The Love I Couldn't Let Go

Chapter One – The Night the Drama Brought Us Together It was already evening at the hostel in Awka,when we gathered at the car park to rehearse our small drama. The sky was slowly turning dark, and the yellow lights from the hostel building reflected softly on the ground. The air felt cooler now, and the usual noise of the hostel had started to fade. Only a few of us were there. Just the girls who were part of the drama. We stood in a small circle at the car park, going over our lines one last time before acting the scene. That was when I first noticed her. mercy stood a few steps away from me, holding her phone where our lines were written. She looked calm and focused as she read through it quietly. I had seen her around the hostel before, but we had never really spoken. But that evening something about her caught my attention. Maybe it was the way she seemed so confident. Or maybe it was the calm expression on her face. After a few minutes, the girl organizing the drama clapped her hands softly. “Okay, let’s start,” she said. One by one we moved into position for our roles. Then it was time for the scene mercy and I were acting together. We stepped forward into the open space of the car park. For the first time, I stood directly in front of her. “Ready?” she asked quietly. Her voice was gentle. I nodded. “Yes.” The acting began. At first, I focused on remembering my lines. But as the scene continued, something strange happened. Acting with her felt natural. Our conversation flowed easily, and our expressions matched perfectly as we delivered our lines. Each time she looked into my eyes during the scene, I felt a small rush of nervous excitement. It felt as if the world around us had become quiet. As if it was only the two of us in that moment. When the scene finally ended, the other girls smiled and clapped lightly. “Nice one,” someone said. We all laughed and relaxed as the practice ended. Since only the actors had been there, the car park quickly became quiet again as everyone started leaving. Some girls returned to their blocks, chatting softly as they walked away. Soon, only mercy and I were left standing there. She took out her phone and scrolled through it for a moment. I stood beside her, not quite sure what to say. Then she was watching something on her phone. “Look at this,” i said. It was one of the videos she had saved—something funny she had recorded earlier. I took the phone from her and watched it. We both laughed quietly as the video played. After that, we continued scrolling through her phone together, watching different clips and pictures. The more we talked, the more comfortable the moment felt. The night grew quieter around us. Eventually, mercy looked around the empty car park. “I think everyone has gone back to their rooms,” she said. “Yeah,” I replied. “Which block is yours?” she asked. I pointed toward the building across the compound. “That one.” “Oh,” she said. “Mine is in the next block.” “Then we can walk together,” I suggested. She nodded. “Okay.” We started walking slowly across the compound. The hostel was much quieter now. Most girls and boys had already gone inside their rooms. The lights along the building corridors glowed softly, guiding our path. When we reached my block, we stopped near the entrance. mercy looked up at the building. “So this is your block.” “Yes.” For a moment neither of us moved. Then she looked at me again. “can you come to my room for a while?” I asked. “Sure,” she replied. We walked into the corridor together and stopped in front of my room. I opened the door and switched on the light. mercy stepped inside and looked around. The room was small but tidy. She sat on the bed while I leaned against the chair near the table. We continued talking and occasionally looking through things on her phone. Time passed slowly but comfortably. Eventually mercy lay down on the bed. “I think I’m getting sleepy,” she said softly. “You can sleep,” I told her. She nodded and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she was already asleep. I sat there quietly, watching the slow movement of the ceiling fan above us. It felt strange. Just a few hours earlier, mercy had only been another girl in the hostel. But now she was sleeping peacefully in my room. And for some reason, that moment felt important. I didn’t know it yet. But that simple night at the hostel car park—the night we acted together and walked back to my room—was the beginning of something much deeper. Something neither of us expected. Because from that night forward, mercy would slowly become more than just a friend. She would become the girl who would capture my heart completely. And loving her would eventually become the most beautiful… and the most painful story of my life.