Don't break the Bank: A not-so-perfect financial journey of a Nigerian student.

CHAPTER SEVEN

It is said that the only impossible journey is that one you never begin. Melissa and Raphael had started an incredible love journey, one filled with so many possibilities.

Raphael was the nicest and sweetest boyfriend any girl could wish for. He wasn't perfect, but close to perfection. His flaws were only pointers to the fact that he was human. Their relationship was unfolding into different shades of exclusivity. It had a direction; they weren't just leaving everything to chance or enjoying the moment. They saw themselves building a family together.

Each time they were together in his house, they went from playing games on his ps5, having conversations about business, to cooking meals. Raphael likes her food but rarely allows her to cook in his house.

      "Young lady. I'll do the cooking, and you'll do the dishes since you want to help so bad. You don't want to rest abi?" Melissa would always smile at him. Each time offered to show off his culinary skills.

She wore his polos, which were usually too big on her, but she loved it. She enjoyed wearing his original collections of Adidas slides. Her feet got lost in them. And Raphael couldn't resist teasing her about it.

      "Babe, see how small your feet are in my slide. Shay, you won't wear your size, madam." She tossed a pillow at him the last time he teased her about the smallness of her feet.

Raphael would give Melissa the phone to speak to his mother if she was with him when she called. The woman sounded warm and calm over the phone. She told Melissa that she had gone through her business Instagram page. She was stunned, but she liked his mother more when she realised the woman wasn't an old school. His mum knew her way around the internet.

The day Raphael showed Melissa his mother's pictures, her eyes widened in admiration. His mum looked younger than her age; she was beautiful and had rich mummy vibes written all over her pictures. There was something weirdly familiar about the woman's face, but Melissa couldn't place her mind on where she had seen his mother before.

      "Babe. Your mum looks familiar. I can't remember where, but her face looks vaguely familiar."

      "Seriously? Well, maybe you've seen somewhere in port Harcourt na."

      "True. Wait! I think I saw her at the last year's Port Harcourt bole festival. You guys were part of the vendors there, right?" Raphael nodded his head.

He was both her baby and her man; he played the two roles perfectly. Raphael's boys called her Our Wife. She appreciated their warm affection towards her, but she didn't like the name tag; it made her feel pressured to perform. Raphael was authentic and had a strong sense of sense. They were both fully part of each other's world. Their dreams intertwined, and their distinct personalities aligned in the weirdest ways possible. Their relationship wasn't a secret.

The first time they fought, Melissa had a sickening sensation in her stomach. She forced herself to sleep that night, but even sleep itself stayed far away from her. Raphael, too, had the same disturbing feeling. He called; Melissa's heartbeat fastened when she saw his name. She picked up the call without hesitation.

      "Hello," she said in a bitter voice, but deep down, she was excited he called.

      "My love. My heaven's reality on earth. I'm sorry, babe. You know Nafisà means nothing to me. And we joke about her non-fertile flirtatious moves every time. The girl doesn't understand what boundaries mean, and that's her problem. I'm sorry, babe; you won't see her in my office again. Please."

Melissa could hear how hurt he felt in his voice. She knew he was telling the truth. Nafisà meant nothing to him, but she was still jealous. The girl was a leach in their relationship, and Melissa found her overplayed role in Raphael's affairs disgustingly unbearable. Nafisà was his business partner. She liked him, but he didn't feel the same way towards her, and he made things clear to her. When she found out he was in a relationship with Melissa, she was furious and hurt, but that didn't stop her from constantly flirting with him.