A quiet Beginning Of Something
1392 Words
>
The new week arrived quietly. I woke up feeling strangely relieved.
Lighter.
Happier.
For absolutely no reason.
Or maybe for a reason I wasn’t ready to admit.
The feeling lingered softly inside me, impossible to fully understand.
I lay there for a few extra seconds, staring at the ceiling.
My mind drifted away but i immediately pushed the thoughts aside and climbed out of bed.
Routine came naturally after that.
Shower.
Skincare.
Uniform.
I slipped into my neatly ironed school uniform, crisp and perfectly arranged the way our laundry staff always made sure it was.
Not a crease out of place.
I packed my books carefully, grabbed my bag, and stood in front of the mirror.
A quick adjustment of my collar.
My ponytail.
Then lip balm.
Because dry lips before school?
Absolutely not.
Satisfied, I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs.
I could tell the house was already awake.
As I made my way downstairs using my private elevator, I caught myself smoothing invisible creases from my uniform.
Habit.
Or nerves.
I wasn’t exactly sure.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft sound.
And there in the living room sat Michael.
For a second, my steps slowed.
He wore a freshly laundered blue cotton T-shirt paired with simple jean trousers, the kind of effortless dressing that somehow looked unfairly good on certain people.
His hair had been freshly cut too.
Neat.
Sharp.
Like someone preparing carefully for a new beginning.
And somehow he looked different.
More handsome than I had properly allowed myself to notice.
Or maybe i had noticed.
Just refused to admit it.
Almost immediately, he glanced up.
Our eyes met.
Briefly.
Unexpectedly.
The kind of accidental eye contact that somehow lasted just a second too long.
It caught me off guard.
“Good morning,” I greeted quickly, almost too quickly.
Before my brain could betray me any further, I hurried past and headed straight into the dining area.
Smooth, Zara.
Very smooth.
Miss Bose greeted me warmly the moment I entered.
“My pikin, good morning!”
Without waiting, she immediately began serving my breakfast, carefully arranging my portion like she always did.
“Is this okay?” she asked softly.
I nodded.
“Yes.”
But today she looked different.
Lighter.
Her face carried a kind of happiness that couldn’t be hidden.
Gratitude.
And somehow i knew why.
“Thank you, pikin,” she said quietly.
The softness in her voice made me pause.
I simply nodded.
But inwardly something warmed.
A strange kind of satisfaction settled quietly in my chest.
The kind that comes when you realize a small thing you did somehow mattered deeply to someone else.
Putting a smile on another person’s face,
A real smile felt unexpectedly beautiful.
Even though deep down i knew that wasn’t the only reason I had suggested Michael.
And that thought alone made me suddenly very interested in my breakfast.
The drive to school felt…
Unexpectedly peaceful.
Comfortable in a way silence rarely was.
The morning traffic moved lazily through Lagos streets while soft music played faintly from the car speakers.
No awkwardness.
No forced conversation.
The kind of silence that somehow didn’t feel empty.
Once in a while, I stole quick glances at him.
Subtle enough not to be obvious.
Or at least i hoped so.
He looked completely focused.
Hands steady on the steering wheel.
Eyes alert.
Careful at every turn.
Like he carried the responsibility seriously.
Almost as though he was transporting a president’s daughter instead of me.
The thought made me smile to myself.
Eventually curiosity won.
“Your mum said you’re a graduate,” I said casually.
He glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the road.
“Yeah zara,” he replied. “I studied Statistics.”
The way it rolled off his tongue settled strangely in the air.
Warm.
Smooth.
Like hearing your favorite song unexpectedly play somewhere familiar.
Something about it lingered.
“I studied Statistics in a private university,” he continued. “Macdonald University.”
I nodded like I knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Oh… wow.”
A pause.
“That’s nice.”
He smiled slightly.
And for some reason, he looked genuinely happy that I had started the conversation.
Like he had been waiting for permission to talk.
“Very soon,” he said, glancing briefly at me, “you’ll be attending one too. Based on your dreams and career.”
A smile flashed across his face.
And there they were the dimples.
Deep enough to soften everything about him.
Perfectly settled against his dark skin in a way that felt annoyingly distracting.
I quickly looked away.
Then chuckled softly.
“Why not?” I said.
“Wonderful,” he smiled.
Then after a beat,
“Your dreams must be big.”
“Hmmm,” I hummed softly, strangely enjoying the conversation more than I intended to.
He smiled again.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted, shrugging lightly. “And don’t get me wrong it’s not like I don’t think about it.”
I leaned back into the seat slightly, watching the city blur past my window.
“I’m just… indecisive.”
Michael chuckled softly.
“That’s fair.”
“When I was little,” I continued, smiling faintly at the memory, “I wanted to be a nurse.”
He glanced at me briefly.
“A nurse?”
“Yeah,” I laughed softly. “Because someone told me nurses treated sick people. And somehow, in my tiny brain, I decided healing people sounded like the greatest job ever.”
His smile widened.
“That’s actually sweet.”
I rolled my eyes playfully.
“Then later, during primary school, I changed my mind.”
“To?”
“A lawyer.”
That earned a quiet laugh from him.
“Interesting switch.”
I nodded dramatically.
“I had this really annoying classmate,” I said. “A proper bully.”
“The kind that disturbed everyone for absolutely no reason.”
I shook my head at the memory.
“And one day I told myself,”
I paused for effect.
“if he grew up to become a bad person, I would personally drag him to court.”
Michael burst into laughter.
Real laughter.
The kind that arrived unexpectedly and settled warmly in the space between people.
“You were already planning court cases as a child?”
“Very serious ones,” I replied with fake pride.
“Wow.”
He shook his head, still smiling.
“I won’t lie, Zara… that sounds exactly like something you would say.”
I turned toward him.
“What does that even mean?”
His smile softened.
“You seem like someone who notices things.”
There was a pause.
“Someone who cares more than she pretends to.”
For a second i didn’t know what to say.
The words landed somewhere strange.
Quietly.
Unexpectedly.
Like he had somehow seen something I hadn’t explained.
I looked away quickly.
“Well…” I cleared my throat. “Clearly, I abandoned both dreams.”
He laughed lightly.
“So what’s the latest one?”
I thought for a second.
“Honestly?”
“Hm?”
“Some days I think business.”
“Other days fashion.”
“Then randomly I’ll watch something and suddenly convince myself I’m meant to own a charity foundation.”
Michael smiled.
“That sounds like someone with options.”
“No,” I laughed. “That sounds like someone confused.”
“No,” he repeated gently.
“Someone still figuring herself out.”
Then he glanced at me briefly again.
“But for what it’s worth…”
His dimples appeared once more.
“I think whatever you choose, you’ll probably be really good at it.”
I blinked.
Caught slightly off guard.
The compliment arrived so naturally it didn’t even feel rehearsed.
And somehow that made it better.
I wasn’t sure.
I looked out the window quickly, fighting the tiny smile threatening to expose me.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
Trying and failing to sound unaffected.
Outside, the school gate slowly came into view.
And annoyingly for the first time ever the drive had felt too short.
- Writer
