The street was buzzing as usual, hawkers shouting prices, buses honking with no patience, and pedestrians weaving through traffic like dancers in a chaotic rhythm.
Star was walking calmly along the pavement, her backpack resting comfortably on one shoulder, when a red sports car pulled up behind her with a soft purr. The shine on its body reflected the sunlight like fire on metal. The tinted window slowly rolled down.
And there he was, Miguel. His eyes twinkled mischievously, and his grin was the kind that could melt any girl's guarded heart.
"Hop in," he said, giving her a small wave.
Star smiled. For a second, she hesitated, then turned and headed toward the car. She opened the back door.
Miguel raised a brow. "Madam," he said playfully, "I'm not your driver o. Come to the front, abeg."
Star laughed out loud.
"Sorry, your car just looks so official."
She shut the back door and climbed into the front passenger seat, her laughter still hanging in the air. As she closed the door, Miguel smoothly pulled the car into motion.
The air in the car was scented, something light and citrusy. The dashboard lights glowed gently, and music played in the background, soft, slow beats of 'Juice World' mixing with the cool vibe of the city.
"I never knew you had a car," Star said, glancing around, genuinely impressed.
Miguel chuckled. "You're amusing me."
"I'm serious. You just never gave off that flashy vibe."
"Well," he said, glancing at her briefly before turning back to the road, "I don't just have a car. I have cars."
Star's brows lifted. "Wow. You work?"
He shook his head.
"Nope. Got my first car at sixteen. It was a gift from my dad. Since then, every birthday, I get a new one. That's kind of his love language, I guess. But I sell off the ones I don't like and keep my favorites."
Star nodded slowly. "You must be lucky."
Miguel's smile faded a little, his hands tightening slightly on the steering wheel.
"That's what people think," he said quietly. "Yes, my dad is rich. Yes, he gives me everything. But…" He took a deep breath. "Growing up without a mother, there's nothing luxurious about that."
Star turned to face him fully, sensing the shift.
"She passed?" she asked softly.
He nodded.
"Yeah. I lost her when I was ten. Cancer. She was everything to me. After she died, I just... lost it. Life after that was too bitter for me, and I became angry. Rude, both to my teachers and my grades dropped. I stopped trusting people. The only one I respected was my dad."
There was a pause.
"But now... he's aging so fast. Some days, I watch him and I get scared. Like, scared. As if I'm about to lose the last person I love."
Star's voice was low and gentle.
"I'm so sorry, Miguel. I can't imagine how hard that must've been."
He nodded, but the pain was still there in his eyes.
Star looked away, then spoke again. "I don't know my dad either."
Miguel glanced at her, "Purple's father is not your dad?"
"Nope. Mama said I was still in her womb when he died in a fatal car accident. I never met him. I only know his name, just like Momma told me, and have seen his pictures from my mother's diary. She later married Purple's father, and they raised me together. But my mum… she passed the last four years."
Miguel's jaw tightened. "So… you're motherless too?"
Star nodded. "Yeah."
A heavy silence hung between them for a moment, two souls, bound by grief they never chose.
Miguel's voice was softer now. "I'm sorry, Star. Truly."
"Me too," she said with a small smile. "But life goes on, right?"
"Yeah," he replied, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. "That's life."
***********************************
LUCID DREAM
***********************************
They drove in silence for a while, not the awkward kind, but the rare, peaceful one where words weren't necessary. Just two hearts, bruised by the same hand of fate, enjoying the soft hum of music filled the car, wrapping them in shared emotion.
"Hate Me" by Juice WRLD played quietly through the speakers, echoing the rhythm of thoughts they both weren't ready to voice yet.
Star slowly nodded her head to the beat, lost in it. She was a fan. A quiet fan. The kind that didn't just enjoy the music but understood it.
She knew Juice World's story, how he died young, just twenty-one, drowning in drugs and heartbreak. She remembered reading that he once said he wouldn't live past twenty-one. Maybe he knew. Maybe life had already drained him. His lyrics weren't just sounds. They were confessions about betrayal, numbness, love that kills, and the loneliness that fame couldn't heal.
Miguel glanced at her, one hand still on the wheel.
"You're a Juice WRLD fan?" he asked softly.
"Yeah," Star said, her voice low. "Why do you ask?"
Miguel smiled. "You've been singing every lyric like you wrote it."
Star laughed lightly. "His music speaks to me."
"Same here. I became a fan years ago. His songs are… raw."
Star turned to him. "Have you listened to Lucid Dreams?"
"Many, many times," Miguel replied.
"That song is like an anthem for every heartbroken teenager in high school."
Star chuckled. "You're funny."
"I'm serious!" he said with a grin. "You see all these campus lovebirds, holding hands, doing couple goals, kissing like their lips were borrowed, next week you'll catch them crying on the staircase with Lucid Dreams blasting in the background."
Star burst into laughter, covering her mouth. "That's so accurate."
Miguel shrugged.
"I've seen it too many times. You'd think the song was made for UNILAG students alone."
Star laughed again, shaking her head. Then, for a moment, her smile faded, just a little.
"I've never really been in love before," she admitted.
Miguel looked at her attentively.
"I think… my mom and my books had all of me. I never gave anyone else a chance. I watched people fall in love, get broken, and cry to me about how love betrayed them. I guess I just ee,... didn't want to be another sad story."
Miguel nodded. His tone dropped, more serious now.
"I get it. Years back, I used to crave affection, but I didn't get that; it was all fake. So I played the player. Casanova. Just flings. Sex. No feelings. I thought I was in control."
He paused, then continued.
"But after a while, it just felt empty. Like I was cheating myself. I realized I didn't want that life. I want to graduate, run my father's company… and more than that, I want something real. I want love."
His eyes found hers again.
"I want to start that journey with you. Not because it's convenient, but because it feels… right. With you, I want to grow in love, not just fall. And if I'm starting with you, I want to end with you. Every day. For life."
Miguel reached out and held her hand gently. Star didn't speak. But her silence said enough. Her heart was racing, and her breath was unsteady. This… was new, a little bit errifying, but beautiful.
Just when the emotion was rising too high, Miguel broke the moment with a smile.
"Hope you don't mind if I stop somewhere, so we can grab lunch?"
Star smiled and finally whispered, "Okay, dear."
He pulled into a cozy, modern restaurant along the road. She stepped out of the car with him, and as they walked toward the entrance together, something in her shifted.
She had always thought love would be noisy, loud declarations, and big distractions. But this, right now, was calm, and it felt like home.