Twist Of My Fate

The quiet of the room was pierced by the sound of voices, coming from the phone in my hand. My face lights up occasionally as the screen flickers in the dim light, its audio covers the room as the volume is high — the sudden screams, the laughter, the hums, and each spoken word with a strong Nigerian accent. The noise seemed to increase at every point, screaming at the walls like the people were present, the room yearned for silence. “Jesus” Mayowa blurted out after a long sigh. “Please you’re ruining my sleep and I’ve barely had enough. Why is your volume so loud?” She continues in a sleepy tone. The bed makes a ruffling noise as Mayowa turns in irritation. All of a sudden, there’s silence in the room after I paused the video. “I’m going to Lagos” I cried out like I’ve been waiting in anticipation to voice out those four words. There is now a huge grin on my face and my eyes are widened — threatening the falling out of my eyeballs. The sheet makes another batch of ruffling noises as Mayowa turns to face my direction “Did you dream about lagos, why the sudden interest in going to Nigeria” she asked, but this time in a clearer tone —- she’s definitely awake and ready to listen to my plans, my heart literally leaped for joy. I hopped a step closer to her “Mayowa it’s Christmas and I want to spend Christmas it Lagos”. I screamed in excitement. “I thought we were going to Dubai though, that’s what we agreed on, the last time we discussed Christmas holiday arrangements” Mayowa said after blinking fervently Crawling toward her with a mischievous spark in my eye, I stuck out my tongue playfully, giving her strings of quick, exaggerated winks. "There's this new trend among IJGBs and Lagos girls that I just have to be a part of," I said, curling my lips outward in a teasing grin. As I finished speaking, I waited for her reaction, my expression softening into an innocent, puppy-eyed look, eager to see how she would respond. She shook her head, her eyes covered with a mixture of fascination and confusion. The suddenness of my decision had clearly caught her off guard, a trait of mine I was all too familiar with—quick to act, quick to decide. It was a flaw, one I would blame on my dad, but I made peace with it. "Girl, please!" she laughed, the sound rich and full, reverberating in the space between us. Her smile followed, warm and knowing, as if she could peer right through me, touching something deep inside, something I hadn’t quite figured out yet. The room was bathed in the warm, golden hues of the rising sun, casting a soft glow over the space. I leaned into her, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her chest as I nestled closer. “You know,” I murmured, my voice carrying a playful edge, “I hate-love it when you look at me like you’re piercing my soul with those siren eyes of yours.” She smiled softly, her fingers lightly running through my hair, brushing it away from my forehead as her other hand rested gently on my arm. I closed my eyes enjoying the tenderness of her soft palms before I spoke again. "You know me, Mayowa,” I said, my voice low and steady as I lifted my head from her chest and met her eyes. “I love to live as freely as the birds in the sky. No constraints, no limits. Just the freedom to go wherever the wind takes me.” A small laugh escaped my lips, light and almost carefree. “And I’m grateful for it. Grateful to God for bringing me to a family that has wealth enough to sponsor every single thing I desire.” I looked at her as I spoke, my gaze earnest and full of grace. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes never left mine. I could feel her attention on me—undivided, patient—and it made me continue, almost as if I didn’t need to explain, there were no questions in her eyes. “People yearn for what I have,” I went on, the words flowing now as if they were always meant to be spoken aloud. “They dream of the life I lead, the things I’ve been able to experience. And yet, here I am—living it. So why not?” Mayowa broke the silence, her voice a soft murmur, her words carrying a sense of understanding that only she could offer. “You’re really serious about this then,” she said, her hand now resting gently on mine. “You know I have no issue with where we spend our Christmas holidays as long as we’re together” I looked at her, appreciating the depth of her words. Mayowa had a way of reminding me that while I could have everything, she gets me—and makes me feel like I am everything She smiled softly, that knowing smile that always made me feel like she saw right through me, like she understood me more than I understood myself. “I get it,” she said quietly. “You want to live, really live, without limits, without boundaries. And that’s something most people never experience. I’m just glad I get to experience it with you” I heaved a long sigh of relief and before I could respond, she leaned in, her lips finding mine in a kiss that was both tender and full of longing. She wasn’t just my best friend—she was far more than that. Mayowa was my girl for life. The way she understood all the quirks, the intricacies of my being, was proof enough of the depth of her love. It wasn’t just the shared laughter and the countless memories we’d made In a world that didn’t always accept us, we chose to protect what we had, keeping our love just between the two of us. And though I couldn’t be open about it in the place I called home, Mayowa was my ride or die. You might wonder how the princess of Benin could be queer. Truth is, I don’t have an answer to that. It’s complicated, it’s messy, but it’s also real. What I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, is that I am queer for Mayowa. She’s the one I’ve always wanted, the one I’ll always choose. And for her, I would move heaven and earth. Because, despite everything, she is, undeniably, my everything.