MY RIVALS

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, the annoying alarm rang mercilessly as I pressed the pillow on my ears and cursing beneath my breath. I opened my eyes lazily and stared at the direction of the window. "why does it have to be morning so soon? I need more sleep" I said to myself as I sat up tying my hair in a bun. It was 7am in the morning, and the bright radiant sunlight was trying to find its way through my window which was covered with heavy fashioned floral curtains. Lazily, I slide the curtain to the side, paving way for the sunlight. I turned on the music player and started my morning exercise routine. After 30 minutes of workouts, I had my bath and prepared for the day. I'm Adaeze Obiora, I'm from the Igbo clan in Nigeria (west Africa). I'm a 25 years old young lady and I'm from a wealthy home. though my folks are rich, I do enjoy a simple lifestyle and also like being alone cause I don't feel comfortable around too many people. I'm a graduate from a prestigious university in Nigeria. I live alone and reside in asaba Delta state, Nigeria. I'm excited today cause for a long time I'm finally going to get a chance to go on a date with my boyfriend. it may seem funny but Drake has been a busy bee since our last time together. each time I request we go out, its been from one excuse to another, and its been tiring and annoying all the time. Drake and I have been dating since my third year in the university. I've been so attracted and attached to him cause he is the only guy I've ever loved wholeheartedly. I was shy and quite reluctant when he first approached me, and its been one heck of a love story since we started dating. I've always rejected advances from other guys cause I was not ready to loose The bond Drake and I shared. it was really devastating when Drake started being busy all of a sudden. I know it's the nature of his job and that's why I've been trying to be understanding. Impatiently, I stared at my watch over and over again and was becoming quite unsettled. Drake and I had planned to meet at a restaurant by 10am. i had to wake up early than my normal schedule so I can prepare for our date. It's been 35 minutes past 12 and yet there's still no sign of Drake anywhere. I've been waiting at the restaurant since forever, and I've been trying to reach him but it seems all means to get to him was futile. "I can't take this nonsense anymore" I said to myself standing up from my seat and headed out of the restaurant as I furiously hopped into my car and decided to go to Drake's house which was a 20 minutes ride from the restaurant. Without hesitation, I parked my car outside the gate and went inside the yard. I headed to the front door and i heard loud music playing from within the living room. I knocked on the door but no one opened, so I turned the door knob and the door flew opened almost immediately. I stepped into the sitting room and looked around, it was quite different from the way it was the last time I visited and the music was very loud from the inside than It was outside. Hurriedly, I walked towards the stairs and without hesitation I climbed with so much thoughts running through my mind. "please let it not be what I'm thinking", I whispered to myself as I head to the master bedroom. The door was slightly opened and the reflection of the multi color LED light shined on the hallway. I pushed the door open and got the shock I was praying not to get. Drake was on the bed cuddling with a lady and they were both asleep, and from the looks of things, you could tell they've had some rounds of pleasure as the room was messy. there were empty bottles of wine on the floor, some clothes, and some packets of used and unused CDs on the floor and table. With a heavy heart, I stood there staring at them as different thoughts and emotions ran through me. "So this is the reason you've been busy all this while, and this is the reason you ignored our date and kept me waiting like a fool in a restaurant" I said to myself as tears clouded my eyes. "This is what I get for trying to be understanding, isn't it?" i said to myself not knowing what to do at the moment. After a while of emotionally battling to make a decision, I decided to let them be and I went out of the house without turning back. Feeling betrayed and frustrated, I entered my car and drove straight home. it was really hard to concentrate on the road as my mind was full of thoughts. I had to be reminded that I was on the road by different drivers as they blew their car horns angrily at me. On getting home, I fell flat with my back on my bed the moment I got to my room. it was a lot to take in as I couldn't just bear the thought of what I saw some minutes ago. "see what loyalty and understanding got me", I laughed at myself shamefully. "At least he could have broken up with me instead of avoiding and lying to me", I yelled and threw a pillow at the door, and finally slept off after crying myself to stupor. DRAKE'S POV. It was fifteen minutes past six in the evening when I woke up. I tried to stretch my hands but noticed my right hand was stuck. I turned and saw Sally still lying on my arm. "Oh she's still here" I murmured as I cleaned my face with my left palm. I sighed and was about to check my phone when I remembered something suddenly. Oh Damm it!! I sat upright immediately and tapped Sally, waking her up."uhmmm, whaa...t is it babe?" Sally asked stretching her arms tiredly. "it's getting late and it's time for you to go", I replied standing up from the bed in haste. "But honey, you promised I'd stay the night", she complained. "Not tonight, I've got some place to be right now." I said as I went into the bathroom to freshen up quickly. "But yo... No buts okay? just get dressed so I can drop you off" I said as she tried to protest. Sally was already dressed when I got out from the bathroom. I looked around and saw how messy my room was. "guess I'll have to clean that up when I get back", I murmured. I got dressed and we headed out after I turned off the music. after a few minutes drive, I dropped Sally off and went to get chocolate from a shop. I was really worried about how Adaeze would react after I ruined our date today. I needed to patch things up as soon as possible. I was just too carried away with Sally and forgot I had a date with Adaeze. You may think I'm a playboy but honestly I'm not. I just can't do away with Sally's naughtiness, and I can't loose Adaeze either. it wasn't long before I got to Adaeze's apartment and tried to calm down from the tension I was feeling at that point. I knocked on the door but there was no response. I called her phone severally but she wasn't answering. This got me really worried cause she doesn't ignore my calls no matter what, even when we had issues. it was getting frustrating as I kept on knocking and calling. "There's no way she could have gone out without taking her car. what's going on?" I said to myself as I went back into my car. Resting my head on the wheel, I sat there for a while waiting for her to come out but it seems she wasn't planning on doing that soon. "She must really be mad at me for disappointing her", I said as I drove off with hopes of talking to her the next day.