GHOSTS OF YESTERDAY**
The apartment was still.
Outside, the city buzzed faintly, but inside, the only sound was the soft hum of the fridge and the occasional whistle of wind against the windows.
Kai sat alone now.
Ethan had long since gone to bed, leaving behind a mess of empty glasses and abandoned controllers from their game.
But Kai couldn't sleep.
Not after that conversation.
Not after hearing Ethan's teasing words echo over and over again.
"You're both grown."
"If you like her, just go for it."
He let out a slow breath, leaning back against the couch, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
He desperately wanted to reply to Ethan and say, " I don't just like her, Ethan I want her, I want all of her to myself ". but he kept mute instead.
If only it were that simple.
His gaze drifted toward the hallway where Amara slept, her door barely cracked open. Her presence still lingered in the apartment—her soft scent, her laughter from earlier, the sound of her footsteps.
He should have been used to it by now.
But he wasn't.
Because no matter how far they'd travelled from the past, some memories refused to stay buried.
---
High school.
It hit him like a sharp sting.
Back then, Amara had been… everything.
Bold. Bright. Popular.
She walked through the halls like she owned them—her laughter echoing through every corridor, her confidence unshakable. Everyone knew her. Everyone wanted to be around her.
And him?
He was invisible.
The quiet boy in the corner.
The one nobody noticed.
The one she never noticed.
He could still remember those days so clearly.
Sitting at the edge of the class, bent over his sketchbook, while Amara sat just a few rows away—surrounded by friends, her voice always the loudest in the room.
She'd laugh at his quietness.
Mock the way he kept to himself.
"Eh Kai, you no dey talk? Abi your mouth dey pain you?" she'd tease, loud enough for others to hear.
The class would erupt with laughter, and Kai would bury himself deeper into his drawings, pretending not to care.
But it always stung.
Because no matter how hard he tried to ignore her, his eyes always found her.
Every day.
---
He remembered how he'd started staying later after school, lingering in the art room just to avoid crossing her path.
But sometimes, she found him anyway.
She'd lean against the doorframe, watching him with that teasing smile, arms crossed, her gaze playful but sharp.
"Always drawing, eh? You go soon turn old man wey dey sell painting for street," she'd joke, snickering.
He never answered her—not then.
But inside, he burned.
Burned with the need to prove her wrong.
Burned with the hope she'd see him as more than just the quiet boy with a pencil.
But she never did.
---
Kai's jaw tensed as the memories grew sharper, more painful.
He had done everything to make her notice him back then.
Joined competitions.
Scored the highest grades.
Even tried to change the way he dressed—sharper shirts, cleaner shoes, just in case she'd see.
She never did.
To Amara, he was just… there.
Someone to tease. Someone beneath her attention.
And every joke, every careless comment, had left a scar deeper than she could ever know.
---
Kai's chest tightened as he sat there, staring into the dark.
She didn't even remember, did she?
All those years later, living under the same roof now, laughing at jokes with Ethan, as if those high school days had never happened.
But he remembered.
He remembered everything.
---
The next day, the sun cast a soft golden glow over the campus courtyard.
Students were scattered across the open space, some lounging beneath trees, others gathered at picnic tables.
Amara sat under one of the larger trees with Jane and Bella, unwrapping a sandwich during their break between classes.
Jane, lounging beside her with sunglasses perched on her head and a cold drink in hand, watched the crowds with narrowed eyes.
"You know," Jane said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence, "I've been thinking about your flatmates."
Amara groaned softly. "Again with this?"
Jane turned toward her, expression sharp but unreadable. "Especially Kai."
Bella glanced up briefly but stayed quiet, sensing the tension.
Amara raised an eyebrow, chewing slowly. "What about him?"
Jane's voice lowered slightly, serious now. "There's something not right about him."
Amara nearly choked on her food, letting out a sharp laugh. "Jane, seriously?"
Jane's gaze remained steady. "I'm not joking."
Amara shook her head, amused but wary. "You've barely talked to him."
"I don't need to," Jane said flatly. "People like him? I've seen them before. He's too quiet, too composed. Always watching, always calculating."
Amara frowned, her smile fading slightly.
"I'm serious," Jane continued, leaning in closer. "You don't see it because you're too close to the situation. But from outside? He's dangerous."
Bella shifted awkwardly beside them, unsure whether to speak.
Amara stared at Jane, annoyed now. "Dangerous how? He's not hurting anyone."
Jane's lips curled into a sceptical smirk. "Maybe not yet. But there's something hidden there. I can feel it."
Amara's chest tightened, her defences rising.
"You're reading too much into this," she muttered, folding her arms.
"Am I?" Jane challenged, her voice calm but sharp. "Tell me honestly—hasn't he ever unsettled you? Even once?"
Amara froze.
Her mind flashed back to the quiet way Kai always watched her, the steady calm in his eyes that sometimes made her skin prickle.
The way he could make her heart race without ever saying a word.
She forced herself to scoff. "That doesn't mean anything."
Jane didn't push further, but her eyes remained knowing.
"You're too used to the quiet," Jane said simply, standing up and brushing crumbs off her jeans. "But don't forget, quiet doesn't mean safe."
Amara sat in stunned silence as Jane walked off toward the vending machines, her words lingering like smoke in the air.
Bella finally broke the silence, her voice soft but cautious.
"She's always like this," Bella said gently. "But sometimes… Jane sees things we don't."
Amara stayed quiet, her thoughts tangled and heavy.
She didn't want to admit it.
But a small part of her wondered—
What if Jane wasn't entirely wrong?