When they arrived at the hostel, they found Sade sleeping peacefully in the room. The sight relieved Eva, she no longer had to worry about finding her friend.
"I think it's time for me to take my leave now." He said, as he waited by the door.
"Yeah, I should go to bed too." She added.
With a seemingly awkward silence reigning over them, she continued…
"Thank you for tonight, Benjamin. Really I appreciate you stepping in to protect me from that maniac."
They both laughed. He liked the way she smiled.
"The pleasure is mine, Eva. Besides, I don't think it's necessary for you to thank me, but I'm glad I got there just in time." He said proudly.
"I would also like to apologize for Dunsin's behavior. I mean, it's unlike him to get that way, you know. I just don't know what must've gotten into him." She said.
"Nah, it's alright. I'm sure he didn't mean bad. Maybe he just got jealous, you know, after seeing you and I together." He explained.
Surprised by his thoughts, she pressed on…
"Why'd you say that?"
"Oh, I don't know. I think he likes you. That's the only plausible explanation I can think of right now." He clarified.
Omg! Was he that obvious? What more could Benjamin have picked up on?
She thought. But she decided to play it cool, without giving her thoughts away.
"Whatever the case, it still doesn't justify anything. However, thanks for your understanding."
"Of course, Eva. With you, I learn to appreciate what it means to be human and understanding. It's hard to resist being the one person you end up liking, you know?" He said.
There was something about what he said, and how he said it that made her stomach fluster. The feeling confused her, as it was hard for her to trace its origin.
Could it be that she was starting to like him a little more than she would like to admit to herself? Or was it simply a chemical reaction?
As her mind raced with these thoughts, she became aware of how close they were to each other. The more she looked on, the more she realized that the space between them was closing in gradually.
With their eyes interlocked, Benjamin could hear her breathing as well as the sound of his own heartbeat. It felt like the merging of two past conflicting hearts into one.
Totally powerless enough to stop herself from drawing nearer to him, she watched him place his arm around her waist, edging her closer to him in a demanding but steady manner. His head bent over, ready to lock lips with hers, while she closed her eyes, willfully anticipating until…
"What are you doing?" A voice suddenly interrupted the intense moment.
It was Sade.
"Great! You're up!" Eva said, feigning joy while trying to pretend like nothing happened…or was about to happen.
"Yes, I'm up, and you're here…with Gates…" Her tone was sarcastic.
Benjamin stood there smiling, while feeling quite disappointed at the disruption of the moment.
"Hi Sade, I was just leaving…" He said, turning to leave the young ladies.
"Of course you were." She replied, unbelieving. She fixed her eyes on Eva.
"Uhm, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight!" He said to Eva, and left.
Now alone with Sade, Eva knew what next to expect from her best friend. She wasn't so sure she wanted to engage in any conversation that involved Benjamin, because even she didn't understand her feelings about him either, so it was better off to ignore her at the very least.
"Oh my God, Eva! Don't tell me you were just about to kiss Gates…" Sade began.
"I'm not about to say anything to you, Sade." Eva said, walking away from her.
"You wanted to kiss him! Wow!" Sade said, widening her eyes in awe.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She denied.
"Of course you do. C'mon, don't tell me you're starting to like him, Eva. Tell me…"
"I'm not telling you anything. Just leave me alone, Sade. I'm tired, I'm sleepy, and I had the most bizarre encounter ever tonight, you can't even imagine it. I just want to go to bed now, bye!" She said as she flipped the blanket over, covering her entire body from being seen.
Helpless and without someone to indulge her, Sade refrained from further questioning, and retired to bed as well.
…
The next day, Benjamin approached Eva on her way to class…
"Hey, good morning."
"Good morning, Benjamin." She looked at him, feeling uneasy while her mind replayed last night's encounter.
"So, about yesterday, I just wanted to apologize. I mean, I didn't mean to…and I hope you are not mad at me or something."
"Mad at you? No, not at all." She said, pretending not to bother. "In fact, I don't think I remember much from last night." She lied.
"You don't?" He said with a look of surprise on his face, unsure of whether or not to take her seriously.
"No, not at all, and I would like for us to keep it that way." She asserted. "I should really get to class now. See you later."
She said as she walked away. His presence made her feel uncomfortable…in a good way. As much as she hated to admit, she wished the kiss wasn't interrupted. She began to wonder what a kiss with him would feel like…or if at all, she would feel anything.
She knew an involvement with Benjamin would do nothing but cause a chaotic web of affections. She was so sure of her feelings for Dunsin, but the same could not be said for him, and that was what scared her the most.
What if Philian sees us together? What if he has one of his spies watching me?
She acknowledged how petty and unimportant these thoughts were, but due to the nature of the person she once dated, assuming the worst didn't seem far-fetched to her. As much as she knew Philian still wanted her back, she didn't think holding back on her life because of him was a wise thing to do. He betrayed her trust, and now it was time for him to watch her live her life…totally unbothered…