Besotted (18+) ✔️ [A Nigerian Romance]

Sixteen

He'd formed a routine. Each morning, Chike would go jogging around the estate, making sure to pass in front of Ada's house. By evening, he would take a walk on the same route and in the four days he'd done this, he'd never seen or heard the occupants of the house. He'd called Ada once and she'd told him she was fine and was at home working on new songs. She'd even gone as far as convincing him that she was thinking about going back to her agency.

He'd forced himself to not call her out on the lie. Chike wondered how much of what Ada had fed him over the years were lies. She had been lying so much to defend her piece of shit boyfriend and he didn't know what that said about her, or even him who fell for those lies.

How long had this gone on? How long had she had to bear John's maltreatment and lie about it? Why didn't she tell him? He would have found a way to fix everything and be there for her. Why didn't she tell anyone for that matter? Was the man threatening her? That also didn't make sense. Ada was tight with his friends who would go above and beyond to protect her. Even if Chike hadn't been around, his guys would have pulled up for her. Also, Ada was the baby sister to a military man, a feared and respected one for that matter. One who was already high up in ranks and had a lot of connections and men under him.

Chukwudeh would have shaken Lagos to protect his sister, yet Ada had kept quiet about all these. Was that love? His gut twisted in agony and something oily; something he easily identified as jealousy. Why didn't she love him the same way? What was so terrible about him that she'd never considered him.

Chike huffed. The questions were getting too much and making it had for him to get by. Thankfully, he was going out for an evening walk. That should help calm him down and clear his head.

***

She had ignored the call from the strange number three times now, sure it was John calling her. She'd been discharged the next morning after John left and had promptly lodged in a hotel. Her phone had been brought to her and she was glad because she didn't have her cards or any money on her. Mobile transfer had been the method of payment for the room and food for the three days she'd been here.

Her phone started to ring again and she ignored it, content to spend the day the way she'd spent the rest; doing nothing. When it rang again, she picked up the phone if only to warn him to give her space. Ada was surprised to hear a feminine voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hello?" the woman said again. "Is this Ada?"

"Who is asking?"

"My name is Tega, is this Ada? I have something important to tell her."

"Yes, I'm Ada. What is going on?"

"Can we meet to talk? It's about John and I think you'll need to hear what I have to say."

"Look, I don't want to speak to John or anyone related to him. Tell him to give me space."

"No. No. John didn't send me. If he knew I was talking to you, I'd be in a lot of trouble but right now I don't care. I have to speak with you, even if it's for five minutes."

There was something about her voice, and the urgency it carried that Ada found herself saying yes. "I'll send you an address, call me when you're there and this had better be important."

"Okay," the female replied.

Ada gave her the address of a restaurant she'd dined in yesterday. It was a three minutes walk from the hotel and a neutral enough environment to talk. Who was the woman to John? And what could she possibly want to say to Ada that was so important.

She should call John and ask but Ada remembered the woman saying John didn't want her talking to Ada so she refrained.

***