Serendipity [BoyxBoy]

Chapter Twenty-Three

It was past 1am and Egho was still at Kome's house.

She hadn't told her parents that she would be staying at a friend's place. For all they knew, she was in bed sleeping.

She'd be in trouble if they decided to check on her (the chances of that, although low, were not zero) but she couldn’t leave just yet. Coming to Kome’s house after dark was dangerous on it’s own but leaving at that time? She might as well slap a sign to her back that said ‘I am a foolish teenage girl—kidnap me!'

Egho didn't mind that she couldn’t go home though. She was enjoying herself. She and Kome were snuggled under Kome's blanket watching Egho's comfort movie; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

"I used to be able to quote specific parts of this movie," Egho said in a whisper.

"Why can't you anymore?" Kome whispered back.

Egho sighed. There was something about growing up that was hard to explain; losing the feeling that came with reading children's books you used to love because they were no longer the cool type of make-believe. Switching your favorite fantasy movie for Sci-fi and Dystopian films because no one thought British kids finding a whole new world in a wardrobe was beautiful anymore. Wanting to go back to the easy days but not being able to because time moved forward not backward.

"I thought it was about time I started acting my age."

Before Kome could reply, a low buzzing sound filled the air. Egho searched around the bed for her phone and Kome paused the movie. When she found the phone, she gave Kome an apologetic look before picking the call.

"Nosa, this better be good," She said into the phone.

"It's Irekan," The sob-stained voice that came back through the phone made Egho's heart stop. "He's, no, we're in trouble."

▪️▪️▪️

Nosa didn't leave the house on Friday evening for his usual walk. If Irekan was going to be there to play football and ignore him then he didn't want to go. 

He spent the time in his room playing Plants VS Zombie's mini games while Ehi colored all over his old notebooks. It was a far cry from the Call of Duty mobile and PUBG that his mates played but Nosa liked PVZ after all, who would defend his lawn and his brains against zombies if not for him?

When Ehi asked him about Uvo, he lied that Irekan would bring his dog over the next day and the happy smile on Ehi's face filled him with guilt. The next afternoon, his mum asked him about 'that his nice friend' and Egho passed him a look and Nosa just couldn't take it anymore.

It was Saturday and he hadn't gone to Irekan's house, neither did Irekan come to his place. He wasn't planning on going before, and on Sunday, Irekan would avoid him and he'd take it because that was how life worked; one day, you plan on going to a concert with someone and the next you guys aren't talking. He would survive.

But being alone again sucked. He’d already had a taste of what it felt like to be part of a duo and losing that was just depressing. No wonder old people talked about man not being an island. Having a healthy social life and then losing it made him feel like he was missing a part of himself, a part that he had just found and glued on.

Nosa had to at least try to make things right again.

Plus Ehi wanted to see 'Ulo', he wouldn’t deny her that.

"Mummy, Daddy, I'm going out!" Nosa called out, lacing up his sneakers.

"Then you'll come back and clean the table," His mother shouted from the living room. His father grunted.