THEY CALL IT 'DADDY ISSUES' - CHAPTER 4

  George was a 22-year-old freelance web developer. He was 6'3 "tall; I was 5'5" tall, so I appeared really short beside him. He was dark-skinned, with brown, round eyes, a button nose, and thin lips. Yes, I always stared at his face, committing it to memory as though he was going away for an unknown war and wouldn't be coming soon. I was deeply attracted to the way he smiled with his eyes, his soft, deep voice and everything he did.

We were friends for a month. We went on friendship dates with his two best friends and mine; sometimes it was just the two of us. We tried new restaurants and food, did crazy TikTok videos, and went to gaming centres. Life felt serene for the first time. 

We went on one of those dates where it was just the two of us, a movie date. We went to a cinema and watched Behind The Scenes, a Nigerian movie directed by Funke Akindele, a Nigerian actress, movie director and producer. The movie was about two hours long, and it was really nice. It was 8 PM, and time to get back to the hostel. We walked to the parking lot and waited for our Uber. 

“Did you like the movie?” He asked, holding my hand in his.

“Yeah, it was really nice. I would love to watch it again” I replied with a broad smile on my face.

“I saw people crying as we were coming out of the movie room, you didn’t cry” George stated.

“Were you watching me or the movie?” I asked. He notices the tiniest details in my expression.

“Who said I can’t multitask?” He asked, and I giggled. We went quiet until a minute later, the Uber came. We got into the backseat as he drove to my hostel. George spoke again.

“I don’t want to be just friends with you anymore”

“What do you mean, George?” I knew exactly what he meant.

“I want you to be my girlfriend. I really, really like you, Daniella. I like you a lot” I didn’t miss the shake in his voice as he said this.

“I…I don’t know” was all I could say.

“Please, don’t ghost me after now. My heart can’t take it” He said, closing the distance between us, but moved away, creating the distance. The rest of the ride was awkwardly silent, with only R&B music playing from the car speaker. Our goodbyes were brief; I left the car like I had something urgent to take care of.

I didn’t reply to George’s messages or his calls for two weeks. He came to visit, but I didn’t meet him. Princess and Gloria grew tired of talking. They were annoyed that I didn’t say yes immediately. But in truth, I was scared. George was everything, and I wasn’t enough. I was scared that I would mess everything up for him, that with time, he would see that I’m not worth it. I like him a lot, too, but he deserved someone worthy of his kindness and care. The ghosting continued until Princess was fed up.

“Daniella, what is wrong with you? This guy likes you. What am I saying? He loves you, and I know how he makes you feel. Why are you being unfair to yourself and him?” Princess said, she looked stressed out.

“He is good for you” Gloria added. 

“Yeah, maybe too good” I said to myself, but it wasn’t as silent as I thought because they picked it up.

“Excuse you? Is that the problem? You think he’s too good for you? Girl, please, have you seen yourself? You are beautiful, you are stunning” Princess said, her eyes softened when she spoke. I’ve never felt beautiful in my life.

“Daniella, pick up that phone, call him, and say yes. Now!” Gloria looked too serious as she spoke. I knew she wouldn’t talk to me until I did it. So, I called him with them watching me.

He picked the first ring.

“Hello” I missed his voice so much.

“Hey” I replied, my voice almost losing its volume.

“Wow, my heart has never felt this way. I didn’t deserve it, Daniella”

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry” There was a long pause. “Have you moved on, or can I answer the question now?” I asked.

“It’s not easy to move on from you, and I really hope the answer is yes”

“Yes, the answer is yes” I nodded as if he could see me.

“This isn’t a prank?” He asked. I could tell his mood lifted because he sounded excited.

“No, it’s not a prank, George”

“Yes!” He practically screamed into the phone. Princess and Gloria heard him, and the call wasn’t even on speaker. He cleared his throat and continued, “Sorry, I’m just happy” he sounded calmer now.

“Goodnight, George”

“Goodnight, my love” He replied and paused for a while before he ended the call. ‘My love’, it felt strange, but a good kind of strange.