Monday morning arrived with the kind of energy only a college campus could produce—students rushing to class, boda bodas squeezing between pedestrians, and someone shouting about missing notes as if the entire campus had stolen them.
Kim walked toward the lecture hall with his backpack hanging from one shoulder. He had slept for barely four hours because he had spent half the night thinking about one person.
Linet.
He smiled to himself.
"Why are you smiling like someone has sent you KSh 50,000?" Brian asked from behind.
Kim turned.
"Morning, man."
Brian looked at him suspiciously. "Morning? That's all? Bro, something is wrong with you."
"Nothing is wrong."
"You're smiling alone."
"I can smile."
"Not like that. That is a girl has entered your system smile."
Kim laughed. "You're imagining things."
Brian walked beside him.
"Okay, let me guess. Linet?"
Kim stopped walking.
Brian burst out laughing.
"Got you!"
"Bro, you're annoying."
"I knew it!" Brian shouted. "Kim has fallen!"
"Keep your voice down!"
"Why? Is Linet the president?"
Before Kim could respond, a familiar voice came from behind.
"Are you two fighting this early?"
Kim turned.
Linet stood there, holding her books against her chest. Her smile immediately made Kim forget whatever he had been planning to say.
"Morning," Kim said.
"Morning, Kim."
Brian looked between them.
"Wow," he whispered dramatically. "The atmosphere has changed."
Linet laughed.
"Brian, you're becoming strange."
"Me? I'm normal. It's Kim who has been smiling like a fool since morning."
Kim pushed him lightly.
"Let's go to class."
The lecture started twenty minutes late, as usual.
The lecturer entered carrying a pile of papers and looking more tired than the students.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, sir," the class responded.
"I hope you've read the topic I gave you."
Silence.
The lecturer stared at them.
"I said, I hope you've read."
Still silence.
He sighed.
"I forgot. You are college students."
The entire class laughed.
Kim glanced at Linet. She was trying hard not to laugh.
During the lecture, Kim secretly passed her a small piece of paper.
"Are you awake?"
Linet looked at him, then wrote underneath:
"Barely."
Kim wrote:
"Want coffee?"
She shook her head.
Then she added:
"Unless you're paying."
Kim smiled.
"Expensive girlfriend."
Linet raised her eyebrows.
"Girlfriend?"
Kim suddenly became nervous.
He hadn't meant to write that.
He quickly crossed it out.
But Linet had already seen it.
She smiled quietly.
Kim spent the next ten minutes pretending to concentrate on the lecture while his heart behaved like it had been chased by police.
During lunch, they sat together at the cafeteria.
The food looked suspicious.
Brian stared at his plate.
"Is this beef or a science experiment?"
Linet laughed.
"Just eat."
Brian poked the meat with his fork.
"If this thing moves, I'm leaving."
Kim laughed.
"You complain every day, but you still come here."
"Because poverty has a strong relationship with loyalty."
Linet nearly choked on her drink.
Kim looked at her and smiled.
There was something different about being around her.
It wasn't just attraction anymore.
He enjoyed talking to her.
He enjoyed making her laugh.
He liked the way she listened when he spoke, even when what he said was completely meaningless.
After lunch, Linet reminded him about their assignment.
"We need to finish the research today."
Kim nodded.
"Library?"
"Library."
Brian immediately stood up.
"I'll come."
Kim frowned.
"Why?"
"I'm your friend."
"We're going to study."
"Exactly. I also need to study."
Linet smiled.
"Let him come."
Kim sighed.
"Fine."
The library was unusually quiet.
They found a table near the window and spread their books across it.
For the first twenty minutes, everything went perfectly.
Then Brian fell asleep.
Linet noticed first.
She whispered, "Is he serious?"
Kim looked over.
Brian was sleeping peacefully with a book open in front of him.
Kim whispered, "He said he came to study."
Linet covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"He's studying the inside of his eyelids."
Kim laughed quietly.
Eventually, they continued working.
Their shoulders occasionally touched whenever they reached for the same book.
Neither of them moved away.
At one point, Linet looked at Kim.
"You're actually good at this."
Kim smiled.
"Actually?"
"Yes. I expected you to be useless."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"It sounded like one."
She laughed.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Kim looked into her eyes.
"Linet?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever think about what happens after college?"
She looked toward the window.
"Sometimes."
"What do you want?"
She smiled softly.
"I want to succeed. Get a good job. Make my parents proud."
"And love?"
She looked back at him.
"Love?"
"Yeah."
She paused.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"I don't know. Love is complicated."
Kim nodded.
"True."
She smiled.
"But sometimes complicated things are worth it."
Their eyes met again.
This time, neither of them looked away immediately.
Then Brian suddenly woke up.
"Guys!"
They jumped apart.
"What?" Kim whispered.
Brian looked around.
"What time is it?"
Linet burst out laughing.
Kim shook his head.
"Bro, you slept for almost an hour."
Brian rubbed his eyes.
"I was thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"My future."
Kim laughed.
"You were snoring."
"I think deeply."
That evening, Kim walked Linet back toward her hostel.
The sun was setting, painting the sky orange.
They walked slowly.
"I had fun today," Linet said.
"Even with Brian?"
She laughed.
"Especially with Brian. He's funny."
Kim pretended to be offended.
"So I'm not funny?"
"You're funny sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"Yes."
They reached the hostel entrance.
Linet stopped.
"Goodnight, Kim."
"Goodnight."
She took a few steps, then turned.
"Kim?"
"Yeah?"
"You're becoming one of my favorite people."
Kim smiled.
"Really?"
"Really."
Then she disappeared through the hostel doors.
Kim stood there for a moment, smiling like an idiot.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Linet.
Linet:Don't smile too much. People will think you're in love.
Kim stared at the message.
He typed:
Kim:Maybe I am.
He hesitated.
Then deleted it.
Instead, he sent:
Kim:Goodnight 😂.
He put the phone in his pocket and started walking home.
He didn't notice the person standing across the road watching him.
Someone who had noticed how close Kim and Linet had become.
And judging by the look on that person's face, they weren't happy about it.
To be continued…