The Signs Were Always There

Sofia couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had been gnawing at her for days. She hadn’t heard from Raj in a while, and the growing tension in their relationship seemed to have reached a breaking point. As she walked through the streets, her mind wandered back to the last conversation they had—something about him felt distant, distracted, like he was hiding something.

She knew he had a temper. She had seen flashes of it before, but lately, it had become harder to ignore. Raj wasn’t the kind of person to open up about his frustrations, and that left Sofia feeling like she was constantly guessing, trying to decode his behavior. But what was happening now felt different—like something bigger was unfolding behind the scenes.

As she sat at a cafe, absentmindedly sipping her tea, Sofia’s phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. It was short and cryptic: “If you want to know the truth, come to Oluwale’s place.”

Her heart skipped a beat. What truth? And why Oluwale’s place?

Sofia knew something was off. She had spent enough time with Raj and his friends to know their patterns, their hangouts, and their secrets. Oluwale’s place was a known spot, but the thought of Raj being there—without telling her—sent alarm bells ringing. She needed answers.

The Doorway to Truth

Sofia didn’t waste any more time. She left the cafe, her mind racing as she walked towards Oluwale’s house. The streets seemed unusually quiet, as if the city itself was holding its breath. She tried to calm herself, but her heart was pounding. Why was Raj at Oluwale’s place? What was happening that required such secrecy?

As she approached the building, a wave of unease washed over her. This place had never been a source of comfort for her—Oluwale’s apartment always felt cramped, filled with the smell of cigarette smoke and weed. But now, it seemed even more foreboding. She hesitated for a moment at the entrance, then knocked on the door.

Inside, the conversation between Raj and his friends abruptly halted. The room was thick with tension—Billy, tied to a chair, Oluwale pacing nervously, Robert looking guilty, and Gugu staring out the window. The last thing anyone expected was for Sofia to show up.

Raj stood up, his face pale with shock. He hurried to the door, opening it cautiously, only to find Sofia standing there, looking both furious and confused.

“Sofia…” Raj’s voice trailed off, his shock giving way to fear. “How… how did you know I was here?”

Sofia met his gaze, her expression unflinching. “There are only a few places where you could be, Raj. And I know all of them.”

Without waiting for an invitation, Sofia pushed past him and stepped inside. The sight of Billy, tied up and looking dishevelled made her scream instinctively. Her mind reeled—what on earth had she just walked into?

“Stop! Don’t scream! Everything is okay!” Oluwale’s voice broke through the chaos, his hands raised in a gesture of peace.

Sofia’s pulse was racing, but she forced herself to calm down. She turned to Raj, her eyes burning with a mixture of anger and betrayal. “What is going on here, Raj?”

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of who should speak. The room was silent, tension hanging in the air like a thick fog. Finally, Robert cleared his throat and stepped forward. “We can explain—”

“Nope,” Raj interrupted, his voice tight. “Not you. The rest of us can explain.”

Sofia’s eyes darted from Raj to Billy, to the others in the room. She could feel the weight of something unsaid pressing down on all of them. She folded her arms, waiting.

“Go on then,” she said, her voice cold. “Explain.”

Raj sighed, rubbing his temples. “It’s not what it looks like. Billy—”

“Why?” Sofia interjected. “Why would you do something like this? What did Billy ever do to you?”

Before Raj could answer, Robert blurted out, “It’s because of me.”

Sofia’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Robert shifted uncomfortably. “I started talking to you… and Raj found out.”

Sofia frowned, confused. “So what? Why would that make Raj angry?”

Robert glanced nervously at Raj, who stayed silent. Finally, he spoke again, his voice quieter this time. “Because… I thought you liked me.”

Sofia blinked, her anger flaring again. “Another idiot,” she muttered under her breath. She turned to Robert, her frustration boiling over. “You shared your sadness with me, Robert. You told me your boring stories, and I listened. But that doesn’t mean I love you, or even like you. This is the problem with you guys.”

The room fell silent again. Gugu and Oluwale exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to say.

Raj finally broke the silence, his voice trembling. “Then why… why are you different with me, Sofia? I bought you everything. I gave you everything to make you happy. What more could you have wanted?”

Sofia’s eyes softened, but her voice remained firm. “Raj, you didn’t do those things because I asked you to. You did them because it made you feel good. You convinced yourself that buying me things and doing extravagant gestures would make me happy. But did you ever stop to ask what I really wanted?”

Gugu and Oluwale’s eyes widened. It was as if Sofia had said something they had been waiting to hear all along.

Sofia continued, her voice rising with emotion. “I took those things, pretended to be happy, because I knew you thought it would make me happy. But you were showing off your love, Raj. And you were enjoying the show. Don’t blame me for it.”

Oluwale spoke up, breaking the tension. “But… Raj did all of that for you.”

Sofia turned to him, her expression unwavering. “But he never consulted me. He never told me what was really going on. When I asked him about his finances, he always brushed me off, saying it was fine, that I didn’t need to worry. But why does love have to come with a price tag? Why do you need to go bankrupt to prove your love?”

She turned back to Raj, her voice softer but still charged with emotion. “I would have preferred a flower over a garden. I would have been happier with a simple gesture that showed you understood me. But you kept buying things, doing things, without ever asking me what would truly make me feel loved.”

© Nil | 2024