Chapter 5 - Tangled Truth and Tender Nights
461 Words
Temi couldn’t sleep. The glow from her phone dimly lit her small room, yet her heart was wide awake. Mahrez's silence haunted her, Justice’s unexpected message lingered in her thoughts, and Ade’s voice replayed over and over in her mind.
Life used to be simpler. It used to be quiet. But now, it was a storm of emotions. She was caught between what her heart felt, what her body desired, and what her future needed.
Earlier that day, Temi had stayed longer in school than usual. She told herself it was to catch up on assignments, but deep down, she hoped Mahrez would call. That maybe, just maybe, he'd show up like he used to. Instead, silence. Again.
Justice had texted her again too:
"Temi, I don’t want to lose you. I know I made mistakes. Let’s talk. Please."
She read it twice. Then once more. Why now? she wondered. Why did they always come back when she was already bleeding from their absence?
That evening, Ade had called. His voice was soft, tender, warm. She could hear the longing in it. They laughed, they teased each other, they planned for a weekend hangout. She smiled through the call, feeling comforted, yet confused.
Later that night, Temi stood by her window, staring at the moon. Her thoughts, wild and heavy, kept tumbling around.
Was she really in love? Was she just filling voids left by the last heartbreak? Was any of it real?
The next day, a surprise was waiting for her. As she walked into the hallway of her faculty building, Mahrez stood there. Leaning against the wall like he had never left. Like the silence between them was a myth.
"Temi," he said.
She froze.
"I need to talk to you."
She stared. Her chest tightened. He looked exhausted, but sincere.
"I lost everything when I lost my phone. But more than that, I lost you. And that's what broke me the most."
Her eyes stung with tears. But she didn’t cry.
"Mahrez, you said you didn’t have a girlfriend when my friend pranked you. That broke me."
He stepped closer.
"I messed up. But I’ve never stopped loving you. I was scared. I thought I was losing you. I tried to play it cool. But now, I just want you back. All of you."
The silence between them was louder than any scream.
She didn’t reply.
Not yet.
That night, Temi lay on her bed, torn. Mahrez had returned. Ade was growing deeper in her life. And Justice? Justice was floating like an echo she couldn’t silence.
Love was beautiful.
Love was messy.
But Temi was no longer the same girl from a few months ago.
She had loved by mistake.
Now she had to choose with intention.
- Writer
