ALL THE THINGS I WILL TELL THEM

 

I.
When they ask about our love, I will tell them about how it wasn't love at first sight, how we tiptoed and prodded at first around each other, like children meeting a strange relative for the first time after Prof. Hakeem paired us together in for the geography project to earn 45marks.

II
I will tell them about how it did not take long for us both to decide that we did not like each other, I wanted very high marks and it looked like you were not remotely interested. You thought I was too opinionated and I thought you were a dimwit. Communication was difficult because you mistook everything I said as a call to argument and I mistook everything you said as an attack. We were only together because we were forced to, nobody could change partners.

III
I will tell them about how our bodies fell in love before we did, or how could we explain how your arm would snake down my waist and my right arm would grip your left shoulder while we were standing in front of the giant orb at the school museum discussing longitude and latitude?
I will tell them about the awkwardness after we had caught ourselves holding on to each other and how it wasn't awkward at all, because it was me and you, not anyone else.
I will tell them about how our many arguments started to end in laughter rather than malice. Laughter, a nose squeeze or tickles.
I will tell about how our friends realised we were in love before we did, how we would both say "God forbid" when anybody asked if we were together, simultaneously, in unison, flipping our hands over our hands over our heads like a choreographed dance and laughing afterwards.

IV
I will tell them about how the project ended and we scored 30 marks but our partnership did not, how we would always be seen around each other enough to earn couple nicknames from our coursemates and friends.

V
I will tell them about how our first two kisses were mistakes. The first one was on a rainy night and we had been studying together when thunder rumbled and all the lights went off and I leaned on your chest because I hated thunder and you engulfed me with a hug because you knew I would be scared and you made to kiss my forehead the same time I made to look up at you and somehow, your lips met mine, a light, quick feathery kiss, but my heart danced.
We chose to blame the first kiss on the weather and the darkness. You apologised and I said it was okay.
The second time, was at your apartment, you had been hell-bent on proving how much of a great cook you were and so you invited me and a few friends over for dinner at your place. It would be the first time I was visiting your apartment and eating your food. I came with a bottle of wine and when I got there, it was just you, all the other friends had cancelled, so we ate and drank the wine and you played music and we danced and when we were tired we slumped beside each other on the floor. 

While you ran your fingers through my cornrows, I whispered in your ear that it was late and I had to go because they would lock the hostel gates by 11pm, and my legs felt tired, then you lifted me off the ground and onto the table we had just had dinner on and kissed me and I kissed you back, not feathery, not light.

We chose to blame the kiss on the wine and the dancing and you apologised again.


VI
I will tell them about how for three weeks after we had an awkward post-kiss conversation, the morning after the second kiss, we hardly spoke to each other, because we knew we had woken up things that we would not be able to put back to sleep.
I will tell them about had thought to myself to be more careful because we were supposed to be friends, how could it be any other way, and how could I have remained friends with you if everything I thought of was the kiss that you had already apologised for?



VII
I will tell them about how we drifted towards each other again from our measly "hellos" and "HIs".
I will tell them about how we agreed to remain friends, how we were careful not to sit alone in darkness or spend time together without mutual friends and when we had to sit together, we left good enough space between us and it all felt like acting.

VIII
I will tell them about how the pretense was choking the both of us and we were finally free on our final year dinner night. Our names had been placed on the same table so we had to share a table.
I will tell them about how we both sat still and quiet until you leaned across the table to ask why I chose to style my hair the way I did and I acted as though I didn't know that was the kind of hair style that you liked; curly hair, that framed the face.
I will tell them about how in the middle of the ceremony, you got up and left and I stood up to follow you.

IX
I will tell them about the conversation we had outside the hall. I will tell them about it word-for-word, because I remember it exactly as it happened; you taking long strides to the building exit and me trailing along, calling your name until I could grab your jacket to make you turn around.
I will tell them about how there were tears in your eyes and you started to yell at me to go away.
"Go away! This is so hard. I'm trying I swear, I'm trying. I'm trying to be a good friend, to be there for you but how can I be just a friend to the girl that I am madly in love with?"
I will tell them about how I did not reply at first, how I reached for your hands instead, put them on my waist and held them there. I will tell them about how I started crying too because hearing you say that you were madly in love with me made my heart beat a thousand times faster. I was madly in love with you as well.

X
I will tell them about the years that followed; you in Borno, me in Benin during service year still keeping in touch, you proposing to me a year after, our simple wedding, how our lives blended there on after. I will tell them about how today should have been our 40 year wedding anniversary.

 I will tell them about how you visit me in my dreams every night to give me a kiss on my forehead, how the distance between here and the other side has never been a barrier for our love, how even yesterday I saw your smile in our great-grandaughter's tiny lips as she curled her little hand around my finger.
I will tell them about how I will always love you.

Author's note:
I have no personal comments(All this mushy stuff, ugh. Not that I'm jealous of the characters or anything, hehehe)
Meanwhileee, it has been such a long time since I last wrote fiction, please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed reading this!
Would you risk ruining your friendship with someone to pursue romance? Isn't friendship supposed to be the bedrock of romance? 
You can leave an "oink oink" in the comments if you are catching feels for somebody that is supposed to be "just a friend", don't worry, this is a safe space, nobody will ever know<winkzzz>

Meanwhileeeee, *drum roll please*

I have done a thing! 

Do you enjoy the content on this blog?

Do you want to be a part of the creation process?

www.hernaijamoments.blogspot.com would be revamping soon and I want you to be a part of it!

Become a partner today for just 5 000NGN 2 000NGN

(till 15th December, 2021)

Perks of being a partner from January 2022:

-You get to be on my mailing list

<and get juicy life updates first>

-Every month, you will get polls containing content topics sent to your email and then get to pick what content you want posted next.

<yes, you get to control me>

-Discounts on ads 

-Discounts on products during purchase from ads.

-General feeling of happiness and contentment.

Click here now: https://missx.disha.page/