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These two just can't seem to catch a clean break...something always gets in the way.
Maybe that's just how it's meant to be.....thanks for all the comments guys. Next updates, this week lol.

Wahala be like man wey no know of e fiancee na him get am or not. This life Sha. Shey them just swell say Kay na so so entanglement e go dey find himself. E better wash e head ooioo.

Thanks Moura7 for the updates.

@Moura7
Thanks for the update but we need more can’t seem to get enough of this wonderful piece
#TeamK

New update this evening

Abeg make e long diee

Moura7:
New update this evening

Moura7:
New update this evening

Evening don pass o

jullyrosy:
Evening don pass o

Just leave Moura7 to his deeds, he's often known to leave his followers hanging these days.

Dybala11:
Just leave Moura7 to his deeds, he's often known to leave his followers hanging these days.

I told moura7 earlier wen he started dat he should always be consistent, cos it attracts more audience....
Starving people wit dis wonderful piece will make dem loose interest in d story...
We're here cos we want to support u by creating more audience 4u. ..

Moura you’d be losing audience if you continue with slow updates ; notice how the comments have been reducing compared to when you first started this story

Una still dey here?

26

Mia

Never has the term 'village people' ever made sense to me until now. Like how possible is it for your people in the village to influence and have a hand in things you're going through in life huh? I always saw as a superstitious agenda lazy and incompetent people made up to excuse their failures. Harsh.... but true.
And there I am sitting, stunned at the almost impossible reality of seeing Caleb here, in Nigeria, in front of me.

"Uh...you know what? I think I'll just leave you guys to continue your...", Caleb paused to look at our table, the slightest look of condescension his face and smirked. "whatever it is you guys are doing here", he completed and with that, he left.
 
An awkward silence overtook our once chatty and lively table. I looked to K and he was looking at me too but this time, there was no twinkle in his eyes as he beheld me. No, infact there was nothing at all. It as just expressionless, I couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"Is it true? Are you really engaged to that guy?", K asked softly.

"K, look it's not as it seems. Let me ju-", I tried to explain but he cut me off by standing up and I stood up too, scared.
"Wait...what...please wait", I pleaded and he paused.

"I just need an answer to question, Mia", he said coolly. "Is he really your fiance?"

"Its....its complicated", I stuttered and he sighed deeply.

"Yes or no, Mia. Where's the complication is just picking one?", he asked. Now it was my turn to take a deep breath. He wanted the truth, then I'll tell him the truth.

"Yes", I mumbled softly. "We're engaged".

"Wow", he muttered, a slightly stunned look on his. He turned away from me, his right hand rubbing his neck.

"But...I mean this night...we..", he tried to say but just stopped and then smiled sadly and shook his head. "What was I doing, thinking I could actually get you to like me and have you to myself", he said and for the first time I saw the pain in his expression and my heart shattered. I didn't even know when tears started rolling down my cheeks.

"Noo...its not like that", I pleaded and tried to reach out to touch him but he shifted and that hurt more.

"And how is it huh? You....you used me to pass time till you're fiance got back from wherever he was. Heck! Why don't I ever learn?", he lamented softly and maybe that made it worse. I think it would have been better he lashed out at me then being this cool about it.

"Dayo was right after all", he said softly.

"K, I'm so sorry for not telling you about Cal eb but it's too complicated. If you'll just let me explain....",

"Yeah right", he said cutting me off for the umpteenth time this evening. I know I'm all sad and crying but that was beginning to piss me off.

"Can you just hear me out please?" I yelled a bit in my teary voice. I wiped tears off my eyes and held on to him. "Please...please just listen to him", I begged softly.

His face seemed to soften now as he held my gaze but gently, he took my hand off him. "I just can't...not right now. I think we shouldn't...I think we need space away from each other", he said calmly and my heart sank. How did I go from teasing and feeling on top on the world to feeling like this; so pained and hurt in just a matter of minutes.

"Um...I think we should go now", he stood up.

"Mmhmm", I hummed in agreement as I stood up slowly, deep in my thoughts.

The drive home was as expected, a very loud silence. I looked out window, sobbing silently, hoping we reach sooner so I can cry the way I felt. We reached my house and I slowly got out. Oh, how I'd give anything in the world to go back in time and insist that we eat at another restaurant so we'd avoid running into Caleb. I started walking towards my gate but stopped and turned back. I just couldn't help myself.

"I know you said you needed space and I'll give you that but....", I paused as a sob caught my voice. "But how long?...a day, a month?" I asked, my heart pounding so loudly it felt like it was vibrating through my top.

"I don't know, Mia. I don't know", he said coolly. "Goodnight", he muttered and drove off.

My steps faltered terribly as I walked to my doorstep. The fact that my vision was blurred by tears didn't help either. Infact, it was a miracle I didn't fall and injure myself.
I hadn't felt this bad since my mum's death and that was because I met K. He brought this newness, this breath of fresh air into my life and now he's..he's gone..just like that.
  I knew there was trouble the moment I started feeling something towards him. This was the reason I hated letting down the walls of protection I built around my heart.

__________________________________________

I rolled to a stop in front of Gina's house, who was coincidentally just stepping out when I pulled up. Her lit up when she saw me, and she skipped over to hop into my car.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, leaning over to give a kiss on the cheek. "You're out of the house!"

"Yes, I am", I gave her a small smile as I began to drive. "We've got this annoying presentation for Business Analysis. Can't afford to miss it or my gp might dip."

"Wow!", she smiled, slightly surprised. "Honestly, I'm- I'm surprised. You've a been a mess for the past couple of days."

"I think that's an exaggeration", I replied, rolling my eyes. I don't think I was that bad.

"You told me you would never find love in this life, and you might as well join a convent", she replied, smirking. Okay, I admit it, I was that bad.

"That was the first night", I said defensively. "The wound was still very fresh."

"Still, I'm glad you're taking the first steps of getting over this", Gina linked her hands together and looked over at me. "I don't think he even deserves your tears, Mia".

I didn't answer, knowing if I did she wouldn't approve of my reply.
Sure, I'm still pretty hurt by everything, especially by the fact that K doesn't even want to give me a chance to explain myself but still, I think he's definitely worth  a lot more than my tears. Yes, that didn't say much for my sense of dignity, but oh well.

"Don't you worry, okay?", G reached over to rub my arm. "The people involved in this must pay for making you feel like this".

"Oh, G", I sighed. "Please don't".

"Please don't what?" She asked. "Exact revenge in your name because I absolutely will".

"Gina-"

"They deserve it. K or whatever he's called for breaking your heart. To even think I was rooting for him before. Urgghh", she gagged as if saying his name was like taking a bitter pill. "And Caleb for being a such a douchè. Can you imagine the nerve of that manipulator?", she spat out angrily and I sighed.
"After putting up with his junkie ass for so long. Nah, we need to treat his f**k up".

"Caleb, we'll deal with soon", I promised. "But you need to leave K alone".

"What? Why!?"

"Well, for one K will always be off limits from your insanity", I reached over to give her a small push. "And two, he didn't really do anything wrong. His reaction was quite normal".

"Damn, girl. You got it real bad for him", she looked at with surprise. "And to think you've been denying all this while".

"I-I-I've not got anything for anyone", I stuttered.

"Mhmm", she sneered. "Tell that to yourself".

I sighed defeated. I hate that I still feel this way for him.

"Okay, fine", I admitted. "I really do like him BUT-", I held up a finger. "That's not why I'm defending him. I defending him because it's not really his fault. I never told him anything about that engagement, which in all honesty, I had already forgotten".

"Awww...that's sweet", she cooed. "Has he called you yet?"

"Nope",I shook my head sadly. "Neither has he replied to my numerous texts".

I pulled into the parking lot and slid into my slot.

"Don't worry, he'll come around", she smiled. "If he doesn't then he's just an immature fool who's so full of shit because his head is so far up his ass".

I stared at her wide eyed, like who is this person with me right now? What's gotten into her?

"Wow, Gina!", I exclaimed. "That was oddly too specific and I don't mean in a good way. What's wrong?"

"Nothing", she puffed. "Just that boys can be such douchebags".

"What did Rex do this time?"

"Doesn't matter", she waved off. "I'll see you at lunch, yeah?"

"I guess", I nodded and we both got out my car and headed our separate ways.

I have to admit school wasn't at all bad. Infact I was enjoying every moment of it, my presentation was flawless. My professor loved it and I hope he reflects that same love on my grades. I even had some coursemates come over to check on me.

It was when the time for my last lecture was around the corner, just after my lunch break I started to get cold feet. It was Advanced Ecomomics, one of the courses I shared with K. How am I going to face him?

"Hey you", Gina greeted as she walked in. "Let's go for lunch I'm starving. Juliet's at Peaches' already".

"Uh..um. I think I'll just skip lunch today", I replied.

"Mia", Gina sighed. "Are you going to tiptoe around him forever?"

"I'm not tip toeing around him", I lied. "This has nothing to do with K. I could care less if I see him. I'm just not hungry. Plus, it's been a while since I've sketched. I could really get inspired from the peace and quiet here now".

"Okay", she smiled. "See you later?"

"Yeah", I smiled back and replaced the smile back with a sad expression after she left.
I exited the lecture room after a while. I'd decided to ditch my last period. I stopped by the restroom to freshen up.

I stepped back a little to examined myself in the mirror. I ran my hands over my outfit and turned a little to study my butt in the mirror.

"I still got it", I muttered to myself with a small smile. What? A girl still has to make herself feel good, right? Even though I'm grieving now. Lol.

I stared at myself in the mirror, picking apart the tiniest things in my appearance and willing myself not to break down in tears like I felt like doing. This was just getting pathetic at this point.

The fact that I still had tears to cry over K wws freaking me out. We hadn't even dated and I was in the verge of losing my mind. Maybe all of this was for the best. I was way too emotionally tied to him, and like Gina has been implying, it went against my very nature to be controlled by anybody, let alone a boy. At least not again, Caleb was lesson enough for me.

"You need to get yourself together", I told my reflection. "You're a strong, independent woman. You're not going to hide in the bathroom or go home because of a guy. You run this school and every being in it. Don't be so pathetic".

And with that encouraging pep talk I exited the restroom but this time, I wasn't going to run home anymore. I'd go have lunch and then go for my last period. And K or not, I'll enjoy that lecture and then, later this night I'm going to his house and he'll hear me out whether he likes it or not.
I'm so done playing the soft girl...I'm not that person. Never was and never will be.....TBC

2000 words phew! And I'm not even done yet but una go first manage this one. Sorry for not updating on friday again, something came up. Have a nice week y'all.

Make una no forget go Glory Reign 2022 this week o. God Bless all of you.

We await more from you boss

Glory Reign all the way. Be there.

Thanks for the update @Moura7
But we need more cos we are insatiable of this piece �

Thanks for the update. Keep it coming.

Well done

Thanks bro

Yeah i wan collect front seat from those who don dey there already

I like these= like ke?? I love it man

Na my appetizer be this oo

Moura7:
Prologue

He slipped another cloret mint gum into his mouth to refresh his breath as he looked down to the beautiful bouquet of daisies in his hand. Today was the day he was willing to damn the consequences, wear his grown man pants and confess his undying love for her. She was the very beautiful and elegant Nonye, his childhood friend and sweetheart.
They'd been friends since forever together with Dayo. The three had been inseparable since they were still shitting their diapers.
Today he was finally acting on Dayo's advice to come clean about his feelings for Nonye or watch someone else snatch her up.
Finally, getting to the Dept of Mass Communication -where Nonye majored in- he went to the hall where she had said they'd be having lectures in but saw that it was empty. He looked at his wristwatch and saw that he was late and the lecture had already ended but then he figured she'd be in the school's radio studio where she did shifts. On getting there he heard her voice and smiled that his guess wasn't wrong but at the same time he was really nervous. Due to the anxiety he decided to wait and get himself together before entering and that was when he heard it.

"Um D, there's something I'd like to tell you", he heard Nonye say to Dayo. She always liked to call him D. He wondered what Dayo was doing there but figured maybe he was just waiting for her to finish up as the three of them usually waited for each other to finish up so as to have lunch together or leave together.

"Sure, shoot", Dayo permitted.

"Uhmm..I..", she began nervously.

" I.. I-I really like you D and I don't mean as a friend. I've been feeling like this for quite sometime now and I just had to let it out before it suffocates me. I..I don't know if you feel the same way?", he heard her say and his heart sank. There was a pause and he didn't know what was happening cus he had his back against the wall just beside the entrance to the studio. Somehow he was assured cus there's no way that Dayo knowing how he felt would say yes to her or so he thought.

"Wow…I…um..Nonye this is all so sudden and I…-", Dayo began before She cut him off.

"It's Ok D, you don't have to answer me now. Just give it time, I can wait", Nonye said and the last shred of flesh his heart was hanging on cut and his heart fell.

"No..no Nonye, I do actually. I feel the same way but.."

"Then nothing else matters D. You have feelings for me and I, you so let's give us a chance, yeah"?,Nonye jumped in and just like that he heard the kissing sounds and the flowers dropped from his shaky hands.…………..

Meet Dayo Michaels, the complete all rounder. Handsome, intelligent, caring and athletic stud. He's the son of Senator dad and his mum is a professor of economics.

Now here is Chinonyerem Felicity Orji. Fondly called Nonye by all, she's the definition of a beauty goddess. She's literally turned heads everytime she walked into the room and add brains to the face then you've got the complete package. She's also quite witty and isn't afraid to go for what she wants. She's the heir to top notch press company. Newspapers, tabloids, TV stations, you name it, NFO Media had it all.

Then there's the last of the trio, Kachi Kalu popularly called KK. Handsome, introverted, intelligent and not as popular as his friends due to his status as bastard and the fact that he's not from a rich home like the others and yes you guessed correctly, that's me….the flower boy.

Haven't yet gotten a permanent name so I'd just add this one to one of my "Un" series…….lets call it "Unrequited" for now…….Coming soon .

We're inviting writers to a our WhatsApp writers community. Text me on WhatsApp on this number: 0.9.0.2.9.8.4.0.3.0.5

Waiting since 24th, no update.

efeteb:
Waiting since 24th, no update.

Lol bro, no vex I've been pretty occupied lately.

Moura7:
Lol bro, no vex I've been pretty occupied lately.

Abeg try drop something for us tonight

mokoh:
Abeg try drop something for us tonight

I understand bro but you guys also have to understand I've got a life outside of writing too....I'm pretty much swamped now.

Boss Good morning abeg try for us we are waiting...the last update na 23rd of last month

Bruh hope everything dey okay

Na where OP come branch go naw
OP every stew for your side so

Hey guys, happy Sunday. Just want to let you guys know I've not forgotten this story. Allowed myself to get sucked in by pressures that usually comes with being a young adults in this country and that stifled my creativity. God in His mercies have reminded me to be grateful for what I have now.
Expect updates by end of this month, that's from this weekend. Have a nice week ya'll

Moura7:
Hey guys, happy Sunday. Just want to let you guys know I've not forgotten this story. Allowed myself to get sucked in by pressures that usually comes with being a young adults in this country and that stifled my creativity. God in His mercies have reminded me to be grateful for what I have now.
Expect updates by end of this month, that's from this weekend. Have a nice week ya'll

Hope everything pans out well for you.
Waiting for updates sha

Moura7:
Hey guys, happy Sunday. Just want to let you guys know I've not forgotten this story. Allowed myself to get sucked in by pressures that usually comes with being a young adults in this country and that stifled my creativity. God in His mercies have reminded me to be grateful for what I have now.
Expect updates by end of this month, that's from this weekend. Have a nice week ya'll

No wahala everything go good.
Na wetin we dey face for here to be that..buh man got no choice other than to plan and be hopeful and most especially pray. E no easy at all.
We dey wait for updates sha...and please stay safe it's so cold out there this days.

27

Kk

I must have done something in my past lives to be this miserable. I mean, the constant disappointments in my life has to be some sort of consequence for something, right? But this...this I didn't expect at all. A freaking Fiance?

Okay, maybe I might be overreacting a little bit but come on, it was clear that there was some sort of chemistry between us. The least she could have done was to come clean about the other guy.
The past few days have been pretty rough. I feel played and worthless and I think hallucinating now. I say this because I've been seeing Dayo everywhere saying, "I told you so" and the laughing wildly. I tried to bury myself in school stuff and work but it ain't really working. I can't even cook cause when I enter the kitchen or look in fridge, I see the groceries she got me and  just like that, I lose my appetite.

Worse part is there's no one I can even talk to about all these. Times like these, I wish I wasn't so closed off and introverted. I had friends that had been with me through everything but I unconsciously kicked them out because of her(saying her name won't do me any good now). Like I knew and was even warned that this wasn't going to lead to anything but like a deaf and stubborn mule, I still plunged deep without looking.
Time I should have used to catch up on my studies and actually make my grandparents proud--even though school isn't my thing-- I was using to play chef. Oh how stupid I must have looked to her while she laughed me to scorn in her mind.
  I was even willing to jeopardize the scholarship offered by the Michaels foundation for her. Damn! What cheap drug was I high on?

I wasn't big on alcohol else I'd have drowned myself in some bottles just to get semblance of an escape from my present reality now. Tried it once though, when Nonye had asked Dayo out. I remember I went to the club that night and that the same I met her. I sighed heavily at that thought. Somehow everything just leads right back to her.

"It is what it is", I guess as I stood up. If I was going to get past this, I might as well learn to stop dwelling on stuff about her. Right now, I needed to talk with someone, anyone at all. A friend, an acquaintance or even a stranger. At first thought, Dayo came to mind but I just waved it off. As much as he turned out to be right, the way he went about it wasn't. Besides, I needed someone who would sympathise with me rather than admonish me.
Would have hit Nonye up but we left things, it didn't seem right. At that moment, I remembered Mr Richard. Dude has always been up in my business anyway so I feel I might as well just lay it all out there for him. I hoped he was around as I locked my door and headed to his own apartment.

I pressed his door bell and tapped out a beat on the wall with my fingers as I waited. I was about to ring the bell again before the door was opened by him.

"Hey, my guy", he beamed in his usual cheerful self. "What's good son?"
He said as he gave way for me to enter. It would be the first time I'd be entering his house, no, it would be the first time I'd be entering another apartment in the building since I moved.
I had to turn back to look at him to be sure I was actually in the apartment he opened for me or whether it was some trap chronicles of Narnia kinda door that led to another world cause, wow, this apartment screamed fire. Everything from the drapes, arts, furniture, soft animal skin rugs, even his TV oozed affluence. Just who is this guy really?

"Wow", I mumbled, shamelessly oogling his apartment.  When he moved in, I thought maybe he was one of the school's workers , cause what would a grown a** man like that be doing in a school dorm?

"You like?", he asked.

"Love it", I replied, still admiring the place. Now, I've been to pretty mad beautiful houses before, like Dayo's, Nonye's and a part of Mia's too and I can pretty much say that the decors here is almost at par with theirs.

"Thanks", he smiled. "So what can I get you?"

"Oh nothing. Unless you have something that can erase the last three months of my life, then I'd gladly have an overdose of it", I sighed and sat down on one of the cushions.

"Okay...", Mr Richard said as he sat down beside me, a curious smile on his face. I laughed in my mind at his expression. The man sure likes gossip.

"What's wrong?", he asked me.

"Don't mind me Sir", I waved his question with a small smile. "Don't want to bother you with my small problems."
Lies! I was itching to pour everything out for him so he'd advice me on what to do.

"Cmon man, its me", he laughed. "Nothing about you can ever be boring to me", he continued.
Okay, that's very weird. What does he mean by that?

"Uh..I.. I mean I'm the human definition of boredom so nothing you do can ever be boring for me", he said in what seemed like a cover up. I didn't buy it but I didn't press it either. I had enough issues already.

"Okay", I heaved a deep sigh. "Remember when you advised me to go for Mia, the girl I told you I kind of liked?", I asked and he nodded.

"Well, I did", I paused. "Well, almost did. I didn't get to ask her out fully".

"What..why?", he asked. "You chickened out?", he laughed.

"No, I didn't", I spat out. "I didn't get to ask her out because her fiance showed up at our date", I finished and a surprise expression took over his face.

"Oh", he mumbled.

"Yeah. 'Oh' ", I replied. "I've just been so down ever since. I mean I really liked this girl man".

"Liked?", he asked. "You don't like her again?"

"Well...yeah...I guess", I answered, not sure of myself.

"I understand man and I'm sorry it turned out this way. So what did she say?", he asked.

"Well..uhmm...she..", I stuttered.

"Mmhmm", he pressed on.

"Uh...I didn't really give her a chance to explain", I mumbled.

"Wait...what....you didn't even let her explain herself?", he exclaimed. "Not cool boy".

"I know I know, it's just that...", I paused and sighed. "I just felt played and that reality in our differences dawned on me. Besides, now I look it, she doesn't owe me any explanation at all. We weren't even dating".

"Oh God"  he heaved a heavy sigh and touched his forehead. "Why are you this insecure?" He asked out of the blue.

"Like why do you always short change yourself. Its like you anticipate your failure all the time".

"Okay", I stood up, abit annoyed but not showing. "This is turning to another thing so I think I'll just take my leave. Good night Sir", I said and was about to go when he stopped me.

"Look don't take this the wrong way, it's just something I've observed since I got to know you and I want to tell you something. You're good enough and you deserve the best things in life. That you're not wealthy now or seem not to be in the same class of people you've been around your whole life doesn't make you any less human. So please stop thinking you're not qualified to be happy or have a good break in life if not you won't go far in life", he finished and I shrugged his hand off mine and walked out.

Who does he think he is, telling me all that sh*t? He knows nothing about me, about my life, about the disappointments I've had to live through even as a child and he's here forming motivational speaker for me.

"Man, f**k you", I spat out in anger as I got to my door and just as I raised my head , I noticed her waiting for me there.

"Hi", she smiled a little. "We need to talk", she stated  and I just stood there transfixed, not knowing what to do.....TBC

28

Kk

"What are you doing here?" That was what I should have said, instead I stood there, gawking away at her stunning beauty shamelessly. So much for moving on I guess. It's so easy to decide to shut someone out when they are out of sight but when they are in sight, slowly those walls of resolve that to crack and then before you know it, they crumble. Seeing her here now, just made me realise how much I'd missed her.

"Hi..uhmm..mm", I said then cleared my throat, not liking how my voice sounded.
"Hey, what's up?", I asked, satisfied with the amount of bass my voice carried now.

"I'm good", she replied with a small smile and I felt abit hurt. I guess I'd hoped she was also half as hurt as I was with how everything turned. Ofcourse, she's not bothered at all. She's that kind of person. A narcissist.

"Uhmm..are you going to let me in or you rather we talk here, in the hallway of your apartment building", she asked.

"I don't think there's anything left for us to talk about", I replied coldly.

"Oh will you stop being a spoilt brat and be mature for once?", she retorted. "So I hurt your feelings unintentionally, get over it already and just let me explain myself", she ranted on.

"Please", she added calmly now. "Just hear me out and then we don't have to ever see or speak to each other again", she pleaded and I took a deep breathe, before going past her without a word and unlocked the door to my apartment. I walked in, leaving the door open.

"You coming?", I asked when I saw she hadn't entered yet.

"Wow, you're polite", she said as she entered. The fact that she was still sarcastic given the situation of things now almost made me angry again but I just figured that's how she is. She just doesn't care.

"Hahaha very funny", I replied dryly.

"Ooo someone's on his period", she whispered and I turned.

"Can we just get right to it? I've got something else to do. Say what you want to say", I flipped and for the first time since she came, I saw the hurt flash across her face.

"Okay, let's get right to it then", she said flatly.  "I want to be clear on my relationship with Caleb. I want to tell you everything".

"Seriously Mia, you don't need to explain anyt-"

"For the love of God just shut up and listen to me", She cut me off and sighed heavily in a that expressed tiredness.

"Alright go on", I gave in, holding my hands up in mock surrender. She gave me a look before she sighed deeply.

"So Caleb and I met in high school and we were instantly drawn to each other. I'd already spent like five years in Nigeria and you'd think I'd have already settled in and the bullying would have stopped but no, it didn't. I had to strive to be perfect in everything I did cause a lot of people attributed my feats to my being beautiful and as much as its flattering its also degrading in the sense that I'm more than just a pretty face. I'm not some bimbo with no brains. I studied hard to get the best grades, did well in my extracurricular activities too and then I learned to be fierce and tough, displaying little or no emotions at all. People, especially in this part of the society, see emotions as a sign of weakness and take advantage of it to destroy you. You can ask your bestie/crush Nonye, I'm sure she knows what I'm talking", she said and paused for a bit, while I just listened. I wasn't in so much in hurry to drive her out anymore,  in fact  I wanted to hear more.

"So I did all these to get by here and it worked. I got the power and respect I wanted and lots of friends, although most are just lecherous fakes, all wanting the perks that associating with me brings. I hardly let anyone in till Caleb Asiwaju", she said and smiled. It hurt me that a memory of him still made her happy.

"He was just what I needed. He somehow found a way to penetrate the walls I used to surround myself. That fact that he was the most popular boy in the school and that he came from one the most prestigious families in Lagos, The Asiwajus, was just a bonus. A welcome bonus. We became really serious with the relationship, like meet the family kind of serious. His family treated me like family and my mum also treated him like a son", she said as she paused again.

"So you guys go way back...why leave that out then?", I asked.

"Just let me finish. You'll see why", she replied softly.

"So..", she began again. "Things start shaking when we got to senior year. Caleb was the school's basketball team and the school was bringing in foreign scouts to pick the best players and offer them a scholarship. But due to Caleb's low grades, he was in danger of being excluded from the team that year if he dropped below the 2.6 GPA mark. That was  the mark for anyone to still be allowed in any sports team or club in school." She shuddered lightly. She was getting quite uneasy with going on, I could tell.

"I tried to help him with his academics. God knows I tried", she sobbed and I dashed quickly to her side and held her. I just couldn't stand the sight of her tears.

"I'm fine, I'm good", she said as she stylishly released herself from my hold and wiped her eyes. I didn't miss it.

"So", she continued and then cleared her throat. "He began to use drugs. At first it was just xanax, to help with his stress and anxiety. At least that what he told me, till I found out he and a couple of his friends were also using coke. I cried and begged him to stop, that I would help but he didn't listen. Instead he accused me of adding to his stress with my nagging and then gave me an ultimatum. He said that if I really loved him, that I should help me write one of his tests. He wanted me to impersonate for him. It was hard for me, pretty hard. It went against my principles but I loved him and eventually,  I did it. I was lucky I didn't get caught. That didn't seem to help though,  as he was now addicted to coke".

She paused to get a hold of herself and on impulse I took my hand in mine and gave a gentle squeeze. This time she didn't pull away and I smiled inwardly.

"He became worse by the day. There were times, when he even hit me whenever I berated him. He'd cry and ask for forgiveness and I'd forgive him, only for it to happen again. I decided I was fed up and called it quits with him and that's when it happened. He ODed on coke and almost lost his life. His parents were very scared and blamed me for making their son to commit suicide. I tried to explain and defend myself but it all fell on dead ears. Later on, he woke up and I got a call from his parents,  now begging me to come that he was asking for me. They apologised and begged that I try to do anything he asks so he wouldn't relapse again. That was when he begged me to marry him, that he was changed now and so on. I refused on the spot but his mother called me aside and begged me to just accept, so he'd recover quickly and then she herself would call everything off. She even said that from there,  they'd be relocating to the UK and that I wouldn't have to see him again. She was crying and even attempted to go on knees just so I would say yes to her son's proposal. I agreed but I insisted that they knew it was just fake and that I'd not in any way be obligated to marry him once he gets better and they all agreed. I even had my lawyer put it in contract."

"So", she sighed. "That's our story. Now I can go", she stood up to leave and I quickly drew her into a hug. I felt so ashamed and stupid at how immature and insecure I dealt with the whole thing.

"I'm sorry", I whispered into her ears while holding her tight. "I'm really sorry you had to go through all that alone".

All this while, she wasn't hugging me back and at a point, she wanted to pull away but I held her in. Then she started crying and I just held there,  stroking her hair and cooing her.

"I'm really sorry Mia, I was an idiot", I apologised, then broke the hug so I could look at her face and wipe her tears.

"Please forgive me", I continued and she smiled, tears still in her eyes.

"Its okay. Trust me I understand even though you took it a bit far. You're forgiven though", she said and I smiled.

"But I don't think I can go through with this", she said and I paused, feeling confused. "I don't think I can be with someone who can't trust me enough to hear me out first without acting out. I've been through alot lately and I need someone who can be a rock for me. Someone I can rely and depend on to always be there for me, no matter what. I have a lot of fair weather people around me already, I need something real. Something meaningful", she said and slowly pulled her hand from mine.

I was dumb struck and I didn't know what to do or say. I just stood there speechless.

"We can still stay friends though. As much as I want to protect my heart, I still want to see you and be around you. Goodbye K", she said and walked out.

"Damn", I cursed and punched the wall. I regretted that action immediately as I winced in pain and the blood on my knuckles. It didn't compare to the pain in my heart though but this shit was still painful.

I recalled everything from the past hour she'd been here. From how pretty she looked,  to the tears while she told the story about Caleb, to the her subtle friend zoning and then I realized I wasn't ready to let go.

For the first time, I felt this urge to fight for something I wanted. No, I wasn't going to just give up on her like that, no not me.
I'm going to win her over again. I'm going to be open, trusting and vulnerable with her this time. Quickly,  I grabbed my phone and dialled her number. It rang for sometime before her sweet voice came on.

"Hello", her sweet voice filled my ear.

"Hey", I replied. "I heard all you said Mia and I'm really sorry but I'm not giving up on us".

"K, pleas-"

"No Mia", I cut her off. "I'm not hearing anything. I'm going to win you over no matter what I have to do or let go. I'm going to prove that I can be your rock".

"Woah!", she exclaimed. "Uhmm...if you insist but just know, you're going to have to face some serious competition".

"Competition?", I asked alarmed.

"Mmhmm. Oh you didn't think it was going be to easy to woo me, did you? There's a queue honey,  a pretty long one and you're just going to have to join or quit".

"Hmm really? Where was this queue when you said yes to me on our first date, huh?", I asked smiling, already feeling happy we were teasing each other again.

"Shut up", she clicked her tongue and I laughed.

"For real though, I don't care about any competition,  even if it turns out that you also have a spirit husband, I'd fight him off...in the Name of Jesus if course", I said and she laughed.

"You're so corny. Goodbye Mr", she said.

"Goodbye Mrs Me", I smiled and hung up.....TBC

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