I wasn't supposed to fall in love with him.
Especially not like this.
Especially not when my boyfriend was sitting right in front of me.
"Amara, are you even listening to me?" Tunde's voice snapped through my thoughts, sharp and impatient.
I blinked, forcing my eyes away from the person standing across the street.
Daniel.
He leaned casually against his car, arms folded, his head slightly tilted as he listened to someone talking beside him. He looked relaxed… too relaxed. Like the world wasn't slowly collapsing inside my chest.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm listening," I muttered, turning back to Tunde.
But I wasn't.
I hadn't been for a while now.
Tunde sighed, clearly annoyed. "You've been acting strange lately. Every time we're together, you're somewhere else."
If only he knew where "somewhere else" was.
If only he knew that even when I was sitting right here with him, my mind kept drifting to someone else.
To my best friend.
"I'm just tired," I lied, forcing a small smile. "School stress."
He studied me for a moment, like he was trying to decide whether to believe me or not. Then he nodded slowly.
"Alright," he said, reaching for my hand across the table. "Just… talk to me next time, okay? Don't shut me out."
Guilt twisted in my stomach as I let him hold my hand.
Tunde wasn't a bad person.
He was kind. Caring. Loyal.
Everything a girl should want.
So why did his touch feel… empty?
Why did it feel like something was missing?
And why did my heart start beating faster the moment I saw Daniel again?
As if sensing my thoughts, I looked up.
And there he was.
This time, he was looking straight at me.
Our eyes locked.
And just like that, everything else faded away.
The noise. The people. Even Tunde sitting right in front of me.
It was just me and him.
Daniel's gaze softened for a brief second — something unreadable flashing through his eyes — before his expression changed. His jaw tightened slightly, and just like that, he looked away.
Like I didn't matter.
Like I was just… nothing.
The sudden shift hit me harder than I expected.
My chest tightened.
Why did that hurt?
"Amara?" Tunde called again, pulling me back.
I quickly looked down, pretending to adjust my bag. "Hmm?"
"I said we should head out. It's getting late."
"Oh… yeah. Sure."
We stood up, and as we walked past the street, I tried not to look in Daniel's direction.
Tried.
But I failed.
I always did.
This time, he was already getting into his car.
He didn't look at me again.
Not once.
And I don't know why… but that hurt more than it should have.
Way more.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I tossed and turned, my thoughts refusing to settle.
Every moment from earlier replayed in my head.
The way he looked at me.
The way he looked away.
The distance.
The silence.
It wasn't always like this.
Daniel and I used to talk about everything.
Late-night calls. Random jokes. Endless conversations that didn't seem to have an end.
He was my person.
My safe place.
So when did things change?
When did it start feeling like I was losing him?
And why did that scare me more than losing my own relationship?
My phone buzzed beside me, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I grabbed it quickly, my heart racing for no reason.
But the moment I saw the name on the screen…
My breath caught.
Daniel.
I stared at the phone for a few seconds, my heart pounding loudly in my chest.
He never texted this late anymore.
Not like before.
My fingers hesitated before finally opening the message.
"We need to talk."
That was it.
Four words.
But somehow… they felt like the beginning of everything falling apart.
Or maybe…
The beginning of something I wasn't ready to face.