-epue-

She whirled to face him, ready to lash out, but her words caught in her throat as he leaned in and kissed her. The world seemed to tilt, her breath stolen by the unexpected intensity. His lips were warm, urgent, and for a moment, she forgot everything—Jide, her anger, her confusion. The kiss wasn’t awkward or hesitant like her first with Jide. It felt natural, consuming, like a long-held secret finally revealed.
-----
Christine stepped forward, her voice trembling but determined. “Jide, stop. This isn’t what you think.”
“Isn’t it?” Jide’s voice carried an edge she hadn’t heard before. He gestured between her and Sean. “I come in here, and you two look like you’re… like there’s something going on.”
“There’s nothing going on,” Christine insisted, her voice rising in frustration. But even as she said it, the taste of Sean’s kiss lingered, a betrayal she couldn’t ignore.
Sean let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. “Nothing going on? Really? You felt nothing, Christine? That’s what you’re going to say?”
“Sean, stop!” Christine snapped, her voice sharp. She turned to Jide, her heart aching at the hurt in his eyes. “Jide, please. This isn’t fair. Sean just—he’s frustrated. He’s saying things out of emotion.”

CHRISEAN

The interior of the Kenya Airways Dreamliner was dimly lit, basking in the soft amber hue that warmed the first-class cabin. As the plane ascended smoothly into the morning sky, Christine stared out of the window, Lagos already shrinking beneath a thin veil of cloud. A strange silence enveloped her—one that had nothing to do with the hum of jet engines and everything to do with the aching quiet inside her chest. 


She had cried that morning—but only on the inside. 


Settled into the plush leather seat with a velvet travel pillow cushioning her neck, Christine tried to take in the opulence around her: the complimentary champagne she hadn’t touched, the personalized warm towel, the muted conversations of the two elderly businessmen sitting diagonally across from her. Yet nothing truly registered. She was 34,000 feet in the air, but it was her heart that felt most distant. 


TURBULENCE AND TETHERS