THAT CHAIR IS YOUR'S NOW
882 Words
Morning came soft.
Not the harsh Benin sun that burns your face by 9am.
This one slipped through the blackout curtains like it knew she needed gentleness today.
Liana woke up late.
Phone said 10:42am.
No rush.
No “shop must open.”
Just her.
Bed.
And that weird, warm flutter in her chest.
Her phone buzzed on the pillow.
*Leo: hey shawty good morning*
*Leo: How was your night?*
*Leo: Are you home?*
*Liana: _typing… deleting_*
*Liana: Yes. Why?*
*Leo: Don’t stay there today.*
*Liana: Leo I’m fine, good morning.*
*Leo: I know. That’s why you should come over.*
*Liana: Come where?*
*Leo: My place. Before your head starts doing things.*
*Liana: My head is okay.*
*Leo: People who are okay don’t take 4 minutes to reply “yes”. Come.*
*Liana: …Address?*
No “are you crying?”
No “talk to me.”
Just: _Come._
---
_Getting ready to see Leo_
She didn’t do “bougie.”
She did _her._
Splash cold water.
Three times.
Like her father taught her — “cold water wakes the soul, not just the face.”
She patted dry.
Dabbed Vaseline on her lips.
Not for him.
For her.
She pulled out the cream oversized T-shirt she loved.
Soft.
Washed too many times.
Felt like safety.
Then her blue denim shorts.
The ones that sit right and make her legs look long without trying.
Sneakers.
White.
A little dirty at the edges because she actually walks in them.
She stood in front of the mirror.
*Liana: _whispers_ You look calm today.*
Hair in a bun.
Small gold hoops.
No makeup except lip gloss.
Just Liana.
She sprayed perfume.
Lavender and something clean.
Two sprays.
One on her wrist.
One behind her ear.
Where only someone close would catch it.
*Liana: _to her reflection_ Girl, you’re excited.*
*Her reflection: _grins back_ So what?*
She grabbed her small crossbody bag.
Lip gloss.
Earphones.
The navy cap with “L.E.O” hidden in it. She didn’t bring it. Not today.
She locked her door at 11:17am.
Heart beating faster than it should for “just going to a friend’s house.”
But it wasn’t just any friend.
It was Leo.
The one who noticed her quiet in a loud shop.
The one who said “don’t stay there today” without asking why.
The one who put her cap on a shelf instead of in a drawer.
Keke ride to his area.
Cold breeze hit her face, but this time it didn’t feel lonely.
This time it felt like anticipation.
*Driver: Madam, you dey rush?*
*Liana: _smiles, small_ No oo.. you can drive carefully. I'm not in a hurry.*
Stores glowed.
Yellow bulbs.
Suya smoke.
A bar playing Wizkid faintly.
Trees clapped as the keke passed.
But Liana wasn’t watching the noise.
She was watching the road ahead.
Because at the end of that road was a white house with black trims.
A second chair.
A young man who pulls chairs for her without touching her.
Her stomach flipped.
Not nervous.
Excited.
Like the first day of something new.
Like the first page of a book you don’t want to end.
The keke slowed down.
Red gate.
White walls.
Flowers she didn’t know the name of.
The driver stopped.
*Driver: We don reach, madam.*
Liana paid.
Stepped out.
Cardigan over her arm even though the sun was up.
Like armor.
Like she might need to cover herself.
She stood in front of the gate for 3 seconds.
Took a breath.
Pressed the intercom.
*Liana: It’s me.*
*Leo: _buzz_ Come in.*
The gate clicked open.
Slow.
Heavy.
She stepped in.
Driveway clean.
Two cars parked.
One black. One grey.
And there he was.
On the veranda.
No shirt.
Just a white vest and black joggers.
Hair still wet from shower.
Holding two mugs.
One steaming.
*Leo: You came.*
He said it like he wasn’t sure she would.
Like he’d been standing there since 10:43am.
*Liana: You told me to.*
*Leo: I did.*
Silence.
But not awkward.
The kind of silence that sits between people who don’t need to fill it.
*Leo: You look… calm.*
*Liana: You said it first.*
*Leo: Great minds.*
He stepped aside.
Held the door open.
*Leo: Come in, Liana. Before your head starts doing things.*
She walked in.
House smelled like coffee and clean laundry.
No Alexia pictures on the wall.
No “girlfriend” evidence.
Just books.
A laptop.
And the shelf.
With her cap.
Navy + gold.
Still facing the wall.
Her eyes caught it.
His eyes caught her catching it.
Neither of them said anything.
*Leo: Tea or coffee?*
*Liana: Tea. Please.*
*Leo: Two sugars?*
*Liana: _soft smile_ You remember.*
He remembered.
From one night of chatting at 1am.
He remembered how she takes her tea.
_He sees me,_ she thought again.
_Why does that still hurt?_
*Leo: Sit. Anywhere.*
*Liana: This chair?*
*Leo: That one’s yours now.*
She sat.
He sat across from her.
Two mugs between them.
Rain from yesterday still in the air.
But inside, it was warm.
*Leo: Talk to me. Or don’t. I’m good either way.*
Liana held the mug.
Warmth seeping into her palms.
For the first time in a long time,
she didn’t have to be strong.
She just had to be.
- Writer
