Anyeong you guysss🤭

I know you people are surprised that I updated so quickly.

I said lemme give y'all a small gift before I disappear again😹💔.

This school life is not easy o.

I lowkey just want to run away and make avant-garde art I'll be selling to rich people for like $1 million dollars for each piece😔.

Anywayyyy....enjoy the chapter💞

~~~~~~~
"I'm loving your light,
Vulnerable,
Letting your gaurd down,
That's honourable."
~~~~~~~~
- J.Cole
(Pretty Little Fears)

PHINEAS

After dropping the guys at the Mall, I began my route to Chetachi's house.

She told me to come get her as soon as we were done with Lami; that she'd be ready and waiting.

Now, having lived with a little sister for technically all my life, I know when a girl says she'll be 'ready', it usually means when you'll still have to wait a bit for her.

But hopefully, this slight Mall detour has given Chetachi enough time to really and truly get ready.

Although in all honesty, I'd wait as long as she wants me to if that's not the case.

There was a bit of traffic on my way, but was able to make it to Chetachi's in good time.

I parked outside, got down and rang the bell by the gate.

Chetachi told me that she had already shown the gate man my picture like a million times already, so I had nothing to worry about.

The gate man opened up, letting me through after looking at my face intently.

I walked up to the door, taking in the exterior of the Chetachi's house.

It was quite large, but not in a way that was imposing or intimidating. Instead it seemed oddly protective, like a fortress almost, but in a warm, welcoming sort of way.

It was a whitish-grey, allowing it to look both vintage and modern all at once, contrasting perfectly with the bursts of colour provided by the flowers that seemed to circle round the front yard.

There was an early 2000s American style garage to the left, adding to the almost vintage appeal of the house.

I approached the door, but before I could knock on it, it was opened by a short, plump lady in a pretty blue apron.

"Good afternoon, ma," I greeted her politely and she smiled at me.

"Good afternoon, young man," she replied.

I heard running behind her, and with it came Chetachi's voice.

"Is it him, Cookie? Is he here?"

"Yes, he's here," the lady -Cookie- called back. She stepped aside and gestured, "Do come in."

I stepped into the house and my nostrils were immediately filled with a fresh, minty scent that settled in my insides.

Before I could look around, a small-sized Doberman bounded towards me, about to jump as it barked.

"Bangtan! Down, girl!" Chetachi ordered, appearing behind the dog.

She looked up at me briefly with a smile, then crouched down and began caressing the dog's head. "He's a guest of mine," she said and it stopped barking, and instead licked at my hand, and action I found ticklish.

"When you told me you had a dog, I never expected it to be a Doberman," I said, leaning over to give it a pat.

"Why's that? I'm not tough enough to own one?" Chetachi asked with a scoff.

"No, no," I laughed. "I just assumed it was a cute little Maltese or something."

"Well, she's still cute to me," she rebuffed with a note of finality.

"Yes, yes of course," I said, nodding vigorously in agreement.

She slapped my arm and we both laughed.

The lady that opened the door for me gave a small cough, and we both straightened up.

"Phineas, meet Ms. Carol. Cookie, meet Phineas, my.....friend," Chetachi said, gesturing between us.

I smiled at Ms. Carol. "Nice to finallh meet you, ma. Chetachi has told me about you."

"Nice to meet you too, dear. She's told me about you too. She talks about quite a lot, you-"

"-Uh, Cookie, could you please take Bangtan upstairs for me? I want to take Phineas outside," Chetachi cut in, a flush of colour flooding her face.

Ms. Carol raised a brow and chuckled at her, obviously used to her drama.

She picked up Bangtan and Chetachi grabbed my hand, pulling me through a hallway at rapid speed.

"Where are you taking me?" I managed to ask as she kept dragging me by the hand.

Eventually we stopped in front of large, sliding French doors. Through them, I could see what was definitely the backyard, and there seemed to be two people seated under a small gazebo.

Chetachi turned to me. "So remember how I said my parents weren't going to be around today?"

I nodded in response and she continued. "Well, they changed their minds last minute and decided to spend the day at home together."

"Aww," I said.

"No! Not 'aww'. They want to meet you!" She replied, holding my arm and shaking me.

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes! I told my mum I was going out with a friend, and since the only friends of mine I usually go out with are Deja and Beryl, she was curious about this new person; you."

"Me," I smirked at her, slightly enjoying how serious she was taking the matter.

"She said I should bring you to meet her and my dad," Chetachi said, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Let's go then," I said, smiling as she eyed me in suspicion.

"You're not nervous?" She asked.

"Nope. Are you?" I softly asked her back.

She shrugged. "A little."

I lowered my head and planted a kiss on her hand which was grasping onto my arm. "Don't worry. I'll work my gentleman charms on them."

She scoffed and walked towards the doors, opening them in a smooth, sliding motion.

Immediately she did that, I heard On & On by Erykah Badu playing softly in the background.

I recognised it instantly; it was one of my mum's favourite songs, and she would play it in the house almost everyday.

On Chetachi's command, I stepped through the doors into the backyard, which was an incredible aesthetically pleasing place.

The floor where we stood was tiled in a beautiful marble mosaic pattern, and it consists to where the gazebo ended, giving way to a lush green spread of neat lawn, which bore a small, well-tended flower garden on its edges.

On the other side, where the floor was still tiled, there was an elegant jacuzzi with deck chairs arranged by its side, and further down, I noticed what seemed to be a kitchen attachment, bearing a grill and a mini-bar.

There were also a book shelf towards the far right against the wall, surrounded by a small couch and about two plush looking armchairs.

But, just in front of us, enjoying the shade of the pretty gazebo they were under was quite possibly the most attractive couple I've ever seen in my life.

Chetachi's parents sat together, her mum perched on her dad's lap as they sipped from the drinks in the glasses they held.

They noticed our entrance into the backyard immediately and looked up at us.

I seized the opportunity to greet them. "Good afternoon ma. Good afternoon sir."

"Good afternoon," they chorused.

"Um..Mummy, Daddy, this is-" Chetachi began to say.

"-I'm sure he can speak for himself, nwa m," her mum cut in, standing up from her husband lap.

I saw the brief look of protest he gave her, to which she squeezed his shoulder as if to apologise.

She dropped her glass on a stool, came out of the gazebo and stood in front of us.

To me, Chetachi is the most beautiful girl in the world.

And now, seeing her mum, there's no doubt where she gets it from.

Mrs. Adigwe was a tall, brown-skinned goddess. Her body was slender in a smooth way, like a sculpture, with long limbs and  curves in all the right places. Her facial features was sharp and structured; I swear, her cheekbones could cut diamonds.

Chetachi had inherited all her mum's distinctive traits. But I noticed she had a bunch of her dad's.

She had Mr. Adigwe's small eyes and piercing hazel coloured irises. She also had his nose and the width of his forehead.

Mr. Adigwe himself was an incredibly handsome man, and it made sense that Chetachi was the product of these two stunning people.

"My name is Phineas Sullivan; I'm a friend of Chetachi's," I said.

"Sullivan?" Came Mr. Adigwe. "Is your father Eammon Sullivan?"

"Yes sir," I answered.

"My firm handled some legal issues for his company last year. Nice man, excellent conversationalist," he commented and I smiled.

I glanced at Chetachi and she smiled too.

This is going well.

"So, Phineas," Mrs. Adigwe said, hands folded as she looked at me. "Where are you taking Chetachi to?"

I leaned forward a bit and spoke in her ear so Chetachi wouldn't overhear us.

"I'm taking her to South Side Hills, ma. I planned a picnic. It's a bit of a surprise."

Mrs. Adigwe bit back a chuckle and shook her head.

She looked back at her husband and soon they were both laughing.

I noticed that Mr. Adigwe's eyes crinkled the same was Chetachi's do whenever she smiles or laughs.

The girl in question nudged me, wondering what I had told her mum that made her parents start laughing.

I almost started laughing too at how confused she looked.

She was too adorable for her own good.

"Make sure she's back by 8:30," Mrs. Adigwe instructed.

I nodded. "Yes ma."

She turned to her daughter. " Nwa m, you two can go. Have fun."

Then she caught my eye, and quietly added; "But not too much fun."

Chetachi hugged her parents goodbye, and then dragged me by the hand again, but not before I told her parents how nice it was to meet them.

She took me through the house again, and soon we were out the front door.

"Where's your car?" She asked.

"Outside," I said, noticing her outfit for the first time.

She was wearing a cute, black floral dress that hugged her figure just right, and showed off her long, shapely legs, paired with white sneakers and a matching white headband holding back her braids. She also had on white stud earrings and her silver pendant, and she was carrying a small black shoulder bag that tied the whole look together.

(Basically, what our girl is wearing✨, minus the accessories sha😹)

I liked her usual style of hoodies, or flannel shirt jackets on cargo pants, but this style fit her perfectly too.

She looked breathtaking, and undeniably sexy.

"What? What is it?" She asked when she saw I was looking at her outfit. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Not at all. You look absolutely gorgeous," I told her.

To prove my point, I took her hand and made her do a little spin for me.

"I love this dress. You might have to wear it every time we go out," I said in all seriousness.

"Indeed," she snorted like I'd made a joke. "Let's be going, jare."

We walked out of the pedestrian gate to where my car was outside and I opened the passenger door for her.

When she was seated comfortably, I got in and sat in front of the wheel.

"Nice car you've got here, Ozoemena," she commented looking around.

"Why thank you, Rarity," I said.

My car was a Hyundai IONIQ my dad got me for my birthday last year.

Ola always said that it was a 'mum' kind of car, but I loved it regardless.

"Is that strawberry I smell?" Chetachi asked, nose in the air as she sniffed.

"Um, yeah," I replied, opening a compartment and bringing out the strawberry car spray I bought last week. "It...uh...it reminded me of you."

I felt my cheeks blush as she smiled at me, her eyes crinkling till it looked as if they'd disappeared.

"Phineas, that's so sweet," she said.

I shrugged shyly and put the spray back, before turning on the ignition.

"AC on or off?" I asked.

"On biko. This Lagos heat is not my mate."

"Says the same girl who's always wearing long sleeves?"

"Oga, on the AC and let's leave this place," Chetachi said, putting on her seat belt and leaning back.

I started driving and she got out her phone, tapping away.

She sat up after a bit and began fiddling with the screen.

I glanced at it, and saw that she was turning on the Bluetooth connection.

"I have a dope road-trip playlist I always play in the car," she explained.

In a matter of seconds, Cabin Fever by Jaden was crooning softly from the speakers.

We hit light traffic, and I balanced my left hand on the wheel, leaving the other hand free.

Chetachi held it and played with it as she hummed along to the music.

"My parents seemed to like you," she said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over us.

"Told you there was nothing to worry about."

"What did you tell my mum that time?"

Ha. Nice try.

"I'm not telling you," I said and she narrowed her eyes at me, letting go of my hand.

I grabbed her hand back as I drove with the other one.

Thank God for ambidextrisity.

"You'll find out soon enough," I added, pecking the back of her hand.

She mumbled something incoherent and I laughed at her.

The song changed to Circles by Post Malone and we fell silent once again.

I was the broke the silence this time.

"How did your parents meet? Did they ever tell you?"

Chetachi nodded, a small smile on her face. "Their story is so sweet; like something out of a movie or a book."

"Do tell," I urged her on.

"So my mum used to be a flight attendant on commercial flights before a friends of hers told her that private plane charterers paid better and it was less stressful. So she applied to be a private air hostess and got the job. The plane she happened to work on was my grandfather's, which my dad and his siblings would use all the time to travel from place to place. That's where they met.

"My dad fell for her almost immediately, but my mum was kind of oblivious to his intentions. All she wanted to do was save enough money to start her own travel company. It didn't even bother her in the slightest that she was almost always working because my dad kept going on trip after trip just so he could see her on the plane.

"I'm not exactly sure when, but she eventually realised that my dad liked her, y'know, romantically. At that point she had also caught feelings for him. So they talked it out and started a relationship. Soon, all his work trips were like couple vacations for them and they basically had dates all over the world.

"After a while, with the capital she had saved up, she left the job and started her company. My dad took her on a trip to Paris after that and that's where he proposed. Apparently the whole thing made my grandma upset, but she couldn't do much 'cause my dad had my grandfather's permission already. And, yeah, the rest is history."

"You weren't kidding. That story should be a late 90s/ early 2000s rom-com or something," I said.

"I know right," she laughed. "How about your parents?"

I'd expected her to ask, but it didn't stop my heart from sinking just slightly.

Still, I was going to answer her.

I let go of her hand and reached into my pocket, getting out my wallet.

I flipped it open and pulled out a picture of my mum which I handed to Chetachi.

"My parents' love story is like a movie as well," I started.

Dad used to tell Veronica and I how he met our mother all the time. I knew the whole monologue by heart.

"Both my parents were rebels. Mum was from a wealthy Igbo family based in Port Harcourt; Dad from an old money Irish family based in Waterford. They were both sent to the US to study Business; Mum at Brown and Dad at Harvard. But that heiress life wasn't for my mum at all. She ended dropping out and moving to LA to pursue an art career. Of course, this lead to her being cut off from her family, but she didn't care.

"As for my dad, he wanted to pursue a career, but he was under so much pressure from his family that he left school for a couple months and ran off to LA as well. He would spend his days working on his photography, taking pictures of the city and of anyone who granted him permission."

I stopped to take a breath, and saw that Chetachi was listening with rapt attention.

"One day," I continued, "he saw my mum walking down the street and -his words, not mine- was completely awestruck. He ran up to her and asked if he could take a picture of her. She agreed, and he took that picture," I pointed at the one in Chetachi's hands, " while she stood backing a poster on the wall."

"Wow," Chetachi said, looking at the photo, her eyes wide.

(Phineas' mum😔)

I knew that picture like the back of my hand. It was my mum with her hair in a very messy afro, her huge earrings on and tons of jewelry draped over her neck as she always wore them, paired with a baggy Ankara shirt and her azure blue bracelets. She looked beautiful in her usual laid back, unforced and kind of unkempt way.

I wonder if she still looks the way I remember her.

"After that, she invited to an open mic show where she was doing this poetry and art performance, and he agreed. They hit it off, and the relationship began, but Dad had to go back and wrap up his studies. As soon as he was done with that, he left his life back home behind and married her. Then they moved to Manchester and then finally to Lagos."

"Now that's a love story," Chetachi gushed, then turned the photograph back and forth."Is this the original picture? It's in amazing condition."

"Nah, my dad probably has like a thousand copies of that hanging around the house. I just grabbed that one."

There was a lump forming in my throat the more I talked about it, but I brushed it off.

Chetachi sighed and leaned back into her seat, giving me a lazy smile.

"I love love stories," she said, holding my hand and interlocking her fingers with mine.

My heart warmed at her gesture and I smiled back. "Yeah, me too."

Ours, most especially.

.......

We arrived at South Side Hills in good time. It's a park on an elevated, hill-like portion of land.

Actually, the park was an extension of the country club that bore the name, South Side Hills, which had been made open to the public during weekends and special holidays, for a small fee.

On Saturdays like this, there were all sorts of people there, having picnics on the manicured lawns, taking pictures against the serene scenery, playing the numerous live-action board games scattered all over the park or grabbing over-priced snacks and drinks at the concession stand.

I got down from the car and rushed round to open Chetachi's door.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"Yes, seriously," I said, helping her down.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that Chetachi is more than capable of doing things on her own, but I liked doing these small things; especially for her.

As she stood adjusting her dress, I walked to the boot and opened it with a press of a button, taking out the picnic basket and I had packed and placed there.

I took my time to carefully wrap each sandwich and snack so the guys wouldn't smell the aroma while they were in the car and start asking if they could have some.

I'm really glad they didn't; especially Archie.

He's the kind of person that asks for one bite of your food and then ends up finishing the whole thing with that innocent looking face of his.

"We're going to have a picnic?" Chetachi asked excitedly as I approached her carrying the basket.

"Yes ma'am," I answered and she clapped her hands, a wide smile already on her face.

She grabbed the rolled-up picnic blank I had wedged under my arm before I could stop her, and started walking into the park.

"I'm m going to find us a nice spot," she declared, walking ahead of me.

I shook my head with a laugh and followed her.

In a few minutes, we were seated on a comfortable area of grass,under a large tree which shaded us from the harsh sun, away from much of the crowd.

"See? I told you I'd find us a nice spot," she said smugly as I laid down on the blanket.

I looked up at her and she stuck her tongue out at me.

With a small hiss, I tugged on her arm and pulled her down.

She squeaked as she fell against me.

"Phineas! Are you mad?"

"Mmhmm, yes," I mumbled, circling my arms around her midsection.

Her skin was so soft. I hugged her tight and stayed like that.

"Shey you know we're in public?" Chetachi questioned, not moving an inch, but instead hugging me back. "All these mothers will soon start judging us and our upbringing."

"And you care, because?" I asked her back.

She rolled her eyes and I laughed at her.

Holding her, I shifted our position so we were both on our sides, facing each other.

"So, you said you were going every thing that happened with Seb the other day," Chetachi said, raising her hand to my curls.

She start twisting them around her fingers, and I found the action soothing.

I narrated the events of that day to her and she burst into laughter at intervals.

"Wait, wait, wait. So you're saying one of those Emmanuella girls saw us on our date and the whole thing was going to be published in the paper?"

"Not the girl herself. Her sister's cousin's ex or something," I laughed.

"And your sister was involved as well?"

"Yupp. She's apparently dating her set's resident troublemaker. I haven't even spoken to her about it yet, but I will soon. Who knows? The whole thing might just be an exaggeration."

Chetachi suddenly sat up, looking round suspiciously.

"What is it?"

"Just checking. Before someone's father-in-law's step-cousin's side chick will see us and put us on CNN," she deadpanned.

I laughed and sat up as well, dragging her in for a side-hug.

"Do you want to start eating?" I asked, pressing a quick kiss on her shoulder.

She shook her head and smiled mischievously.

"No," she said, "let's play a little."

"Play?"

Before I knew it, I was on my feet chasing Chetachi round the park.

She found a box filled with bubble guns by the live Monopoly board, grabbed one and started pelting me with bubbles.

I retaliated by picking her up and carrying her over my shoulder to the other side of the park, making sure she dropped the bubble gun in her hands.

After that, we played a couple rounds of speed chess on one of the live boards.

I lost miserably of course. I don't know shit about chess, despite how many times Majid has tried to teach me.

Then we played a ball game with some kids.

I paired up with the girl, Chetachi paired up with the boy, and in the end, my team won, but not without some stiff competition from hers.

We were starving by the time we sat back down on our blanket.

Wasting no time, I opened the basket and served up the sandwiches and drinks.

"You'd make a good athlete, you know. See the way you were handling that ball," I complimented Chetachi as she took a bite.

"Ehn? No, no, no abeg. I like sports, and I like watching sports, but I don't have the strength to be training and exercising and all that. I'd rather rot in bed and read my books."

"Whatever makes you happy, I guess," I replied and she eyed me playfully. "Speaking of sports, I'm so ready to destroy those Elysianites at this year's Friendlies. Especially that stupid Axel Chukwujekwu. Always acting like he's the Chosen One of football."

Chetachi snorted with laughter.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but, Axel is actually my cousin," she said.

"He's your what?" I stared at her like she had just grown two heads.

"My cousin," she said again. "Our mums are sisters. Twins, in fact."

"Good Lord," I exclaimed. "How did I not notice this before?"

She smiled and sipped at her Fanta. "We only say hi and bye to each other at these things. He's so popular and everybody wants to talk to him, so we don't really spend that much time together or anything. You know how it is, na. All you fake celebs."

I ignored her joke as a realisation hit me.

"So it was you!" I said, pointing at her.

"Me that did what?" She asked nonchalantly, blinking innocently at me.

"There was a rumour going round last year that a Hillsong student was leaking secrets to the Elysianites, because they were related to one."

She rolled her eyes. "You people don't have work."

"Oh well. Cousin or no cousin. We're still going to wipe the floor with them."

"Happy wiping," she quipped, already on her third sandwich.

We ate in silence for a while watching the scene around us.

"These sandwiches are delicious!" Chetachi said, reaching for yet another one.

I beamed with pride. "Why, thank you."

"Tahh. See your mouth like 'thank you'," she sassed. "Who helped you make these, joh?"

"Chetachi, I promise you, I made them myself. I stood in the kitchen, cut up the veggies and meat and arranged on mayonnaise covered slices of bread, all by myself," I explained with a chuckle. "The only help I received was in packing the basket."

"Aha! So someone did help you!"

"Oh my days."

"Who was it? Tell me. One of your home staff? Your sister? Your dad? Wait...what am I saying? It was your mum, of course! Right?"

"Well," I said, my mood dampening a little, "it was my Step-mum, actually."

Vivian had found me in the kitchen and offered to assist. She helped me pack the basket, even picking out the perfect picnic blanket for us.

Chetachi paused, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I'm sorry, did you just say step-mum?"

I nodded.

"Oh," her voice was somber and apologetic. "I didn't know your parents were divorced."

I set down my bottle of Mountain Dew.

"They are, unfortunately."

"Does your mum still live in Lagos? Do you see her often?"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "I'd love to say I do. But the reality is, I haven't set eyes on her in about seven years now."

Chetachi's eyes went wide with shock, but she said nothing.

I knew she was waiting for me to either offer an explanation or change the subject.

I decided to do the former; if we're going to start a relationship, we ought to start it in all honesty.

"Like I said in the car, my parents were in love. So, so in love. Like, dancing around the house to Bob Marley or Sade every night kinda in love. Completing each other's sentences....that sort of thing. But, Mum....she...was a mild alcoholic and a weed addict. And she was careless about it too. I used to find her smoked blunts around the house all the time, and she got tipsy almost all the time. Dad didn't like that my sister and I were aware of her bad habits and he called her out on it. So, she was registered for one-on-one rehab counselling sessions. She attended them every week, and things were good.

"Then, one day, she was supposed to pick Veronica and I from school after her counselling session, but she never showed up. Dad was called to get us instead. When we got home, she wasn't back. Night fell and she still didn't come back. Dad kept calling and calling, but her phone was switched off. He was worried, but he tried not to show it for our sake; we were still little kids, y'know? But the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that and so on and so on....she didn't come home. This time, Dad went to the police. He reached out to everybody he could, even some members of my mum's family she still spoke to, but nobody knew anything. The only thing the police found out was that she left the building where she did her counselling. They couldn't tell us her whereabouts, they couldn't even track her phone or anything and the case soon ran cold.

"Months passed and she was still not at home. At this point, Veronica and I knew something was very wrong. Dad was depressed and paranoid, but he held it together for our sake. He kept telling us that she was okay. That she just went some place to rest and she'd be back before we knew it. And I wanted to believe, but I knew Mum wouldn't leave without a single word. I just knew it.

"Then, suddenly, towards the end of one of the months, there was a package delivered to our house from her. Dad basically tore it open, only to see a letter and.....signed divorce papers. He tried finding out the address the package had been sent from, but it wasn't mentioned anywhere. The next day, Mum's lawyer showed up and told him that what she wrote in the letter were her explicit wishes and she wanted a divorce. Dad fought tooth and nail. He begged the lawyer to let him speak to her, but he was adamant. He fought and fought, refusing to give in. But as more months passed, his resolve weakened, and he ended up signing the papers. If he was depressed before, he became a literal shell of himself after he signed for the divorce. There were times I feared he would kill himself. In fact, I think the fact that he was solely responsible for Veronica and I was the only reason he didn't..."

My voice broke off and I took several breaths. Chetachi reached out to hold me and I fell into her arms. She cradled me gently, wiping my face clean of tears I didn't even realise were falling from my eyes.

"The next year, we had gotten a bit used to her absence, but things hadn't gotten easier, especially for Dad. People around us made fun of him behind his back. They called him a stupid white man, and that my mum had duped him and abandoned him with us. There were some days he didn't even leave the house. But then, something changed. He started coming home smiling. His entire disposition changed almost overnight. Before my sister and I knew it,  we were  being introduced to Vivian, his girlfriend. By the end of the year, they were married and they've been so ever since. I don't hate Vivian; in fact I think she's really nice, and she makes my dad happy. So why not, right? It's just my sister that gives her crap, but she'll come around eventually."

I licked my lips, my mouth dry all of a sudden. "That's basically it," I ended.

Chetachi didn't say anything, she just held me.

And I was grateful for that.

She's the first person I've ever told the full story. To the guys, my parents are just a regular divorced couple.

I looked up at her and saw that she was crying, sniffing quietly and dabbing her tears away.

"Oh, babe," I said, sitting properly and pulling her onto my lap.

"I'm sorry. I k-know I sh-shouldn't be the one crying...I just-"

"Shhh," I kissed her forehead and then pecked her lips.

We stayed silent, holding each other as the evening sun began to go down slowly.

I noticed Chetachi was staring at me and I gave her a weak smile.

"What's up?" I whispered.

She shook her head and looked away.

With my hand, I gently turned her face so she was looking me in the eye.

"Chetachi, you can tell me anything. Don't ever think you can't," I told her clearly.

She took a deep breath and played with her fingers.

"I have.....had a twin sister," she said quietly.

Had? Oh no.

"She was my best friend, my favourite person ever, and I loved her more than myself," she went on, a painfully wistful smile playing at her lips. "Anyway, there was a birthday party I really wanted us to attend. It was for Elodie Vaughan, this really popular girl at our Primary school. Tochi didn't want to go, but I begged and begged her till she caved. We went for it and it was quite fun, but we ended up hanging out more with each other. Then....t-then..."

Her voice shook, as did the rest of her body. I rubbed her back and she swallowed, calming down a little.

"Then, on our way back, we were attacked my arm robbers."

My blood began to heat up; I could tell where this story was headed.

"One of the robbers shot her. I ran away and he chased me. I ended up shooting him in self-defence. My sister died that night, and my dad had to donate blood to save the robber's life."

Oh Chetachi.

I hugged her tights and she started shaking again with tears.

A few more fell from my eyes; my heart bleeding for this girl who meant the world to me.

Her pain was my pain, and right now I felt it deep in my chest.

I kept rubbing her back till she stopped crying.

I grabbed some tissues and wiped her eyes and nose.

Then I gave her water which she finished in about two gulps.

When she was done she smiled at me gratefully.

"Now I've fully broken down on you," she muttered and I smiled, remembering our last date.

"And your welcome to do so anytime," I said, pecking the side of her head.

I love you.

There was absolutely no doubt in my heart or my mind.

Crazy how in a few short months, we had gone from mere classmates, to friends, to now sharing our most personal details with each other like this, clearly past the level of friendship.

"You can break down on me whenever you want to, Chetachi," I told her again.

She smiled a small, teary smile, appearing more beautiful right now I'm this moment that ever before.

"I love you," I said and she hit me.

"I was going to say that!"

We laughed together, and I'm not sure who moved in first, but soon we were kissing each other like our lives depended on it.

I gripped her waist and pulled her closer to me.

She grabbed my shirt and tilted her head to the side, her perfect, soft, soft lips caressing mine.

The sound of a small child bawling nearby burst our little romantic bubble and we pulled apart, laughing.

"Now, how about we finish these delicious sandwiches I made all by myself, and then play one more round of chess before I drop you at home."

"I like the sound of that," she said.

As we finished our picnic, and till I dropped her off and went back to my own house and drifted off to sleep, there was only one thought on my mind.

I'll love this girl forever.

Haewww😭😭😭.

Excuse me while I cry and lick ice-cream😔.

These two children will not finish me in Jesus's name😭.

Ngl, this chapter was tough to write. There were several times I thought of switching up the POV or changing some aspects, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

As I'm writing this, I'm on my way to school.

Yes o, University wahala has started😭.

I'll edit for errors later biko.

Vote, comment, share...all of it.

Oh, and don't forget to follow me on IG at pearl.ume and also my YouTube channel Pearl Ume.

Thanks for the continuous support.

I love you all😭❤❤❤.

See ya soon❤❤❤.