How It All Changed

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She was almost at her destination.

Her phone beeped,drawing her attention.

She looked at her phone screen as it read:

Happy birthday,Tems💜
                       -J

Temi read it over and over again to make sure it was who she thought it was.

Jamal?

She called his number,but unfortunately,it was switched off.

She tried calling him again but it was still switched off.

How did he switch off his phone in such a short period of time?

She wanted to ask what was wrong.

Jamal was being quiet and distant.

He didn't even talk to her about the  competition.

She was racking her brain for things she could have done to upset him but none seemed to come to her head.

As the driver arrived,she smiled.

Once he found a good parking spot,she came down from the car

"Temi," the man called. "I heard it's your birthday," he smiled and Temi nodded. "Happy birthday dear"

Temi smiled at him

"Thank you sir" she said.

He stretched his hand to the passenger's seat and handed Temi a box through the car window.

"You didn't have to" Temi said.

"I insist" he said as Temi received the box from him.

"Thank you, sir" she smiled.

* * * * * *.      * * * * * * *
"Tems!!" Mariam yelled as Temi walked through the door.

"Oh,Jesus" Temi whispered and face-palmed herself.

"How are you doing?," She asked Temi who walked to the counter. "Where's Jamal?" Mariam asked looking behind Temi.

"He's not here" Temi plastered a smile.

"Alright," Mariam smiled. "What can I get you?"

"I'm gonna order a lot of ice cream today. It's my birthday" Temi said.

Mariam's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when she heard Temi say that.

"IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY??!!!"

"Yes,Mariam," Temi chuckled. "Please, don't draw any attention" Temi begged.

Mariam rushed to hug Temi. Very tight.

"Happy birthday!" Mariam said as they pulled away.

"Thank you" Temi said.

Mariam walked behind the counter and scooped some ice cream on a bowl.

"Try it," Mariam wiggled her brows. "My mom has been working on the recipe for some weeks"

Temi licked a spoon of the ice cream,and she let out a satisfied moan

"I. Want. This" Temi said with her eyes closed.

"Extra Large?" Mariam asked

"You know me too well" Temi said and Mariam giggled.

Mariam presented Temi with an extra large bowl full of ice cream.

"You don't have to pay since it's your birthday," Mariam said with a smile. "It's the least I could do"

Temi shook her head as she already started to lick her ice cream on the spot.

"I'm gonna pay" Temi said.

"No," Mariam said. "Alright,pay half"

"I'm payin' full," Temi said. "The last time Jamal and I were here,your mom didn't let us pay"

"You can pay half" Mariam smiled.

Temi shook her head with a smile as she reached in her pocket

She brought out some cash and placed it in Mariam's hand.

Temi already went to her seat as she saw Mariam counting.

The look on Mariam's face when she realized Temi paid even more than the full price made Temi smile.

"You can keep it,Mariam" Temi said from her seat.

Mariam rolled her eyes before smiling.

She blew Temi a kiss, making Temi laugh.

Temi found herself sitting in the seat she and Jamal sat the last time. She sighed as she brought another spoon of ice cream to her mouth.

She knew this was the right place to come for her birthday.

She was obviously supposed to hang out with her friends,but she chose to come here.

One place that makes her happy.

Temi kept on consuming ice cream.

It really made her happy. Sometimes,she wondered if she was born in a bathtub of ice cream.

She somehow found herself picking up her phone again.

She dialed Jamal's number,and to her surprise,it rang.

But he didn't pick.

She called about twenty seconds later,but this time,it was switched off.

This was really frustrating.

For some reason,she found herself missing him.

She had grown attached and this time,it was worse than before.

It felt like she could fall sick without seeing him.

This feeling was extremely weird and....new.
Temi had never felt like this. Never.

She continued to have more and more ice cream, making sure to satisfy her crave for it.

A lot of Temi's money was invested in ice cream.

She chuckled at that thought.

It's not like the ice cream Mariam's mom sold was extremely affordable.

It was quite expensive because it tasted good.

It was actually worth the price.

Temi was finally done with her ice cream.

So,she just sat in her seat and chatted with Kudi.

She was happy her friend was getting better.

Femi was a real ram.

The biggest of all rams.

He almost got Kudi depressed.

Temi sighed as she plugged in her earphones.

She let the music blast through them as she closed her eyes and enjoyed her music.

She was gonna spend a few more hours here.

And she didn't mind that.

After all, she was the birthday girl,and it was her choice to choose whatever she wanted to do.

Finally wrapped up this chapter,guysss. Don't forget to vote and comment. Hugs and kisses 🥺

Melanin3000💨💞💙💨💞💙💨💞💙💨