Adanna
They were six bedrooms in total with five bathrooms,it was a fairly large house.
After a very awkward dinner I was escorted to my room by kosi so the Adults could talk.Even she didn't seem grasp the concept. She briefed me on her family's history
Apparently her mum, Miss Susan, had old money which has been in her generation for a very longtime, She was smart enough to invest it.
The inherited companies as well have been doing a little above okay under her management Long story short, they were loaded.
So was her ex-husband, kosi's father and after the pretty nasty divorce she took half of everything he owns.
According to what she told me half is a lot, so basically she just keeps getting richer.
I feel like that should be a super power,The kind that I definitely want. Three steady knocks on my door right before it was pushed open
I looked up to see Ikenna leaning on my doorframe with his arms deep in his pockets.
"We need to talk" he sighed out pushing himself away from the door, folding his arms as he did so.
"About?" I asked with a mask of indifference, picking at my nails.
"Everything" He breathed out.
"I have nothing to say to you"
"Don't do that" he said his voice firm, making his way towards me.
"Do what?" I asked tilting my head to the right.
"Treat me like a stranger"
"You are a stranger, well to me at least, I may know you but that doesn't mean I know you" I stated stabbing my finger on his clothes chest.
"Stop" he said clenching his jaw.
"When was the last time we had an actual conversation before all this happened huh?... Never, To me your just David's childhood friend, Nothing more" I spoke softly
"You're right I am David's friend, Not yours, because we can never be, just friends" he said making his way out of the room.
_________
We can never be just friends
His voice echoed in my head for what felt like the hundredth time today.
This was an extremely comfy bed, the silk sheets felt nice against my skin but I just couldn't fall asleep.
Could it be?, My feelings for him were no secret at all, I thought I had finally gotten over them. I thought him flying abroad a million miles away from me would help. That time would force them away.
But here I am curled up in silk sheets, my mind a jumbled mess because of him.
We could never be just friends.
I refuse to get my hopes up but what exactly did he mean? Was this some sort of derisive plan to make me lose sleep and my sanity as well?
I just want a normal life without all this fuss, was that too much to ask? Does normal even exist?
What exactly is the true definition of normal?
I needed a high dose of reality. Sliding my feet into my white fuzzy slippers, I made my way out of the room, down the stairs into the kitchen.
And There he was, he seemed to be everywhere today. his hard gaze fixed on the sheet of paper in his hand.
The evident turmoil drowning him with unanswered questions.
What exactly was written on a flimsy paper to force him to loose sleep over it.
The muffled sound of my feet shuffling against the floor forced his hard gaze on me.
It softened once his red puffy eyes met mine, A single tear drop simultaneously rolling down his left cheek.
Crumpling the paper up, he made his way towards me, that single tear drop tugging at my heartstrings.
He pulled me into a warm embrace, silently saying all that needed to be heard.
This was a new territory all together, I never knew him to be a sensitive person.But then again I never truly knew him to begin with.
________
"That was so much fun!" I exclaimed stuffing my face full with vanilla flavoured icecream.
We spent the entire day touring the beautiful streets of london. It's been a week since my awkward encounter with Ikenna.
I've decided that it's best labeled as a moment of weakness nothing more.
Yeah, just a vulnerable moment. I tried a few times to get him to open up to me about that night or what was written on that paper.But all my attempts were futile.
He would be leaving tomorrow, flying back to Edinburgh, Scotland.I keep telling myself that it's for the best but even I'm not that good a liar.
"Adanna" I looked up to see kosi starting at me intently.
"You spaced out" she said
"Oh uh sorry I guess"
"C'mon family meeting downstairs"
Family meeting?
They were all seated on the sofas round the room with Solemn expressions. This can't be good.
I turned to face kosi, she shrugged mirroring my perplexed expression.
"What is going on?" I asked standing at the edge of one of the red couches.
They each turned to face me, the absence of Miss Susan's usual smile forced the goosebumps on my skin.
Now this was really serious.
"Sit" Mum said patting the spot next to her on the sofa.
"We need to talk" she continued
"About what?" I asked taking my seat.
"As you already know, Ikenna will be leaving london for Scotland tomorrow" I nodded gesturing for her to continue this was old news.
"Once the summer break is over, chioma and simdi will be enrolled into new schools, Susan is going to let us stay here until we have found a permanent place of our own, she offered me a job as well, and you only have a year of school left" she rambled on twisting the ring on her right index finger.
"You will be returning to Nigeria once the break is over" she stated warily
"What? No way!" I yelled rising to my feet.
"You only have a year of school left, it wouldn't be fair to you, if you weren't given the chance to graduate, I've sorted things out with your principal and she understands our predicament" she calmly stated enunciating every last syllable.
"I don't care I am not going back there, not to him"
Just the thought of him made my skin crawl.
She shared a look with Miss Susan, turning to face. They knew something that I didn't, didn't they?
"A day after we left, he was admitted into an asylum, I guess all it took was us leaving for David to finally man up, they're running some tests, the results aren't in yet" she plainly stated her voice lacking a single ounce of emotion.
An asylum, You'd think that such news would bring me immense satisfaction, but it only filled me with dread wondering if David was okay.
"Arrangements have been made for you to stay with your Aunt Myra and her husband" I turned to face in an attempt of objection.
"I--"
"Enough" she raised her left hand silencing me.
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