I cast my eyes down, unsure what to say.
“Jessy says you were supposed to marry her brother,” he blinked. “I mean ‘supposed to’? What does that even mean? Did he jilt you or…”
He let his words hang, ambiguous. Jessy…the way he called her, so familiar, made me want to puke. Why did Austin’s drama have to follow me everywhere?
And why did Biyi want to know? I wondered. So I could be the brunt of the jokes between him and his silly girlfriend or…?
“Why do you want to know?” I threw the question in his face, feeling an unsual anger bubbling somewhere within me.
“What do you mean why do I want to know? We’re friends, Kay. Or…aren’t we?”
I raised my head, looking in his eyes.
“We were friends. Childhood friendship doesn’t count now, Biyi.”
My words settled in the atmosphere like a cloak of doom. I couldn’t believe I had said that but it was too late to take it back.
I searched his face for a reaction, hating myself for getting carried away. Jessica was the enemy and not him.
“I…I’m sorry I…” I began.
He held up his palm, cutting me off. His eyes looked bland, like a cloud of something had fallen over them. Like the sun had just set. I couldn’t read his expression.
“You’re right. Childhood friendship doesn’t count. I…I don’t even know why I came, or what I was hoping for.”
“No Biyi, please…”
He stood, leaning away from me like I had a contagious disease. “Happy birthday Kehinde. I’m glad I got to know the grown-up you.”
“Biyi!” He never called me Kehinde! Not since we were kids!
But he was walking out already, leaving me talking to myself.
What next? Follow him? Then what? Make a fool of myself in front of his silly girlfriend?
Sighing, I settled into the bed. Suddenly I didn’t feel like partying anymore.
There was a small knock on the door and before I could respond, it opened. Biyi?
It was Ronke.
“Babe, what happened?” she looked concerned.
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Nothing as in…nothing? No…hanky-panky?”
“Well, I sorta messed up.”
“I noticed. He just left with that Jessica girl.”
I sighed again.
“Tell me what happened later. Right now, you have a guest looking for you.”
“I’m not in the party mood anymore. Let it go on without me.”
“It’s a white man. Abel something. Do you know him?”
In that moment, I could swear my heart stopped beating. For a few minutes maybe.
“Who?” it was barely a whisper.
“Abel. Do you know any white men?”
Photo-Credit: https://everydayfeminism.com/