Chapter Four: The place she felt safe
730 Words
Vanessa had spent most of her life pretending.
Pretending she was the perfect pastor’s daughter. Pretending she enjoyed every choir rehearsal. Pretending she didn’t crave loud music, flashing lights, and freedom that tasted dangerous.
And lately, pretending Adrian meant nothing to her.
But that lie was becoming harder to carry.
The rain fell heavily across Lagos that evening, tapping against the windows of the Luxurious apartment Adrian lived in.
Vanessa sat quietly on the edge of his couch, wrapped in one of his oversized hoodies. Her makeup from the previous night had long faded. Without it, she looked softer. Younger. Real.
Adrian returned from the tiny kitchen holding two steaming cups of tea.
“You look like you’re fighting your thoughts again,” he said gently, handing her one.
A weak smile touched her lips. “Maybe I am.”
He didn’t push.
That was what unsettled her most about Adrian. He never forced answers out of her. Never demanded explanations. Never made her feel like she had to perform.
He simply stayed.
Vanessa lowered her eyes to the cup in her hands. “You know… people only like versions of me.”
Adrian leaned back in his chair. “What version am I seeing now?”
She hesitated.
“The confused one.”
“Then she’s my favorite so far.”
Vanessa looked up slowly, almost suspiciously, as though kindness was a language she no longer trusted.
“You don’t even know half the things I’ve done.”
Adrian shrugged lightly. “And you don’t know half the things I survived.”
Silence settled between them again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was warm. Safe.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
Vanessa studied him carefully. Most men she had met wanted something from her immediately. Attention, Beauty, Excitement,A temporary thrill.
But Adrian looked at her like she was a person before she was anything else.
That terrified her.
Because for the first time, she wanted to be known.
“You ever get tired?” she asked softly.
“Of what?”
“Being strong for everybody.”
He laughed quietly under his breath. “All the time.”
The honesty in his voice cracked something open inside her.
Vanessa slowly set her tea down before speaking again. “My parents think I’m this perfect girl.” Her voice trembled faintly. “The church thinks I’m holy. My friends think I’m fearless. But honestly…” She swallowed hard. “I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Adrian moved closer, not too close, just enough for her to feel him there.
“You don’t have to figure everything out tonight.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“It’s not easy,” he said softly. “But you shouldn’t have to carry everything alone.”
Vanessa looked away quickly as emotion burned behind her eyes.
No one had ever spoken to her like that before.
Not like she deserved gentleness too.
Adrian noticed her silence and smiled faintly. “You know what your problem is?”
She frowned. “What?”
“You’re always waiting for people to leave.”
Her breath caught.
Because he was right.
Every secret she carried, every lie she told, every hidden night eventually led to disappointment. People either judged her, used her, or misunderstood her.
So she learned to leave first.
Before they could.
Vanessa stared at him for a long moment. “And what if I ruin this too?”
Adrian reached for her hand carefully, giving her enough time to pull away.
She didn’t.
“Then we fix it,” he said simply.
No dramatic speech. No empty promises.
Just sincerity.
And somehow, that touched her more deeply than anything else ever had.
The rain continued outside as Vanessa slowly rested her head against his shoulder.
For once, she wasn’t hiding. Wasn’t performing. Wasn’t pretending to be untouchable.
She was just tired.
And Adrian understood that without her needing to explain.
He wrapped an arm around her carefully, like she was something precious and not broken.
Vanessa closed her eyes.
In all the chaos she had chased lately the music, the parties, the secrecy, the rebellion nothing had felt as dangerous as this.
Being loved gently.
And somewhere between the sound of rain and the quiet beating of his heart beside her…
Vanessa realized she was falling completely for him.
- Writer
