جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

Felicity woke up to the sound of her phone vibrating under the sheets.It was dark in her room, only the faint lights from the street slipping through the blinds. She reached for the phone, eyes half-closed.No new messages. Just the same ones she’d sent hours ago—unread.Her stomach sank.She told herself not to overthink, not again. Maybe he was busy. Maybe his father had dragged him into another one of their chaotic family meetings he always complained about. But the longer she spent looking at her empty screen, the more the voices in her head kept whispering—He’s avoiding you.She dropped the phone on the nightstand and pulled the blanket over her head, trying to force herself back to sleep. But that didn’t work. Her mind couldn’t stop replaying the last time she’d seen him—how close they were for a second and thoughts of what would have happened if Victoria hadn’t ruined the moment.She had trusted him. Too much maybe.By morning, the ache behind her ribs hadn’t gone away.Gwen n

Her feet just carried her—past the cafeteria, past the art block, all the way to the quiet side of campus where the trees grew close together and the air always smelled like rain. She sat on the bench near the fountain, setting her bag down beside her.Felicity didn’t go straight home after leaving the library.Her heart was still racing. She’d replayed the conversation a dozen times already—every word, every look. The part where he’d said I miss you kept looping like a song she couldn’t turn off.She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, trying to catch her breath. “You shouldn’t”, she whispered again, just like she had in the library. But even saying it out loud didn’t make it hurt any less.She didn’t know how long she sat there. People came and went—a group of students laughing too loudly, a couple walking hand in hand—all of them moving through life like everything made sense.Her phone buzzed.A message from Victoria.Hey, are you okay? I heard about what happened in the library.

The hostel courtyard buzzed with noise — rolling suitcases, shouted names, doors slamming, someone blasting music from a Bluetooth speaker nearby. It was move-in week chaos, and Felicity already felt like she’d aged ten years.“Block B’s full,” Bisola announced, dragging her box behind her. “They said we should try upstairs.”“Upstairs is full too,” Mope groaned. “I’ve checked. Even the one that smells like wet socks.”Felicity exhaled, gripping the handle of her suitcase. “So basically, we’re homeless.”“Temporarily homeless,” Bisola corrected, grinning. “We’ll find something.”They turned another corner, their footsteps echoing down the hall — and then a familiar voice called out.“Mope? Oh my God, is that you?”They all looked up.A tall girl stood at the end of the hallway, leaning casually against a doorframe. Her hair was a cascade of glossy curls, her nails perfectly done, and her perfume floated in the air like confidence itself.“Charity?” Mope gasped.The two girls ran towar

By the next week, the new semester was finally settling into its rhythm.Classes were back, the hostel was loud again, and Felicity was learning how to coexist with her new roommates — Charity, Mope, and Bisola.So far, it wasn’t bad. Charity was surprisingly easy to live with most of the time — neat, funny, and sociable in that confident way that made people listen when she spoke. If Felicity hadn’t known about her and Leon, she might’ve liked her instantly.Still, there was always that tiny voice in her head whispering, Careful.That afternoon, the room was warm and filled with chatter. Bisola was painting her nails by the window, Mope was trying to untangle her hair, and Charity sat cross-legged on her bed folding laundry and talking about the latest gossip from Block B.Then Mope, out of nowhere, said, “Abeg, did you people hear that gist about Winnifred?”“What about her?” Charity asked, her tone curious but guarded.Mope grinned. “Apparently, she’s telling people that Leon kisse

Felicity stared at Leon’s name glowing on her screen, her thumb hovering over the answer button. She shouldn’t pick up. She knew that. She’d already told herself ten times that morning that she needed distance, clarity, peace — anything that didn’t involve Leon Wyatt and the hurricane he carried around like perfume.But her chest tightened at the thought of ignoring him, and before she could gather enough discipline to force herself to be strong, she answered.“Felicity.” His voice came out low, rough, like he hadn’t slept. “Please. I need to see you.”She closed her eyes, leaning back against the cold wall outside her hostel block. “Leon… I don’t think that’s a good idea.”“I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to,” he said immediately, breathless, desperate. “Just see me. Five minutes. Please.”Her resolve wavered. She could hear something real in his tone — not charm, not manipulation, just longing. And maybe… maybe this was the moment to tell him. The only moment she’d get before