THE BATTLE OF LOVE AND DESTINY

CHAPTER FIVE- LOVE BEYOND HER REACH

As time went by, Kate and Davies continued the one-on-one tutorial. Kate was tired of being taught only. She needed a romantic relationship, which Davies didn't give room for. Her admiration towards Davies had now escalated to endless infatuation.

She took some drastic steps to achieve her aim. She would script an excuse to spend more time with Davies outside study hours.

At midnight, she would give Davies a text message about a pending assignment. At other times, she would linger after the tutorial, and most times, she would pretend as if she didn't fully grasp a concept that Davies had taught, all in a bid to keep him talking.

During the students’ week, Kate sought an indulgence to have a tutorial-free week. However, she used the opportunity to invite him to a dinner at a first-class restaurant in the city. He also invited him to an art exhibition and a jazz night party.

These three invitations came in succession over three days. She hoped that Davies would honor at least one of them so that she could use the opportunity to relate with him socially and informally and express her romantic love and admiration towards him.

Upon receiving these invitations, Davies politely declined, never scornful but always resolute.

Kate discussed this matter with one of her friends, who noticed that she was very worried and nervous. They met at the university's clinic where Kate had gone to see a Doctor. "Hi Angela," Kate greeted. "Good morning Kate.

You look so dull and slightly lean. Is everything ok?" Angela replied. "All is never OK. As a matter of truth, I've been passing through a lot in recent times, and this has been giving me worries as you rightly observed," Kate replied.

She noticed that Kate was depressed and nervous and quickly said, "We need to talk." They quickly located a vacant section within the hospital and sat down to discuss.

"What is the matter, Kate, that has turned you to this?" she asked. "Davies refused to propose to me," she responded in a very low tone. "How does that become a problem?" Angela queried.

"You won't understand, only me can tell where the shoe pinches," Kate responded. Angela paused and looked straight into her eyes. Still visibly worried, she replied, "I love Davies so much. In fact, I dropped all my boyfriends because of him. The qualities I found in him are so special that I don't think I can find them in someone else. I tried to gain her heart towards my side, but the more I tried, the more she humbly resisted. This is giving me emotional worries and loss of appetite."

"Kate, I know how you feel, but if I may ask this: must you fall in love with that poor boy? Apart from being brilliant, what could have attracted you towards him? There are several rich boys on campus you can date. Just use him to achieve your academic purpose and dump him. He is not your level." Angela replied in a confrontational tone.

Kate's heartbeat became faster, and Angela could easily notice it. She took a deep breath and said, "Calm down, Kate. If befriending him will give you the desired peace you seek, then go after him."

Kate narrated some efforts she had put in place to woo him, but failed. She said, "Whenever I give him gifts, even expensive ones, he would reject them. If I invite him to any social gathering, he would politely decline it. He would always claim he has his priorities and has promised his family never to lose focus. These are some of the statements he would utter as an excuse not to socially interact with me beyond just teaching."

"Serious!" Angela replied.

Kate continued, "I noticed she wears just two shirts, and I ordered six expensive shirts which I presented to him yesterday. Guess what he did, he rebuffed the gifts and quietly told me that he wanted nothing he hadn't earned."

"Do you know the news going round the campus now?" Angela asked Kate. "No, is it on this issue?" “Yes," Angela replied.

"What is it, Angela?" Let me know, replied Kate.

"See, your friends are not happy with you for abandoning them for Davies. You've refused to keep their company, visit clubs, and even call them. You refuse to pick up their calls whenever they call you, and also keep a long distance from them," Angela said.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Yes," Kate responded.

Angela told her that everyone believed that she did that because she had found a new love in Davies, who had turned her heart against everyone of them.

She also made her know that her friends were planning a revenge against Davies if their relationship persist and Kate didn't return back to them.

When Kate heard all these things, she was downcast because they didn't know what she was battling to win the heart of Davies.

She told Angela that the elite group chat she belonged was always filled with sarcastic questions about her newly found lover and her craze for academic knowledge at the expense of the freedom and fun she once enjoyed. However, she was usually unmoved because of her love for Davies.

"What did the Doctor say?" Angela asked. "I was thoroughly examined and was told that I don't have any ailment, but deep within me, I know I'm not healthy," replied Kate.

Angela then advised her to leave Davies and date a guy of her class. She said, “What keeps me fulfilled till date is that I date a man of my class.”

When she saw the countenance of Kate and guessed her disapproval of the advice given, she quickly rose up and excused herself.

Within a short time, Kate's condition had grown from bad to worse. What seemed like a trivial issue had escalated into a serious psychological matter.

She couldn't have a sound sleep at night, and she now started skipping even her best meals. Her feelings for Davies and fear of rejection were all she couldn't balance. Determined never to go back to her friend, she retreated inwardly.

The one-on-one tutorial continued as usual, but Davies couldn't see the emptiness in Kate as she was not observant enough to take notice. One evening, after another study session in which Davies maintained his gentle distance, Kate returned to her room depressed and heartbroken.

This led to her shedding tears. Davies's unreturned love, coupled with the fact that she had become a changed person because of him, grieved her heart.

To her, Davies is gradually slipping away from her reach, and she feared winning her to herself is already too late.

She lay on her bed, her phone still glowing beside her after another unanswered text to Davies. Her heart raced with frustration and longing. Her mind echoed Angela’s harsh words, “He’s not your class.” Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, “Maybe love really isn’t meant for me.”

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. For a moment, she froze as she asked, “Could it be Davies? With enthusiasm, she quickly picked it up, and her smile vanished instantly. The message wasn’t from Davies; however, what she saw made her blood run cold.