Chapter 6: Late nights and first confessions
727 Words
The lodge was quiet that night. Most students had either gone home for the weekend or were asleep in their rooms, leaving only the faint hum of the generator and the occasional rustle of slippers on the tiled floor.
Ada sat cross-legged on her bed, laptop closed, staring out the window at the soft glow of Lagos streetlights. Her phone buzzed.
It was Kemi.
“Are you still awake?”
She smiled and typed back quickly: “Yes. Why?”
A minute later, his reply came: “Good. I need advice. Serious advice.”
Curiosity piqued, Ada put her phone down and heard a soft knock at her door.
“Come in,” she said.
Kemi stepped inside, leaning casually against the doorframe. His hair was messy from the day, and his eyes had that teasing glint that made her chest tighten in a way she didn’t want to admit.
“You called me for advice,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” he replied, sitting on the floor across from her. “And you’re the smartest person I know.”
Ada snorted. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“I’ll take my chances,” he said, smiling.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the distant sounds of Lagos. Then Kemi leaned back on his hands and looked at her with an unusual seriousness.
“You know,” he began, “I think you take life way too seriously sometimes.”
“I do not.”
“You do,” he insisted. “I mean… look at you. Always focused, always calculating, always on guard. But tonight… you laugh. You relax. You’re different. And I like it.”
Ada felt her heart skip. “You like it?”
“Yes,” he said softly. “I like you. The real you.”
Her breath caught. She wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Wait,” she said finally. “You… you mean that?”
“Yes,” Kemi whispered. His usual playful tone was gone. All that remained was honesty, raw and quiet.
The words hung in the air between them. Ada’s mind raced, and her chest felt tight. She wanted to say something, anything—but the truth was, she felt the same way.
For months, she had laughed at his jokes, walked with him, teased him back—and now she realized those small moments had built into something stronger. Something she couldn’t ignore.
Kemi shifted slightly closer. “I’ve wanted to tell you for a while,” he said. “I just… didn’t know how.”
Ada’s lips parted slightly, her eyes fixed on him. “I… I like you too,” she admitted quietly.
A smile spread across his face, gentle and full of relief. He reached out slowly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Their faces drew closer, hearts racing, until finally, their lips met.
It was soft, tentative at first, as if both were testing the waters. But then the kiss deepened slightly, filled with all the months of laughter, teasing, and quiet glances they had shared.
When they pulled away, neither spoke for a moment. They just stared at each other, breaths mingling, hearts pounding.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for that,” Kemi said, his forehead resting against hers.
Ada laughed softly, a little breathless. “I think I might have some idea.”
They sat together for hours after that, talking quietly, gisting about everything from exams to campus gossip, and just enjoying the simple comfort of being near each other.
Eventually, exhaustion crept in. Kemi stretched and yawned. “I probably should go…”
“You can stay,” Ada said softly.
He looked at her, surprised. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” she replied, smiling.
So he did.
They stayed up late, talking, laughing quietly, and sometimes just sitting in silence, feeling the warmth of being close. Time seemed to stretch and fold around them, unimportant, as if the world outside the lodge didn’t exist.
It was the beginning of something new—a slow, careful love that grew from friendship, laughter, and shared moments.
Outside, the streets of Lagos glimmered under the faint lights. Inside, Ada and Kemi found their own little world, and for the first time, everything felt right.
- Writer
