Her scholarship, His heart

sick day

# CHAPTER 13: SICK DAY

The ceiling was too white. And it smelled like money.

Amara blinked. Mint. Sandalwood. Not the smell of bleach and damp walls from her one-room apartment in Ajegunle.

She tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. Her head spun.

"Don't move."

Niyi. In a white t-shirt. Hair messy. Sitting by her bed in his mansion.

"You collapsed," he said. "Again."

She looked down. She was wearing his shirt.

"You lied for me?" she whispered,to him.

"Don't make it a thing," he muttered, pushing pepper soup to her. "Eat. You haven't eaten in two days."

The soup burned warm down her cold mouth down to here throat.

"Why are you nice when no one's watching?"

"Maybe I'm tired of pretending I don't care."

Then his mom walked in. Saw her. Smiled.

"You must be hungry. I'll make more."

After she left, Niyi stood to go.

"Don't die on me," he said at the door. "You're the only one who makes this school interesting."

Amara pulled the blanket up. For the first time, she felt safe.

Outside, Niyi checked his phone. 3 missed calls from his fiancée.

He ignored them.

And outside the window, it started to rain.