chapter four

The following two weeks before I went home for Christmas break, were uneventful save for that one time when I was walking with Bailey and a guy tried to feel my ass which earned him a slap from Bailey who had seen the whole thing. And damn, that slap was real, I thought he was going to retaliate but probably thought better of it when he saw the crowd he was attracting and stormed off angrily.

We've grown closer since then, and I saw that she shared a lot of similarities with Jane, character wise, fierce and very protective but soft on the inside.

Frank and I have been calling and texting a lot since he left, and we've gotten to know each other more. But as the weeks to the world cup turned to days, the frequency of his calls became more sparse, and I realized that I missed talking to him, i missed hearing his voice, how the words rolled around his tongue in a smooth British accent, how he could make me laugh effortlessly, or the unexpected pop up of pictures of him either training, eating or even just walking.

I miss him. A lot

When I got back home in December, for the Christmas break, I was immediately sucked into the activities buzzing at home, apparently my aunt has missed us and came to spend Christmas with us, along with her two kids who are very stubborn and mischievous.

I allowed my self to be carried away by the feeling of love and happiness I felt being with my family, and for a moment I almost forgot the nagging feeling of dejection I've been harbouring for a few days.

My sisters just knew how to cheer me up though, and I'm so glad they didn't ask what was bothering me, because I'm quite sure they've noticed, especially the ever observant Ayo, she keeps asking me if I'm okay and I just tell her I'm fine.

But the same couldn't be said for Jane, who asked what was wrong with me and demanded an honest answer immediately she saw me, and I'm sure I was smiling then. Sometimes I wonder if she has the ability to read minds, my mind most especially or I'm just too easy to read.

"Are you okay?" She asked as soon as we entered my room.

"I dey fine" I said in lightly in pidgin English.

"Shebi I resemble pikin for your eye?" She asked me. (Do I look like a child to you?)

"No" I said with a laugh.

"But seriously I'm fine" I tried to convince her one more time.

"No you're not, and you better start talking. Or you think I've forgotten that hotshot you told me about the other day? Nop, I never forget am. Oya talk" She said in her usual commanding voice. (Nop. I haven't forgotten him. Start talking).

"Well... " i started.

I know she won't let go until I tell her everything, so I did. From the day we bumped into each other to the friendship pact, which she scoffed at, the constant calls and texts. All the while she listened quietly.

"So why do you look like... This?" she asked pointing at my face.

"He hasn't called me for the past two days" I said glumly

"Okay, and then?" She asked giving me a dumbfounded look. I was about to speak when she cut me off with a boisterous laugh.

"What is it?" I asked her when she was calm enough to speak. Or so I thought.

"What na?" I asked again with narrowed eyes

"Chai. You no go kill me. So there's actually a guy out there that Can turn you into a mess without even trying?... Wow. Wow" she said finally. (You won't kill me)

"Honestly I'm not happy that you're sad right now, but at least that means you have hope" she paused and asked "so tell me how many times did you call him?".

"Uh. Once, why?" I asked with Uncertainty.

She took a deep and released it, cue a long lecture.

"So you only tried calling him once?" I gave her an unsure nod and she continued.

"Okay. I know how insecure you can be and I also know that you were waiting for something like this to happen so that you'll jump into your usual conclusions about 'not being good enough for anybody' or 'always messing up'" she stated with conviction, yea, definitely a mind reader or a lawyer in her case.

"But he has a lot of other girls, there's no way he'll want anything to do with me long term" I told her.

"I know that very well. But if you want to be happy in the long run, you have to take risks, go with your instincts sometimes. Let go of the notion that the guy should always be the one making efforts to be with a girl, he could have any girl he wants, yea. but for him to make such efforts to talk to you even with the busy life he has, is a big sign that he wants you or for you to be in his life and I can bet you haven't told him everything yet" She sighed and continued.

"See if you care about this guy. which you obviously do, then go for it. Show him you want him, If he doesn't acknowledge it. Its his damn loss. I've said it before and I'll say it again you're beautiful, you're smart and any guy will be lucky to have you. You deserve nothing but the best, most importantly you have to let go of the past"

"I know" I tried to say, key word being tried, before she cut me off.

"Okay. Good always remember that. He might just be busy with prep for the world cup which is starting soon right? Yea, so don't stress your pretty head over it" she ended her long speech by flicking my forehead.

"Okay" I said with a smile and pulled her in for a hug which she tried to resist at first, but gave up after a few seconds. See, soft.

"Thank you" i said after pulling away. The sound of the phone, my phone, ringing cut off her reply.

"Ooh, talk about the devil" she said when she picked up my phone. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of who was calling.

"Oya na, pick" she said passing the phone to me. (Go on, pick)

I quickly took the phone from her and picked the call before it ended and said "hello?"

"I'll be in the living room" she told me quietly and left the room.

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