I Did Not Want To Fall For You

Thank God

"Does he have your number?" Toyo asked.
"No," she breathed out.
"Maybe that's why. He might not recognize the number or he's just not in the mood."
"But he picked Emmanuel's call," she blurted out of jealousy before she could stop herself.
"He probably has Emmanuel's number," Toyo explained sensibly.
"Why did he have to switch off his phone now?" She sighed, dialing his number again and hearing the same recorded voice announce his number was switched off.
"He won't be in a good mood. Two of his closest people are injured, what do you expect?"
She sighed again, her mood down.
"You can send him a text message and he'll see it when he switches on his phone," Toyo suggested after some moments of silence, "tell him I'm asking after Nonso and I wish them a quick recovery."
A text message, she thought, she had not thought of that.
"I'll send it later," she said because she had no idea of what to write but Toyo hissed, grabbing the phone from her hand.
"Toyo..." she grumbled, watching her scroll to the message icon. After a few minutes of them arguing because she didn't like the way Toyo put this and that, Toyo finally sent the text.
It read thus:
"Hey, Kaito. It's Kamsi. I heard about what happened with Nonso and your brother. Send them mine and Toyo's best wishes. We wish them a quick recovery and hope you and Nonso resume school soon. You guys are missed... a lot."
"You know you're among the very few people that call him Kaito. It's mostly Tochukwu," Toyo commented.
She shrugged, reading the text over and over again. She wasn't sure if the text was good enough or if she should have apologized for not calling. Not like anyone knew something bad was going to happen.
"Oya, madam," Toyo eyed her with suspicion.
"Oh sorry," she quickly removed the messaging app and switched over to the file manager for music, "I'm not with my earpiece oo," she warned.
They were talking quietly to avoid being heard. The classroom area was eerily quiet and they could hear the principal's voice booming from the speakers that surrounded the premises.
"I have," Toyo removed one from her pocket.
"I don't know if you'll like my kind of music," she spoke, plugging in the earpiece.
"Just play," Toyo said, taking an ear. She played her favorite tune and then she remembered that she and Kaito had not gotten the chance to complete the Shadow Hunter series. They hadn't even gotten halfway through season 1.
★
It was two days now and Kaito had not replied to her text. She wasn't even sure if he read it. She wished the messaging app was like Whatsapp where you could tell if your message had been read or not. His phone was still switched off, and so was Nonso's, even Emmanuel had not heard from them. She was getting more worried and anxious as the seconds ticked by. She could barely concentrate in class or in her private reading time, not even in her prayers where she endeavoured to pray for them.
It was frustrating that she always thought of him, always imagined him with her or what he would say in certain situations. She didn't want to admit that she missed him, that she missed their annoying banter, missed him reading with her, missed his voice and his smile and his comforting presence, so she took it that she was worried about him and Nonso's welfare and that she was getting too attached to his presence which she decided to do something about. She hated feeling what she was feeling and it was killing her.
★
On Friday, during labour time, while her roommates read for the upcoming Jamb and Waec exams, she cried silently on her bed. She didn't know why. All she knew was that she could no longer bear the heaviness in her chest and the weakness in her bones. She felt like crying all day.
She had felt like this once before when she was younger and had her first crush. She cried because she missed him. Now it felt even worse. CJ was avoiding her, only giving her a short acknowledgment when he couldn't. She didn't know why but his attitude was making her feel worse, like she wronged him without realizing it. She felt lonely, even with the rest of her friends by her side.
"Kamsi, please lend me your cup," she heard Jamilah ask. She waved a hand, signaling her to take it from her cupboard. She suddenly laughed to herself, laughed at her weakness and foolishness. It was in times like this that she hated being so softhearted, so emotional and so she got up, wiped her tears, dressed up, went off to class, and spent the rest of the day reading with Daniel.
★
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, during visiting hours, she sat in Kehinde B's class, reading. Since it was Saturday, most students were in the hostels or somewhere fun and so, she was alone in the class save for another girl named Bisola.
Since they resumed back to school the previous Sunday, there weren't many visitors. She flipped through the pages of her Chemistry notebook idly, glancing out the window occasionally. She had covered a lot of ground already in the four subjects she was going to be tested on in the Jamb exam. By God's grace, she would get a high score.
With her eyes carelessly scanning the environment, she noticed the jeep that stopped in front of the provision store. She noticed the small fair woman that stepped down from the driver's seat and the man that stepped down from the passenger seat and the second man that stepped down from the rear and then the boy that... Nonso? She sprang up from her seat. It was Nonso! And... Kaito! Nonso and Kaito!
She started to rush out of the class in excitement but suddenly stopped. What was she going to do? Race and hug them in front of the strangers that accompanied them and make a big fool of herself? What if they didn't want her?
She moved back to her seat solemnly and watched as the small fair woman conversed with Mr. Obi, a non-teaching staff whom she recognized as Nonso's guardian while Kaito and Nonso brought out their school bags and two medium-sized traveling bags from the car.
Watched as Danielle ran up to them and gave Nonso a big hug and Kaito who sidestepped her, a slap on the shoulder. Watched as Danielle greeted the small fair woman and the two men respectfully. Watched as Danielle was joined by Michael, Emmanuel, and a few others.
Watched as junior boys were given the task of carrying their bags to the hostel.
Watched till the elders who came with them were ready to leave.
Watched as the small fair woman gave Nonso a long hug and a pat on the head.
Watched as the small fair woman gave Kaito a longer hug and a kiss on the cheek and she knew the woman was Kaito's mother.
Watched as the two men gave Kaito and Nonso pats on the back.
Watched till the three elders were gone.
Watched till she noticed Nonso's small limp.
Watched as Kaito and Nonso and the small group with them chatted to the boys' hostel.
Watched till all she could see were the dusty louvers.
★
She decided not to go to the refectory on Sunday, instead, she asked a friend to runz (a slang for sneak out) her portion of the Sunday morning bread and fried egg to Church for her and she headed to Church. But she should have known they wouldn't be in the refectory the day after their resumption.
On getting close to St. Maria Goretti Catholic Chaplaincy, she noticed Nonso talking with Jude right outside the Church and so she turned back and headed for the refectory. She was nervous about meeting them. She knew Kaito would also be present in Church and she was more nervous about meeting him.
Coming back to Church after breakfast, she avoided the part of the Church where the Ss3s stayed. She almost didn't go for offertory and Holy Communion, if not that she was sensible enough to separate her human weakness from her love for God.
After Mass, since she knew they had seen her already and it would only make things more awkward if she kept avoiding them, she decided to go see them. She walked to the back of the generator house which was a hangout spot for the seniors after Mass. Nonso was the first to sight her and his face broke into a wide grin.
"Kamsi!" He called out, rushing to her and engulfing her in a warm hug. She laughed heartily, hugging him back. She didn't miss the way Kaito's head snapped in her direction and how he straightened up immediately. Relief flooded through her veins, replacing the former anxiety and worry.
Thank God, she thought.