Preordained #ProjectNigeria

58- Coincidence

Nwanyieze's POV~

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"I don't want to attend the party!"

"It's not a party; it's just a small gathering of her friends. And she extended the invitation to you since I introduced you as my girlfriend and she's grateful for the part you played in her recovery."

I sigh. Can't he understand? There's something I don't like about her, Tasha. The way she had looked at me like she wanted me to disappear, the name she had called me, Queen. Maybe its because that's what Saheed calls me. Tasha wants him back, and how do I deal with that as my situation is precarious?

"Maduka, things are as complicated as they are right now. Attending the party is not a good idea for me."

"I've never known you to be easily intimidated."

"Tasha obviously wants to be a huge part of your life, and my presence-"

"Do you really want to get started about who wants to be a huge part of our lives?"

I push away my bowl of Golden Morn and rise from the floor of my room, my appetite having disappeared. I transfer my phone from my left ear to my right. Damn, I shouldn't have brought that up.

Maduka sighs on the other end. I can see him in my mind's eye, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a few moments.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brought that up," he says in a low voice. "That was a low blow. I'm hurting, but that's no excuse to lash back at you that way."

"I'm sorry, too."

"What you're sorry for, I'll never know until you tell me. It's been two weeks, Nwanyieze. It seems you're adjusting fine without me."

I want to tell him that I haven't been frequently attending lectures, that I'm unable to sleep well at night, and that my dreams are filled with him lashing out at me with bitter words. I want to tell him, that I've lost weight because I can't eat properly these days, and that I catch myself staring at nothing in particular. Sometimes I wish I could unmeet him, to save him the heartbreak and deceit.

"That's not true."

"Then what is?"

Unable to speak further, I remain silent while tears fill my eyes. I take in a deep breath, hold it in for ten seconds, and release it through my mouth.

"Nwanyieze, is something wrong? Is something bothering you? Asides from us, are you experiencing any other problems?"

"You've asked me this before. Everything is fine with my life."

"Why doesn't it feel so?"

Save him the stress, tell him. But is it avoidable? You don't tell him, it's stress. You tell him, it's still stress.

"What's the dress code?"

He is silent for a few moments, stunned by the way I changed the subject. Maduka understands that I'd rather not talk about me right now, and so he replies, "Vintage vibes. How she came up with that, I don't know."

"I should have some vintage style clothes."

"I'll have to go shopping for those. I'll pick you up on Friday night by eight."

"Okay."

"And Nwanyieze?"

"Yes?"

"I really look forward to seeing you."