Thread by @dammy_pep

I looked at her as sleep vanished from my eyes.
"Can you please talk? Have you two met before now?"

She moved closer and hugged me tightly. I pulled away, stood up from the bed, and faced her. At that moment, I could hear my own heartbeat, as if waiting for a b*mb to go off.

She faced me, leaning against the bed frame.

"If I tell you to leave him, will you?"
I didn't know whether to nod or shake my head. I had started to develop feelings for Jide, especially after the wonderful evening we shared and the memories he created with me.

"Yimika what is going on?" I shouted, startled by the sound of my own voice.
"You should be begging me for the truth instead of shouting at me."
"I'm sorry... Who is he? Please tell me," my heart was pounding and I could feel my blood rushing through my veins.

"Aduke...Aduke...Adukeeeeeeeee, how many times did I call you?"
"Three times."
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Just go to sleep."
"How do you expect me to sleep knowing you know something about Jide?"
"Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Every attempt to get her to talk fell on deaf ears. I was boiling with rage, breathing so hard, I had to open my mouth with my eyes shut to catch some more air.

So, I grabbed a pillow and slept on the floor. I refused to share the bed with her. A part of me wanted to confront..

...her that night, but I knew it wouldn't solve anything.

The next morning, as early as 5:00am, I woke her up abruptly.
"I hope you had a good night sleep because I didn't. What do you know about Jide?"
She looked at me, yawned and stretched her arms, pretending not to...

... have heard my question.

"Yimika, I just asked you a question. Can you please answer me?"
I was struggling with my ang*r.

She stood up, picked up her phone, then glanced at me.
"So, you couldn't even wait until 6:00am?"

"You wouldn't have waited if you were in my shoes. Can we just talk?!" I walked away, stamping my feet and throwing my hands in the air.

"Nothing! I know nothing about him," she said.
I turned around to look at her, Completely shocked.

"What do you mean you know nothing? Yesterday you said you knew him. And besides he even asked for your opinion about him. What are you not telling me?"
"I don't know him. I just said that to throw you off balance," she said, staring into my eyes. My eyes widened.

I knew she was trying to hide something, and I needed to find out for myself. I was scared...scared of the unknown.

Jide never stopped calling and I did my best to act normal, as if nothing was going on until I couldn't.

I wanted to ask him, but I held back and decided to find out for myself.

Shortly after, I noticed Yimika started acting weird. She would ask if Jide would be present at an outing before agreeing to go with me.

She would randomly hiss when I mentioned his name and pretend to have seen something on her phone. I could feel the energy she was giving, and I didn't like how it made me feel.

I had questions, and I needed answers. Unconsciously, I started acting out.

I wouldn't pick up Jide's calls on time or reply to his messages. Every time he asked, I would tell him I was busy and had deadlines to meet.

One evening, he called to let me know he was outside my house. I was considering lying and saying I wasn't home when I heard him say...

"I know you're in,& I don't understand why you've been avoiding me, but can we at least talk about it."
I opened the door, dressed in shorts and a tank top. But upon seeing him, I couldn't explain how I felt.
I melted&the anger within me evaporated. He looked incredibly handsome.

He pulled me into his arms, and It felt like being wrapped up with a fluffy teddy bear.
I loved how I felt in his arms and for a moment, I didn't care about what might have transpired between him and Yimika.

At that moment, he was mine, and I wanted to relish and bask in it.

"Can we go inside?To talk."he asked, pulling away.
"No. My apartment is hot.Can we just sit in your car?"
He opened the door for me before turning around to get in.

"What happened?What did I do?It has only been a few weeks & you've been acting strangely or is it bcuz of work?"

"Ignorant f**l," I muttered silently to myself.
Deep down, I was frustrated that he wasn't being completely honest, but I managed to smile at him.

"Jide, is there something you want to tell me?"
He looked at me, leaned forward, and kissed my forehead. His lips felt cold.

"Aduke, I want you to know that I really like you...a lot. I truly like you."
"Is that all?"
"Is there something specific you want me to say?"
I gazed into his eyes, searching for answers. The silence between us was deafening. I shook my head.
"No, it's ok. There's nothing."

We talked about his work, and before he left, he mentioned that he saw something at the mall and bought it for me - a silver bracelet.

Our ship resembled a sinking ship, but I was prepared to sail with him. A part of me was ready to dive into the river for him.

A few days later, he invited me to visit him. I hadn't been to his house since we started talking, and the idea of going there alone scared me, but I agreed.
"What's your favorite meal? Let me cook it for you," he asked during our phone call.

I anticipated the taste of his food and longed for his presence.

On getting there, his sitting room was neatly arranged, smelled nice, and he was setting the table with the apron still draped around his neck. Seeing him make all those efforts to please me made me smile.

"Here," I said stretching the bottle of wine I had picked up on my way.
"Thank you. I apologize for not being able to come pick you up," he replied.
"It's alright. Thank you for the food," I said pointing towards the dining area. "And your house...it looks great."

The meal was delicious, and when he mentioned that he had learned the recipes from SisiYemmie's cooking books and YouTube videos, I wasn't surprised.

We enjoyed our meal, talked, and laughed. It felt wonderful to discover that we shared a few things in common.

Just as we were about to settle in to watch Netflix,we heard a Knock on the door.
"Are you expecting someone?" I asked,throwing popcorn into my mouth,and chewing gently while resting on his couch.
"No,I'm not."
We heard the knock again.
"Let me go check,"he said as he walked..

.. towards the door to open it. At that moment, my phone beeped& I received a text from Yimika.
"Isn't this Jide?"
As I waited for the picture to load, I heard a glass cup shatter as Jide saw who was standing behind the door...

To be continued tomorrow.(7:00 pm GMT+1 Twitter)