The next morning was dry and warm. Michael slept with his phone sticking to his face. All night, all he could think of was Tosin.
What a way to make his return.
He definitely didn't see it coming. The events of night before was way too much for him to process.
First, the kiss from Olivia, and now the Tosin situation. This was exactly why he tried to keep his distance from girls-they were unpredictable, confusing, and he never could figure out what was going on in their heads.
He was considering calling Tosin to confront her about last night but he couldn't.
"Three texts were enough... Right?"
This was the kind of question no textbook could answer, and no amount of paying attention in class would help. What he needed wasn't advice from a book. He needed someone who had lived it, a someone who knew what it felt like to be caught in this kind of emotional limbo. Someone who understood the weight of unspoken words.
He couldn't talk to Olivia about this -she definitely would not take it well. He picked his phone and shot Olivia a short, 'Good Morning' text.
She replied almost immediately.
"Can we talk about last night?"
He pondered on that question for a few minutes before replying.
"Sure."
He crossed his arms and waited eagerly for her text.
"I mean, not now... Like in person. Let's meet up at Barley's after school... if that's alright with you."
He wanted to go but he didn't want any awkwardness. He needed time to settle down in the capital. Just a few hours back in the country and he already had a crazy situation with the only two female friends he had.
"Can we talk sometime later. I'm really tired from yesterday. I wanna take the weekend to recharge a bit and feel that good old Lagos vibe. Let's do it next week. Is that okay?"
She didn't reply as fast.
"It's alright. I understand. Okay I'll talk to you later. I'm off to school. Bye."
That morning he put on his slippers as usual and went out to the garden to see his mum. Tara was with her as usual.
"Good morning mum. How was your night?"
She was rinsing the dirt off her feet with the sprinkler when he called out to her. She turned to see him standing at the doorway in his green bamboo pajamas.
"Good morning, love," she said, smiling. "Oh my God, my night was so short. Isa woke me up way too early for school. Please tell me you had better luck."
"Not really. There were some... unexpected developments after the party last night."
"Unexpected how?"
"What I'm about to say might not sound too great to your ears. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Yeah, go on."
She stepped closer and gently placed her hands on his shoulders.
"I'm your mother," she said softly. "You know you can tell me anything."
"Okay mum... you asked for it. After the party last night, I walked Liv to her ride and before she left... She kissed me."
"Wow. I can't say I didn't see it coming. The way she looks at you and stuff. It's obvious."
"Is it though?"
"Of course. The way she was always checking up on you back in London, I noticed. She's a good kid. If you like her, I think you should ask her out."
"Hold on, Mum-there's someone else."
"Someone else?" she asked, looking confused.
"She's different. You might've seen her once... at the hospital, when I was admitted. She left shortly before you arrived."
"Yeah, the doctor mentioned that she brought you in. But you never really told me how she ended up being the one to bring you. Now's maybe a good time to talk about it."
He couldn't say anything for a few seconds. He was wondering how she would take the news of him going out drinking. The disappointment would be unbearable.
"Come on, Michael, I'm your mother. I think I deserve to know how my seventeen-year-old son ended up in a hospital bed right after a major win at his school's soccer tournament."
She went closer.
"You can open up to me."
He was searching for the right words when he finally gained strength.
"She's my friend. We met a few months after I came to Lagos, at the field a few blocks from here. We got talking that day and became good friends afterwards. We hung out a lot. There's this thing about her that really stands out -she's always herself, not caring what others think. She's probably the bravest person I know. I would go to the field after school every day and we'd talk till it got dark. So, on that day, after the match I went over like I usually do. I told her the news and she was really happy for me. She wanted us to celebrate so, she took me to her favorite bar."
She turned with a sharp gaze.
"She what?!"
"I know it's wrong but it wasn't entirely her fault. I know deep down that a part of me wanted to try it out as well, just needed a little push. So I decided to tag along. We stayed at the bar till around eight before we called it a night. We had crossed the street when she suddenly remembered she'd left her keys on the counter. She asked if I could wait, and I... agreed. I waited for a while, but she was taking too long, so I decided to go get her. I crossed the road, and I..."
He paused and sat down on the brown garden bench. Rachel followed and sat beside him.
"And...?"
Michael exhaled heavily, as if gathering his thoughts before speaking.
"The only thing I remember before waking up in the hospital was the blinding headlights of an approaching car and the faint murmur of voices around me."
Rachel was speechless, completely dumbfounded. She didn't say a word, her gaze dropping as she drifted into her thoughts.
Michael was getting worried. He turned towards her and grabbed her shoulders.
"Mom, say something."
"What can I say? My little boy is all grown up."
She grabbed her garden basket and walked away, leaving Michael to watch as she slowly distanced herself from the garden. After a few steps, she paused, turned, and looked back at him.
"Promise me you'll stay away from her."
He glanced up at the ceiling, then back at her. It took him a moment, but finally, he spoke.
"I can't mom."
She turned and walked away, her heart heavy. Just when she thought she had him back, she realized he would soon be taken away from her again.
From what he had just said, it was clear he had feelings for that girl. And deep down, she knew it wouldn't end well for him-for both of them, she thought. He reminded her of herself when she was much younger.
Rachel was born into an average family. Her father, Aaron, was a struggling lawyer, and her mother owned a small store at the market. Aaron had been an associate of Victor's father, Andrew. They met in college and later worked together at the same law firm.
When things took off for Victor's father, he decided to open his own firm, Richards and Sons. The firm quickly became successful, attracting high-profile clients. Meanwhile, Aaron was slowly sinking into bankruptcy.
Out of options, Aaron turned to his old friend for help. Andrew, eager to assist, laid out a condition. He knew his only son, Victor, was the sole heir to his fortune, and he didn't want him wasting it on meaningless pleasures. So, he proposed an alliance-and Aaron, desperate, agreed.
They betrothed Rachel to Victor. Rachel had just finished high school when she was told she would marry a man she had never met. All the while, she was secretly in love with Charles, her high school boyfriend. They kept their relationship hidden, fearing their families would find out.
Rachel didn't know how to live with that reality. She had planned to spend the rest of her life with Charles, so she rejected the preposterous alliance. But Aaron somehow convinced Victor's father that the marriage would go through, no matter what. They signed a contract, and Aaron was set to become a shareholder in Richards and Sons.
Her stance, however, changed when her father passed away during her second year of college. That moment marked a turning point in her life. She had to accept the alliance-for her mother's sake. She had to sacrifice her love for Charles to take care of her father's widow. It hurt her deeply, but it was something that had to be done.
That one decision altered the entire course of her life."
"Love is the death of duty," she whispered to herself.