One hundred and eighteen

5:28pm

Uche😚💕: I'm at Ms Bee's

 U coming?

I sat in bed eating chips when I received Uche's text. Shit. I had forgotten to keep checking the time while train through his journals. 

The plan was to try and find out what he was hiding before meeting him up but now I've lost track of time. I picked up my phone and texted a reply.

Me: Hey

 I might not be able to make it anymore

 I totally forgot, unless u don't mind waiting, maybe I'll rush there now, idk

Uche😚💕: I don't mind waiting if u want me to🤷🏾‍♂️

I bit my lip and stared at his reply hard before texting back.

Me: U know what? Let's just cancel, I won't. make it

He read my text as immediately as I sent it. No reply came. It made me wonder what was on his mind at that exact moment.

Me: sorry 👉👈

I thought I should add. He read that too but didn't reply. It made me nervous that he wasn't replying.

I got out of our chat after a while and went back to searching for what I wanted through his journal. I dropped my phone on the bed and left my room for the first time since I got back from school. I wanted to get water to drink downstairs.

I was still gulping down from the glass when Nick opened our front door and I saw Uche standing on our porch. I almost choked on the water. What was he doing here? I wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

"Me, or Julie?" Nick asked him who he was here for and he held eye contact with me while he answered.

"Julie."

I swallowed. Nick kissed his teeth loudly before jogging back up the stairs to his room. Uche strokes to where I stood with the glass of water still in my hand. To avoid direct eye contact like he was initiating, I started to drink from the glass again.

"I know we're supposed to give each other some space and time, but you can't just leave me sitting alone at Ms Bee's, looking like a fool for half an hour." He spoke to me angrily for the first time since I've known him.

"I'm sorry," I was, but he didn't believe me.

"No, you aren't. You probably did this for the fun of it. You enjoy doing this to me, don't you?"

"No, why would you think that, Uche?"

"I don't know, why shouldn't I?"

"Well, you're the one who's taking our break too seriously. Aren't you speaking to other girls?" I decided to vent my jealousy out.

"Speaking to..." He snorted,"I'm not, okay? And who wanted us to take a break?"' He replied so quickly, it brought me back to where I should be.

"So that's your excuse?" I stood on my toes while facing him, not wanting to be intimidated by his height. 

"It's not an excuse, it's just... it's just..." His words stated to falter."I miss you." He ended up saying with a sigh.

I swallowed. I looked away, trying not to feel bad. I couldn't waver, not now, I was getting him ready for a possibility of us breaking up if I did go back to the city.

"Don't you miss me?" His voice became sober. I didn't answer. I couldn't. If I said I didn't, he would catch me in the lie."Say something?"

I kissed my teeth and took a step back from him, afraid I would give in to the smell of him; afraid I would hug him."What do you want me to say?" 

"I don't know? Whatever you were gonna say if you made it to Ms Bee's?"

"..." I looked at the floor aimlessly for some seconds before deciding to get the answers I was trying to get from his journals from him directly."Tell me what you've been keeping from me."

He looked into the distance trying to figure out what I meant and when he did, he looked back at me, and I could just read the question in his eyes.

'You know?'

"Nick told you?" His voice was roughly unusual all of a sudden.

"He didn't, obviously. He's your 'bro', he'd lie for you. I just know you're hiding something, I can sense it."

"..." He went silent.

"Well?" I nudged,"You wanted me to say something, I did, and now you're gonna me quiet?" I folded my arms, I had become anxious of his answer. Did he cheat?"Did you cheat on me with April?"

He snorted out a laugh, for someone under questioning."You really think I'd go for April if I wanted to cheat on you?"

"So you cheated, just not with her." I concluded and saw his head shake like the dancing hippo figurine in my aunt's car.

"No," he quickly denied.

"Then what?" I bombarded and he became silent again, running his hands through his hair and messing it up.

He didn't utter another word so I hissed and walked passed him to go up the stairs. He hurried after me, stopping me before I could go up the second flight.

"It's a bit weird," he held my arm, but I freed myself of him, still wanting to go up.

"Then keep it to yourself," I told him.

"Julieee," he pulled me back again and this time held me firmly so I didn't try and leave again.

At that moment, my aunt walked in withher laptop and some files in her hands."Hi aunt," Uche greeted and let go of me.

She smiled tiredly,"How are you?"

"I'm good."

"Your dad?"

"He's alright." 

I walked back down the stairs and took the files and laptop from her."I'll leave this in your room for you." I faked a smile for her and walked back past Uche on my way to her room.

He waited till my aunt went to the kitchen to get herself something to drink before coming after me. I was just leaving my aunt's room after keeping her things.

"Leave me alone," I told him coldly and went towards my room. He walked in after me before I could attempt closing the door on him.

"Kim and I placed a bet on you." He blurted and I stared at him for more context after I closed the door behind him.