Chapter 3 --- feels like love

It’s been two weeks now and lectures and assignments has everybody drained and tired too. We had a lecture by 3pm which lasted for 2 hours and 30 minutes, everybody was exhausted and hungry by the time the lecture was over. Michael accompanied me back to my hostel before he finally went to his. I was so tired when I got to the hostel that the first thing I did was head to the bathroom for a cool bath and then my bed to sleep for a few minutes before eating.

“Ladi, wake up”, I heard my roommate, Jackie call out my name, I had asked her to wake me up by 6:30pm so I could eat. I guess there wasn’t even a need to, because I got distracted with messages from Michael and instead of sleeping like I had planned, I ended up chatting with him. He talked about how he missed me already and if we could see this night but I wasn’t really the late night person so I declined, I wasn’t also sure of what was going on between Michael and myself , I mean, maybe I was misunderstanding his intentions, maybe he only wanted to be friends with me, so I had to hold on with whatever I was thinking or whatever feelings had plans of growing, because when it comes to love and catching feelings when I fall, I fall very fast, so I had to be careful. And Michael seemed like someone who was overly friendly and flirtatious with all his female friends, I couldn’t start having ideas.

“Are you going to the cafeteria already” I said to Jackie as I reached for my locker to get the rice krispies and milk I had plans of taking.

“Yes, I’m going already because I am not ready to stand on a queue” she replied

“Okay, fair enough” I laughed out loud

We always went to the cafeteria together. Florence and Sonia preferred eating at the cafeteria, unlike i and Jackie who would rather bring the food to the hostel to eat. I didn’t feel like eating the cafeteria food today, and I didn’t even feel like stepping out this night so I decided to stay back and continue with the episode of stranger things I stopped at while having my cereal.

This is the second serving of cereal I’d be having, the bowl I used to serve was quite small and this was one of my fav so I could go on and on and put the blame on the bowl for being too small. Just when I was contemplating about a third serving, Jackie stepped in, looking really troubled and sad.

“You won’t believe what happened” she said,

“What’s wrong” I asked looking clueless

“I misplaced my meal ticket, just when I had gotten to the front, like there was just one person to be served before me”

“Whoa, that must have been very painful, no wonder you have this long face on”

“What do you plan on eating now?” I added

“Ermm, actually I was thinking you could give me your meal ticket since you aren’t eating this night” she said

“Ohh, but don’t I have to go with you that way, you know they won’t serve you till the owner of the ticket is there’’ I said reluctantly. I really didn’t want to go out.

The meal tickets had the date of each day and the names of each student printed on them in bold block letters and so all you had to do was write the type of food you wanted and the amount of serving and hand it over to the food counter attendant, and they were really mean and strict so I knew for a fact they weren’t going to serve Jackie if I wasn’t there.

“Yes, you’d have to go with me” she answered making a pleading face

“I already reserved a spot so it would be fast, I promise” she continued

“Fine, I’ll go, I have to clear these things up though” I said looking at the bowl I used for cereal which had now dried up, and the pack of rice krispies and milk that was beside it.

“That’s fine, I’ll wait” she said.

“I thought you said you saved a spot?” I said to Jackie as we approached the cafeteria to see there wasn’t a queue and people were everywhere, the only time you could find people like this, scattered across the huge cafeteria hall and looking like they had no other option was when food was finished and they had to wait until they had prepared more to be served.

“Yeah, I did, I guess we were too late to meet up with the reserved space”

“So, what do we do now” I said, ready to head back to the hostel

“Please, we already came this far, let’s just wait, I really want to collect the chicken, and fried rice you know the restaurants don’t work at night”

“Okay, fine, I’ll be sitting over there” I walked towards a table surrounded with chairs to sit while she stood in front of the food counter so she wouldn’t miss a spot at the front

It’s been 10 minutes and the food isn’t ready yet, I looked around to see if I would spot Michael but he wasn’t anywhere around, he told me the only reason he wanted to come out this night was because of me and if I wasn’t going to see him he’d be at his hostel. I decided to send him a text

“Hi Mic, are you there” it got delivered immediately. I waited for his reply but didn’t get any. I concluded he was probably eating or slept off while using his phone. I looked up to see students run towards the food counter. Food had arrived and was ready to be served. I immediately rushed over to Jackie who had secured a spot in front, she was with the food ticket but I still had to be there.

“Thank God, I was just thinking of coming over to call you” she said

“Well, here I am” I replied as I stepped in the reserved spot and collected the food flask from her. I stretched the food flask over the food counter to the food attendant

“Where is the mee ticket” I heard a voice with such a strong native accent speak, I looked up to see a young man, who should be in his mid thirties

“Oh, uhm, sorry” “Jackie, ticket” I whispered as I watched her search through her trouser pocket

“Here” I said to the Food Attendant

“Are you the owner of deez mee ticket” his accent was so native it sounded almost like he was singing a song

“Of course, it has my name boldly written on it” I replied after taking few seconds to understand he was asking if it was my meal ticket

“Hmm” he muttered with an attitude as he reached for the spoon to serve. This was a thing, sometimes they go as far as asking for an I. D card to be sure the ticket is yours, because of cases where students had reported their meal tickets to be missing, and what’s worse is the culprits requested for such large servings that the victim’s feeding acc balance was a wreck. I guess he didn’t ask for my I. D card because I replied with such confidence or maybe because there were lots of other students waiting to be served.

“Finally” I said as I and Jackie walked out of the cafeteria. I couldn’t wait to get back to the hostel and sleep, hopefully this time I don’t get distracted by Michael but he was probably asleep.

“Hey” I heard from behind and immediately I recognized that voice, it was Raphael’s. I met him during fresher’s night and he has been all over me since then, he’s the last person I expected to bump into because I have been airing his messages for weeks now, yet he still sends a text message every day. It’s not like I disliked him or anything, he was a fine guy, with perfect facial features and the perfect height but I knew he wanted more than being just friends and I also knew that I didn’t have feelings for him so I had to avoid him, so he doesn’t get any ideas and he doesn’t get hurt.

“Jackie, would you wait, or that’s true, you love it when your food is hot so maybe you should just go” I said to my room mate

“Thank you so much. I would stay but then that guy looks like he’s ready to talk for hours” she teased as she headed to the hostel.

Now I was left with Raphael, I felt so guilty I didn’t even know what to say to him, I mean, I aired his chats and also ignored his calls, he was probably so mad at me, but I had a good reason for that, I wish I could tell him but that would also hurt him.

“So, why haven’t you been replying my messages” he said, I could feel the heartbreak in his voice

“I’m sorry, been staying offline for a while” after letting those words out I realized the excuse wasn’t good enough because asides the Whatsapp messages, he had also sent text messages and even called severally but I ignored.

“And the text messages? and even the calls?” He replied

“Okay, I guess I don’t have an excuse, I’m sorry” I said. I felt really sorry for him, he must have been heartbroken, maybe ignoring him wasn’t the way out, I guess I should just tell him that I don’t have feelings for him at all.

“Ladi” he said softly

“I like you, I like you so much, and I know you think all this is fake or probably an act, but I fell in love with you the first day I saw you in that dress at the fresher’s party, and I also know you feel we are too young for love and should focus on studies and having good grades, I totally understand that and I’m willing to wait and stay as friends till we are done with school or whenever you feel you’re ready. I know this is love because I’m ready to wait, and do anything you want, so yeah let’s be friends but promise me you would give me a try when the time comes. I promise you would never regret it”

I got lost half way through his speech, I saw Michael, and he wasn’t alone, he was with a girl, is that the reason he ignored my message, so he had a lover, I thought he said he wasn’t going to step out because I wasn’t going to also. So he lied, he must be such a teaser, I knew he was like this that’s why I kept convincing myself I didn’t like him, he’s such a liar.

I’m trying so hard to control my emotions, why do I feel this way. I really was starting to fall for Michael.

“Ladi” Raphael’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Uhm, yeah. Okay, I’ve heard you” I replied even though I didn’t hear most of the things he said

“I feel really dizzy, I need to sleep, would you see me off” I asked, I couldn’t walk alone, not after seeing Michael holding hands with another girl, I didn’t have the courage to walk past them alone.

“Of course, I will, gladly” he replied with a big smile.

I laid in my bed waiting for a reply from Michael, he still hadn’t replied my message, it was lights out already so he was definitely in his hostel, so what was wrong, did he see me with Raphael and get mad, that’s not possible though, because he looked very happy with the girl I saw him with. So why wasn’t he replying me, or maybe this was his plan all along, to make me fall in love with him and ghost me, I’ve heard stories of Yoruba demons, he was probably one of them. So much for having plans to sleep early, its past 11 already and here I am foolishly thinking about a guy who never once said he loved me, so why was I seeing him as a heartbreaker, or a liar. He owes me nothing and we are just friends, I convinced myself as I dozed off.