SIXTY: DREAMS AND PAST MEMORIES (3)

I found myself in my pink sleeveless dress; it was one of the few clothes that the matron got for us and it was my favorite.

I didn't understand how I ended up wearing the dress, but it seemed like I was headed to an important place.

As I pondered the reason, it suddenly struck me why I had picked my nicest outfit from the few I had.

I realized I was going somewhere important with someone special.

I couldn't recall the exact moment we had planned it, but deep down, I had a sense that we had.

We had secretly been planning for me to go outside the premises without the matron or any of the higher officials finding out.

It was my first time sneaking out since I'd been at the orphanage (which was basically my whole life), and Paula had promised it would be a fun adventure.

All I needed to do was act like one of the regular students, blending in and not drawing attention to the fact that I was from the orphanage.

It wasn't particularly hard to do but still, my heart was beating fast as if I was going to steal money from a bank.

I simply walked through the crowd of students heading to their own homes.

It was then that I realized the gate security wasn't really strict. The fear of leaving without permission had made it seem scarier than it was.

Paula held my hand as we walked past the gate.

Perhaps she could feel the growing fear within me, but her gesture somehow reassured me and eased my anxiety.

Suddenly, right after we passed through the main gate, we found ourselves standing in front of Liam's gate.

I couldn't explain how we ended up at Liam's house, but it felt oddly normal as if it were meant to happen.

The strange part wasn't just our sudden arrival at Liam's house; it was the fact that we were getting out of a car, and Liam's girlfriend Nanya was with us.

I had no idea when she had joined us, or when we had gotten into the car, and what puzzled me even more was that neither of them seemed to be concerned about it.

The moment I realized she was with us, I felt an oddly familiar sensation creeping up within me.

It was that feeling I experienced whenever she joined the three of us: a full-blown sense of awkwardness.

Nanya, or Ifunanya Obumneme, had only become Liam's girlfriend recently, and she had never been fond of Paula or me.

In fact, she had a stronger dislike for Paula than for me. I felt like I was just caught in the crossfire.

There were moments when I wished I could simply say, "Hey, I don't care about Liam. I'm here for Paula," just to get her to ease up on those intense glares she would shoot at us.

Most importantly I always wondered how Paula felt about it but I never really got to ask her about it.

"Welcome to my simple home," Liam greeted us, extending his arms wide. Nanya stood so close to his right side, holding his arm tightly against her chest.

'Show off ' I thought as I narrowed my eyebrows a little at his feigned humility.

It seemed like the only newcomers were me and perhaps Nanya.

He laughed heartily, seemingly oblivious to the subtle awkwardness of the situation. Or maybe I was the only one sensing the awkwardness.

We could have postponed the visit to another day, but we had already rescheduled it numerous times before. Plus, this was a rare opportunity for us to unwind since Liam's family had gone on a vacation, which Liam couldn't join due to his school commitments. Another option to avoid the awkward get-together was to go to Paula's house instead but Liam insisted that it would limit the level of wildness that we, especially Paula were hoping to get.

Every alternative I proposed to avoid being with Nanya was met with a more appealing counterargument. However, what convinced me to go along with them was the thought that, at the very least, it wasn't my cramped room.

Anything was preferable to the orphanage, which occasionally felt like a prison.

I eventually gave in, holding onto the hope that I might find a chance to escape from them later. Especially when things became stifling, with Nanya constantly attempting to interrupt Paula whenever she spoke.

"Hey, Liam. Did you get the..." Paula began to speak, but Nanya swiftly interrupted, as if she had been eagerly waiting for the exact moment Paula started to speak, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Carry me, Liam," she requested, her voice as gentle and melodic as her appearance.

Nanya had a petite frame and cinnamon-toned skin that radiated a natural glow, no matter where you saw her. I often wondered if she looked just as stunning when she woke up. Her beauty was so captivating; I could see why Liam was enchanted by her.

"Okay, babe. " He said as he received the girl into his arms and held her arse as she crossed her arms across his shoulders and crossed her lower limbs across his lower abdomen.

"Hey, Paula. You wanted to say something?" Liam said

"Did you get the stuff?" Paula inquired, seemingly unfazed by the interruption. This was her typical approach. She had a talent for ignoring people, and Nanya was no exception to that formidable skill.

'What stuff.' I wondered but didn't bother to ask. If it would be possible I wouldn't even want to talk in that palpable awkwardness.

Nanya closed her eyes as she rested her jaw on Liam's shoulder and for the first time since weirdly appearing in front of Liam's house, I breathed a sigh of relief.

At least those intense eyes could give my skin a break from their penetrating gaze.

Liam entered a sequence of numbers on a white rectangular device mounted on the wall near the gate. As he finished with the final number, the gate made an unlocking noise and smoothly slid open.

My mind was completely amazed. That was certainly the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life.

How was that even possible? I'd heard about gates like that but had never seen one. "Oh, the perks of being wealthy," I thought to myself.

As we entered, Liam didn't appear to be struggling at all while carrying his girlfriend.

"He's really strong," I thought to myself as I walked past him to catch up with Paula, who was heading toward the entrance door with a somewhat secretive demeanor.

But then again, she had always been a bit unusual. Her usual quirks were one thing, but this time, something felt distinctly different.

She seemed quieter than her usual self. "Are you okay?" I inquired as I finally caught up with her.

She chuckled as if my question was absurd. Curious, I reached out and gently touched her cheek, noticing that her skin felt unusually warm against the back of my hand.