"Oh my God Christine, is there no devotion today?" Esther moaned as she rolled over her friend who had slept on her bed. She tried to remember how and why Christine is still on her bed but nothing came. She dragged herself to a sitting position and shook her friend to sleep.
"Christine, wake up why are you on my bed sef?" She shook Christine out of sleep while trying to process what was going on in her world. They were the only ones in the room, meaning the other two roommates had gone to chapel. They didn't even try to wake us. She groaned, frustrated at almost everything her eyes took in at that moment. Christine had only turned and slept back in response to her nagging. Missing morning devotion was one of the things she has vowed not to do in school and just a few weeks towards the end of her first year she's broken it.
Why?
She then remembered. "That vigil... Oh, no wonder she's sleeping like a log of wood. She checked the time, 6:20, i can still catch up. She rushed into her dress and left the room.
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Aholah's POV
I dreamt the whole night of our study together on the field that anxiety grew in my belly as 10 am drew near. He made an appointment with me that morning that we should meet on the field by ten. Though I didn't intend to go at exactly ten o'clock so I wouldn't look desperate to be with him or too serious. I left thirty minutes after ten. Since it was a lecture-free week only those who had carryover courses were on the street rushing to the exam center. I had expected to see him working out or kicking the ball into the net when I got to the field but no, he was just there, calming waiting, eyes fixed on his tablet and his earbuds plugged in. Waiting for the princess to arrive, I blushed.
"you are finally here. Is this your ten a m." The way he said it, the way his eyes turned from his tab to me, the way his full brows twitched or is it the way his mouth revealed his handsomely white teeth, my stomach was full of butterflies and I didn't know what to do with myself.
"Well..." I tried to think straight but all could do was to sit down by his side.
"Let's get to work. Did you bring your gst textbook?" A part of me was disappointed. Why is he this straightforward? he didn't even ask me how my night went. I sighed, the morning sun was out although there was a shade where we sat but i could feel the heat already and I had given up even before getting to the field I would read under so much heat.
"No," I said blankly.
"Wait, you didn't bring anything?" He realized. " I thought you said.."
"I know Micheal. I knew you were going to bring it so I didn't bother besides, is it not too early to start reading? Can you see the sun is too much?"
"Morning sun is vitamin D." He preached.
"No, I'm not reading. Thank you. Let's relax for like two hours before..."
"Two hours girl!"
"What so bad in two hours Mister workaholic? Life is not that hard naw."
I remembered less than a year ago that my friends would be the ones to say this to me, and I'd be like, 'I owe my parents distinctions.' Now, look at me preaching this to a guy, and I'm not even ashamed.
"So what should we be doing for the next two hours? It's not making sense."
"Talking guy. Gisting." I said. " Tell me about your love life. Are you married?"He laughed.
"Marriage ke. I'm still a young boy na."
"You are a popular footballer. There's no way you'd tell me there's no woman in the picture." I teased.
"I am an aspiring footballer. I haven't reached the peak of my career yet and I'm a student of Convent Faith University caged within these barbwires of Christianity and religion."
"Just answer me."
"I had a girl but... She traveled to the state to study and i haven't heard from her since then."
"Awwn." i examined his face, so blank. How can someone be so emotionless? "So sorry for that."
" It's not a big deal. Life goes on." He paused. "So far she's good."
"She's good?"
"Yeah." There was a gulp in his throat and i could tell he's been exposed. He's still pained.
"Let me guess." I said." You follow her on social media and you have seen her with her new boyfriend on her page."
He hissed. "Not far." He threw a stone into the field before us. " you girls always jump at the next available guy without thinking twice. I didn't expect that from her..."
"How long have you two been together?"
"High school. We grew up as neighbors."
Such an idiot. I exclaimed within. Why would she give up a relationship with a celebrity to a common man overseas?
"What about you?"
"What about me? " I wasn't expecting that question and i prayed silently that he clued me into how to answer it.
"I hear chaplaincy people don't do relationships." He smirked.
"And you of all people know how true that is." I joined in his sarcasm.
" You had a guy?" "I guess. He was just a friend." I began. "Met him here though. But since we didn't have any definition for our so called friendship. He ran off with another girl."
His stare concentrated on my face so much that I felt like my face had fire on it.
"Do I know him?"
"I wouldn't know." I shrugged.
"What's his name?"
For heaven's sake, why is that his problem?
"Ade." I had to think of a random name that I hadn't heard any guy bear in school. "You may not know him. I don't even know why you want to know him."
He shrugged. "Okay, I think we should start studying now. I want to practice by noon."
"Okay then, We'll take GST together and I'll read economics to you..." We cracked up at how ridiculous I sounded.
"Wait. what's funny?!" I tried to defend myself. I spent the night dreaming of how being on the field with a superstar will be. Heaven huh? Coming from a girl who just made a self-vow to keep away from three-legged beings. I would do anything to be with this one, and that includes also giving his type of man second chances but look at the guy I wanted to die for. All trying to hide his feelings because a childhood lover broke his heart.
"Do I look like a child you'd read to? What were you even thinking?" His smile spelled world to me. How his cheeks folded upon his well-chiseled grin and how his sporty chest bounced back and forth. What's his name again? I would give everything up for my Micheal.
"i can read to you na. is economics not about all those boring accounting theories and useless monetary principle. You need to cram them and my voice... don't underestimate me bro."
He laughed again. I blushed hard as my ugly fantasies flooded my brain. This is not going to be easy.
***