The Real Deal (Episode 22)

I couldn't bring myself to ask why they were laughing, I could only imagine why as my imagination ran wild immediately(as it is common with the melancholic temperament). Am sure they read the confused look on my face and the laughter stopped abruptly.

"Sorry pearl" Dinma apologized on their behalf. "Yes we are mad at you but its OK" Nonso said still laughing. "You didn't think you could sneak up on us just like that, right?" May said. "Don't mind her, she is just naive" Goodness spoke this time.

"I don't understand, what are you girls trying to say?" I asked more confused than I ever was.

This time, Janet spoke. "What they've been trying to say is that, we've been aware all these time but kept quiet about it cos we knew how you felt after Jide and all we always wanted is for you to be happy", "And since 'Hossie' was doing that we couldn't help but not put pressure on you though we knew this day would come and we waited patiently for it" she concluded with a big laugh.

"You've got to be kidding me" I screamed this time excited as I took Janet in a teddy bear hug and the other girls joined us.

"Thanks girls" I whispered in tears.

"We've got you baby" Goodness said hugging me tighter than everyone else.

Whilst in the midst I thought about so many but most importantly I agree less with my inner me that my friends are angels and that dialogue is everything...I mean everything. And just in that atmosphere of love the room was enveloped in Hossie's presence as we all burst out in songs in his language. In two minutes, my friends were drowned already.

'This is going to last a while you know' i thought as I drowned also.

The issue with my parents is one I have been able to get over a little(not without stress though). I am sure she was trying to imagine how we were going to go over it again. There was only one option(to help keep my reactions down a little),right there and then she called Sweetness and while we waited for his arrival, she began telling me about my parents. Her words dropped like like tiny pins on my 'soft tissued' heart but Sweetness was there and felt 'not extremely bad'. After all..i wasn't planning on running to them with open hands announcing the pregnancy so I just had to look for a way to fix things up when it would be time to(as Janet assured me that the time to, will surely come).

Janet's baby(Peace) was almost three years old now. 'Wow, that means that this happened in our first year at school' I did the maths in my head. Now she was well over it and according to her 'Somehow, I don't regret keeping her'. But that's her own story, 'what would be mine?'(I could only imagine).

In the next few minutes(or so I thought), I was so lost in thought that u didn't even notice Jide walking into the room till he tapped me some minutes later after watching me for a while.

"Hi, good evening" I greeted as he jerked me out of my wonder land.

"Good evening,seems like you took a quick stroll to space, welcome back" he replied smiling.

"I am sorry" I apologized, "Hope you have not been here for too long?" I asked embarrassed.

"Oh not really, just some eighteen minutes" he answered.

"Oh" I exclaimed. "Not so bad" he assured. "So what means of transportation took you to oblivion?" He asked jokingly serious, "I thought we had the talk and agreement about inter mood travels especially for now?" He asked this time seriously joking.

"I know but I didn't plan for it and by the way, it's not easy. ....."I was still saying when he cut me off.

"Shhhhhh....that's why you have your friends, they told me you've been lost and on your own hours before I came in, you've got to let them in on what's going on. Don't make them feel useless, please" he said pleadingly. "Even if you can't and don't want to talk to them, I am here, I am available for you" he said taking my hand in his and looking straight into my eyes.

'What in the world was he trying to do?' I could only ask myself by myself. But this moment I wasn't ready to let go as cold chills den down my spine...Yes, it was the butterflies I reared in my stomach for Jide, their cage had been broken by that single act and it was impossible to get them together at once, they fluttered around freely in my stomach as Jide drew his lips close to mine in a slow, steady and orderly manner(what was about to happen, I couldn't tell but what I knew was that I was about to cheat on Sweetness).