Standing in her spot with her hands in the pockets of her coat, Temi bit her lip as she stared at Ethan.
Ethan could not hold her gaze so he looked down at the ground as a means of avoiding her stare at him.
"Ethan, how could you?" Temi asked, her voice sounding hurt as she spoke.
Sensing the hurt in her voice, Ethan shot his eyes up to look at her.
"Temi...!" He gently called her name.
"How could you, Ethan?" Temi asked again, tears rolling down her eyes.
"Temi, I...!"
"Shut it!" Temi screamed.
"How could you? Why did you? What is wrong with you?" She asked tearily.
Ethan could not look at her directly in the eye, so he turned away from her gaze.
Studying him, properly, Temi could sense if guilt emanating from him as he had avoided direct eye contact with her.
"Ethan?" Temi called.
"What...?" Ethan responded.
"Look me in the eye, Ethan...!" Temi demanded.
"Why?"
"I said look me in the eye!" She screamed.
"You don't have to scream it...!" Ethan said sounding a bit irritated.
"Then do it!" Temi cut him off.
Sighing, Ethan turned to look at her.
"You got my attention...now what?" Ethan asked as he raised his arms in the air.
The truth was, he wasn't looking directly at Temi but her clothing.
"Right here, Ethan...!" Temi said gently.
"Where?" Ethan asked, not raising his eyes to look at her.
"Here!"
When she said that, Ethan was about to look up when he received a hit in the face, harder than the last one.
"Are you crazy Temi?" He asked as he held onto the side of his head.
"Be careful not to wake your bride to be!" Temi said, pointing down at Olivia.
"What is wrong with you!" Ethan asked.
"I should be asking you that, not the other way 'round it!"
Temi said softly, acting all sweet with her head tilted to the side as she took three steps forward to Ethan, causing Ethan to also take two (2) steps back.
"Why are you movin' backward?" Temi asked.
"Don't get close to me...!" Ethan yelled.
"I'm not getting close to you...!" Temi said.
"Yes, you are...!"
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are...!"
"No, I'm not!"
Ethan went silent.
Arguing with Temi was like arguing with your conscience.
Say one word and she'd use it to her advantage against you...
"What has come over you?" Ethan asked.
"An evil spirit? A demon? Which one?" Temi asked.
Ethan was speechless.
He couldn't believe she was using those names for herself.
"You cheated on me...!" Temi said.
"Excuse me?" Ethan acted innocent.
"Excuse your ass!" Temi said.
Ethan went mute.
Did she just use that word in him?
"I can't believe you just said that...!" Ethan said.
"And I can't believe you just did that!" Temi said.
"Did what?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, please, do act as if you don't know what you did...!" Temi said.
"Oh no I don't, please tell me!" Ethan said.
Temi went silent as she tilted her head to her left and gave Ethan a narrow stare.
Reaching out to her pocket, she pulled out her phone.
'Oh no...!' Ethan thought.
After working on her phone a little, Temi turned the screen of her phone towards Ethan as she said;
"Explain this!" She demanded.
Opening his mouth and closing it back as words could not form, Ethan looked away as he said
"I don't know what you're talking 'bout...!"
Temi let out a burst of throaty laughter.
"Oh really?" She asked.
"You don't know what I'm talking 'bout...?" She asked.
Ethan shook his head in negation.
"Nope, I don't know what you're talking about and I don't know what that is!" He said smoothly.
Nodding her head as she chewed her mouth, looking to the side as Temi put back her phone in her pocket, she said;
If you don't know what it is...them let me do the honor of explaining!"
What she said had Ethan look at her in unease as he called her;
"Temi...!"
"Earlier this year, you asked me to be your girlfriend and I told you 'no' because I was still young and just graduated from high school, right? And I told you my parents' criteria for me dating, but yet, you still insisted, and due to your persistent pleading, I said 'yes, is that right?" She asked.
"Temi...!" Ethan called.
"Is that right? Answer my question, I don't need a to and fro answer here...is that right?" She asked again.
Ethan was getting uncomfortable.
"Temi...!"
"And then, when accepted your proposal, you notice I was a bit uncomfortable with the situation and then you asked me what the problems were, and I explained I wasn't too comfortable with the whole dating process, having known what was involved, am I right?" Temi asked again.
"Tems...!"
Raising her hand to stop him, she said;
"Haiz, don't call me that!"
"You have no right to call me like that! Are you related to me?" She asked.
"But we are best friends...!" Ethan said, completely surprised.
"Nah ah ah...!" Temi said as she waved her finger at him.
" 'Were' friends!" She said as she placed much stress on the 'were' part.
"You asked me what was my reason was for being uncomfortable, and being my close friend, I told you that it was because I was not too comfortable with the arrangement, and you asked me what would make me comfortable, and I told you, us waiting till when I was done with school, wasn't that the arrangement?" Temi asked.
Ethan was getting uncomfortable.
If he didn't speak up now, she would attract too much attention and the last one he encountered not too long ago because of Olivia was enough.
"And so why?" Ethan asked.
"And so what?" Temi scoffed.
Ethan nodded.
"Yeah, and so what?" He repeated.
"Yeah, of course, I had asked you out to be my GF and yeah, you agreed, but that didn't make it exciting enough ...!" Ethan said.
"Exciting enough?" Temi couldn't believe her ears.
"Yeah, exciting enough...It wasn't exciting enough...!"
"Well, what did you expect?" Temi asked.
"The usual stuff...!"
"What usual stuff...?" Temi asked.
"The usual kinds of stuff a boyfriend and girlfriend should partake in...!" Ethan said.
Temi stared at him.
"The usual stuff a boyfriend and a girlfriend, should be doing...hold hands in public, not I'm secret...kiss when they want to, and feel to...hug each other and enjoy the moment when necessary...that was what we should've been doing, but you didn't give any of that to me...!"
"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!" Temi said.
"Looking at him...!" Temi said fiercely;
"You're the one that said, 'Tems, whenever you're ready, I'll be right here...!', 'Tems, don't worry, I'm not goin' anywhere...I ain't gon' cheat on ya...!' 'Temi, don't worry, I'll wait patiently for you, till you finished high school, so that we can go in together...!' "
"Wasn't that what you promised, Ethan Price?" Temi asked.
"Wasn't that what you promised me? You said, no matter what, you gon' be patient and wait for me, till I'm ready...!"
"And I was a fool...A big fool to believe you...!"
"Well, you didn't wait for me either!" Ethan suddenly pointed out.
"What do you mean...?" Temi asked with a frown.
"Yeah, you didn't wait for me too...I told you that when you're done with your graduation you should let me know that we'd fly together...!"
"Weren't you supposed to be at my graduation like last week?" Temi cut in and asked.
Ethan frowned.
"What?"
"Your graduation was last week...?"
" 'Your graduation was last week...?' " Temi mimicked.
"As a loving boyfriend, weren't you supposed to be at my graduation?" Temi asked again.
"When I called you over, what did you tell me? You said that you were sorry and that there was no way, you could make it...!"
"When I called you over when I wasn't well, where were you?" Temi asked.
"Te...!"
"You're either escorting Olivia to meetings or talk shows, and always supporting her, and I thought that it was just outta friendship, you know?"
"I can't believe that I was just so naïve to have fallen for you over, and over again!"
"When I logged in into Instagram, just to catch up on the latest fashion trends, I saw what my eyes shouldn't have seen, and should have called it off when I had the chance.
Temi went silent as she stared at the ground.
"A picture of you and Olivia having a date by the beachside at sunset...!" Temi smiled. l sadly.
"I thought I didn't see clearly, until...!" Temi went silent again.
"Until, my brother, showed me another photo displaying deep intimacy between you and my dear friend...Olivia!" She dragged the 'dear friend' part as she slowly turned her head to the side to look at her ex-best friend Olivia.
Ethan's eyes widened in shock as he asked;
"Where d...did you see that...?"
"You need hearing aids to gear all that I have to say, huh?" Temi said.
Ethan was quiet.
"Olivia...!" He muttered silently to himself as he looked down at her body beside him.
"Even though you must cheat, you should have at least given me the heads up that you were no more interested and that you've found someone else instead of showing me the results and having me delay my flight and others' because of your satisfaction!" Temi said without pausing for breath as she eyed him up and down.
Shaking his head, Ethan knew there was no way he could get her back.
"Look Temi, I'm sorry alright, I didn't mean to do it, she seduced me!" Ethan said as he pointed down at Olivia.
"Oh she seduced you, enticed you and you fell for it!" Temi rhymed.
Pulling out her glasses from her pocket, she waved her hand and it unfolded itself.
Raising it to her eyes, she wore it and chuckled as she said;
"If you're sorry, then it's too late, expect my wedding gif...you're getting hooked up, right?" Temi asked.
Ethan's mouth fell open.
"Expect my gift to you guys for your wedding...and as for the wedding...!"
"Don't bother sending the invitation to my family because...we won't be attending...!" And with that, Temi turned and was about to walk away, when Ethan grabbed onto her wrist.
On his knees, Ethan pleaded;
"Temi, please...please, I love you, please don't leave me...!"
Temi turned to look at Ethan, with a surprised look on her face.
"Love me?" Temi asked in shock.
"But you left first!" She said.
"I...I...I don't know what came over me...I swear!"
"You didn't know what came over you, yet you couldn't refuse it?" Temi asked in surprise.
"Please Temi...I love you, please don't leave me...!" Ethan sounded as if he wanted to cry.
Temi chuckled a little and then pointed down at Olivia and said;
"You're gettin' married soon!"
"I think you should focus on arranging your wedding party, then focus begging me!"
And with that Temi broke loose from Ethan's grip as she turned and walked away.