Post by Blissful Stories (@Blissful)

BEFORE YOU SAY GOODBYE
EPISODE 12 | THE PROMISE

Maya had always believed that the hardest part of loving Alexander was surviving his absence, but standing beside him that morning, watching him struggle to find the right words, she began to understand that letting him stay might require even more courage.
They were sitting on the balcony of her apartment, two cups of coffee between them and the Lagos morning unfolding below. Since the previous day, Alexander had called twice to check that she was all right, then arrived with breakfast and an expression that suggested he had rehearsed a thousand apologies on his way over.
“You know you don't have to keep bringing me food,” Maya said, lifting the lid of her coffee.
“I know.”
“Or calling every few hours.”
“I know that too.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
He smiled faintly. “Because five years ago, I thought loving you meant making decisions for you. Now I'm trying to learn how to love you without deciding what you need before you can tell me.”
Her smile faded into something more tender. “That's a good start.”
“I don't want to be a man who makes promises because he's afraid of losing you. I want to be someone you can trust even when we're angry, even when the truth is uncomfortable, even when staying is harder than leaving.”
Maya studied him, searching for the familiar signs of a man already preparing his escape.
“What happens when things get difficult again?” she asked.
“I tell you.”
“And if you feel afraid?”
“I tell you that too.”
“And if you think leaving will protect me?”
He reached across the table and took her hand. “I talk to you first. I don't disappear and leave you to invent a hundred reasons why you weren't enough.”
The words touched a place in her that still hurt. She had spent years wondering what she had done wrong, replaying their last conversations and searching for the moment his love had changed. Hearing him acknowledge the damage did not erase it, but it made her feel less alone with it.
“Alexander, I can't promise I'll never be afraid of losing you again.”
“I wouldn't ask you to.”
“And I can't pretend those five years didn't happen.”
“I don't want you to.”
She squeezed his hand. “Then we start from here. No pretending. No more beautiful words that disappear when things get complicated.”
He nodded solemnly. “I promise.”
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Maya tilted her head, studying him with a small smile.
“So what exactly are we doing now?”
He blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Are you still the man who has thirty days to leave the country, or are you actually trying to be my boyfriend?”
Alexander laughed, the sound so familiar that it pulled a smile from her before she could stop it.
“I was hoping to apply for the position.”
“Applications are closed.”
“Is there an appeal process?”
“Possibly. It depends on the candidate's behaviour.”
He leaned forward, his eyes bright with the first genuine ease she had seen in him for days. “Maya Bennett, would you consider giving me another chance to be the man who takes you on dates, steals your food, kisses you when you're angry and spends the rest of his life trying to make you laugh?”
“You forgot the part where you communicate like an adult.”
“I was saving my strongest qualification for the interview.”
She laughed, and he watched her as though the sound itself was something precious.
“Yes,” she finally said. “I'll be your girlfriend again.”
His smile slowly disappeared beneath the weight of his emotion. “Are you sure?”
“No, Alexander. I'm terrified. But I want to try.”
He stood, walked around the table and drew her gently into his arms. Maya rested her cheek against his chest, listening to the heartbeat she had once feared she would never hear again.
When he kissed her, there was no urgency to it, no desperation to hold on before the moment vanished. It was slow and warm, a beginning rather than a goodbye.
For the first time since his return, Maya allowed herself to imagine that their story might become something more than a collection of painful memories.
Their first official date happened that evening. Alexander took her to a small restaurant overlooking the water, not the expensive place where he had tried to impress her years ago, but somewhere quiet where they could talk without pretending everything was perfect.
He asked about her work, listened when she spoke about the business she had built, and remembered the little details she had forgotten she once shared with him. Maya teased him about his terrible dancing, and he insisted that five years apart had improved his skills.
By the time he walked her to her door, she was laughing so hard that she had to lean against him.
“You're still annoying,” she told him.
“And yet you agreed to date me.”
“I must be going through something.”
He kissed her forehead. “I'll try to be patient with you.”
She pulled him closer and kissed him properly, smiling against his lips when his arms tightened around her.
“Goodnight, boyfriend.”
He looked almost stunned by the word.

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