I didn't move after he disappeared.
I just stood there… staring at the empty space where he had been.
My heart was still racing, like it hadn't gotten the message that he was gone.
---
"That was weird."
That's what I told myself.
That's what I kept telling myself.
---
But deep down…
I knew it wasn't just weird.
It was something else.
Something I didn't understand.
Something I couldn't ignore.
---
The next morning didn't help.
If anything, it made things worse.
---
Three houses from mine… someone died.
No noise.
No sign of struggle.
No explanation.
Just a lifeless body…
and whispers moving from one house to another like a quiet warning.
---
I stood there, watching from a distance.
But I wasn't really seeing anything.
Because my mind kept going back to one thing.
---
"Are you one of those things?"
That smile.
---
I should have been scared.
Honestly… I was scared.
---
But not enough to stay away.
---
That night, I told myself I wouldn't go outside.
I even locked my door, like that would somehow stop my thoughts.
---
It didn't.
---
Before I knew it, I was outside again.
Standing in the same spot.
Waiting.
---
And just like before…
he appeared.
---
"You came back."
His voice was softer this time.
Almost like he already expected it.
---
I swallowed, trying to act normal.
"Maybe I just wanted to prove I'm not scared."
---
He stepped closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like I was something fragile.
---
"You should be," he said quietly.
---
"Of you?" I asked.
---
He didn't answer immediately.
He just looked at me.
That same deep, unreadable look.
---
"Yes."
---
Something about the way he said it…
made my chest tighten.
Not just from fear.
But from something else I didn't want to admit.
---
"What are you?" I asked.
---
A small silence.
Then—
"I'm the kind of mistake you don't walk toward."
---
I let out a soft breath.
"Then why am I still here?"
---
That question seemed to affect him.
For the first time, his expression shifted.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Something closer to… conflicted.
---
"You shouldn't be," he said.
But his voice wasn't as strong anymore.
---
Before I could respond—
"Ah! So na here you dey!"
---
I turned quickly.
Tunde.
---
Of all people.
---
He walked toward us with his usual energy, smiling like nothing in the world was wrong.
Then he noticed Adrian.
---
"Who be this guy?" Tunde asked, looking between us.
---
Before I could answer, Adrian spoke.
"He needs to leave."
---
The air changed instantly.
---
Tunde frowned.
"Excuse me?"
---
I looked at Adrian.
"Relax, he's my friend."
---
Adrian's jaw tightened slightly.
His eyes didn't leave Tunde.
---
"I don't like him," he said.
---
My heart skipped.
"Why?"
---
His answer came quickly this time.
Too quickly.
---
"He's looking at you like he knows you."
---
Tunde let out a small laugh.
"Guy, I do know her."
---
But Adrian didn't react.
If anything… his expression darkened.
---
And then he stepped closer to me.
Closer than before.
---
Close enough for me to feel it.
That strange coldness.
That pull.
---
"You shouldn't be around people like him," Adrian said quietly.
---
Something about that irritated me.
"People like him? What does that even mean?"
---
But he didn't answer.
---
Instead… he looked at me in a way that made everything else fade for a second.
---
"I don't want anyone else close to you."
---
My breath caught.
---
Because that wasn't just a warning.
That wasn't just concern.
---
That was jealousy.
---
Tunde looked confused now.
"Wait… what's going on here?"
---
I didn't answer.
Because in that moment…
I wasn't even sure myself.
---
All I knew was this:
I should have listened.
I should have stayed away.
---
But the way he looked at me…
like I was the only thing that mattered in that moment…
---
made it impossible to leave.
😔😔