The next day—the first official day of the strike—I woke up late. Honestly, I couldn't even get out of bed at first. I was exhausted. I'd slept so late the night before, thinking about Devon, replaying everything over and over in my head.
When I finally forced myself up, I dragged myself to the bathroom, took a long bath, and threw on a fresh outfit—oversized black pants and a snug tank top that showed off my belly button. I sprayed on my perfume—something sweet and soft—then headed out with my friend Divine to charge her phone.
As soon as we got to the charging spot, I sat down… and there he was. Devon. Looking handsome as always. And yes, still wearing that same yellow sweater I loved so much.
He walked straight toward me, and suddenly my heart started racing. I got nervous—and I know he noticed because he smiled in that calm, effortless way that just melts your insides.
When he got close, he stretched out his hand for a handshake. I returned it—his hand was warm.
"How was your night?" he asked.
"It was fine," I replied, trying to sound normal even though my voice was shaking a little.
He smiled again. "I love your flat tummy," he said.
I blinked, a little shy, but I still managed to say, "Thank you."
Then he told me he was heading back to the hostel and that we'd talk later. I told him bye, and as he walked away, he waved and even winked at me. I swear I melted on the spot.
He's like heaven. Well… second heaven. He smelled so good I could still sense his scent long after he left. I honestly don't know if I'll ever get over him.
Later that day, I decided to take a walk while listening to music—my favorite way to unwind when I'm bored. But before I could reach the auditorium, I ran into my friend Reginald.
I asked him where he was coming from since it was getting kind of late. He said he'd gone to the market but couldn't find what he was looking for, and that's why he came back so late. We chatted for a bit, and before we knew it, it was already dark. We walked back to the hostel together, and I told him good night.
At exactly 7:49 PM, I heard the generator at the boys' hostel. My phone was low, so I decided to go charge it. When I got there, I saw my friends Matilda and Darcie standing outside.
"Why are you two standing here?" I asked. "Why not go in and charge your phones?"
Matilda rolled her eyes. "There's a guy at the door who won't let us in."
I sighed. "Really? Let me go see this idiot."
Sure enough, just as I expected, the guy was standing at the entrance like a bouncer from some low-budget movie.
I went back to Matilda and Darcie, took their phones, and told them, "Come back in five minutes. He's going to be gone."
As I tried walking in, the guy shouted, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
I looked him dead in the eye. "As you can clearly see—since you have two eyes—I'm going in to charge my phone. Now kindly get the hell out of my way."
Before he could respond, someone came out from the room behind him.
"What's going on here?" the guy asked.
I pointed. "This scumbag won't let me and my friends charge our phones."
The guy looked at the fool and said, "Move."
And just like that, he moved. My friends were finally allowed inside. Justice.
By 10:40 PM, the generator had been turned off. Everyone was leaving, and so was I.
Then I saw him—Devon.
I tried to act like I didn't. Pretended to look at my phone, or the wall, or literally anything else. But he saw me pretending, and that made it worse. He walked up to me.
"Heading to the hostel?" he asked.
"Not yet," I replied quickly.
Before I could say anything else, he cut me off. "Wanna take a walk?"
Wait, what? A walk? Almost midnight?
"Y-Yeah… why not," I stuttered, suddenly awkward. I mean, who asks for a walk this late? But then again… I love crazy. And Devon is definitely the kind of crazy I like.
"Where should we go?" I asked.
"Anywhere you want," he said.
I laughed nervously. "I don't even know. I've never gone for a night walk before."
Then I thought about it.
"The basketball court," I said.
He smiled. "Okay."
We started walking side by side, the night calm and quiet except for the occasional chirp of crickets and the distant hum of the generator winding down. The sky was clear, and the moonlight made the ground glow faintly. It felt like a dream. One of those slow-motion moments you wish could last forever.
When we got to the basketball court, no one else was there. Just the two of us. He sat on the edge of the court, and I joined him, our knees barely touching. My heart was pounding. I didn't know what to say, and honestly, silence had never felt this loud.
He broke it.
"I like this," he said softly.
"What?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"This. Just us. No noise. No crowd. Just… peace."
I smiled. "Yeah. Me too."
We sat there talking for what felt like hours, but it was probably just thirty minutes. He asked me about my favorite songs, if I had any siblings, what I wanted to be in the future. It felt strange, the way he looked at me like he really wanted to know everything about me—not just the surface stuff.
I asked him why he was always wearing that yellow sweater.
He laughed. "It's my favorite. And someone once said I look good in it."
I rolled my eyes. "Was that someone… Blair?"
He looked at me for a moment, like he was trying to read my thoughts. Then he said, "No. Not Blair."
I didn't press further, but inside, my heart was doing backflips. I didn't know what any of this meant. I just knew I didn't want it to end.
Eventually, the cool night breeze got stronger, and I shivered slightly. Devon noticed and took off his sweater without a word. He held it out to me.
"Here. Wear this."
I hesitated. "What about you?"
"I'm good," he said, smiling.
I slipped it over my shoulders, and the warmth hit me instantly—not just from the fabric, but from the fact that it was his. The same sweater I'd admired for days.