Kora

"What about Titanic?"

"Ti-tanic?"

"😂 What? I love Titanic. It's my favorite romance movie."

"Why? Because some guy died so some girl could live?"

"Jack. His name was Jack, and no, 😩 that's not exactly why."

"😅"

"Come on Jeremy, don't tell me you're one of those cliché people that don't believe in love."

"Oh I believe in love. Except that the story of Jack and Rose was pure friction. Thank God it was, because I thought the both of them were really stupid."

"🙄 they were in love."

"If you say so."

"😂 what's that supposed to mean now?"

"Lol. Nothing."

"I know it's not nothing. I've been talking to you for six months Jer and I know when you say 'if you say so' it's just you trying not to argue so spill it. I've got time today."

"I'm just saying. That brother died for nothing. He really didn't have to die."

"Now you're just being really insensitive."

"No, I'm not. Actually, he did die for nothing. That Rose, that girl was some real problem. A real trouble, I get that she loved him, but she was selfish. Her love was an obsession and her failure to know when to just let go, that obsession, it killed him."

"No she did not."

"Yes she did. She had two chances to leave before the boat sank. If she really wanted to help him, she should have waited on shore for him. She didn't and that's what got them killed. Jack was a survivor. He'd have survived."

"No. She had to forfeit one of her chances so she could go back and save him. He'd have died either ways if she hadn't gone back. And before you criticize Rose for what she did, do you even try to imagine that the only reason Jack fought so hard to survive in the first place was so he could keep her alive? Do you ever think he'd have been so motivated to stay alive if she wasn't with him? They were in love Jer."

"What? Lol, that's silly. "Keep her alive"? I mean who would want to die from drowning in the middle of an ocean anyway? Anyone would have fought to survive. Doesn't change the fact that they were both stupid. As a matter of fact, the writers were extremely dumb for creating that shit."

"People do a lot of silly things when they are in love. Don't worry, You'd be able to relate one day."

"Just like I have." I wanted to text those words back so badly but I hesitated. I hesitated not because I couldn't, but because I just didn't understand anything anymore. The last six months hadn't been our strongest month, Luke and I. Ever since he got into NAUN, it had been really hard to get his attention. It was really hard to get him to want to talk to me, or text me, and I couldn't help but always wonder why, If something was wrong.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was slowly falling out of love with me. Call it my paranoia or my insecurities, but I felt something was not right. No matter how many times he blamed it on his schedule and school work, I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Something felt wrong.
He didn't even come home during the last holidays and he never explained why. It wasn't like I could just waltz into NAUN and demand to see him. I exhaled, turning slowly to the wallpaper of us on my phone's screen. I missed it. I missed him. I missed how being close to him that way always made me happy. How it always made me smile.

My phone churned again just as Jeremiah's message appeared on my screen, covering our faces.

"You still haven't heard from him have you?"

It was funny how I was able to build some sort of bond, some sort of a relationship online with a total stranger I had never even seen. Funny how I even opened up to him about almost everything. About Luke and I most importantly. Jeremy was the only reason I was able to get through everything those past few months. He always kept me company and always texted to see if I was doing okay. He was a friend. A friend I was getting really comfortable with. A friend I wanted to share almost everything with, even though I didn't know why. Maybe it was because we clicked most of the time. He understood me. I always felt that even though he didn't talk much about himself, he was just like me, lonely. Someone that just needed someone to talk to. If only he knew the one thing I was scared to let him know.

I let out an exhale.

"Nope."
I texted with so much disappointment.

"But no worries, I'm sure he would when he has time. He's just probably busy with school. NAUN is a hard place you know."

Knock knock.

I dropped my phone quickly the moment my door opened.

"Mummy." I turned around to watch my mother as she hurried into the room with a glass of orange juice in a tray. She had a really huge smile on her face. The smile she always had on when she wanted to ask me for a favor. That explained the orange juice. I rolled my eyes. "What do you want this time mum?"

I watched her drop the tray on my table and then clean her hands on her white apron, turning back to look at me.

"Who said I wanted anything?"

I raised my brows because I knew she was lying. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay I want something."

Exactly what I was waiting for.

"I um- there's this get together my friends are planning."

"You mean those rich women you just met."

"Friends." She corrected. "They are my friends now."

"Mum, you've literally only just met them three days ago, you're like the third wheel. They make you agree to spend on everything and pay the bills every time you all go out, you even get them nice expensive gifts so they could agree to hang out with you, they are leaching off you and you don't even realize that."

"I do not."

I pursed my lip. She did. She knew she did. I watched her stare at me for a while and then blinked twice before she exhaled.

"Okay I do but that's not the point." She continued. "We are meeting at the club today for a get together with our daughters. Like a mother daughter outing and I don't want to go alone and be the odd one out."

I scoffed before she even completed her sentence because I already knew what she was going to say.

"Kora, I know what you're going to say. I know you hate going to the club and hanging out with my friends and you're going to say I don't need them but I do. We do, if we intend to remain relevant-"

"Okay." I cut her off. She paused for a while.

"What?"

"I'd go with you." I nodded to show her I was agreeing with her. "On one condition though."

I turned around and then reached for my phone. I turned back to her and stretched it to her.

"Two selfies."

I stretched my phone further so she could take it from me. I watched her sneer so evilly, raising her eyebrows and trying so hard not to smile.

"Mum, stop."
Now I was beginning to feel so embarrassed.

"What? I didn't say anything."
Like she had to. I knew exactly what she was implying.

"Mum, just take the phone, please."

"Sure sure." She took my phone. "Let's take selfies for Jeremiah."

"Jeremy." I corrected her while I watched her raise my phone up to her face level and strike a pose just so she could get a good angle for her selfies. The camera clicked once. "Or Jer, or just J. He hates it when people call him Jeremiah."

"What?"
The camera clicked again. "What's with you kids and nicknames?"

Said someone whose name was Mrs underscore lilyK on Instagram. She gave me back my phone.

"Anyway, it's good to see that you're making new friends."

"It's just one friend, just one friend."  She didn't have to make a big deal out of this one, like she did everyone else. I had my eyes on my phone's screen just so I could see the selfies she had taken. Just as I expected, they were beautiful.

"A friend who you happen to like so much. He's always keeping you occupied and checking your phone. I can see how happy you've become since you've been texting him. Always smiling. At least he checks up on you, unlike someone I know."

"Luke checks up on me too mum."

I told her while I hurried to change my display picture. "He's just busy with school work, that's all. NAUN is not a joke o, he's trying to pass the sponsor exams so I understand. Besides, nothing can happen between Jeremy and I, we are just friends that love and respect each other's company. It's just temporary plus he doesn't live here and he's not going to be back soon, and I doubt he'd still want to be friends if he knows my real identity, if he knows I've been cat-fishing all this while."

"What's wrong with your identity?" She frowned, at me. "What's wrong with you? You're beautiful and smart. Why would he not want to be your friend if he finds out who you are."

"I'm not as beautiful and smart as you and half of all the girls out there. You don't have to lie to me to protect my feelings mum, I know."

"But it's the truth. All these boys, Luke, Jeremiah,"

"Jeremy."

"Jeremy." She took correction. "They are lucky to even be talking to you and not the other way around."

If there was one person in the world who knew how to make me feel so special and important in the whole world, it was my mother. This woman had her way with words and always made sure I had no reason to frown. Ever.

"But still, Jeremy, It won't work. I have a boyfriend I'm in love with. Someone I really like and I'd hate to ruin what we have. Mum, you know how important Luke is to me. I'm sure whatever his reasons are for being so distant lately are worth it. I'm not really worried about it."

"Still that's not an excuse to not call you even once these past few months."

"He calls me."

"No you call him. And he barely ever picks up."

"Because he's busy." I raised my eyes to look at my mother's. "Mum, please, can we not talk about this anymore?"

I turned my chair around so I faced my table.

"Racheal is on her way home, Kora." I heard my mum say as I slowly dropped my phone. I froze. "NAUN is on a week break. Something about an emergency fumigation." I held my breath. "It means that-"

Luke was coming home too.

I quickly turned to my mother. I could see the frown on her face as she looked into my eyes. Was she being serious? Was she saying the truth? Was Luke really coming home? Why didn't he tell me? How come he never even told me?

"If he didn't tell you Kora, it could be two things, it's either he wants to surprise you or he just doesn't want to see you."

I could feel the happy tears welling up in my eyes as I got up from my chair quickly and then grabbed my back pack. I was barely listening to a thing she said right after.

"Kora." My Mother called my name like she was trying to stop me from leaving. Not like she could. I was going to see him. I had to. I had to wait for him till he was home, if he wasn't by the time I got there.

I found my legs leading me back to my table, and then I grabbed my phone right before I hurried out of the room as fast as I could.

Luke was coming home, the love of my life was finally coming home and I couldn't wait to be reunited with him. I rushed out of the house.