CHAPTER 31&32
Kelvin stood there, his mind racing with a mixture of regret and anxiety. He replayed the conversation with Dera over and over in his head, each word carrying more weight than the last. The realization of the mess he had gotten himself into sank in deeper with every passing second.
He knew Dera was capable of causing trouble, especially when she felt scorned. Her threat to expose his past intentions to Timi sent a chill down his spine. Kelvin’s heart ached at the thought of losing Timi’s trust and the newfound relationship they had built together.
As he pondered his next move, Kelvin’s phone buzzed in his pocket, startling him out of his reverie. He retrieved it and saw a message from Timi.
“Hey, are you okay? I haven’t heard from you all day. Let’s meet up after school. I miss you. ❤️”
Reading Timi’s message filled Kelvin with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he longed to see her and reassure her of his feelings. On the other hand, he dreaded the possibility of Dera’s deceit coming to light and tarnishing their relationship.
With a heavy heart, Kelvin decided to meet Timi as planned. He couldn’t bear the thought of hiding from her or avoiding their conversation any longer. He needed to be honest with her, even if it meant risking everything they had together.
After school, Kelvin found Timi waiting for him at their usual spot. She smiled brightly when she saw him, but her smile faltered when she noticed the solemn expression on his face.
“Hey, Kelvin. Is everything okay?” Timi asked, concern evident in her voice.
Kelvin took a deep breath, gathering his courage to speak. “Timi, there’s something I need to tell you,” he began, his voice tinged with apprehension.
Timi’s expression softened, and she reached out to gently squeeze his hand in reassurance. “You can tell me anything, Kelvin. I’m here for you,” she said sincerely.
Taking a moment to compose himself, Kelvin looked into Timi’s eyes and was about to speak but stopped.
Kelvin couldn’t bring himself to tell Timi about Dera’s threat. He knew it would only cause unnecessary drama and possibly lead to their breakup. Instead, he chose to cherish the moments they shared together, even though he carried the guilt of his past actions.
“I love you,” he said, hoping his words would somehow make up for his silence about Dera.
“Aww, you almost gave me a heart attack,” Timi said, hugging him tightly. Kelvin felt a pang of guilt at her trusting embrace.
“I love you too,” she whispered, planting a soft kiss on his lips.
“Don’t scare me like that again,” she warned, and Kelvin nodded, hiding his inner turmoil behind a smile.
As Timi prepared to leave, Kelvin couldn’t help but hold onto her hand a little longer, pulling her into another hug. Timi was taken aback by the sudden display of affection but returned the embrace.
“If anyone tells you anything about me, would you believe them?” Kelvin’s question hung in the air, filled with uncertainty.
“No, why are you asking?” Timi inquired, her curiosity piqued.
Kelvin brushed off her question with a smile. “Nothing,” he replied cryptically.
“See you tomorrow,” Timi said, her smile bright as she walked away, stealing a glance back at Kelvin.
“Bye,” Kelvin murmured, watching her retreating figure with a heavy heart, knowing that he was keeping secrets that could potentially shatter their relationship.
🍒TIMI🍒
I couldn’t ignore Kelvin’s strange behavior, but I tried my best to push it aside. After finishing my assignments, I closed my books, feeling utterly exhausted. There were no messages from Kelvin in the evening, which was unusual.
As I lay on my bed, my phone began to ring. I smiled when I saw that it was my sister, Tife.
“Big head,” she called as soon as I answered the call, and I flipped the camera to face myself, allowing her to see me properly.
“Fine girl,” I replied with a grin.
“I missed you,” I confessed finally.
“You know I missed you more,” she countered. Tife, my elder sister, and I hardly talked because she studied and worked abroad.
“Let me connect Tobi,” she said, referring to my elder brother. Before long, my brother joined the video call.
“Can you see the beauty?” Tobi asked, teasing my sister and making all of us laugh.
“Which beauty?” I jokingly asked, moving my phone away from my face.
“You became more beautiful,” my brother complimented me.
“So, I’m not beautiful?” Tife teased, eliciting more laughter.
“Your face looks like a horse,” Tobi teased back, causing another round of laughter.
“It’s not funny,” Tife protested, but we couldn’t stop laughing.
“I pity your poor fiancée,” Tife said.
“Why? Don’t go and get married; you’ll soon get old,” Tobi joked, and laughter filled the call again.
“Where is the love of my life?” Tobi asked, referring to Tiwa.
“Come and take her, she can be a handful,” I joked back.
“I will, and we’ll leave you alone in Niger,” Tobi teased.
“This girl is not alone, you know,” Tife chimed in mysteriously.
“I don’t understand,” I admitted.
“I know you have a boyfriend,” Tife said with a knowing smile, and I felt a pang of panic. How did she find out? Tiwa must have spilled the beans.
“If I catch that boy when I get to Nigeria for Christmas, I will break his leg,” Tobi threatened playfully.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I quickly denied, feeling relieved that Tife didn’t know the real person.
“Who told you?” I asked Tife, who just smiled mysteriously.
“I have my ways, but I heard he’s Aunt Ava’s son,” Tife said, and I breathed a sigh of relief. At least they didn’t know the truth.
“Seriously?” Tobi asked, amused.
“No,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I remember when you were two, we went to the US for a holiday. We spent that holiday with Aunt Ava, and Timi was just playing with Aunt Ava’s son all the time. We used to call them husband and wife,” Tobi reminisced, and they both burst into laughter.
Wow, I thought sarcastically. I never knew I had met Atlas before, and we were actually friends then.
“What’s his name?” Tife asked.
“Atlas,” I replied.
“Oh, yes, Atlas. It really pains me that Uncle Austin died. He was really nice,” Tife said, and Tobi agreed.
“What happened to him?” I asked, curious.
“He was shot. I heard it was planned, and it was his business partner who did it,” Tife explained, and I felt a pang of sympathy.
“When was that?” I inquired.
“A year ago,” Tife replied.
“But wait, I thought you said you were dating this guy. How come you don’t know all this already?” Tobi teased.
“When did I say I was dating Atlas?” I asked, playing along, and they both laughed.
I talked to my siblings for some time before ending the call. When I checked my phone, I saw that Kelvin still hadn’t messaged me, so I decided to text him first.
“Hi,” I typed, then waited for some time. Still, no reply.
I dropped my phone on my bed, looked at the ceiling, and smiled. Suddenly, my phone beeped. My smile faded when I saw that the message was from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN 📲 I have some evidence about Kelvin’s true intentions towards you. 📲
Frowning, I read the message. Who the hell was this, and what did they mean?
TIMI 📲 Who are you? 📲
I waited for the person’s reply, feeling a mix of curiosity and unease.
UNKNOWN 📲 You don’t need to know. I will just show you the evidence, and that’s all. 📲
Rolling my eyes, I contemplated blocking the number. But before I could, I received photos from the same unknown person.
Curiosity overwhelmed me, but I trusted Kelvin. Yet, I couldn’t resist looking at the photos. They showed Kelvin chatting with someone – it was Dera.
My eyes widened as I read their conversation. Dera and Kelvin were planning how he would use me for my body.
It felt surreal, almost too painful to believe. This couldn’t be my Kelvin. Dera must be lying because of what happened between her and Atlas.
TIMI 📲 This is really funny. I know you are lying. 📲
I hoped desperately that it was all a lie or maybe just a bad dream.
DERA 📲 Then show him. If he denies it, then maybe I just wanted to ruin your relationship. 📲
Stunned, I placed my phone on the bed, trying to process everything. I sent all the photos to Kelvin, and his replies came almost immediately. He seemed to be ignoring me before.
KELVIN 📲 Can we talk? 📲
I scoffed at the message. I had hoped he would at least deny it.
KELVIN 📲 I’ll be at your house in 10. 📲
I didn’t reply, just stared at my phone, hoping beyond hope that Kelvin would come and prove Dera wrong.
It was 7 pm, but I still went out to talk to Kelvin. He was standing in front of my gate, not wearing his usual smile but instead looking sad.
“Timi,” he called when he saw me.
“Kelvin,” I replied, standing in front of him with my arms crossed.
“So?” I asked, looking at him, waiting for him to say it was all a setup and he wasn’t the one speaking with Dera, but he didn’t.
“Timi, I had those intentions before, but I actually do love you now,” he said, almost making me laugh, though it hurt me deeply.
“So, you mean our relationship was a joke?” I asked.
“No, no, I want us to work,” he said, which was actually the funniest thing I had ever heard.
“You knew how I despised guys, but you still went ahead. You knew about my past and what I’ve been through, but that wasn’t your concern at all. You’re funny,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes.
“Timi,” he called, trying to hold me, but I hit his hands away.
“You were still dating her while we were dating?” I asked, trying to mask my hurt with a smile, but hot tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Yes,” he murmured.
“You were planning to sleep with me, Kelvin?” I asked, still hoping it was all a prank.
“I was, but not anymore,” he said.
“I don’t care. You never actually liked me,” I said, trying to accept the harsh reality.
“I do, Timi, please, I do,” he said, still trying to hold my hands.
“Kelvin, you played with my feelings, and you think it’s funny? You must be very stupid,” I fired in anger.
“Timi, please, just one chance,” he pleaded.
“So you can tear me to pieces? Just go, and it’s over.”
“Please, Timi, this is Dera’s plan to tear us apart,” he said.
“Well, she succeeded,” I said, about to walk inside when he stopped me.
“Don’t touch me,” I said, trying to remove his hands from mine, but he was stronger.
“Timi, let’s talk more, please,” he said, making me roll my eyes.
“My dad is watching through the CCTV cameras, so mind the way you touch me,” I warned, making him release my hands.
“Timi, let’s just talk more,” he pleaded, but instead, I walked inside my house.
I burst into tears the moment I entered my room, realizing that Kelvin, whom I thought was one of the best people I had ever met, had only played with my emotions. I hit the nightstand as hard as I could, seeking solace but finding none.
“Timi,” I heard, and turned to see Atlas standing in front of his window. Quickly, I averted my gaze, not wanting him to see how vulnerable I was, crying over a boy who only wanted my body.
I didn’t hear Atlas speak again, and sighed in relief when I saw that he wasn’t standing at his window.
“I h@të Kelvin,” I murmured to myself, sitting in the center of my room and hugging myself.
Why did I have to deal with this? I thought Kelvin actually liked me. Stupid Dera. She always found ways to ruin my life.
“Timi,” I heard Atlas call, but this time he wasn’t in his room; he was in mine.
“Are you okay?” he asked, walking over to sit beside me.
“Yes, I am,” I said, wiping my tears.
“Okay, that was a stupid question. Who did this to you?” he asked, now sitting in front of me.
I couldn’t help but start crying again. Heartbreak hurt a lot. Atlas hugged me as I cried into his chest.
“It’s okay,” he said, patting my back as I cried loudly.
“Anything that happened, just know everything is going to be alright,” he reassured me, still patting my back.
When I finally finished crying, I withdrew from the hug and looked at Atlas. I knew I looked like a mess right now, with red eyes, a puffy face, and a running nose.
I tried to hide my face in the crook of his neck, seeking refuge in his comforting presence, but Atlas gently held my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his.
“You still look beautiful,” he murmured, his words a gentle reminder that even in my darkest moments, there was still light to be found. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips, buoyed by his kindness and reassurance.
“You’re not alone, Timi,” he said earnestly, his eyes filled with sincerity and empathy.
“I’m here for you, no matter what.”And in that moment, as I looked into Atlas’s eyes and felt the warmth of his touch, I smiled, but my gaze fell to his red lips. I gulped hard and looked into his eyes.
I felt like his lips were going to offer me more comfort than his hugs did, and indeed, they did.
TBC
