Weeks had passed and Darling continued to visit him on a daily basis. Whenever she had a tight schedule, they would talk in the phone for hours. Day in day out, Rafael lingered on her mind. To Rafael, they were nothing than very close friends. Best friends to say. He was oblivious to Darling's feelings for him. He was like a teenage boy with a best friend who had a crush on him.
She stayed late, cooked for him, at times they played games, visited places together and made memories that could live for a lifetime. He had acquired some friends where he worked with him. Doctors and even his fellow guards. Darling had known his occupation after some weeks of secrecy and had been mad at him. Slowly, he had noticed that her presence in his life was more than important.
He had done his best to make her cool off and it was then that he realized he didn't know where she lived. All he knew about her was that she worked in a strip club as a Dj. He didn't have a problem with that as long she was his best friend still. During the days she had been absent in his life, her kind, generous, funny nature and beautiful persona was enhanced. He knew then how much he cherished her, and he had promised her as soon as she was okay that he would never keep secrets from her ever again.
One day, Darling was acting weird and abnormal. She was clumsy and was stammering when talking. She avoided eye contact and was not jumpy as usual. To add on that, she sat on the opposite sofa with Raf and ensured they stayed at a distance from each other. That day she also came with her car and left early. Rafael couldn't understand what was going on and tried to get the gist by asking but no answer came his way.
On the following days, she stopped wearing trousers and shirts and covering large shirts. She wore short dresses with large cleavage. At times she wore pushup bras which she never wore and was even putting on makeup. Rafael thought that she was out impressing a guy and he was happy for her. She told him consistently how her man was the most handdsome man she had ever seen. That she had fell for him the first time she layed her eyes on him. She also expressed her doubts to him.
That she has been thinking they were on the same track, but he had made it clear to her he would never touch her or kiss her. She complained daily that her man was hiding something from him, but he wouldn't tell her no matter how many times she confided in him so that it would be easier for him. She said that everyday her gut feeling increased that he would never be for her.
"Never give up on him. Some men just need to be shown the path. They need you to help them see you but don't simp to him. Okay?" he had told her so oblivious that he was talking about himself. He couldn't see that he was the 'men' that was not seeing the path.
"Okay but you know I've been doing my best, but I guess he is blind or just a nutcase. "She replied.
"Don't simp anymore if he can't see. It's his loss. He's a barstad" he said angry, "Who does that to my bestie? Tell me his name and take me to him. Fucking barstad.."
"You won't believe it. You better not know." she said interrupting him.
"No..I need to know because no one fucks with your emotions when am alive."
"It's you"
Silence fell in the house as the egoistic man slowly turned to face her. Shock was written all over his face.
"What!" he whispered while pointing at himself.
He was hurt and that look communicated volumes to Darling and she left more hurt than him. In the car she talked to herself and banged her fists on the wheel.
'I knew he would never love me the way I love him. I had felt it that day that I was not his type. Maybe he's not straight, he never looked at women or complemented them except me, I gave him the chance to fool me. I hate him so much. What couldn't he see?Am beautiful and gorgeous. I've been kind to him since he became my friend. What's so wrong with loving him that he had to crunch his face at me when I told him i t was him. He didn't even come after me. He himself said I shouldn't simp to the man I love right? I am leaving him for good.
No sooner had she said that than a truck came, from the bend she was navigating on its side, and hit her car. The car rotated and hit an electric pole head on. She banged her head on her window and was cut by shards of glass on her skin around the neck. Her body changed from white to pink. Luckily, the medics came in time and in the shortest time possible, she was already prepped for a surgery in the ER.
In the accident scene, the news reporters and the police were like an army. The two vehicles were pulled to the station where the truck driver explained that the lady who was driving the car was on his side of the road. Fortunately for him, the accident had taken place on his side of the road and without doubt he was let free. Rafael, sat on his sofa sulking. Why did women have to love him this way? He didn't deserve it. He had at one time felt something for Darling but he didn't want to be the one to hurt her one day by being the worst person she came to find and so he resorted to just being friends.
He sat there disbelieving, his past kept catching up with him. Reminding him that he will never fit to be with someone. That he was too damaged. He had wanted her to remain a friend because of good intentions not how it came out. Like he hated her. He didn't and he would never. She was far too much precious to him. He stood up and went into the kitchen took a drink and went back to sit down. He sat where she had sat and accidentally pressed on the TV remote and turned it on,
He was about to turn it off when he saw a car similar to Darling's smashed. He saw the ambulance from his hospital disappearing and before anything could come across his mind, he was at the bus stop, boarding an already filled up bus. At the hospital, he ran to the ER but all he could do was sit at the waiting room uncomfortably. He couldn't imagine life without her. She was his everything and he realized though too late that he loved her too.