Chapter 9 — The Almost Date
711 Words
Jenna didn’t know why she agreed to go out for ice cream with Samuel after work.
Maybe it was the stress.
Maybe it was curiosity.
Maybe it was the way he said “you look like you need sugar before you collapse.”
Whatever the reason, she found herself standing beside him on Admiralty Way, staring at a small gelato shop with fairy lights twinkling like it came straight out of a rom-com.
“I can’t believe you brought me for gelato,” she said, crossing her arms.
“You sound disappointed,” he replied.
“I’m not, I’m… just a bit suspicious.” She said.
Samuel raised an eyebrow “suspicious of gelato? Ice cream?”
“Suspicious of you.” Jenna said. Emphasizing the ‘you’.
He chuckled “I just wanted to give us a break. Pretending is exhausting.”
She relaxed a little “that’s true.”
Inside, the shop smelled like vanilla, sugar, and poor decisions. The staff recognized Samuel.
“Your usual?” they asked.
Jenna smirked. “so you come here often?”
“Don’t start,” he warned.
They each ordered, then sat by the window. For a moment, there was quiet – the comfortable kind. People passed outside, traffic hummed, and Lagos continued its loud, chaotic existence.
Samuel broke the silence. “You were quieter today.”
Jenna shrugged. “Just tired.”
“Are you sure?” he pressed.
She hesitated. There was something about him that made you want to open up – maybe his calm eyes, maybe the way he listened like nothing else mattered.
“It’s a lot,” she finally said. “The office gossip. The fake engagement. The way everyone looks at me like I’m the luckiest woman in Lagos.”
Samuel laughed softly. “You could be.”
She almost dropped her spoon. “What?”
“Lucky,” he corrected quickly, though his voice softened. “You could be lucky. Not because of me. Because… things will work out for you eventually. They always do.”
Her chest tightened. “You don’t know that.”
“I know you,” he said quietly.
The silence became heavier – warm, intimate. Too intimate.
Jenna forced a laugh. “Stop saying things that sound like vows. It’s confusing.”
Samuel looked away, rubbing his neck. “Sorry.”
But he didn’t sound sorry.
They continued eating, trying to act normal. A little girl ran past them, laughing, and her mother shouted after her. The store was alive with chatter. But Jenna’s mind wouldn’t stop replaying his words.
‘I know you.’
She looked at him. At the way he used his thumb to wipe a drop of melting gelato from the edge of his cup. At the way he sat – relaxed but alert, listening to her even when she wasn’t speaking.
“Samuel?” she asked.
He looked up. “Yes?”
“Do you ever worry this is getting too real?” she asked.
He blinked. “Every day.”
“And?”
“And I stop myself.”
“From what?” she whispered.
“From making it something you didn’t agree to,” he replied.
Her breath caught.
Before either of them could say anything else, a shout rang from outside.
“Jenna?!”
They both turned – and there stood Mide, her best friend, wearing gym clothes and a shock on her face.
“Oh my God,” Mide squealed, rushing in. “You didn’t tell me you two were having a date!”
Jenna opened her mouth. “It’s not—”
Mide waved dramatically. “Abeg, spare me the lies. The chemistry is loud. My ears are ringing.” She said, while trying not to squeal too much like a child.
Samuel laughed nervously.
Jenna wished the gelato shop had a trapdoor.
Mide sat with them, chatting endlessly, interrogating Samuel, winking at Jenna, and taking secret photos.
By the time they left, the “fake” couple was even more confused than before.
Walking back to the car, Jenna whispered, “this was supposed to be a simple outing.”
Samuel’s reply was almost too soft to hear.
“Nothing about you feels simple.”
Her heart stumbled.
Again.
- Writer
