Chapter 10: Shadows from the past

Adelani stared at her phone screen, her heart pounding.

"I've landed in the UK. I'll be seeing you soon."

Dayo.

It had been over a year since they had last spoken, and even then, their conversations had been strained, filled with unspoken words and lingering resentment. He had been a part of her life for so long sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always there. And now, just when she was beginning to feel something new, something uncharted, he was back.

Her fingers hovered over the screen. She wanted to ignore the message, pretend she hadn't seen it, but she knew Dayo too well. He wouldn't just disappear.

Still feeling lightheaded from her evening with Alexander, she set her phone aside and climbed into bed, but sleep didn't come easily. Her mind replayed the night his voice, his laughter, the way she hadn't felt the need to hide anything. She hadn't planned to feel this way, but she couldn't deny that something real was happening between them. And now, Dayo's reappearance threatened to complicate everything.

The next morning, she woke up to another message.

"How long are you going to ignore me, Lani? We need to talk."

She sighed and rubbed her temples. Ronke. She needed to talk to Ronke.

As if on cue, her phone rang. "You're awake," Ronke said, skipping a greeting. "I had a dream, and you were in it. Something about two men and a lot of wahala."

Adelani groaned. "Ronke, please."

"I'm serious! My spirit told me I should check on you." A pause. "Did something happen?"

Adelani hesitated. "Dayo's here."

A beat of silence, then a sharp intake of breath. "What?"

"He texted me last night. He wants to see me."

"Ha." Ronke exhaled dramatically. "So, of all the places in the world, this boy has decided to come and disturb your peace?"

"Apparently."

"Have you told Alexander?"

Adelani sat up. "Told him what, exactly? That my ex suddenly decided to pop up and throw me into confusion?"

Ronke scoffed. "What confusion? Do you want Dayo back?"

"No." The answer was immediate.

"Then what's the problem?"

Adelani sighed. "I don't know… It's just… Dayo was a huge part of my life. I thought I was over it, but now that he's here, I feel... unsettled."

Ronke's voice softened. "I get it, babe. Just don't let him mess with your head. You've moved on. I saw you when you were thinking about the professor at the party, You were glowing."

A small smile played on Adelani's lips. "Glowing?"

"Radiating, my dear. Don't let old wahala steal your joy."

Adelani exhaled, nodding to herself. "You're right."

"Of course, I am," Ronke said smugly. "Now, go and enjoy your life. If Dayo really wants to talk, let him wait. You decide when."

The decision to ignore Dayo lasted exactly two days.

On Tuesday, as she was leaving work, she saw him.

He was leaning against the café near the library, dressed in a fitted black shirt and jeans, his arms crossed in that effortless way she used to love.

Her steps faltered. He hadn't changed much still had that quiet confidence, the charm that made people gravitate toward him. But there was something different about him too, something sharper in his eyes.

She considered walking past him, pretending not to see him. But before she could decide, he turned, and their eyes met.

There was no escaping it now.

"Lani," he said, pushing off the wall and walking toward her.

Her heart tightened. "Dayo."

He smiled, that same crooked smile that had once made her weak. "You look good."

She folded her arms. "What are you doing here?"

He chuckled. "No how are you? No long time, no see?"

She raised an eyebrow.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, I deserve that." His gaze softened. "I just… I wanted to see you. Properly."

"You've seen me," she said flatly.

He let out a small laugh. "Can we talk?"

She hesitated.

Her mind screamed no, but a part of her was curious. What does he want? Why now?

After a pause, she sighed. "Fine. Ten minutes."

Dayo grinned. "I'll take it."

As they walked to a nearby bench, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was the beginning of something she wasn't ready for.

They sat on a wooden bench near the café, the sounds of the city humming around them—distant traffic, the occasional laugh from passersby, the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

Adelani folded her arms and leaned back, keeping a safe distance between them. She wanted this conversation to be quick, to get whatever Dayo needed to say out of the way.

"So," she said, cutting through the silence. "Talk."

Dayo exhaled, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "You're still impatient."

"I'm still busy."

That made him chuckle. "Fair enough." He studied her, and she could feel the weight of his gaze. "You've changed."

She raised an eyebrow. "People change, Dayo. That's life."

He nodded slowly. "You're right. But you leaving… that never made sense to me."

Adelani felt a sharp pang of irritation. "It didn't have to make sense to you."

His jaw tightened for a fraction of a second before he schooled his expression. "I just thought you'd come back once you got whatever you needed to out of your system."

She scoffed. "Out of my system? Wow."

He sighed, his voice gentler now. "Lani, I know things weren't perfect, but we had something solid. Real. And I never stopped thinking about you. Didn't you miss me?"

Adelani met his gaze, unflinching. "I missed who I thought you were. But I don't miss us."

Dayo exhaled, shaking his head with a wry smile. "You always were stubborn."

She smirked. "And you always thought you could talk your way back into my life."

He chuckled. "Is it working?"

"No."

His smirk didn't falter. "You say that, but I know you. I know you overthink everything, analyze every possibility. You wouldn't be sitting here if a small part of you wasn't curious."

Adelani clenched her jaw. "Curiosity is not the same as regret, Dayo."

He leaned back, stretching his arm across the bench, just like he used to when they were together. "You know our families always believed we'd end up together. Even your mum never really understood why you left."

Adelani's fingers twitched. She knew her mother had never fully supported her decision to end things. Dayo had always been the ideal son-in-law in her eyes—good Yoruba boy, respectable family, steady job.

But she was not about to let him use that against her.

She tilted her head. "Of course, she liked you. She didn't have to date you."

Dayo laughed. "Ouch." Then his expression sobered. "Look, Lani. You've done your independent thing. You've lived abroad, focused on your career. And that's great. But at some point, you have to ask yourself—what's next?"

Adelani frowned. "You think you're what's next?"

He shrugged. "I think I make sense."

Her irritation flared. "To who? My mother? Society?" She shook her head, standing up. "I chose to leave, Dayo. And I didn't look back. Don't flatter yourself by thinking I was waiting for you to be ready."

Dayo watched her for a moment before he stood too, hands in his pockets. "I hear you."

"Good."

He smirked slightly. "But we both know this conversation isn't over."

She let out a short laugh. "Yes, it is."

Dayo stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I'm not so sure. You and I… we were never really finished."

Adelani lifted her chin. "I am."

Something flickered in his eye's annoyance? Regret? But he covered it with another confident smile. "We'll see."

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Adelani stood there, her pulse racing—not from longing, but from frustration.

She wasn't the same woman who had left Dayo behind. And no matter what he thought, she was never going back