water covering the windscreen. With a flick of his fingers, the windscreen wipers were working.

“I want to see how much you know first.” Minnie told him, she leaned against her window. Watching through the windscreen the rainy city. Table Mountain loomed above, not that it was visible through the clouds and rain. The multitude of different buildings right next to each other was odd. Some were grey and dull, others old store fronts and some modern style buildings. The houses were just as different, old white Dutch style houses in between all the modern houses. Minnie took it in with awe.

“Am I being tested?” Nic questioned, a wide smirk spread across his face.

“Maybe.” Minnie shrugged, matching his smirk. He kept his eyes on the road but was still watching her. He seemed entranced by her movements.

“What happens when I pass?” He asked, his grip firm on the steering wheel. Nic’s hair curled itself further when it dried, his jawline was clean on the side and from this angle, right across from him, she could see what she hadn’t seen at the beach, it was beautiful.

“You should pass first.” She laughed, her heart was pounding inside the car, but she was covered in energy. She was going to bounce off the walls if he so much as gave her more than a look.

“In order to pass, what do I need to do?” Nic on ramped onto the freeway.

“I need you to impress me.” Minnie smiled at him, moving a braid off her shoulder.

“The princess wants to be impressed.” He still had that dangerous eager glint in his eyes. It made her even more excited.

“Yeah.”

“What happens if I don't impress?” He questioned, his grip loose on the steering wheel. He shifted his gaze on her for a second before returning it onto the road.

“Then, I suppose the frog doesn't turn into a prince.” She leaned against her window as they whizzed over the road. Everything looked beautiful to her, even things that annoyed her in Durban. They didn’t seem as annoying or bad. She couldn’t remember why she didn’t like them in the first place.

“Maybe I'm not a prince.”Nic shared her smirk.

“Then what would you be?" She asked, she moved her eyebrows with intrigue. "The dangerous pirate that kidnaps the princess?”

“Oh, I like that one.” He chuckled, “But I'm not going to die of Scurvy. I eat my fruit.”

They turned off the highway. She laughed alongside him.

“I never doubted it.” She quirked her face up to meet him. She didn't expect him to be looking at her. “But if you fail, then this princess gets away.”

“I hate it when my captives get away.” He sighed, a mock exhaustion. “I'm going to have to keep a tight eye on you, miss.”

“I'm not that dangerous.”She rolled her eyes. She inspected the road they drove on. It was a narrow residential street by the look of things. All the houses had high wall fences all painted different colours. Some white, some grey and one an awkward shade of yellow. They all had trees behind the fences and in front of them.

“That's what they all say.” He warned, his focus on the road.

“I'll try not to hurt you.” She assured him. “But isn't the pirate supposed to be the dangerous one?”

“Well, some pirates are good. Some aren't.” Nic explained, turning the car right onto another residential street. The houses remained the same style as the ones before. The road felt even narrower in the big car. “I am one of the good ones.”

“You called me your captive.” Minnie reminded him.

“Well...you see… that's just a technicality.”The words failed him, she laughed. He didn't seem to mind, he smiled right back at her.

“Where are we going?” She asked, looking at the rows and rows of middle class houses. She wished she had grown up in a nice small house. But her family was large, and her parents were rich.

“Since it's raining, we're going indoors.” He assured. “Don't worry, it's a good place.”

“I'm not worried.” She shrugged, looking at the houses outside of the window.

****

The place that stood in front of them was odd looking. It was an old Dutch style house, it was something that Minnie had ever seen before with her eyes. Insignificant to many but to her odd. The walls were painted a bright white. The door was a bright green and so were the window panes. The closed windows didn’t let anything but the inside of the house visible. It was a pale white, Minnie guessed it was lace curtains.

The house was surrounded by lush greenery. The trees grew tall and thick, the grass freshly cut. A clean pavestone route led right up to the front steps of the house, it was lined by different colour flowers. Nic got out of the car, it had stopped raining, but the clouds were still dark overhead.

Before, he could reach her side and open the door for her, she had jumped onto the wet ground. She shut the door behind her. Nic offered her his arm and she took it, smiling.

“I thought you weren't a prince.” Her left eyebrow quirked with the statement. His steps were slower than on the beach, accommodating her shorter legs.

“Being a pirate doesn't mean you can't be a gentle man.” He gave her a sideways grin. It made her heart flutter and she sure she was melting on the inside.

He lead them up the steps and opened the door for her. She thanked him, keeping her eyes a little longer on his. But when she looked around the house, she was even more in awe.

The walls were painted paper white, the floors were wooden and, on the walls, hung beautiful art. Literal art works hung on the walls. She let out a small squeak that he glanced at her sideways for, but she didn’t care. She had found heaven on Earth.

Each artwork was different. Some were charcoal works, others graphite. Some done on wooden boards and others on canvas. Some were oil paints and others were ink and bleach.

“Impressed?”

She didn’t answer, smiling wide, she pulled him towards the first painting. She studied it. It was of a coloured man fishing. His tan skin glowed in the sunlight, on a small fishing boat in a wide blue sea. He was laughing at something. The painting was out of oil paints, mixed directly on the canvas.

“What do you think he’s laughing at?” He asked. She c****d her head to the side. Her hair hovering over his shoulder.

“He caught a really weird fish?” Nic laughed at her, she cracked a smile.

“It’s stunning.” She commented, the brushstrokes were quick and light. She wandered how she could ever paint that well, she was a charcoal and graphite girl. She could do anything with those two, but she couldn’t do much with paint. She admired those who could and did it well. This was an example of such work.

“It is.” He agreed.

They observed it for a while longer before she dragged him onto the next one. The cycle continued for a few artworks, talking about the paintings until they reach one that puzzled her.

It was of a white girl, pale and thin. She lay across a white surface behind her, the outer edges of her body blending with it. It was a drawing, coloured and done on an A1 size art paper. The artist used colouring pencils and effective pencil shading to create the girls body. She was looking up, she had no hair on her head. She had pale grey lips and cream eyes. The life had been removed from her body.

Nic and Minnie studied it for a while. They both couldn’t decide what to sat about it. It looked so life like, so real and she wanted to cry for the girl in the picture.

“Self-portrait?” She whispered. There was no one in the section around them but she felt as if she was disturbing people.

“Someone the artist loves or loved?” He suggested, nodding. Minnie turned her eyes to him. He was engrossed in the art; his green eyes were focused. The mischievous glint was gone, replaced with careful eyes. He didn’t have a smile, but his lips were thin. His eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t seem to notice her study of him. She thought of the best method to capture his face. Paint, lead, charcoal or something else? Pen maybe?

“It could be either one.” A male voice spoke behind them, snapping her out of her daze. “She’s died, and she never answered questions on her art.” The voice had a strong accent. The two turned to find a tall coloured man behind them, he looked to be the same age as Nic. His arms crossed across his chest and his yellowish skin tone bright in the artificial lighting of the gallery. He towered over them, but he had a warm small on his face. His head was shaven bald, and he had a thin face with sharp brown eyes. He was handsome, she couldn’t deny it.

“Michael.” Nic smiled, letting Minnie go. He held out his hand to the man, the man grasped it, shaking it. They pulled into a hug with their hands still shaking.

“Nicholas.” They pulled apart, both grinning wide.

Do hot people attract hot people? Minnie wondered.

“I didn’t think you was coming today.” Michael smiled at his friend. He kept his arms uncrossed by his side. They were covered in black ink tattoos spiraling all across them, some fresh and some old.

“I didn’t that either.” Nic commented, glancing at Minnie.

“Special lady, eh?” Micheal nodded his head towards her, he gave her a warm smile, surving her.

“Minnie, meet my friend Michael.” He introduced the two with a wide smile to each side, watching for responses. “Mike this is Minnie.”

“Hi.” She greeted, the smile of awe she had looking at the paintings, lifted away for a smile of friendlyness.

“Hallo.” He responded, his accent peeking through, but he didn’t try to fix it. “Is he treating you o-kay? You got any complaints, I can fix him up quick...”

“I think he’s okay.” She laughed.

“Michael owns this whole place.” Nic gestured. Minnie nodded in respect.

“That’s wonderful.” She said. “All this work is amazing.”

“I didn’t make any of it, bra. I wish could do what my bra, Nic does.” He told her.

“Your art is here as well?” Minnie glanced up at Nic, surprised.

“You don’t even let the sister see your work, bruh.” Micheal shook his head, “You gotta try harder, my man.”

Minnie chuckled as Michael offered her a hand. She took it, grabbing Nic along with them. She bounced between the two men, studying the art that surrounded them.

“I present…” Micheal annouced to her. “The Tempest.”

In front of Minnie was a painting of a sea storm. The sea was painted a deep blue as the sky swirled grey above. They merged at the horizon and suddenly she couldn’t tell which was which. In the middle of it all, was a small boat. It so small, she had to step closer to see it. It was still sailing, nearly capsizing but sailing.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke.

“It’s beautiful.”

Nic didn’t say anything.

“He doesn’t know how to take a compliment, daai kind.” Michael didn’t cross his arms again but let them hang on his side as he watched Minnie and Nic.

“I’m not a child.” Nic said, ignoring the compliment. She didn’t need to have a huge understanding of the Afrikaans language to know what Mike had said.

“You act like one.” He retorted, smirking. The two boys glared at each other, for a few seconds before they laughed it off. Michael patted Nic’s back.

“Thank you.” Nicholas relented, he looked down at his feet. The tips of his ears had turned pink and he was not meeting her eye.

“You going to Damien se sissie se party?” Michael asked, he shifted his arms again. The thin muscles flexed as he crossed his arms. The ink rippled over the muscle.

“You know she hates me.” Nic replied, he looked away from his feet. He wasn’t looking at anything in particular but the glint in his eyes was back.

“But poor Damien, all alone with all those young girls. Do it for a fellow brother?” He coaxed his friend. The way he was talking, Minnie could imagine teenage girls squealing over their friend’s older brother. She had friends like that in the beginning of high school, she hated it. She couldn’t imagine how her brothers must have felt.

“Okay but you’re buying the gifts.” He gave in the second time. Michael hadn’t really argued him, but she could tell, Nic didn't want to fight much. He wanted to make it as quick for himself as he could.

Before Michael could protest, Nicholas pulled Minnie away.

“Got any other artworks here?” She questioned, smiling.

“Just the one.” He shook his head, the smirk on his face widened. “You hungry?” He offered his arm to her once again.

“Famished.” She took it, her smile turning to a smirk.

“Well, princess how do you feel about McDonalds?”

****