Walk Home

It was getting late and the night was cold enough for me to start freezing. I felt as the cold hand grasped my stomach and I started squeezing hard. Dele noticed how cold shiver ran down in my spine. He gave me his jacket and decided to walk me home.

"Oh! What a gentle man." I thought.

"This is how all men should treat their love and thank God my dele had proven to be the perfect gentle man. Even a blind man would see our love smoke evaporating into the sky in a smoky stain. The sacrifice that God himself will not reject. Who is lucky now huh? Shade is your Joshua as caring as this?" I kept thinking as I fell my head on his shoulder and he held me more closer by my waist.

The more further we go, the more silent it became.

"What's it by your time?" I asked.

"It's 10:30pm" he answered.

"10? What 10?" I asked again surprisingly.

"Yeah. Or, let me check again." he said as he brought out his phone to be sure of the time.

"Yes, it's 10:30pm. Here look." He said as he showed me the screen of his phone.

"What are we doing up until this time? We have been out since 4pm maybe? Or, was it 3pm? Have we been eating for six hours? " I protested but if I had expected a reply I was disappointed. Dele kept his silence as we kept on walking and getting closer to my hostel.

"I think you should go back from here. I can get home from here alone. It's too dark and I don't want anything bad to happen to you." - I said as I held his hand and stared into his eyes for few minutes. I could tell he looked disappointed. What was he thinking? Wait! Did he think he'd sleep over?

"But, I can walk you to" he was still talking when I interrupted.

"No, I insist. Go home Dele. We will always see again." I said as I began to walk away.

"But, my jacket!" he said aloud.

"Oh! Sorry" I gave a small smile as I took off his jacket and placed it on his hands and we both walked away.

"So he can not even lend me his jacket for a night. Ordinary jacket. Is this one even caring at all? Can't he see everywhere is cold? I thought you are a someone better but I am so wrong. You are just like the rest of them. Those who will see a lady and trample on them. Just go, I am not even sure I want to see you again." I kept thinking as I opened the door to the hostel. Everywhere was silent and even Shade seemed no where to be found.

"Where is this girl" I said aloud.

"Don't tell me she wants to sleep at Joshua's?" - I asked myself.

I quickly placed a call through to Shade to confirm if she was still coming back home but her phone was switched off. At the top of my screen, I could see a new notification which came in at 7pm. It was a message from Shade which reads:

"Buenas tardes amigo, hope you are having fun? Me no dey come house o. Joshua insist we go to his place. See ya in the morning" [Good evening friend, hope you are having fun? I am not coming home tonight, see you in the morning]

"Wait oh! Is this girl okay Sha? Sleeping in a guy's place? Well? What's my own?" I said to myself

I rested on the bed and fantasize about the whole day. So, if I haven't made this guy asked me out, he wouldn't? Doesn't he see me that way? Why couldn't he ask me out on his own? I kept thinking until I fell asleep without even knowing when I did.

It was Shade's banging on the door that woke me in the morning. She kept knocking so frequently and loudly which got me angry to a point.

"Weytin happen gan?" [What's it?] -I shouted

I staggered from the bed to open the door. But what the fuck, it was just 5am in the morning. The day was not even bright yet. I opened the door and rained multiple questions on her even before she stepped in.

"Dem chase you commot?" [Were you sent out?]

"Dem no dey see day light for your family?" [You are a night walker?]

"You don join witch?" [Have you joined the witches?]

"Why you dey come this early mormor?" [Why are you coming at this time?]

"Weytin dey worry you? Why have you come so early?" [What's wrong with you]

"It's Joshua, we had a clash yesterday's night before bed." she answered.

"Clash? What happened?" I asked as she sat down on her bed.

"So, after the whole hangout, we went to his place. He actually insisted I go to his place. So, yeah, I did. We did go to his place and everything was making sense until he decided to ruin it."

"Don't beat around the bush Shade, tell me already, what happened?" I asked again with more seriousness

" he made mention that he knew I do tell my friend about us. That was you he was referring to and I told him of course you are my friend and we will talk one way or the other, we will gist so, if we talk about my relationship or your relationship isn't a problem at all." she said with a sober look

"No, I don't think that would have caused the problem" I said

"Yes, it did. I don't know what Joshua didn't Understand but he persistently warned that I stopped talking about our relationship to you."- she said

"Now, I think something is wrong somewhere. Is he playing some aside games? Is he..."

"Aside?" Shade interrupted.

"Yes, you know, all these mayamaya games"

"Mayamaya games?"- she asked again being confused

I dropped my arms and let out a deep breath, moved closer to Shade and explained.

"You see Shade, what I meant by aside is when a guy start seeing someone else thus, acting up to cover his tracks. I don't think Joshua suddenly came up with the idea of you not talking to me about your relationship, I think he is acting up to cover something up. He knows when people talk, secret are reveal and if secret are revealed when people talk, what happens when people don't talk? Wouldn't secret continue to be hidden?"

"No! No! That's not my Joshua, I don't think he is cheating on me." she insisted

"So, why do you think he has raised up this issue?" I asked.

"That's it, I don't know. I wish I knew but I don't. That's why I left his place just to clear my head. I just want to sleep and pretend this never came up" she noted.

Immediately she said those, I rested on my bed with some perfect smile resting on my face for some reasons I don't know.

"I told you, Joshua is not as gentle as my Dele. Who won now? At last I am two steps ahead of you. Its your turn to feel the frustration I have been feeling. Yeah girl, keep wallowing in your sadness while I soar in the air of happiness" I kept thinking as I slept off again.