NONYE
"I'm actually a graduate student here," Victor replied. "I'm working on my master's degree in business administration. I've been pretty busy with my studies and research, so I don't always get to attend campus events or hang out with undergrads."
He smiled again, and I found myself feeling more at ease around him. There was something about his relaxed demeanor that put me at ease.
As we chatted, I found myself wondering if I had misjudged him earlier. He seemed genuinely kind and concerned, but I still couldn't quite put my finger on why I didn't entirely trust him.
Victor glanced at his watch and stood up. "I'm so sorry, but I have a meeting with my thesis advisor. It was great running into you," he said with a warm smile.
I nodded, feeling a little surprised by how much I enjoyed our conversation. "Yeah, same to you".
As Victor walked away, I watched him go with a mixture of curiosity and caution. I still wasn't sure what to make of him, but I had to admit that our conversation had left me feeling a little more at ease.
I finished my coffee and then got up to leave. As I walked out of the café, I couldn't help but wonder if I would run into Victor again. And if I did, would I be able to trust him?
Walking away from the café, I couldn't shake off the feeling of being at a crossroads. The conversation with Victor had left me with more questions than answers. Who was he, really? And why did I feel like I couldn't trust him, despite his kind words?
I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on my surroundings. The campus was quiet, with only a few students hurrying to their hostel. I fell into step with them, lost in thoughts.
As I walked, I noticed a flyer on the bulletin board. "Counseling Services: Confidential and Free." I felt a pang of recognition. Maybe it was time to face my demons and seek help. I tore off a tab from the flyer with the contact information and tucked it into my pocket. It was a small step, but it felt like a start.
I returned to my hostel to find my roommates eating. I greeted them, and they invited me to join which I declined and tried walking to my bed but was interrupted by Rachael words..
"Nonye, you seem to have distanced yourself from us since we opened up about the incident with Chuks," Rachel said, her voice laced with concern. "We know how you feel about us, but we want you to understand that if you were in our shoes, you would have done the same to save yourself. We mean no harm to you, and we can't let anything bad happen to you. So, we're using this opportunity to beg for your forgiveness once again. Please, find it in your heart to forgive us."
Rachel's words brought back memories of that night with Chuks. What if something had happened to me? What if I had been k*lled? I thought about all the what-ifs, but I knew I had to let go.
"I've already forgiven you guys," I said, smiling softly. "..I hold no grudges against you. .."
My roommates exchanged relieved glances.
Rachel smiled. "We're glad to hear that, Nonye. We've been feeling terrible about what happened."
Blessing nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we were really scared for you that night. We're just glad you're okay."
I nodded, trying to hide my worries... "I'm okay, guys. Let's just move forward from here, okay?"
My roommates nodded in agreement, and we shared a warm smile. The tension in the room dissipated, replaced by a sense of renewed friendship and understanding.
As we chatted and laughed together, I realized that forgiveness wasn't just about letting go of the past, but also about rebuilding and strengthening relationships. And I was grateful to have friends like Rachel and Blessing who cared about me deeply.
"So, you won't eat with us abi?....Rachael spoke up
"I'm sorry guys, I won't be able to take in anything again, I'm full already."
"Full? What did you eat that made you full?" Rachel pestered, her eyes narrowing with a questioning look.
I found myself laughing at her question, unsure of what to say.
"I... uh... I had a snack earlier," I stammered, trying to come up with a convincing excuse.
Rachel raised an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "A snack? What kind of snack?"
I laughed, feeling my face heat up. "Just... just something I grabbed from the cafe, okay?"
Blessing chimed in, grinning mischievously. "Ooh, was it a guy? Did you snag a snack with a pulse?"
I rolled my eyes, laughing. "No, it was not a guy! Just... just drop it, okay?"
Rachel and Blessing were still teasing me about my mysterious snack, but I managed to deflect their questions. We spent the rest of the evening chatting, laughing, and catching up on each other's lives making me forget my worries a bit.
As the night wore on, I realized that I had finally found a sense of closure and forgiveness. My roommates had apologized sincerely, and I had accepted their apology. We were moving forward, and that felt amazing.
But just as things were settling down, I heard a knock on the door...
"Who could that be....are you guys expecting someone?" I asked and they exchanged glances
"OK, let me go check..."
I got up to answer the door, expecting it to be one of our friends from the hostel. But to my surprise, it was Victor, the guy I had met at the café earlier that day.
"Hey, Nonye," he said, flashing a charming smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by to say hello."
My roommates were staring at me curiously, wondering who this guy was and why he was showing up at our doorstep. I felt a flutter in my chest as I tried to process the situation.
"Uh, hi Victor," I said, trying to sound casual. "What brings you here? by the way, how did you find your way here?"
Victor leaned against the doorframe, looking relaxed. "Like I said, I was just in the neighborhood. But I have to admit, I was hoping to run into you again. Since that didn't happen, I decided to asked around and found out where you lived, remember we didn't get to finish our conversation earlier, but I'm not here to continue it now. I just wanted to say hello."
I felt a spark of curiosity. What else did Victor want us to talk about? And why was he being so persistent?
My roommates were still watching us with interest, and I could tell they were curious about Victor. Rachel raised an eyebrow and mouthed "Who's that?" to me, but I just shook my head and smiled thinking of how to introduce him.
"Hey, do you guys want to meet Victor?" I asked, trying to break the awkwardness.
Rachel and Blessing exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison. "Yeah, sure," Rachel said, getting up from the bed and came over to us.
"Hello, handsome," Rachel greeted with a smile.
"Hi, beautiful," Victor replied. "I'm Victor, a friend of Nonye"
I raised an eyebrow at the word "friend."
"Wow, nice meeting you at last," Rachel said, extending her hand.
"What does she mean by 'at last'?" I wondered.
I looked at Rachel, and she eyed me jokingly, a playful glint in her eye.
"If you don't mind, we were just about to make some tea. Would you like to join us?"
Victor's face lit up with a smile. "That sounds great, thank you. I'd love to join you."
As we all sat down in the common room, I couldn't help but notice the way Victor interacted with my roommates. He was charming and friendly, asking them questions about themselves and listening intently to their responses.
Rachel and Blessing seemed to take an instant liking to him, laughing and joking with him like they'd known him for years. I watched them with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, wondering what Victor's true intentions were.
As we sipped our tea and chatted, I found myself feeling more and more at ease around Victor. He was easy to talk to, and he seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me and my roommates.
But just as I was starting to let my guard down, I remembered the strange feeling I'd gotten when we first met. The feeling that Victor was hiding something from me...
(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH'S HEART stories)
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