~ SEVENTY-THREE ~

~ SEVENTY-THREE ~

Months had passed in a blur, and now December had finally rolled around.

The last exams had been the previous weekend, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the campus was alive in a different way. No more the frantic shuffling of feet to lecture halls or the late-night cramming marathons. Instead, there was laughter, music floating out of open windows, and the quiet hum of students preparing to head home for the holidays.

Freedom hung in the air — almost tangible.

Up in Kaima’s room, it was a whole different kind of chaos.

The floor was littered with open suitcases, half-folded clothes, and empty bags waiting to be filled. The air smelled faintly of her vanilla room spray, mixing with the faint whiff of dust kicked up from drawers being yanked open and upturned.

Chelsea sat cross-legged on Kaima’s bed, holding up a top in one hand and a jacket in the other, clearly confused. "Explain to me why you need three jackets when you're only traveling down south?" she asked, mock serious.

Kaima, who was kneeling by the wardrobe, huffed. "Options! You never know when style emergencies can happen."

Mandy snorted from where she was perched at the vanity, attempting—and failing—to organize Kaima’s small mountain of jewelry. "Options, she says. As if she's going to a Parisian fashion week."

"Let her be great," Zahra chimed in from the floor, laughing as she tried to zip one of the suitcases that was stubbornly resisting. "It's Christmas. You gotta slay for the village girls."

Everyone burst into laughter, including Kaima, who shook her head at her friends’ antics.

Despite the teasing, there was an unmistakable warmth in the room. The kind that only came from surviving something difficult together — endless tests, crazy professors, heartbreaks, and homesickness. They had made it through the semester in one piece, and somehow, despite everything, they were still standing.

Still, underneath the light-heartedness, Kaima couldn't ignore the heaviness she carried.

Her hands slowed as she folded another sweater, her thoughts drifting — again — to him.

Obinna.

Their friendship had grown so much over the past few months. After the awkwardness of Hadiza's stunt and Kaima's initial fears, they'd found a steady rhythm. Studying late into the night, sharing snacks, teasing each other mercilessly, even hanging out with their wider circle without any weirdness.

It was good.

More than good, actually.

And somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, she'd fallen — hopelessly, stupidly, completely — in love with him.

Chelsea noticed her sudden quietness first.

"Uh-oh," she said, tossing the jacket aside and crawling to sit closer to Kaima. "Somebody’s zoning out again."

"Is it Obi?" Mandy asked, waggling her eyebrows exaggeratedly.

Kaima bit her bottom lip, cheeks flushing, but said nothing.

"That’s a yes," Zahra crowed in delight, abandoning the stubborn suitcase to sit cross-legged beside her.

Kaima let out a soft groan, covering her face with her hands. "I hate how obvious I am."

"No, you don't," Chelsea said knowingly. "You're in love, babe. You're supposed to be obvious."

The word — love — hung heavily between them, and Kaima felt it settle over her shoulders like a weighted blanket.

She dropped her hands with a resigned laugh. "Fine. Yes. I am... deeply in love with him."

The girls cheered and clapped like she had just announced she'd won a Grammy.

Mandy threw a sock at her. "So what are you waiting for? Go tell him!"

Kaima raised an eyebrow. "And say what, exactly? 'Hey Obi, thanks for being amazing and making me fall headfirst into feelings I didn't ask for'?"

"Exactly that," Zahra said with a grin. "Word for word. No edits."

Kaima laughed again, but it came out shakier this time. "I'm scared," she admitted quietly.

All three girls sobered immediately.

Chelsea took her hand gently. "It's okay to be scared. But don't let fear stop you from something beautiful."

Mandy nodded. "You've been dancing around this for months. You owe it to yourself to be honest."

"And to him," Zahra added. "He's not just anybody. He's Obi. Your Obi."

Kaima’s heart twisted at their words.

They were right.

He was her Obi. Her constant. Her comfort. Her smile at the end of a long, terrible day.

And maybe — just maybe — she was his too.

Taking a deep breath, Kaima nodded. "Okay. I'll go see him. This evening, after I'm done packing."

The girls squealed again, launching into a frenzy of outfit planning, even though Kaima insisted she didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.

In the end, she settled on something simple — a fitted black sweater, light blue jeans, and white sneakers. Comfortable, casual, but still pretty enough to make her feel confident.

Chelsea swiped a little gloss over her lips before she could protest. "There. Perfect," she declared.

Zahra clapped her on the back. "Go get your man, woman."

"And remember," Mandy added with a mischievous wink, "confidence is sexy. Walk in there like you already own his heart."

Kaima laughed, feeling her nerves coil and tighten inside her chest, but she was ready.

At least, she hoped she was.

As the sun began to dip behind the horizon, painting the sky in strokes of purple and gold, Kaima slipped on her jacket, grabbed her phone, and headed out — her heart a drumbeat in her ears.

There was no turning back now.

Tonight, everything would change.

\----

Knock, knock, came the soft sound of Kaima’s knuckles against Obinna’s front door.

Beside her, the girls huddled together, buzzing with excitement and nerves. Even though Kaima had insisted she could do it alone, they had followed her anyway — partly to stop her from chickening out, but mostly because they’d texted the boys earlier, organizing a spontaneous group hangout at his place. At least that way, if things got awkward, she wouldn’t be alone for too long.

They teased her while they waited, nudging her sides, whispering jokes into her ears, laughing under their breath when she shifted anxiously from one foot to the other.

“He’s going to open the door and just faint,” Mandy whispered, grinning.

“Or maybe he’ll just kiss you right there,” Chelsea added, waggling her brows.

Kaima rolled her eyes, but her heart raced.

Except...the door didn’t open immediately.

Which was odd.

Obinna always opened his door fast, especially when any of them came knocking. It wasn’t like him to leave her waiting — not even for a second.

A tiny seed of worry planted itself in her stomach, but she pushed it aside quickly. Maybe he was just in the bathroom. Maybe he didn’t hear right away.

She smoothed her palms down the front of her jeans and knocked again, lighter this time.

Just as she was about to knock a third time, the door swung open.

And everything inside her stilled.

Obinna stood there, but...something was wrong.

His expression was frozen — shock first, then panic flashing in his eyes before he quickly wiped it away, forcing a casual smile that didn’t quite reach his face.

Behind her, the girls hastily ducked out of sight, giggling like teenagers, leaving her alone on the doorstep.

He stepped aside wordlessly, gesturing for her to come in, but there was no warmth in the gesture. No teasing smile. No familiar light in his eyes.

Kaima hesitated for a heartbeat before stepping in, the familiar scent of his cologne wrapping around her immediately. But tonight, it didn’t comfort her the way it usually did. Tonight, it felt...off.

The door clicked shut behind her — loud, final.

She walked slowly into his sitting room, each step weighed down by a sinking feeling she couldn’t explain.

“Obinna?” she asked gently, turning to face him.

He didn’t answer. Didn’t even meet her gaze.

He stood there, rigid, his jaw tight, staring past her like she wasn’t even there.

Her heart thudded painfully. “Obi,” she called again, a little louder, moving closer.

Still nothing.

And then —

A soft noise drifted from deeper inside the house.

A shuffle. A whisper of movement.

Kaima’s head snapped toward the sound instinctively, just as voices filtered in — and footsteps.

Aaron appeared first, walking into the room looking grim, followed by Chuma, Aiden, and even a slightly pale Chelsea, Zahra, and Mandy who must have been let in through the back.

And then —

Before Kaima could even process the sudden arrival of everyone —

Hadiza strolled into the sitting room.

Casually.

Comfortably.

Wearing nothing but one of Obinna’s shirts — the very one he usually wore to bed.

She smiled, slow and lazy, as if she had every right to be there, her bare legs brushing against the fabric with each step.

The room fell into a choking, horrified silence.

Kaima stood rooted to the spot, staring.

The weight of betrayal crashing down on her chest like a tidal wave.

And Obinna...

Obinna still didn’t say a word.