I was too scared to hit up Sewa, fearing she might ignore me. I hoped she'd make the move, but she didn't, so the day wrapped up without us talking. The next morning, I had to go alone to class due to my reluctance to reach out. Boarding the Keke, I realized Rasheed was right behind me; I hadn't noticed. "Ah, so you are even here sef?" I took out one earphone to hear his reply, and he just smiled, giving a handshake. I plugged the earpiece back in as the Keke kicked off. It was our first time going to class together; usually, he'd be late, blaming it on staying at campus 1, which was far from our classes in campus 2.
We were the last pair to alight from the Keke, and as we got off, I paused my music to catch whatever Rasheed wanted to say. "How far Sewa?" Rasheed asked.
"Oh, we didn't come together," my response was already obvious and maybe stupid, but I didn't feel like breaking down what went down; he wouldn't get it anyway.
The class was half filled when we walked in from the front. Climbing the stairs, we were on the lookout for just two empty seats together. Before reaching the middle, I spotted a spot that worked for both of us. Kennedy was at the edge of the row. I thought about finding another spot because I was certain there was one, but I decided to overcome the catfish and actually get to know him. So, I went for it. "Good morning," he greeted, standing up to make way for us to enter. We greeted back together, and though I wanted to sit right next to him to spark a conversation, I had to move a bit further since I entered first. Rasheed ended up sitting beside him, putting himself between us.
Having someone in the middle made it less likely for a chat, but that didn't completely shut it down. Rasheed and Kennedy were already acquainted, diving into a conversation. I started feeling a bit left out, but I didn't want to come off as jealous and bother Rasheed, so I let them carry on. I pondered how to join in, but they were talking about wrestling, which didn't interest me at all, and I doubted anyone still cared about wrestling. However, when they mentioned "Roman Reigns," I recognized him, purely because he was popular. I figured I could contribute, but all I had were pretty gay things to say about him.
I kept strategizing about what to say to Kennedy until our chemistry teacher walked in, leaving me with no option but to concentrate. I began taking out notebooks to transcribe into. I considered asking for Kennedy's notebook as a reason to interact, but I was anxious that Rasheed might question why I didn't ask for his. Plus, I realized that this interaction could only go on for a short while. I needed to come up with a better excuse that would last longer.
The chemistry teacher addressed all of us in the hall, mentioning that due to ongoing practicals and make-ups, he was canceling the class. He offered a free night class at campus one for those still interested in learning, or we could resume next week. My opportunity to interact with Kennedy in class was suddenly cut short. I stood up, putting my notebook back in my crossbag. "So, like this now I would be going to campus 1 at night because of class?" I spoke to Rasheed, making my voice clear, while looking from the corner of my eye to see if Kennedy was looking at me. In a way, I wanted to get his attention.
"You can sleep over in my hostel" Rasheed suggested.
"You can sleep over at my hostel" I mimicked him playfully, aiming for a laugh from Kennedy, and it worked.
Rasheed didn't know, but I hated being around that many people. Despite that, I did want to attend the night class; I believed there was knowledge there that might not be covered in future classes.
"You are going for the night class?" Kennedy asked from his seat, my wish granted - I initially didn't intend to go, but now I had to for the chance of meeting Kennedy.
"Yes, you?" I wanted to keep the conversation going.
"I want to, but I don't know if I would be able to make it." Kennedy told me, "Since you're going, please give me your number, so you can send me the notes, incase I don't make it."
I was not expecting that, but I quickly took his phone and entered my number. After giving it to him, I debated whether to ask for his in return for mutual contact. But, I didn't want to seem weird; I simply wanted things to remain platonic between us. So, I opted to wait for him to make the call instead.
"See you later na." I slung my crossbag over my shoulder and left the row with Rasheed, while Kennedy remained occupied in his seat, nodding to acknowledge he heard me.
I halted, scanning for Sewa - not only to check if she attended the class but also to give Kennedy a chance to exit with us and possibly share the same Keke. However, the more time I spent, the more apparent it became. In a hushed tone, I murmured, "Seems like Sewa didn't make it to class, or maybe she has gone for the next class." just so Rasheed understood why I was lingering.
We caught a ride, and Rasheed chose to accompany me to my place, hanging out until our next class instead of heading back to Campus 1.
...
Our final lecture finished at 3 pm. I had already packed essentials for an overnight stay in a backpack, which I brought to class instead of my usual crossbag. Kennedy wasn't in the Botany class, but I was really hoping he'd show up for the night class.
Rasheed and I bumped into Ossai as we were about to catch a shuttle to campus 1. I was so accustomed to seeing Ossai in a more casual setting at home that seeing him in corporate attire, complete with a watch instead of a vest and shorts, felt alien because I rarely encountered him on campus. "What's up?" Ossai greeted Rasheed with a nod but ignored me, heading towards the Keke. He paused, turned back, and looked at me, wondering why I wasn't following him to board the Keke together. He extended his hand, indicating I should join him. "I'm not going back home," I replied. Ossai asked, "Why?" and stopped to have a proper conversation.
"I'm following him to campus one, I won't be back until tomorrow" I explained.
"You want to go and see Maxwell? I should even come with you sef."
"No, I'm not going to see Maxwell" Also I didn't want him coming with me. "I'm going for night class."
"Oh, alright. I still wanted to catch up with Maxwell; I'll see him later," Ossai suddenly wanted to see Maxwell. Even though I wasn't staying in my hostel, Ossai still seemed keen on spending the night in the same place as me, which I didn't want. I just hoped his "later" meant another night when I wouldn't be there. Ossai entered the Keke after some people urged him to get in, heading towards the small gate.
After he left, I realized that I was, indeed, going to stay at Maxwell's hostel for the night, giving me the opportunity to fulfill the unexpected visit I owed him.
...
Mentally preparing for spending time with a bunch of guys, I anticipated what Rasheed's roommates might be like. I had only met them once, but we didn't really get acquainted. As we approached Rasheed's room, I could hear Nicki Minaj blasting from the stairs, and it turned out his roommates were the ones playing it. Upon entering with Rasheed, the guys didn't seem to notice us; they continued rapping Nicki Minaj in what I guessed was a"manly" way. They had pushed the two bunks to the edges of the room, creating a spacious middle area. I wanted to join in since I knew the lyrics, but I opted not to, so as not to seem sus. It felt challenging to listen to Nicki Minaj without being able to sing along.
Rasheed took a seat on his lower bunk near the window, opening a bag he brought from under his bed. Meanwhile, I discreetly placed my bag behind his bunk, not ready to reveal anything unless absolutely necessary.
After Rasheed went through his sack, he stood up in frustration, scanning his surroundings. His gaze focused on something on the floor, and I followed suit. It turned out to be empty sachets of evaporated milk. Rasheed walked over to the speaker and abruptly turned it off. I actually enjoyed the song, so it annoyed me as well.
"Who use my milk?" Rasheed demanded an answer.
A tall, dark-skinned guy with a goatee responded, placing his hand on Rasheed's shoulders. "Abeg, Rasheed, no vex we use am soak groceries." The other two in the room avoided making eye contact with him.
Rasheed calmly let them know "Next time, please don't use my things without telling me", He turned around to inspect a stove placed on a counter surrounded by unwashed plates. It had been a while since I had seen a stove, and I had forgotten how it operated. I didn't grasp what he was examining. "Did you also use my stove to make groceries too?" Rasheed asked sarcastically.
The tallest called out to his roommate beside him, "Benson, you talk say you go refill am na." Benson hurriedly grabbed his shirt to put on, and they all became a bit chaotic, eventually leaving the dorm without noticing me. Rasheed sighed when they left, pushing the bunks back into their proper places. Then, he went to another cupboard on the opposite side. I could tell he wasn't happy about it; the cupboard was padlocked. He took the lock, twisted it with his hand, instantly removing it. I wondered if he used his strength to do it, but it turned out the lock was already broken; it was just for show. He pulled out some biscuits and offered them to me, saying, "You want?"
"Is that for you?" I suspected it wasn't.
"Who cares? They'll learn not to touch my things next time" Rasheed stole the biscuits, and I didn't partake, because I didn't want to upset anyone before I left. "I'll soon start locking my things from this boys" Rasheed declared, and I wondered why he hadn't considered that before.
The guys began returning, and they finally acknowledged my presence, "Ah! We couldn't even welcome our guest properly. Sorry about that." They adopted a patronizing tone while apologizing. They then started organizing the place, with the tallest guy tackling the dishwashing and another preparing food. Benson inquired, "Who took my biscuits?" Rasheed deliberately crunched loudly with his mouth, leaving Benson speechless upon realizing who the culprit was. The other guys burst into laughter.
While they were organizing things, they appeared quite relaxed, getting along with each other so well that it almost seemed like they weren't the same people Rasheed confronted earlier. They managed to spruce up the place due to my presence and even cooked a full meal of jollof rice, contributing without Rasheed's involvement. I wanted to chip in, but they declined. We sat on the top bunks, Rasheed and I on his bunk, and the other three on the adjacent ones that were now closer together. They decided to pass the pot around, each of us taking a spoonful to avoid any cheating. I appreciated the teamwork they displayed in preparing the meal, but it turned out a bit salty. If Rasheed hadn't mentioned it, I might have continued eating, as it wasn't too bad, but I decided to say, "I'm full" and came down from the top bunk.
"Whatever you do, do not use the toilet on the left" Rasheed joked, insinuating that I wanted to throw up the food, but he was also genuinely serious about it.
Stepping out of the dorm, I noticed it was already getting dark, and the power came on. I needed to charge my phone, and as I reached for my pocket, there was a moment of panic when I felt nothing, thinking my phone was missing. After checking again, I felt relief as it was still there. Taking out my phone, I saw the battery was low. While I was still anticipating Kennedy's call, it felt a bit early, so I decided to wait it out. Standing in the hallway, I looked directly across at Maxwell's hostel, and it seemed like a perfect time - late enough to drop by. "I'm coming, bro!" I shouted from outside, hoping Rasheed could hear me above the noise of the spoon scraping against the pot. I turned around, headed to the opposite side, and entered his dorm for the first time, where I encountered Ossai.
Maxwell was not shocked but happy to see me, Ossai had already ruined the surprise by telling him I was around. "Where were you?" Ossai asked, sounding quite demanding, likely because he had been searching for me. "Just opposite" I gestured towards Rasheed's dorm, and I began to detect the scent of smoke in the air.
I was relieved that Investor had relocated, so I no longer had to concern myself with him. However, Maxwell still had other roommates I wasn't ready for, like the one smoking. Maxwell extended a proper invitation, asking me to sit on a chair positioned in the center, which made me feel like a bit of a spectacle. "So, how far you and Sewa?"
"We haven't spoken since yesterday." I told him.
"Ahan this your guy dey bomb?" The other roomate asked.
"Nah, he no wan bomb." Ossai replied on my behalf.
"See the guy accent! e go fit sabi parole clients" remarked the other roommate.
I had neglected to switch to Pidgin; I had grown so at ease with Maxwell that I forgot the need to maintain a certain façade around these types of guys and in this setting.
"Nobody fit parole pass me na" Maxwell redirected the conversation to himself.
"You wey dey parole men" the roommate remarked. Maxwell was candid when he mentioned his roommates were aware of his means of cyber fraud.
"But Maxwell dey try sha! The client wey e give me, I just dey follow am talk, na so e send me prick" Ossai shared an incident of receiving an unsolicited nude picture, revealing that Maxwell had provided him with one of his cyber fraud personas. Everyone found it funny, but I was genuinely upset that Ossai had grown so close to Maxwell in that manner.
The roommate who was smoking noticed I wasn't laughing and said, "Make una get sense na, Maxwell's babe dey here" I thought he was coming to my defense, but he ended up cracking his own joke, clearly high. They all laughed
Maxwell didn't silence him or intervene, and I didn't want to confront the situation; I simply disregarded it. I chose to keep my mouth shut the entire time, not wanting to make any missteps.
"Abeg make I sha no catch the two of you o. I hate gays like mad" I heard the roomate say.
"Madrid! Ehis is not gay na." Ossai defended me, challenging the roommate, which was unexpected. But, it now created an impression that Maxwell might indeed be gay since Ossai only defended me.
Maxwell simply shook his head, evidently accustomed to their banter. The guy called "Madrid" stepped out, and I stood up from the chair with the intention of charging my phone since I had my charger. I couldn't bear sitting in the middle and inhaling the smoke from the other guy. "Maxwell, where can I charge my phone?" I asked, and Maxwell pointed to a socket down beside the counter.
Ossai joined me as I bent down to plug in my phone. "I hope you were not offended by the homophobic thing Madrid said." Ossai expressed, and his act surprised me. It was a small gesture, but it carried significance, particularly because it was unexpected for him to use the term 'homophobic'.
"I'm not" I responded with a smile, ensuring he could see I was unfazed. Despite Ossai's teasing and occasional remarks with homophobic undertones, this gesture really touched me, and I was genuinely pleased he had done it.
With the night class approaching every minute, I kept anticipating Kennedy's call, wanting to be available when he rang. While I was squatting, three guys entered - stereotypical yahoo boys. They were there to smoke, and Maxwell mentioned to them to do it discreetly since people had been complaining. However, they continued without paying attention to him. I couldn't tolerate it, so I said, "Maxwell, can I talk to you outside?" I hesitated to leave my phone charging alone, so I went back to retrieve it. "No, leave it na, I'm here." Ossai assured me. I was still unsure, but I chose to trust him after his surprising support.
"Please I'm expecting a call, if anyone calls me, come and give it to me at the back" I begged. "did you hear?"
"Yes I did" Ossai responded as if he just wanted me to go. But I really hoped he would follow through.
Maxwell and I exited the dorm, heading to the distant veranda. Fortunately, there was no one hanging out there. We leaned on the railings and gazed at the river just behind. It was tranquil and empty, with surprisingly clean water. Out of earshot, I asked, "Which account did you give Ossai? Why did you give Ossai an account?"
"Relax it's not Mr Utomi's own if that's what you're thinking, and I gave him because he won't stop disturbing me" Maxwell clarified.
"And so? Are you not scared?" I let out.
"Scared of what?!" Maxwell felt challenged.
"It's just that I don't want anything to happen to you, see the guys you're around, I know they don't actually know you're gay, but they obviously suspect." I expressed my concern, sounding all mushy.
"They can't do me anything!" Maxwell stood firm. He was notably upset with me, but I hoped it wouldn't escalate into a fight.
Desperate to avoid any potential conflict, I chose to stay silent, and Maxwell did the same. We turned our attention back to the river as the wind blew, creating a quiet atmosphere. Thoughts of Rasheed possibly searching for me crossed my mind as the time for night class approached. I felt torn between returning and figuring out the current situation between Maxwell and me. Maxwell turned his head to gaze at me, and from the corner of my eye, I slowly turned to meet his gaze. We stood with our hands resting on the railings, locking eyes. The breeze tousled his dreads into his face, but they gracefully fell back. We continued to stare at each other, and I was anxious about what might transpire, scared that Maxwell would make a move in public.
"It's like you're stupid." He remarked. My heart shattered, wondering if he was so enraged to believe I was seeking a kiss. "Whatever you're looking for you won't find it here."Maxwell's statement confused me until I followed his gaze as he turned away, and I saw Madrid peering from the side to observe us. Realizing Maxwell wasn't addressing me, my heart calmed down.
Madrid was laughing, but Maxwell wasn't having it, "Why are you vexing na, if the two of you weren't doing anything?" Madrid posed.
Maxwell glared at him with anger, signaling that the joke was no longer amusing. I feared Maxwell might confront him aggressively, but instead, he simply walked past Madrid and left the veranda. I followed suit, leaving Madrid alone and pondering what he might have witnessed or overheard while peaking.
Upon reaching Maxwell's dorm, I began coughing due to the smoke. Anxious about my phone, possibly missing a call from Kennedy, I spotted my charger from the entrance. However, as I approached, my phone wasn't there. I did see my charger, but my phone was nowhere in sight. Losing all sense of composure, I looked around and noticed that Ossai had joined the guys to smoke and play games. "Ossai! Where's my phone?" I exclaimed.
"It's there na!" Ossai stood up slowly, intending to guide me to where I left my phone. As he approached, he couldn't find anything, and a look of shock appeared on his face.
"Oh God! This is why I did not want to leave you with my phone", Realizing that complaining was unproductive, I swiftly requested, "Maxwell, please call my phone now!" After comprehending the situation, Maxwell began dialing my number, attracting the attention of the boys around us who started to inquire about what was happening. Not wanting anyone to leave, as everyone was a suspect, my phone rang for just a second before abruptly cutting off, mirroring the sudden drop in my heart. Maxwell made another call, and the automated message played: "The number you're trying to call is currently switched off, please try again later, thank you!"