Into the Starry Night

Nine

“So how come you're back in town, Chinedu?” Harry asked as he stuffed a piece of pizza in his mouth.

I had finally pushed back the hysterical laughter and after Yemisi had determined that Harry didn't need to be taken to the emergency room despite the latter's insistence we all sat down around an episode of The Boondocks.

I had heard Harry's question but my mind was preoccupied with other things.

Like the man seated a few feet from my right currently munching popcorn by the handfuls.

I hadn't been able to get his name out of my head. As unbelievable as it sounded that was the first time I heard it in seven years and the unpleasant emotions I had tied to it were now resurfacing.

Pain. Sadness. Emptiness.

I couldn't stop myself from gazing at his profile and telling myself that it couldn't possibly be. They were two different people. They had to be.

What were the odds that after seven going on eight years we'd meet again and have the exact same friends?

Incredibly low.

But as I sat there watching his lithe fingers dig into the yellow snack in the glass bowl on his lap, the way his jaw moved as he chewed, and especially the way the circulating air disturbed his silky dark curls something deep inside me that I thought I killed a long time ago came alive and I just knew it was him.

“None of your business, Hairy. Jesus.”

All heads turned to me at my brusque reply.

I didn't care that I had snapped my response, I was pissed at myself. Pissed that I wasn't able to recognize him. Annoyed that I hadn't just turned around and hightailed it out of there the first time his presence had given me goosebumps.

Because the last thing I wanted was after all the progress I'd made over the years to get sucked back into him again.

“Wow, looks like someone's shedding their uterine lining,” Harry focused back on the TV.

“Dude,” Daniel tossed him a piece of popcorn. “That's disgustingly clinical. Stop it.”

Yemisi didn't look away. Her eyes pierced mine and I could read the what the hell question behind them.

I shrugged and focused back on the chips and salsa on my lap.

“What is your problem sef, Amarachi?” Yemisi folded her arms. “You've been a more annoying buzzkill than you usually are.”

“What is my problem? Well, thank you for asking, finally. Firstly, I had a horrible day at work. I had to comb through two and a half years worth of papers, documents, and research. On top of that, the isotopic analysis I'd been doing before I left was completely intentionally abandoned by Sam. Secondly, what in the blazing hell is he doing here? When I was invited to this hangout I got the impression that it'd only be the three of us.”

“He's the best man, I thought it would be nice if you both got to know each other since, you know, by some miracle, someone made you maid of honour,” Harry answered and shot a slightly miffed look at his fiancée who was reclining on the Persian carpet.

“He's the best man?” I asked at the same time that Daniel asked, “she's the maid of honour?”

We shared the same look of surprise.

I groaned. I could already tell that this was going to be a very long wedding.

“That is not the one that is even interesting me.” Yemisi started as she rotated on the carpet she was lying on to face me. “You went to the lab? Did you see Sam? How did it go? Was it awkward?”