Amara stretched out on her bed, her skin still slightly damp from her evening shower. She didn't feel like wearing any clothes, so she lay naked on her bed.
The room was dark since she had turned off the lights and left just the fan on. She picked up her phone and scrolled through the Netflix app lazily, trying to pick a movie.
But her mind refused to focus.
As she lay there, her thoughts drifted back to the car ride and what Michael had said about not brother-zoning him.
Her heart skipped a beat all over again. The look on his face when he said it… he had been serious. Dead serious.
No. She was a Christian. Positive confessions only. Dead serious sounded negative. Life serious sounded better. He was life serious. Amara laughed at the thought and refocused.
Why would he say something like that? Why did he care if she saw him as a brother? It didn't make any sense. Was there something more there?
She shook her head. 'Amara, don't be delulu.'
There couldn't possibly be more. There was nothing serious that someone like pastor Michael would want with someone like her. He knew her well enough to know she wasn't good enough for him. She didn't even fit him.
She blinked at her phone's screen. The movie she had chosen was already playing, but she hadn't heard a word. Her eyes were on the screen, but her heart was on that moment.
She sighed as she paused the movie and rose to go get a satchet of pure water. Before she could get to the bag, she heard her WhatsApp notification.
Her heart skipped hopefully, and she hurried back to the bed to see if it was Michael.
She quickly picked up her phone, but her lips turned downward when she saw Emma's name.
She almost dropped the phone back on the bed. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.
'But you wanted to talk when you thought it was Michael,' a voice in her head reminded her.
'Michael is different,' Amara muttered as she eyed her phone.
She wanted to ignore the message, but then decided it might be better to answer and get it over with.
She sat on the bed and opened the message.
> Emma: "Hello, Amara. I hope you're home now. I wanted to ask if we can hang out this weekend."
She didn't know why, but she scowled as she stared at the message for a moment and then typed slowly.
> Amara: "Hi. Yeah, I'm at home now. You? It won't be possible to hang out this weekend. I'll be busy with work. I want to sew some clothes."
Within seconds, Emma replied.
> Emma: "All weekend? No time at all to go out? Even just for a bit?"
She sighed and typed.
> Amara: "I just want to stay home. I don't really feel like going out."
She thought that would be the end of it, but his next message came almost immediately.
> Emma: "What if I come to your place and we just talk in my car for an hour? There's something I really want to say to you. Even if it's not Saturday, Sunday is fine too. Maybe after service."
Her phone buzzed again before she could even think of how to reply.
This time, her heart jumped for real when she saw Michael's name.
She tapped the message instantly, her breath catching.
> Michael: "Hey! You're online. I just remembered that I forgot to ask you something earlier."
She paused for a moment and looked down at her naked body.
No. She couldn't talk to Michael when she was naked like this. It was weird. She hurried over to her wardrobe, put on a pair of pants, and then wore a gown before returning to respond to his message.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard.
> Amara: "What did you forget?"
Michael smirked. He had been about to pray and go to bed when he remembered that Emma had mentioned something about hanging out with Amara during the weekend, and he had not done anything to keep Amara occupied.
> Michael: "Do you have any plans for the weekend?"
She blinked at the screen. Her heart began to race. Why was he asking that? Was it about church activities, or did he want her to cook?
> Amara: "Why? Is there something you want me to do?"
Michael narrowed his eyes as he read her question. Had she made plans with Emma already?
> Michael: "Not really. I was just thinking… if you're not too busy, maybe we could hang out. It's been a while since I went to the cinema. Maybe we could see a movie together?"
Her heart did a backflip.
A movie? With Michael?
Her first instinct was to scream, but instead, she took a deep breath and reminded herself, 'Relax, Amara. It's just cinema. Don't read meaning into it. It's not a date.'
She knew he wasn't asking her out on a date. He just wanted to see a movie and wanted her to tag along, that was all. His mother had asked him to look after her after all.
Still! The thought of seeing a movie with Michael excited her so much that she wanted to scream, and she didn't even know why. She just really liked him and enjoyed his company.
Amara wanted to say she was free, but she paused and reminded herself that she planned to sew and go for rehearsals on Saturday, and she wasn't going to change that simply because she wanted to spend time with Michael.
Michael worked and was going to hang out with her in his spare time, so she should do the same. She needed to be like Michael, take her job, which was sewing, seriously, and take her pledge to serve God seriously, too.
She took a deep breath before responding.
> Amara: "Hmm. What time were you thinking? I'll be very busy on Saturday. I want to do some sewing, and I have choir rehearsals to attend too."
So she was busy—great! That meant she would have told Emma the same thing, but the fact that she was asking him about the time meant she was open to hanging out with him.
> Michael: "That's fine. How about Sunday after service?"
Amara smiled, already thinking about what to wear to church on Sunday.
> Amara: "Sunday is better. That can work."
She hesitated a moment, then added:
> Amara: "Funny enough, brother Emma just asked me about my weekend plans before you asked."
It seemed like Emma didn't like to waste any time, Michael thought with a frown as he responded.
> Michael: "Oh really? So, what did you tell him?"
She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing as she typed:
> Amara: "I told him I'm busy. That I don't want to go out."
God, thank you, o! Michael grinned. She told Emma that she was busy, but she agreed to hang out with him.
> Michael: "That's good."
His response made her grin like a child who had just won a prize.
> Amara: "So, we are leaving for the cinema from the church, right?"
> Michael: "No. I'll drop you off at home so you can freshen up and dress up. I'll pick you up by 2 p.m."
> Amara: "Why not just go from church?"
> Michael: "Because I don't want everyone who sees me to know I'm a pastor. I'm going to freshen up before going." He added a wink emoji to it.
Amara sent him three laughing emojis as she laughed out loud.
> Michael: "I've always wondered why people send three laughing emojis instead of one. Can you tell me?"
Amara laughed as she read the message.
> Amara: Because three makes more sense than only one or two. And the more funny it is the more emojis you add." Amara added another laughing emoji to it.
Michael chuckled.
> Michael: "I see. Now that we've settled that. I'm going offline. I need to pray and go to bed now. We'll see tomorrow. Pray before you sleep. Sweet dreams."
> Amara: "Goodnight, Mike."
She added a wink emoji, then dropped the phone to her chest, grinning like a lunatic as she stared at the ceiling.
She didn't feel like watching the movie anymore. She was too busy smiling at the ceiling.
Away from there, Michael knelt by his bed. He clasped his hands together, resting his forehead on them.
"Thank You, Lord," he whispered. "Thank You for how You're leading me. I feel so much love and peace. But, Lord… help her see it too. Open her eyes to recognize me. Let her not be swayed or confused. Let her not make a mistake. If she is truly the woman You've chosen for me as I know she is, let everything fall into place. And don't stop helping me be the man You need me to be for her."
He stayed on his knees a little longer, making intercessory prayers and praying for other areas of his life before crawling into bed. He slept with a smile on his face.
The next morning, Michael woke early as he always did. After his quiet time, he sat at the edge of the bed, wondering whether Amara was up and whether to call her.
He reached for his phone, then changed his mind. He'd see her soon at the pharmacy. There was no need to overdo it.
Besides, he needed to make his intentions clear to her before inserting himself into her life that way.
Just as he stood up to go freshen up, his phone rang.
He picked it up and smiled when he saw it was his younger sister.
Why was she calling him so early in the morning?
"Debbie Baby," he answered cheerfully as he received the call.
"Pastor Tega the Loverboy!" she screamed into the phone.
Michael winced, laughing. "What did I do now?"
He really hoped his mother had not said anything to her. But knowing how close they were, he doubted it. Those two didn't know how to keep secrets.
"What did you not do? Eh? I just entered Netflix this morning and saw Amara as one of the new profiles. Ah ah, Tega! Is that how we're doing it now?"
Michael sighed and closed his eyes. "Deborah…"
"I didn't say anything o. I just said let me hail you and let you know that I'm seeing what you're doing in 3D. Love is sweet!"
"Which love? Is it not ordinary Netflix login? See, don't tell Mummy anything," Michael warned, half-joking, half-serious.
"Ah. Late. You're too late, my brother. I already talked to her before calling you. Just so you know, right from when she was in Warri, she already told me how you said you'd never marry Amara, as per you're not Prophet Hosea. So imagine my shock when I saw Amara on Netflix. Ah ah! I had to ask myself if God forcefully entered your house and created that profile to convince you."
Michael hissed and ended the call.
He stared at his phone for a few seconds, then rubbed his forehead, laughing to himself.
What kind of women did God put in his life?