Subdued (18+)✔️ [A Nigerian Romance]

67~Stripped of choice

"I can stay. No matter how urgent it is, I can postpone it." Kachi stared at Aria while she did everything possible to avoid his gaze. "You're important to me. If you want me to stay, then I will."

Aria folded the last t-shirt and placed it in the open suitcase. It wasn't like she didn't want him to stay; she did. But this was work and he'd been putting it off for a week now, just because of her.

"Zariah," he called out when she remained silent. What could she say to him? She couldn't keep being selfish.

"It's fine. I was going to leave soon. Her surgery was successful and she's recovering well, thanks to you." She tugged on the zipper of the case, remembering the other times she'd helped him pack. The thoughts evoked such happy memories which when compared to the reality of their current situation only made her feel sad.

"How long will you be here for? I can finish everything up in about a week and come back to stay with you."

She immediately shook her head. "I should be back in Lagos by then."

He moved towards her with the same tentative footsteps he'd been using throughout his stay. She had been grateful for it the first few days when he'd been by her side, but now she despised it; this space between them. Holding hands and hugging were the most they'd done. She wanted him to pull her closer and kiss her senseless. Was that too much to ask?

Kachi placed a hand on her shoulder and she immediately shrugged it off. He gave her a pained look before immediately covering it up with a smile and then taking some steps back. She sighed. She really was the cause of her problems. Each time Kachi came close, she did something to push him away. It was a way to silently punish him for everything that had happened and while it had made her feel better at first, now she did it because she wasn't sure what else to do. How could they move on from what had happened?

They hadn't even talked about what happened and how it affected their relationship. Kachi had skirted the topic while she'd run from it. Was it too late to bring it up? Why wasn't he saying anything? Had he given up? The questions were enough to make her prickly.

He cleared his throat as he turned away. "My flight leaves tonight. We can chill till then, if that's okay for you."

Would it be okay? Could she do it? If she broached the topic, would it mean he had the upper hand?

"Is this it?" she asked, her eyes glued to his back. Although she wished he would turn, she was still grateful when Kachi's gaze remained trained to the window.

"What do you mean?" he simply asked. The only indication that he was as tense as her was the tightening of his stance. It gave her the needed courage to say her mind. If he was nervous, that meant he still wanted her, right?

"Is this the end? Our relationship?"

"Zariah, if I didn't want this to work, I wouldn't be here."

"We haven't talked about us since you came." She watched him as he finally turned, an unreadable expression on his face. His jaw seemed to be ticking; the way it did when he was upset or worried about something.

"You've not really been approachable." He sighed, turning back to the window. "Besides, I figured we would be the last thing on your mind. I just wanted to be by your side as a friend."

"Still," she muttered. "You barely even touched me or kissed me. Do you not find me attractive anymore?"

Kachi let out a groan before rubbing his neck. "How can you stand there and ask me if I find you desirable or not?"

"Um..."

"Can't you see it? How can you not see it?" He turned again, this time taking a few steps closer to her.