Because You like him?

"No, you shut up!" Deola explodes. " You are the freak! You are demented. You a-are..." She shakes her head in horror, the only expression visible on it is dread.

She longs for words to say as her head moves left to right in total fright, as if she'd seen a ghost. Which should be correct because the one in front of her is not something she would classify far from a ghost.

For God's Sake, she is looking at a spirit or ghost- which ever fit- and the experience is enough to send ice cold chills through her spine.

With no more words to complete her sentence, Deola turns, her feet racing her away from Tade.

She hears a sigh behind her, followed by an inaudible mumbling, but she does not bother a second glance, even if it is to the one who gave her warmth, a minute ago, she does not care.

The wind is still cold and biting, almost giving a sensation that if she stayed still, she'd freeze. As she runs, distance coming in between herself and Tayo, she hears a sigh as she suppresses the longing to return to the source of warmth.

And that is because, her feet are providing all the warmth she can care about as she patters away from him.

"But How?" She questions with an intense frown, gaining on to the vehicle that she had ridden in, the black convertible.

"How did I get entangled in this?" She asks again, her mind, a plethora of uncertainties as she runs still, the atmosphere dimly lit by the almost invisible moon crescent above.

There was no way Tade could escape being a spirit. Yes, she knows that creatures as such exist but she had never once considered that she herself would be mixed in all of it.

At best, she considers spirit to be mere mythology, cooked up facts despite the fact her parents are strict religionist who believe in existence of a spirit reality.

"Spirit Reality? My God!" She gasps, hugging herself as she runs.

Her heart is in her mouth as fear grips her entire fame again, her body moving on default to the richly lit assembly hall, at which the convertible is parked.

From what religion emphasized to her, spirits are not always friendly. They are higher creatures with the capability to harm humans at will.

And this fact is the exact reason why her parents are devoted religionist.

They were of belief that certain spiritual measures is to be undertaken to prevent the wandering of spirits around their affairs, especially when they could easily harm or destroy a person spiritually.

And accordingly, to harm a person spiritually is so much horrible than being admitted into the ICU unit of any hospital.

'Did Tade harm me spiritually?' She asks mentally, hopelessness and dread surging to her throat, her breath seizing in the process as she almt hears the rapid thumping of her heart.

Did Tade harm her?

Deola sighs in worry, knowing that an answer would not be feasible now seeing that spiritual damage was not something that is easily noticeable in the physical reality.

And so, her fear triples.

Just how long would it take for Tade's spiritual damage to reveal itself?

"If it takes long, I'm dead!" Deola whimpers, tears rolling off the edges of her eyes

'But, Tade has never really hurt me or given any notion of that. He only likes to touch, after all, he saved me.' Her innerself argues against her reasoning.

"He saved me... or he just did that so I wouldn't suspect the damage he was dealing to me?" She questions herself.

'Deola na...' Her innerself counters. 'Do you remember the fever you had then? After he touched you, was that not the the fever left? Or have you forgotten so soon?

If he really planned on harming you, would he have bothered healing you then?"

True enough, she had felt a calming energy seep into her body when Tade carried her to the car then.

Unconsciously, Deola licked her lower lips, remembering how their lips had met accidentally, in a short but seemingly encapsulating kiss.

"I shouldn't be thinking of that!" She chides herself, the boot of the car within an arms reach now.

'Why shouldn't you? That's because you know deep down that he actually does have some soft spot for you. That's why he would never be in a position to hurt you. And you know it's true.' Her mind replies, and this time, she does not counter.

"But..." Deola frowns, her face tight and unforgiving.

'But what, Girl? Tade simply cares too much for you to want to harm you. I mean, didnt he have so many chances to hurt you? But no... He even went ahead to ask you to hug him when you almost froze.'

"No...!" Deola grunts out, panting furiously. "But why didn't he tell me who he really was? Why?" She heaves, shaking visibly.

'Do you like him?' Her mind throws the surprise question to her, making her jerk away from the car booth which she faced.

"Do I like him?... No..." Deola sobs, shaking her head. "But he should at least have told me who he is. Don't I deserve to know the truth. I doo..." Deola holds her head with both hands, sniffing.

"Aaaarh!" She throws her hands to the side and kicks the bumper of the car in rage. "I d-deserve... to...to know!"

She breaks down, one hand clutching her chest while she guides herself to the frontal passenger door with the hand, sobbing.

No longer is the dread and fear present. Rather it is replaced by intense anger which can equally equate into hate as she feels cheated.

To Deola, Tade ought to have told her. However, she is ignorant of the fact that her request is actually as result of a building affection, sheltered under many layers of non-chalance.

"Heeeeeeyyy..." Tunrayo's scream jolts her. "I hope you broke your leg and fractured your bones for kicking the car. Car that I had to tell a lie so I could be allowed to use it today." She points to Deola from the window where Deola is, shocked by her reaction.

However, as she sees the tears running subtly down her face, Tunrayo is taken aback, reaching over to open the door from within.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" Tunrayo asks with a frown as Deola enters the car.

Deola's frame heaved under a sob, her fingers drying the sides of her face.

But it is to no avail as more tears run down, reinforced, in response to the soft patting she gets from Tunrayo on her left shoulder.

"Talk to me, Dee... Talk to me... Did he hurt you?" Tunrayo's face darkens, as the thought that he could have hurt her best friend takes root in her mind.

And by all of herself, the only one who truly deserves the right to upset Deola is none but her.

Tade hurting her is tantamount to stepping into a snake's hedge because, not only did he infringe on her exclusive right to piss Deola, he also angered her by daring in his miserable life to hurt her best friend.

And by God, No way was she going to take that lying low.

Not on her watch. Never!. "Oh My God! That bastard!"

With a sudden tilt, Tunrayo swerves to her door, yanking it open, a maddened expression taking over her face.

"BASTAAAARRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDD...!! Come out here if they born you well!" She screams into the now night airs, unafraid.

She makes to step out when she feels a clutch at her waist.

"Tunrayo, stop. stop it. Please!" Deola pleads from behind her.

In response, she snorts, inhaling deeply to calm her nerves before plopping back into her seat, after which she turns to Deola.

"Tunrayo, you were right all along."

Tunrayo raises her eyebrows, surprise all over her as this response is not what she expects.

"Tade... you said there's more to him than we know. And it's true. It's true." Deola hugs herself, tilting a sad face towards Tunrayo.

"What exactly? About his disappearing from photo?" Tunrayo frowns slightly, trying to guess what exactly.

"Yes... yes.."

"Whoa.. You told him?"

"And what did he say?"

"He couldn't deny it." Deola's face twists in fear as she clutches Tunrayo's nearest hands in her hands.

"Oh... My... Gosh! Tade is actually Mister Poisedon. Whoa.... So cool" Tunrayo gasps superficially, fanning herself with her free hand.

However, Deola throws her hand away in an outburst.

"What? How can you be saying that?" Deola nearly screams. "You don't even care whether that spirit called Tade actually hurt me. All you bother is whether he is Poisedon or not. Just so much for thinking you could comfort me. You're unbelievable!" Deola's face squeezes in anger.

"Uh uh! Come on, babe." It is Tunrayo's turn to grasp Deola's hand in both palms. "You know I do care about you. Tell me what exactly happened?"

There and then, after several minutess, Tunrayo is able to comfort her best friend in escaping the spasms of panic attacks over her meeting with Tade. There after they proceed into the details of the meeting.

"...so it got really cold suddenly. Tade asked me to hug him if I was cold, which I was reluctant to. but somehow I ended up hugging him..."

"Whoa... You guys hugged?" Tunrayo blushes. "This guy is ranking up fast on your affection chart, babe."

"What? Really?" Deola gives a death glare to Tunrayo sho gulps waving her hands in mute surrender.

"After he mentioned that if it was a date in the Atlantic ocean..."

"Eh? Ocean?"

"Yes, Ocean. that the heating stuff there... I don't remember what exactly but the heater there won't let us feel cold in Submerged Hotel."

"Oh My Gosh!" Tunrayo smiles softly. " Did he say he's name was Tade Subme... that is after he stammered, almost pronouncing Tade Submerged. It all adds up now."

"Yes." Deola rubs her the back of her neck with both hands, sniffing. "What if he hurt me?"

"Hurt you? Why would Tade want to hurt you?"

"I dunno. He's a spirit an..."

"News flash babe, this guy was our saving grace, not once not twice, so that is beyond the point." Tunrayo says, wriggling her palms to her friend's face.

"Is that all you will say?"

"What? Didnt you say Mythology was messing with my head? So why are you now the one taking all of this serious? What if he just said that because he's a mythology fan, like me too?" Tunrayo shakes her head, pointing a finger to herself. "See babe, when you told me that, I had to seat and rethink... That maybe I was just making things up. I mean, look at the pic I showed you before." Tunrayo spends some seconds unlocking her phone after picking it from the dashboard.

She opens up and the photo pops up. And in it, Deola could see a water spray, covering and completely masking the place where Tade ought to be and part of Deola's lower torso.

"What I don't understand is how we were able to overlook the water spray... And that's because we were just over thinking the whole matter babe."

"No, you can't change my mind, Tunrayo. That guy is a spirit because there was never a water spray there from the beginning..." Deola pound the dashboard, furious.

"So, why are you angry?"

"Because he didn't tell me..."

"Tell you? Who do you think you are to him?" Tunrayo gives a short amused laugh, smirking at Deola.

"Well, because... because... b-because b..b..because..." Deola stammers continuously before throwing her hands in defeat, unable to find a reason.

"Because what?" Tunrayo probes still. "why should he ever bothered to tell you who he is?"

"He had to because..." Deola exhales with a downcast look.

"Because what? Because you like him?" Tunrayo suggests, as her eyes narrows as a smirk lights up across her face.

"You like him?"

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Author's Note:

Because What? Finally some feelings are taking roots.. Hehe...