CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The charity dinner ended later than Aisha expected.
Amaka had already left with her cousin, leaving Aisha waiting near the hotel entrance for her ride. Daniel approached quietly, his hands in his pockets.
"Can we talk?"
Aisha glanced at him. "About what?"
"Graduation night."
Her expression changed.
For six years, she had avoided that conversation. Whenever memories of that night surfaced, she reminded herself that what she saw had been enough.
But now she was tired of living with questions.
"Fine," she said. "Talk."
Daniel took a breath.
"That night, I was looking for you. I had a gift for you, and I wanted to tell you how I felt."
Aisha looked at him in disbelief.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I know how it looked. But Vanessa wasn't my girlfriend. She was visiting from another school, and she had asked me to help her find someone at the party."
"Then why were you standing so close to her?"
"Because the music was loud, and she was trying to tell me something. I didn't even know you had seen us until you walked away."
Aisha's eyes stung, but she refused to look down.
"You called my name."
"Yes. I followed you, but I couldn't find you. I tried calling you later, but your number stopped going through."
"I thought you had chosen her."
"And I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."
They stood in silence as the night breeze moved through the entrance.
Aisha swallowed.
"You could have tried harder."
"I did. I came to your house twice. Your mother told me you didn't want to see me."
Aisha stared at him.
"My mother said that?"
Daniel nodded. "I thought you had made your choice. I didn't want to force myself into your life."
Aisha turned away, overwhelmed by the realisation that both of them had spent years believing the other had walked away.
"I waited for you to explain," she whispered.
"And I waited for you to give me a chance."
Her eyes met his again.
"Do you know how much that night hurt me?"
Daniel's expression softened.
"I can only imagine. I'm sorry I couldn't reach you. If I could go back, I would find a way to tell you the truth."
"But you can't go back."
"No. I can only be honest with you now."
Aisha looked at him for a long moment.
"Did you really love me back then?"
Daniel didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Her breath caught.
"And now?" she asked before she could stop herself.
He stepped closer, leaving enough space between them for her to move away if she wanted.
"Now, I still care about you. But I know I can't demand that you feel the same way."
Aisha looked down at her hands.
Part of her wanted to believe him. Another part remembered the years she had spent trying to forget him.
"I don't know if I can trust you yet," she admitted.
"Then don't rush it. Let me earn it."
She nodded slowly.
For the first time, she allowed herself to consider that perhaps Daniel had never been the person who broke her heart.
Perhaps it had been a misunderstanding that grew into six years of silence.
Daniel walked her to her waiting car. Before she got in, she turned back to him.
"I believe you about graduation night," she said. "But that doesn't mean everything is suddenly okay."
"I understand."
"And we still have to find out what Robert wants from our families."
Daniel's face became serious.
"We will."
Aisha entered the car, and he stepped back as it pulled away.
She watched him through the window until the hotel disappeared behind them.
For years, she had believed their story ended on graduation night.
Now she wondered if that night had only been the beginning of everything they still needed to understand.
And somewhere in Lagos, Robert Cole was preparing to make sure the truth stayed buried.