#JUST_BEST_FRIENDS
Author: Sam Freddy
CHAPTER 8: HEARTBREAK ON A FULL MOON.
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At nine o'clock on the dot, Candice stumbled into her dormitory with her high-heeled shoes in her hands. She also held several fancy plastic bags in the crooks of her long arms as she plopped down on a lower bunk, due to exhaustion. All of Candice's roommates started hailing her like their lives depended on it, all because of the tantalizing goodies which she brought back home.
"Welcome home, Sisi Eko. We all thought that you wouldn't return today." Alice teased as she snatched one of the bags from Candice's arm for herself. "I trust you had fun with that rich yellow pawpaw guy, right?"
"You bet!" Candice admitted dreamily, closing her eyes with her head inclined. "In fact, fun is a complete understatement. I was simply in paradise."
"You don't mean it!" Betty exclaimed, crossing her arms curiously. "Gist us nau. Tell us what happened."
"And we mean, all of it!" Isioma emphasized from the top bunk where she laid above Candice, browsing the Internet with her mobile phone.
Candice opened her eyes and grinned. "Gosh, it was frickin' amazing," she dropped all the items she was holding on the floor and stood up to undress. "Would you believe that guy actually took me to a fine restaurant at Yaba to wine and dine? I swear none of Unilag's joints can be compared to that one. Their food was so delicious that I almost got on my knees and begged for more, like Oliver Twist."
Everyone burst into laughter, including Candice herself.
"Girls, I'm serious, though." Candice said amid laughter, slipping her jeans off. "So when we were done there, he took me to a dope-ass boutique to get some classy bracelets and necklaces. They're all in that purple bag on the floor."
"Oh, boy!" Betty jumped up from the stool she was sitting on and rushed over to pick up the light purple bag. "Woo!" She exclaimed in shock when she saw its content. "This is... This is... Ha!"
Candice cackled at Betty's antics. "I totally saw that coming. Everything's beautiful, right?"
"Over-beautiful sef." Betty affirmed loudly, apparently blown away by the glittering jewellery. "Dem too fine, abeg. The guy really tried."
"Betty, come here. Let me see," requested Alice, who was busy eating a rich sausage roll which she'd taken from the small bag she collected earlier.
Pulling her top off, Candice uttered, "Do you people want me to proceed with the gist or not?"
"Please, go on, Candy," Isioma replied too chirpily. "I dey feel you wella."
"Oshey!" Candice twinkled her eyes playfully, tossing her sweaty clothes over to a heap of dirty clothes under an old, large desk. "So where was I?"
"The boutique part." Isioma recalled. "Where you both got the whole stuff from."
"Yes. On point." Candice sat down back on the bed with a wide grin on her face. "So after that, we went to the beach where we got ice-cream and played on the sand and danced and sang and blah blah blah. We even took tons of pictures with his phone sef. Some of 'em are on my phone. I couldn't collect everything. And here comes the funny part about this entire thing," Candice paused abruptly.
"What's that?" Isioma was literally dying to know. "Tell us, please."
Candice facepalmed comically. "You girls won't believe that we legit went from the beach to this guy's apartment to chill for a while, yet nothing serious happened between us till I left there."
Alice almost choked on her sausage roll when she heard that. "Are you kidding me? Nothing at all?" She looked terribly horrified. "Not even a common kiss?"
"Note the words, "nothing serious."" Candice clarified, still facepalming with her eyes shut. "I never said we didn't smooch or we didn't do the normal caressing stuff, but we just didn't go further than all that crap. I was actually willing to get laid, but he wasn't. I even showered and came out with his short towel wrapped around my body, thinking he'd be aroused, only for me to be disappointed by his rigidity or lack of interest, rather. That dude failed me big time, I swear down."
"Maybe he's gay." Betty shrugged, dropping the purple bag on the wooden stool. "Think about it."
"Nah. Yomi is far from being gay. I can bet on that."
"I'm just saying o. After all, na this same campus we dey," Betty joked, sitting on the floor. "You know all these fine Unilag boys are not to be trusted at all sha."
Candice giggled childishly. "Well, back to the main issue: the part where I felt really stupid was when I tried to seduce him by twerking in the mirror. Una no go believe sey upon all the yansh wey I shake, this guy no even reason my matter at all. He was just using me to laugh and catch cruise like sey I be clown for him eye. Honestly, I was pained. I won't lie."
"Ha, ha, ha! That's the funniest thing I've heard all week." Betty curled up on the floor amid laughter. "Darn!"
"Chai, see disgrace," Isioma said, laughing. "I'm dead!"
"Go on, laugh all you want." Candice groaned at her friends who were all cracking up like mad people. "After all, no be una fault. Na me mess up."
When they'd all calmed down, Isioma dropped her phone on her torso and said, "Let me ask you something, Candy."
"Okey-dokey." Candice consented, opening her eyes. "Ask."
Isioma twerked her eyebrow at Candice. "Candice, do you love Yomi?"
Candice smirked instantly and laced her fingers together. "Yes, I do. Only for his money, though." She confessed bluntly. "I have bigger fishes who I roll with on a daily basis. You know that."
"Hmph! Nawa o." Isioma shook her head in pity for Yomi. "So you don't love him as a person?"
"Nah. Screw that." Candice answered, toying with her fingers. "Do I look like someone that has time for love?"
For a brief moment, Isioma was rendered speechless by Candice's question. When she couldn't come up with a proper answer for it, she said, "What you are doing is not good, Candice."
"What am I doing, hanty?"
"Taking advantage of the poor guy's feelings for you. Dammit!" Isioma complained seriously. "It's so wrong. If you're not into him, tell him straight up instead of leading him on and flexing his money. Try to imagine yourself in his shoes na. How'd you feel if someone deceived you this same way?
"Why are you now yelling at me?" Candice hissed, ignoring Isioma's question. "Is it your business?"
"Yes, for pity's sake!" Isioma slapped her forehead out of sheer annoyance. "This is somebody's emotions we are talking about here. What you are doing to him is unfair. You're just deceiving him and wasting his time and resources. Don't you have a conscience?"
Candice glared at her stubborn friend with fiery eyes. "Isioma, please free my life tonight and mind your frickin' business. I'm not in the mood for this discussion."
Isioma grunted, glancing between Alice and Betty. "So you both won't say anything, shey?" She sounded very pissed. "Just because she has given you two some stuff to eat, now your lips are totally sealed. Human beings sha. Nawa."
Alice and Betty eyed Isioma in a horrible manner as they ate their snacks in silence. Candice, however, warned Isioma by saying, "Look here! Nobody is forcing you not to act righteous, hanty. You can go on with this your holier-than-thou attitude forever, and I still won't care. But while you are at it, just make sure you don't go anywhere near those bags of snacks if you don't want to see the beast in me."
Isioma hissed and turned to rest on her elbows. "Keep them. I don't need 'em."
"Shior!" Candice rolled her eyes, grabbing for her phone in her handbag. "Let me call my maga and thank him for today's flexing jare. Haters can go and die, for all I care!"
__________
Plopping herself down on a wooden bench out in the compound, Idara dialled Yomi's number, hoping he'd pick up her call on time. But as she'd predicted earlier, the first ring didn't go through because he was on another call. Idara had to try again after a minute, to no avail.
This time around, Idara dropped a message on Yomi's voicemail, saying, "Please, call me back ASAP!"
Then she reclined on the bench and waited until she heard her phone ringing wildly.
"Heyo!" Yomi greeted the instant Idara accepted his call. "I just got your voice message. Wudup?"
"Nothing much, big head. I've missed you. I just wanted to hear your yeye voice before I go to bed."
"Hehe. Fascinating. Where are you now?"
"I dey my doormot," Idara responded suavely, "chilling on a bench."
Yomi tittered. "I see. I suppose our exceptional guitarist is right there with you, huh?"
"Nope. Asia is indoors, reading."
"Hmm... that's a first." Yomi sighed. "You know, I was actually going to call you immediately after I was done with the previous call, but, somehow, you beat me to it. How weird."
"You don't say." Idara huffed, gazing at the full moon. "Well, I won't actually say I won, since we are both conversing on your own call right now. Anyway, where are you calling from?"
"From my crib. Duh!" Yomi teased coolly. "Where else would I be?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe at a five-star hotel room with some drop-dead gorgeous chick, pounding her from the back like a sex-starved porn star." Idara teased him back. "Knowing you, one can never tell."
"Ha, ha, ha." Yomi sounded unamused. "Very funny."
Idara chortled at that. "On a more serious note, Yomi, where were you during the day?"
"At my shop, of course," he replied. "Last night, I told you I'd be there today, didn't I?"
"Cut the crap, Yomi. You and I know that you never went to the salon today," Idara accused him boldly. "Someone said that they saw you somewhere in school with Candice. True or false?"
Yomi gasped. "Who told you that?"
"That's not important." Idara continued sharply. "The question is, were you or were you not in school today, Yomi? Give me a straightforward answer."
As expected, there was no instant response from the Daddy Yo himself. He seemed to be thinking about something crucial. However, after a brief moment of hesitation, Yomi finally sighed and said, "Yes, Dara. I actually came."
"That's what I thought." Idara muttered sadly. "So you lied."
Yomi didn't say a word in response. He was obviously guilt-ridden to his core.
"Why did you lie to me, Yomi?"
"I never lied, Dara." Yomi defended himself. "Let's just say I later changed my mind."
"Really?" Idara swallowed hard. "That's the worst excuse I have ever heard. Trust me."
Yomi seemed to have sensed the hurt in Idara's voice when he said, "See, Dara, I'm sorry I lied to you, okay? I had a reason for it."
"Why?"
"Well, it's because I didn't want you to know that Candice and I are hanging out until I'm sure of what I really feel for her."
Damn. Those words ripped Idara's heart right out of her chest in the most unimaginable way ever.
At the mention of Candice, a strong sensation of uneasiness tore through Idara's body like a dozen doses of morphine would do to one's system. The fact that Yomi's feelings for Candice was growing day after day ached Idara's stomach so bad that she almost felt hopeless in her quest for his love.
At that point in time, Idara wasn't sure how to react to the issue at hand, so she closed her eyes tightly and composed herself to avoid making rash decisions that'd most definitely lead to serious complications.
"Come on, Isabelle. Talk to me. I'm super duper nervous here."
"Good." Idara breathed in. "You should be."
"Are you mad at me?"
"Damn right I am." Idara stated straight up. "I find this disconcerting because you've never lied to me before. This is so new and unlike you, but I'll let it slide anyway."
"Truly?"
"Yeah, truly."
Yomi sighed, relieved. "Thank you, mumu."
Idara opened her eyes, chuckling. "Don't even start, big head. You're still gonna make it up to me by buying my favorite coconut bread tomorrow."
"Ah. I knew you would say that." Yomi groaned under his breath. "But it's not a problem, though. It's the least I can do to redeem my sorry-ass self."
"Perfect." Idara laughed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "Sooo..." she drawled, thinking of what to say.
The mood of the conversation had, indeed, been restored to normal. The warm atmosphere suddenly inspired a brilliant idea in Idara's mind.
Gazing at the moon again, she figured this would be the perfect time to reveal her hidden feelings for her childhood bestie.
So, bracing herself for what was to come, Idara opened her mouth to speak.
"Oh, man! I almost forgot to tell you this!" Yomi interrupted with excitement. "Something crazy happened earlier today. It was strange as hell, for real."
Idara instantly gritted her teeth with sheer disgust. Why must he always ruin the moment? Just why?!
Argh!
"Mumu, did you even hear what I said?"
"Yeah, I did." Idara confirmed softly. "Continue."
"Okay. So I was driving and listening to my car radio in the morning when this interesting chick called in on the show." Yomi explained carefully. "There was something oddly familiar about her voice. The way she talked, laughed and joked sounded just like you, Dara."
"Whoa!" Idara smiled, pretending to be unaware of the current subject matter. "That is so shocking!"
In all honesty, what was even more shocking was the fact that Yomi had listened to her voice on radio. Idara couldn't believe that her little attempt at 'shooting shots' actually worked just fine. She was so happy that she almost screamed out loud in triumph.
"You think that's shocking? Wait till you hear the next part." Yomi continued explaining. "So, she dedicated a love song to someone dear to her who bears my exact fricking name. Would you believe that?"
"What! No way!"
"I'm dead serious." Yomi sounded purely enthusiastic. "I couldn't believe it, either. It was so unreal. I was completely blown away!"
"Wow, that is actually radical!" Idara exclaimed, restraining herself from laughing heartily. "What was her name sef?"
"Well, she said her name was, um, Edna, I think." Yomi's voice suddenly became lighter. "Oh, no, no, no. Sorry. Elle! Her name was Elle!"
Idara stifled a giggle. "Aww. Sounds like a nice girl."
"Yep." Yomi agreed with a snigger. "I almost thought it was you until she said her name and location. I mean, there's no way it could've been you because you don't bear Elle, and you definitely don't live in Surulere. You were totally in class when she called. Hell, the whole thing made no sense to me at all jor. I figured it must've been somebody else for sure."
"Yeah. I think so, too."
'Maybe I should just tell him the truth. Should I?'
A tiny part of Idara begged her to take advantage of the situation while another larger part discouraged her not to. She was beyond confused.
What would Yomi think of her if she made her feelings known to him? How would he react? Would he accept or reject her proposal? Would it dent her pride? Could she live with the rejection? Would it affect their long-term friendship forever? Which was the wisest thing to do between pouring her heart out to him and keeping quiet for a lifetime? Should she go for the former or the latter? What choice exactly should she make?
"So I have an announcement to make." The low sound of Yomi's voice pierced Idara's moronic thoughts like a sharp blade. "Something you need to know."
Idara shut her eyes again, her heart pounding harder than a pestle against a mortar. "All right. Tell me what it's all about."
The next statement Idara heard from Yomi was the least of her expectations.
"Candice is now officially my girlfriend!" Yomi confessed with delight. "Hurray!!!"