The evening air in Abuja was calm, but Destiny's heart wasn't.
It had been three weeks since Ethan left for Ghana three long, confusing weeks of missed calls, half finished texts, and restless nights.
She was in her hotel room, working on her latest draft, when her phone buzzed.
Ethan: "Landed in Abuja. Are you home?"
Destiny's eyes froze on the screen.
She typed, deleted, and typed again before replying:
Destiny: "Yes, welcome back."
Just that no emoji, no warmth.
A few minutes later, another message came.
Ethan: "Can I see you tonight?"
Destiny: "I have work to finish. Maybe tomorrow."
She set her phone down and exhaled deeply.
Let him wait a bit, she told herself. Let him feel what it's like to miss me properly.
The next morning, she woke up to flowers waiting at the hotel reception.
A bouquet of white lilies and a note:
"No meetings, no deadlines just dinner. Please."
Ethan
Destiny smiled in spite of herself, but she didn't reply.
She spent the day pretending to be busy, revising her manuscript while checking her phone every five minutes.
By evening, there was a knock at her door.
She opened it and there he was.
Ethan.
Dressed simply in jeans and a grey shirt, but looking like something out of a dream she didn't want to wake from.
Ethan: "So, this is how you treat me after I carry your book to Ghana, huh?"
Destiny: (crossing her arms, teasing) "I didn't tell you to."
Ethan: "No, but I wanted to. Just like I wanted to see you."
She tried to look unaffected, but her lips curved slightly.
Destiny: "You could've just said that instead of disappearing for days."
Ethan: (stepping closer) "You think I didn't miss you? Destiny, I wanted to call every night. But between meetings, deadlines I failed to balance things, I know. And I hate that it hurt you."
Destiny looked away, her voice low.
Destiny: "You don't get to say sorry and fix everything with flowers, Ethan."
Ethan: "Then tell me how to fix it."
There was silence the kind that carried both tension and emotion.
Destiny: "You can start by proving you actually mean what you say."
Ethan: "Then give me that chance. Dinner, no pressure just you and me."
She sighed, staring at him for a few seconds before finally giving in.
Destiny: "Fine. But I'm not dressing up."
Ethan: (smiling) "You don't have to. You already look like trouble."
Destiny rolled her eyes, but her heart was melting fast.
Dinner was soft and warm candlelight, quiet music, and conversation that flowed more easily than either expected.
Ethan: "You know, when I was in Ghana, every time something good happened, I wished you were there to see it."
Destiny: (smirking) "Maybe next time you shouldn't leave me behind."
Ethan: "Maybe next time I won't."
There was a pause, his gaze holding hers.
Ethan: "Destiny, I didn't just miss you. I realized something."
Destiny: "What?"
Ethan: "That you're the peace I didn't know I needed."
Destiny's chest tightened. She looked away quickly, pretending to sip her drink.
Destiny: "Don't say things you don't mean, Ethan."
Ethan: "I mean every word. I know we had that misunderstanding, but it only made me sure that what I feel for you isn't passing."
Her eyes softened, but she wasn't ready to let her guard down completely.
Destiny: "We'll see, Ethan. Actions speak louder than words."
Ethan: (nodding, smiling slightly) "Then I guess I'll have to prove it."
That night, as he dropped her off at the hotel, he opened her door and whispered,
Ethan: "I'm not rushing you, Destiny. Just know I'm not going anywhere this time."
She smiled faintly, then walked inside without looking back.
But as she closed the door, her heart whispered what her lips didn't say I missed you too.