This is unimaginable! Ben screamed. Nk, can you please wake me up from this dream? Who is the young guy I saw you walking down to the school canteen this afternoon and holding hands with? Oh, that's UC, my fiancee,Nk replied. Fiancee? Since when? Ben kept asking several questions at a time with a shocking face. That means you have been cheating on me, Nk, Ben said. Cheating on you? How, where, and when? Nk asked Ben!
Ben and Nk have been good friends since the day Nk stepped her legs in the university. She could vividly remember how Ben assisted her with documentation, as they were in the same department, but Ben was already at 300 level. She found Ben to be this cheerful guy, and she just admires his personality. This made Nk always look for Ben in her free time. Ben knows how to cheer her up, especially when she feels down. Through their random discussion one day, they both discovered that they were from the same hometown but a different village. Ben liked Nk more and wouldn't stop telling her how he would visit her father's house one day unexpectedly.
Their friendship kept waxing stronger, to the point that Ben couldn't stay a day without seeing Nk's face. Nk, on the other hand, didn't have anything attached to this friendship; it was unknowingly revealed to her that Ben was actually thinking of an intimate relationship without voicing it out. She thinks Ben is disciplined enough not to act silly sometimes, even when she is with him alone in his rented apartment off campus. There was nothing like intimacy in the relationship; it was more casual, and that made Nk feel safe with Ben at any time.
Nk's course of study requires lots of practicals every now and then, and most of them looked complicated; however, she would always run to Ben with her practical assignments, and Ben would be happy to assist her with them. Lots of times, Ben would drag Nk to night class so they could study together. He did motivate Nk to become the best she can be with her studies, and she kept saying in her mind, Who is this young guy who is so kind to a lady this much without asking for anything in return? But then she was wrong. Ben was actually preparing her future wife without making his intentions known to Nk. On two occasions, Nk celebrated her birthday while she was still an undergraduate at the university, and Ben made sure to get her a wonderful gift. One of the Christmas holidays when they were all at their hometown, Ben did visit Nk's house, introduced himself to her mom as a friend, and requested that Nk visit his house as well, which she did, and they kept getting along.
To Ben, Nk gave him all the hope that all is well with their friendship. He never expected a no for an answer whenever he felt like letting his intentions known to Nk. UC, Nk's fiancee,stays very far away from the university, so he doesn't visit Nk more often; however, they do most of their communication through the phone. So the day Uc traveled down from Lagos State, Nigeria, to Enugu, where Nk is studying, was the day Ben saw both of them together and got devastated. After the visit, Ben was forced to express himself to NK, letting his intentions known to her for the first time since they were close friends; however, he didn't take it lightly with Nk when she told him officially that she was engaged to UC.
Ben felt his heart broken. He felt disappointed and depressed and walked out of Nk upon this revelation. For two days, Ben refused to attend his lectures; he was a final-year student then working on his project and preparing for his final exams. Nk tried reaching out to him, but he couldn't take her calls or respond to her messages. One morning, he texted Nk and said, If I fail my final year exam, just know that you are responsible. Nk got worried and then involved Collins, who is a close male friend to Ben. She explained the issues between her and Ben, and Collins blamed Ben for not defining his friendship with Nk all the years they were together and also blamed Nk for attaching herself so much to Ben when she knew that she already had a fiancee. To Collins, Nk toiled with Ben's emotions, and to NK, she feels that Ben should have been bold enough to express himself instead of keeping his intentions to himself. Overall, Nk accepted her mistake but wasn't totally so hard on herself since Ben never asked her to marry him in the first place; however, she apologized to him for hurting his emotions that much.
It was very difficult for Ben to let go and forget the past. Their friendship became sour, but indeed,time healed every wound. Today Ben is married with his new family and Nk too, and gradually their friendship got restored to family friendship involving their spouses.
This post was inspired by the #inleo community and my entry to the #Aprilinleo monthly topic Day 17.Please check out the announcement post to get involved.
Thanks for reading ❤️❤️❤️
