It was the third week of November.
The plane from London had just landed at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.
Michael had waited two months before he could finally return to his school and reunite with everyone in Lagos. The flight had been long, and he missed the fresh air of the city and its constant buzz.
It definitely felt like home.
He remembered the day he left for London. Everyone had gathered to bid him farewell and show their love. Among them were his two sisters Isabelle and Ruth, as well as Olivia and their housekeeper Bolu.
He was delighted to see them one last time before the flight took off. Their presence filled him with hope and gave him a reason to fight—to ensure he would return home. He promised them that he would make it back.
Before he left, Olivia bent down and hugged him tightly in the wheelchair.
"Please come back, I don't want to cry again because of you. If you don't, I will probably kill you again after you're dead."
They both chuckled.
"You mean the world to me."
That was the last thing he heard from her before he entered the plane. He hadn't been able to get his mind off it throughout the entire time he was in London.
Although they chatted regularly, he still pondered over those last words she said to him. He wanted to talk to her about it, but it was something he wanted to talk about in person. So he postponed it till when they met again.
Olivia made it her duty to check up on him regularly through her phone calls and texts. She kept him up to date with the happenings at school and the tournament.
So far, they had made it to the semifinals and the match was with Linhart Academy. He was happy they had made it so far without him. And he hoped he would be able to play with them in the final if they qualified.
Although he wasn't with Olivia physically at Brandol, their relationship strengthened significantly during this period.
It was somewhat turning into a 'situationship'.
Although he was still processing his feelings for her and wasn't sure if he was ready for another relationship after what happened with Zahra. But he knew something for certain —she really cared about him just as much as he did. And that was enough for him.
Still, something still bothered him though. He hadn't heard from Tosin since the incident in the hospital. He couldn't believe she would just bail on him like that.
She didn't even show up to see him off at the airport. She hadn't replied to any of his texts either. He didn't mean what he said in the hospital —he was in a bad place, or so he thought.
But still she could have at least called to check if he was okay. It felt like she didn't care whether he was alive or not. How could she abandon him just like that? It was like déjà vu.
These thoughts roamed his head throughout the time in London. It reminded him of his past situation with Zahra. No calls, no text, no nothing.
One thing was for sure —he was definitely gonna confront her when he got back to Lagos.
It was six in the evening when they got home. The family had organized a small welcome party for him. The banner read,
'Welcome back home Michael.'
He smiled when he saw it going inside. He saw all his friends from the school's football ball team in the room. Among them was Olivia looking as ravishing as ever. She jumped on him and gave him the warmest hug he'd had since he left for London.
"I missed you so much Michael, it's been so long. You surprisingly look good for a guy that just had surgery."
She chuckled.
"You haven't changed a bit Liv. As ravishing as ever."
She took his arm and pulled him away from the crowd to meet some of her new friends.
"Michael, this is Diana and Gloria, my new besties."
"Hi ladies, nice to meet you."
She then pulled him away from them and back to the crowd.
"I didn't know you had replaced me so soon. Ouch."
Michael said playfully.
"Come on, you know it's not like that. I just took your advice and decided to be a little more open in my relations with people. I'm leaving my comfort zone."
"And how does it feel?"
She laughed and looked at him.
"It really feels good but yours is different."
"I know you've missed me a lot but hey…I'm here now and I'm not leaving."
The welcome party ended at nine. It was late and everyone had gone home to prepare for the next day. The living room was empty, devoid of any movement. Rachel was in her room, unpacking her luggage while the girls had already gone to bed. After such a long flight, a good night's rest was what she needed.
Michael was seated on a bench on the porch when Tara suddenly jumped on his lap. He picked her up and started playing with her.
"I've also missed you Tara. There's definitely nothing as cute as you… even in the whole of London."
He was still playing with her fur when Olivia walked in. He still had Tara in his arms when he turned to see her, graceful in her Chanel heels.
"You haven't left yet?" he asked.
She cleaned off the food crumbs on her dress.
"No. I was helping Bolu out in the kitchen. The party was hella stressful. I just helped her with some of the dishes."
"That's nice of you. But you know you didn't have to. She could handle it."
"Yeah but still. I wanted to help."
"Miss Goody Two Shoes."
"Excuse me?"
"Just kidding. It's really nice of you. But I think it's time you left. Your mum is probably waiting for you to get home. And you know she doesn't really like the idea of you hanging out with me."
"She does. Sometimes she is like that because she loves me and is looking out for me. She still calls me her Little Princess. I like it though but I sometimes wish she could see how much I've grown and give me some space."
"I think you should talk to her then."
Olivia smirked.
"I should talk to her?"
"Yeah, you should."
"Coming from the guy who fights with his mom and clearly has issues with her. No offense."
"None taken. Besides, we started talking in London… I mean, I had no choice. I was stuck with her. It was the only way to survive."
"If you say so."
Her phone bleeped.
"Ohh, my ride's here. I'll talk to you later. When are you gonna be resuming school?"
"I don't know for sure. I don't think I will. The term is almost over. I may come for the exams though. I had a tutor back in London. So I think I can take the exams. I will tell you if I will though."
"Cool. Well, it's good to have you back Michael."
"It feels good to be back. Let me walk you to the door."
He opened the car and held out the door for her like an English gentleman.
"My lady."
As she was about to get into the car, she turned and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"It's really good to have you back. Goodnight."
He stood there, still processing what had just happened. He remained in the same spot and watched the car leave the street outside the gate. What did the kiss mean? He thought.
As the car pulled away, he saw Tosin standing on the opposite side of the road. She was wearing a black hoodie and brown baggy trousers. As soon as she saw him looking, she turned and walked away.
"T, is that you?"
Michael hurried after her.
She kept walking, pretending not to hear him. When she noticed he was catching up, she quickened her pace.
"T, wait up!"
Eventually, he lost her at the end of the street. The look on her face when he saw her across the street haunted him for the rest of the night.
Why did she walk away? he wondered.
He couldn't shake the thought. The look of disappointment and regret defined her face. He walked down the street, his face buried in his phone, his gaze fixed on the message he sent her. Searching for a lifeline, his eyes were desperately looking for the double blue checkmarks on his WhatsApp.
She had read the message and gone offline. He saw the double blue checkmarks, but still, no reply. After a moment of careful thought, he sent her one last text:
'Hey… T, can we talk? The last couple of months have been rough. Let's meet up.'
He shoved his phone into his left pocket and went home.