LOVE'S GAME (BWWM)

1||EHI

"I still can't believe you're flying all the way to Spain just to volunteer as a chef. Who does that?" Amaka sniffled, wrapping her arms around me for what felt like the tenth time in ten minutes.

Tears clung to her lashes, and I knew she was trying not to sob. My chest ached just watching her. Saying goodbye to her felt like ripping off a piece of home.

We had been inseparable since secondary school. I could still remember the exact moment we met. It was my first day, and I was the weird, quiet girl who kept her head down and barely spoke. Then, out of nowhere, I felt a tap on my backpack.

"Hey, I'm Amaka. What's your name?" she had asked, arms crossed and confident as if she'd already decided we were going to be friends.

"I... um... I'm Ehi. Just Ehi."

"Great. We're best friends now."

And just like that, we were. Two awkward twelve-year-olds against the world.

Now we were twenty-two, done with university, and facing our futures. Amaka had the kind of slender, graceful body that turned heads, though she rarely noticed. I, on the other hand, had curves that refused to be ignored. My chest alone could knock a man out cold if I leaned in too fast. Not that anyone was getting close enough to find out. Neither of us had ever been in a relationship. We liked to joke that we were each other's soulmates, which once led my mother to ask, only half-joking, if we were lesbians. We laughed for hours over that one.

"I'll miss you even more," I said, holding her tightly. "But it's just six months. We'll still talk every day, and I promise I'll video call as soon as I land."

The airport speaker crackled to life.

"Good afternoon, passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for Flight 89B to Madrid. We are now inviting..."

My heart jumped. "That's me. I have to go."

Amaka nodded, wiping her cheeks. "Keep me updated. Every day. Or I'll come to Spain and drag you back myself."

I smiled, pulling away. My bags had already been checked in, so I headed for the boarding gate, my steps slower than they should have been.

Once I settled into my economy seat, reality finally caught up with me. I was leaving Nigeria. I was going to Spain. Alone. For six months.

The thought made my stomach flutter.

I'd applied to the UCFA volunteer program on a whim, not really expecting anything. Cooking had always been a quiet passion of mine. When the acceptance email came through a month later, I almost dropped my phone. A chance to work with the Spanish league's seasonal program? It felt too good to be real.

My parents, mostly my mother, didn't share my excitement. She listed every reason why I shouldn't go. No relatives in Europe. No guarantees of safety. No one to call if something went wrong. I understood her fear, but I couldn't stay stuck forever. I needed to see more. Do more. Be more.

Being their only child made it harder. My mother couldn't have more kids after me, and despite pressure from extended family, my father refused to take a second wife. We were a small, close-knit unit shaped by tradition and faith. They believed in monogamy. In staying close. In playing safe.

But I had always wanted to fly.

"The plane will begin its takeoff shortly..."

I fastened my seatbelt and leaned back. Outside the window, the Lagos skyline blurred as the plane picked up speed. I whispered a prayer. Not just for a safe journey, but for something more. Growth. Change. A life that was truly mine.

As the plane lifted off, I stared out the window until the buildings disappeared beneath the clouds. Everything I knew was shrinking behind me.

During the flight, I distracted myself with an in-flight movie and the kind of bland pasta that tasted like cardboard. The turbulence came in short bursts, but nothing too scary. Mostly, I sat there thinking. About Amaka. About my parents. About the version of me I wanted to become.

When we finally began our descent into Madrid, I pressed my forehead to the window. The city below looked nothing like home. Red rooftops. Narrow streets. Tiny, moving cars that looked like toys. I could already feel the difference in the air.

Once the plane landed and passengers began to stand, my heart picked up speed again. I stepped off the aircraft, dragging my small suitcase behind me, and walked into the terminal like someone stepping onto a movie set.

The sun poured in through the high windows. I took a deep breath.

This was it.

No more dreaming.

I was in Spain.