Post by Being Ready And Stable (BRAS) (@brashub)

NNEKA'S DIARY XXII

Kunle returned on a Friday evening.

He didn't call to say he was back. He just showed up at my gate.

Grace saw him first. She came running into my room screaming, "He's here! He's here! Fix your hair!"

I looked in the mirror and almost cried. I was wearing an old T-shirt, my hair was wrapped in a scarf, and I had toothpaste on my chin.

Too late. The doorbell rang.

I wiped my chin, removed the scarf, and walked to the door like a woman going to her execution.

When I opened it, Kunle was standing there with a bouquet of roses and a small box.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"I look like I just fought a goat and lost."

He laughed. "Still beautiful."

Grace appeared behind me, snatched the flowers from his hand, and disappeared. I wanted to kill her.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Of course. Sorry. Yes."

He stepped inside, and before I could say anything else, he pulled me into a hug. A long one. The kind where you feel someone's heartbeat against your chest.

"I missed you," he whispered.

"I missed you too."

When we finally pulled apart, he handed me the small box.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

I opened it carefully. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace with a small pendant shaped like a key.

"It's a promise," he said. "Not yet the real thing. But a promise that something real is coming."

I felt tears forming. "Kunle..."

"Nneka, I know we haven't known each other for long. And I know I'm still mourning. But I also know that what I feel for you is not a replacement for Angela. It's something new. Something separate. And I don't want to lose it."

"You're not going to lose it," I said, my voice breaking.

"Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."

He didn't stay long. Grace was in the living room the whole time, pretending to watch TV but actually watching us.
I appreciated that about my sister — she protected me, even from happiness.

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