STAGED AFFECTION
(Episode 18)
“Razi, please, can we stop all this fighting, okay?” Nichelle said, her voice soft and pleading. “I’m sorry for treating you badly in the past.”
I was taken aback by her sudden change of heart, and I paused for a few minutes, looking at her with a mixture of surprise and skepticism. We stared at each other, the tension between us palpable.
I broke the silence, my voice cautious. “Why the sudden change of character?” I asked, trying to understand what had brought about this transformation.
Nichelle looked down, her eyes cast downward, before meeting my gaze again. “I realize my mistakes now,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I was wrong to treat you the way I did.”
I nodded, trying to process her apology. “It’s fine,” I said. “I forgive you.”
I paused, studying her expression. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
Nichelle hesitated, her eyes darting around the room before focusing on me again. “Yes,” she said, her voice firm. “What’s that?” I asked, my interest piqued.
She paused again, her eyes locked on mine. “Have you started dating Lizy for real?” she asked, her voice laced with a hint of concern.
I was taken aback by her question, but I tried to answer honestly. “Lizy and I are getting along,” I said, trying to downplay the situation.
Nichelle pressed on, her eyes searching mine. “Do you like Lizy?” she asked, her voice soft.
I was surprised by her question, but I tried to answer truthfully. “Well, I like her,” I said. “She’s beautiful, and she’s a good girl.”
Nichelle’s expression changed, a hint of sadness creeping into her eyes. “Am I not beautiful too?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I tried to choose my words carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings. “You are beautiful, Nichelle,” I said. “But it’s just that the way you treat people is very bad.”
Nichelle kept quiet, her eyes fixed on me, a mixture of emotions playing on her face. Just then, her mother knocked on the door, breaking the tension between us. “Razi, can you come fix something in my room?” she asked, her voice cheerful.
I nodded, grateful for the interruption, and left the room, leaving Nichelle alone with her thoughts.
***************
As I entered her mother’s room, I was greeted with a warm smile. She asked for my help in fixing her wardrobe, and I obliged, trying to make small talk as we worked.
But then, she asked a question that caught me off guard. “Is anything wrong between you and my daughter?” she asked, her eyes piercing through mine.
I was taken aback, unsure of how to respond. But I tried to brush it off, not wanting to reveal too much. “Nothing’s wrong,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Why do you ask?”
Her mother’s expression turned thoughtful, her eyes clouding over with concern. “I can feel the hunger in my daughter, wanting you these days like she never had you,” she said, her voice low and intuitive.
I was speechless, shocked by her perceptiveness. I realized that Nichelle’s mother was a very sensitive and smart woman, able to read people and situations with ease.
I tried to reassure her, not wanting to reveal the truth. “Though we had a little misunderstanding, we’ve settled it,” I said, trying to downplay the situation.
But Nichelle’s mother wasn’t fooled. She looked at me with a deep understanding, her eyes filled with empathy. “I know my daughter can be difficult sometimes,” she said. “But please, don’t take it to heart. She’s been through a lot in the past.”
And then, she revealed a shocking truth. “Nichelle’s first love, the man she loved with everything she had, broke her heart on their wedding day,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He told her he was no longer interested in the marriage, that he had been having an affair with her best friend, and that he would marry her instead.”
I was stunned, my mind reeling with the implications. No wonder Nichelle was so wary of relationships, so quick to push people away. Her heart had been shattered into a million pieces, and she was still trying to pick up the fragments.
Nichelle’s mother continued, her voice filled with sadness. “From that day on, Nichelle’s hate for men and her inability to keep friends started. She built walls around herself, afraid of getting hurt again.”
I felt a pang of regret, realizing that I had misjudged Nichelle all along. I had known her to be cruel and heartless, but now I saw her in a different light. She was a wounded soul, trying to protect herself from further pain.
Her mother’s eyes locked onto mine, filled with a deep understanding. “Please, always bear with her,” she said, her voice soft. “She needs people like you in her life, people who can see beyond her walls and touch her heart.”
***************
As I entered our room, I found Nichelle moving around, her expression a mix of emotions. She handed me my phone without a word and went to lie on the bed, her back turned to me.
I checked my phone, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw Lizy’s message. “Hi Razi, I have been wanting to tell you this… I think I’m in love with you.”
I felt a rush of emotions, unsure of how to process Lizy’s confession. I looked up at Nichelle, who was turning her back on me with anger and sadness written all over her.
Nichelle spoke up, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Just this night, you confirmed you like her, and now she has confessed her feelings to you.”
She turned to face me, her eyes flashing with anger. “The contract will end in three days’ time. I wish you both the best of luck.”
I was taken aback by her words, unsure of how to respond. I felt a pang of guilt, knowing that I had developed feelings for Lizy, but I also knew that I had to be honest with myself and with Nichelle.
Nichelle turned away from me, closing her eyes as if trying to shut out the world. I knew that she was hurting, and I felt a pang of regret for causing her pain.
I wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, but I knew that it would be inappropriate. Instead, I stood there, frozen in uncertainty, unsure of what the future held for us.
The silence between us was palpable, the tension thick in the air. I knew that our staged relationship had reached a turning point, and I wasn’t sure what lay ahead.
To be continued…
