CHAPTER 4: MIDNIGHT CONVERSATION
633 Words
Jemima's POV
My phone rang at exactly 11:57 p.m. I didn't need to check the caller ID, I already knew who it was.
Jahiem.
A smile appeared on my face before I could stop it. I quickly answered.
"You're late."
There was a pause.Then his deep laugh came through the speaker.
"Late?"
"You usually call at eleven-thirty."
"Wow."
"What?"
"You've memorized my schedule."
"I have not."
"You have."
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me.
"I just seem noticed."
"Sure."
The annoying thing was that he sounded pleased, very pleased.
Over the past few weeks, our calls had become normal,dangerously normal.
At first, we'd only talk for a few minutes.
Now?
Hours.
Sometimes we talk until 1am in the morning,sometimes 2am.
Sometimes we fell asleep while still on the call.And somehow, we never ran out of things to discuss.
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"So tell me," he said.
"Tell you what?"
"What your biggest dream is."
I thought about it.
Nobody had ever asked me that before,not seriously,not like it mattered.
"I want to make my father proud."
The words came out before I could stop them.
Silence followed.
Then..
"That's it?"
"What do you mean that's it?"
"That's your biggest dream?"
"Yes."
"Not becoming rich?"
"No."
"Not becoming famous?"
"No."
"Not owning a mansion?"
I laughed.
"No."
"What if your father is already proud of you?"
The question caught me off guard.
I sat up straighter.
"What?"
"What if he's already proud of you?"
For some reason, my chest tightened.
Nobody had ever said that before,not once.and hearing it from Jahiem felt strange,strangely comforting.
"What about you?" I asked.
"What about me?"
"What's your dream?"
His voice became serious.
"I want money."
I burst out laughing.
"That's not a dream."
"It absolutely is."
I laughed harder.
"No wonder you're so proud."
"I'm not proud."
"You are."
"I'm confident."
"Arrogant."
"Confident."
"Arrogant."
"Beautiful."
I froze.
The room became silent,my heart skipped.
Did he just...
"What?"
His voice sounded amused.
"What what?"
"Why are you quiet?"
I swallowed.
"You called me beautiful."
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Was I not supposed to?"
Heat rushed to my face.
Thank goodness he couldn't see me.
"I didn't say that."
"So you agree?"
I groaned.
He laughed.
And somehow, hearing him laugh made me smile too.
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The next morning, I was still thinking about that conversation which was ridiculous,completely ridiculous.
A boy calling me beautiful shouldn't matter.
Except...
It did way more than I wanted it to.
Later that day, I met up with Alimat and Beatrice after class.
The moment I sat down, Alimat narrowed her eyes.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You're smiling again."
I immediately stopped smiling.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
Beatrice laughed.
"She's becoming predictable."
I stared at both of them.
"What are you talking about?"
"Jahiem."
I groaned loudly.
"Can we please stop talking about him?"
"No," Alimat replied.
"Why?"
"Because every time someone mentions his name, you smile."
I nearly choked.
"I do not"
"You do"
"I don't"
"You do"
Beatrice nodded.
"Unfortunately, she's right."
Traitor.
That evening, I received a message from Jahiem
Jahiem:Guess what
Me:No
Jahiem:I haven't even said anything
Me:Still no
Jahiem:You're rude
Me:Thank you.
Jahiem:I got an A in my test.
Me:Congratulations.
Jahiem:is that all?😭
Me:What else do you want?
Jahiem:A parade 😂
I laughed.
Me:You're impossible.
Jahiem:Yet you still talk to me.
My fingers paused above the keyboard for a second, I didn't know what to say.
Then another message arrived.
Jahiem:Goodnight, Jemima
Me:Goodnight
I stared at the screen after the conversation ended.My heart felt lighter than usual happier than usual
And for the first time...
The thought of Jahiem didn't scare me,It made me smile.
Maybe Alimat was right,maybe something was changing.
Maybe the walls I'd spent years building around my heart were finally beginning to crack.
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