A Night Of Uncertainty

We cross the road, walking towards one of the buildings, with me walking next to my mom and the man and boy right behind us.

Suddenly, a loud sound is heard.

"Bang!" I flinch, my heart racing with fear.

I'm not the only one who looks surprised, everyone else expression mirrors mine.

"Let's go in quick," my mom informs, and we quickly through the open gate.

It looks like a bar and a hotel combined. People are drinking around a table, and they don't seem fazed by the gunshot. They're just drinking, laughing, and discussing.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The gunshots continue.

I've never heard a gunshot in my life before, this is incredibly loud. What's happening?

"What's with the gunshots?" the boy asks, pulling down his hood as he looks out the gate.

My hands are literally shaking, and my palms are cold. I can feel my heart pounding heavily in my chest. What's going on?

"Bang!"

"Chimo!"(my God!) my mom exclaims.

"It's the unknown gunmen," the man with us says.

"Bang!"

Oh Lord! The men sitting around the table instantly stand up and run to close the gates. Could they not have heard it before? Or were they just pretending not to have heard it?

"Are you here to book a room?" someone asks.

I turn my head to see a young man standing in front of my mom.

"Yes, for the night, how much is it?" my mom asks.

I just hope she can be quick, I can't control the speed at which my heart is beating. What if they get closer? Oh Lord, death shall not be our portion!

The man looks at my mom with a mixture of confusion and concern.

"2,500 per person," he says.

"We'll need three rooms," my mom replies.

"They're available," the man responds.

"Bang!" Another gunshot startles me, who's shooting and why?

"We'll take it, please show us to our rooms," my mom says, her voice sounding anxious.

The man leads us to a bright corner and we follow, our hearts racing.

He pulls off key holders with keys on them from the wall, and turns back around to us, leading us up the stairs next to the corner.

As we climb the stairs, I catch a glimpse of myself in a big mirror on the wall. My mom is right behind me, and the boy is behind her, his head down, he's on his phone. I can't really see the other man, but I know he's also walking along.

We reach a hall with white, sparkly tiles and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The man points out our rooms, 2, 4, and 8.

My mom starts to pay, but I feel bad that she's covering the cost for all of us. I have 12,600 naira with me, I could pay for our rooms.

"Here, 10,000, that's complete," my mom hands over the money.

"Don't worry madam, I'll pay for myself," the man we had come with said to my mom.

"It's okay, let me handle this," my mom insists.

The young man collcts the money and walk down the stairs. I wonder if it's too late to offer my own money.

"Okay, so the key holders have number tags," my mom examines.

"My dear, you take the key for room two," she hands the boy the key, but he's still on his phone and doesn't seem to notice.

"Dear, your room key," she repeats.

He looks up and takes the key with a smile, then walks away.

I feel a little more at ease as my mom hands the man his own key to room number four, and we make our way to our room, number 8.

We open the door to our room, the last one in the hall. As I step inside, I'm enveloped by the room's scent. It smells really nice, like it was recently air freshened.

The room looks comfortable, featuring a plush couch and a table conveniently placed beside the big bed with red and white sheets, and other beautiful touches.

The music playing from the earpod in my ear suddenly cracks, it's probably because the device it was paired with is now far away.

"Mom, I'll be right back," I say, already heading out the door to find the boy and return his earpod.

He was still standing right in front of his door, tapping away on his screen.

I pull off the earpod and wipe it on my clothes, just in case there are any ear wax on it.

I walk over slowly to him, feeling a bit hesitant. My legs seem to have a mind of their own, carrying me closer to him despite my initial intention to turn back.

He turns his head to me before I can even say a thing. "Oh, hey," he says, his hand slowly dropping from his phone.

"Your earpod, you forgot it with me...um, take it now."

Why is he staring so much? Just take it already!

I can barely maintain eye contact, my eyes drifting from the earpod to his face.

"Oh, thanks," he takes it from me, and I quickly turn around to walk back to our room.

Closing the door, I notice him facing me, smiling at me. What the heck!. I instantly shut the door and rest my back against it, my heart beating heavily.

"What?" my mom asks, looking up from sorting through our belongings.

"It's nothing, nothing, hehe," I reply, trying to brush it off.

I pull off my jacket and turn to bolt the door, deciding to pretend like nothing ever happened.

I sigh, stepping closer to the bed, throwing myself onto it.

"Mom, what was it with all those gunshots?" I ask, pulling out my phone from my pocket.

"How would I know? It could be those unknown gunmen."

"You should sleep, we're leaving this place early to go to your sister's school."

"But why? Aren't we going to Grandma's house anymore?" I ask, turning to face her.

"Tomorrow is lockdown, we can't go there yet, it's dangerous. We'll go to their school, and then we'll go to your grandma's house on Tuesday, after your exam," she explains, folding some clothes.

"Oh, I'll freshen up then," I say, standing up from the bed.

I catch a glimpse of the AC remote resting on a small shelf on the wall.

"Oh wow, an AC! I'll turn it on," I exclaim, walking over to grab the remote control.

I turn on the AC, set it to Cool mode, and adjusted the temperature and fan speed to my liking.

Dropping the remote, I pick up a towel my mom had placed on the bed with some toiletries, then head to a corner of the room.

"Don't take too long," my mom calls out.

"Okay," I respond.

There's a wardrobe straight ahead, and the bathroom is next to it. I can see through the glass door, and I'm impressed by how elegant and modern it looks.

The bathroom is plainly white, with all the necessary amenities. Not bad! But one thing I'm not so comfortable with is the see-through door, I prefer a bit more privacy.

I head into the bathroom, trying to shake off the feeling of being on display.

As I freshen up, I can't help but think about the boy next door and how he was staring at me earlier. His eyes, his skin, everything!, he's just so dreamy! But who knows, he might even have a girlfriend, I won't be surprised if he actually does, what a lucky girl!

I don't linger too long in the bathroom and emerge in a towel, clutching my worn clothes that still carry the scent of perfume.

I make my way out of the corner, and my mom is already lying on the bed, watching something, likely a comedy show, judging by the laughter I hear.

"I'm done," I announce.

"Okay," she replies, standing up from the bed. "I also want to take a bath."

I sit on the bed, pulling my bag closer, deciding to wear something simple for the night.

I also lay out my outfit for the next day, a pair of black jeans and a red long sleeved top. Rummaging through my clothes, I find a big red shirt and black shorts, which I put on without applying any body cream or lotion, it's late, and I don't have time for that.

I carefully fold and arrange my clothes back in the bag, including my towel, and pull out my phone charger.

There's even a television, wow, this room is luxurious!

I notice a socket next to the one the TV is plugged into, so I plug in my phone, which is currently at 66% battery. I want to charge it to 100%.

Feeling sleepy, I lie back in bed, remembering that Mom said we're waking up early.

My eyelids grow heavy, and darkness pulls me in. My eyes start closing, drifting off to sleep.

💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤

"Amanda! Amanda!" I hear somebody calling my name.

I slowly open my eyes, still feeling groggy. Is it time to get up?

"Get up, freshen up, we don't have much time." That's my Mom.

I quickly sit up, my eyes widening, that's right!

Mom is already ready, wearing fresh clothes and looking prepared. Why did I oversleep again?!

I head to the bathroom, brush my teeth, take a bath, and put on the clothes I set out last night, applying deodorant too.

"Let's go," Mom says, reaching out to unbolt the door.

I grab my bag and put on the shoes I wore yesterday, still with the same smelly socks. It's no big deal, since we're just going to my sister's school, not an event.

I pick up my bag and the polythene bag with snacks. Luckily, nothing has eaten into it, and also grabbing my charger and phone I had plugged last night, it's a hundred percent.

I follow my mom out of the room, and she locks the door behind us.

"Wait here, I want to get something," she tells me.

"Okay," I reply.

She walks down the stairs, her shoe sounds echoing.

I wonder how the boy is doing, and the man too. Could they have left, or are they still in there? Well, it's none of my business.

The door to one of the rooms starts opening, and someone steps out. Oh Jesus Christ! It's him!

I quickly turn to face the stairs, pretending not to notice his presence. He hasn't left yet, why? Where's Mom? Why is she taking so long?

"Oh, you're still here," his voice echoes.

I don't respond, my eyes still fixed on the stairs for Mom's presence. My heart is literally pounding, and my breathe is heavy. Okay, Amanda, you can do this. Breathe in, out, in, out.

"Hey," I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"Ah!" I scream, about falling face down on the stairs.

I feel a sudden grab from behind, their hands wrapping around my stomach and pulling me to their chest.

I instantly turn around, my gaze meeting his. Heavenly father! Why did you create such beauty to kill me?

It feels like I'm going to have a heart attack. The way in which my heart beats is hurting me.

"Uhm, s-orry, sorry!" I say, my eyes wide as I keep looking into his eyes. I could almost cry as my eyes are growing hot.

I blink continuously, finally looking away. Then I feel him gently lift my head to meet his gaze.

My eyes widen again, my heart racing, and the butterflies in my stomach transforming into a peculiar mix of pain and pleasure. What is this feeling?

"What's wrong?" he asks, his voice low and concerned.

"Uhm, it's nothing," I try to brush it off, attempting to lower my head, but he gently pulls it back up, stepping closer.

"You're burning, why?" He asks, his hands cradling my cheeks.

"I-I am?" I stutter, trying to smile it off, but I feel my body growing hot from the inside.

"You know, I have this strange feeling you might have something for me" He says, his thumb tracing my cheek, a sly smirk spreading across his face.

"W-what do you mean?"

"You seem all nervous when I'm around, back at the bus, the rickshaw, and even now," he inches closer, his face mere inches from mine.

"Guess what?" He whispers,

"W-what?"

"I feel something too," My eyes widen, my heart skipping a beat.

"Huh?" My voice barely rises above a whisper.

I feel his hand slipping around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

Our faces are mere inches apart, and I can sense the tension building. Any little movement could lead to a kiss.

I gulp down my saliva, breathing heavily as I watch his eyes shift from mine to my lips, his gaze lingering. Is he going to do what I think he's going to do? Oh Lord!

He closes his eyes, his lips slightly parting as he bends his head.

His kisses me, his hands leaving my neck to wrap around my waist, pulling me so close that I could even feel his thing on me as he deepens the kiss.

"Amanda?" Someone calls my name, their voice laced with anger.

Oh no! That's my mom.

My eyes snap open, and I sit up with a start, my heart racing. What the hell was that?

I take a deep breath, relief washing over me as I realize it was just a dream.

The dimly lit room envelopes me in an eerie chill, the cold seeping into my bones. But I'm grateful it was just my imagination. Thank goodness!

Hehe😅