Academic lovers

24 | Night

My peace and quiet were cut short when

"Zhera-" Khelani abruptly interrupted, but her words trailed off as she caught sight of Aiden and me standing together. Her eyes widened with surprise.

Khelani's eyes darted between us. She clearly hadn't expected to find us here.

"Hey, Aiden," she greeted. He simply waved back.

"What is it?"

Without a response, Khelani urged me to follow her, her grip on my hand firm and insistent.

As we walked away, Khelani's words tumbled out in a rush, her voice laced with anxiety. "It's an emergency; come," she urged, grasping my hand in hers.

I looked back at Aiden for a second, then followed her.

—

"Wait, wait, what's going on? I was in the middle of-"  began to say, but before I could finish, Kehlani interrupted. "What? Having a moment with your boyfriend?"

I stopped in my tracks "Kehlani." She quickly apologized, noticing the look on my face, and guided me outside, this time with a gentler touch.

"It's Ciara; she's not doing well," she explained. My heart sank at the mention of Ciara's name. "Is it because of Michael?" I blurted out, my worry intensifying.

"yes."

We approached Ciara, finding her sitting on a bench with her head hanging low. "C, what's wrong?" I asked, taking a seat beside her.

She glanced at me briefly and shook her head. "I'm guessing Kehlani already filled you in. He's not coming. I've been waiting for over an hour now, and he hasn't even bothered to text me back," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I've never trusted that boy since the very first moment I laid eyes on him. My suspicions have only grown stronger over time.

I nodded understandingly, realizing that Ciara wasn't in the mood to talk at the moment.

Kehlani sat beside her, offering comfort by gently massaging her back. We sat in silence until Ciara broke it.

"This isn't the first time he's done this," she paused for a moment, then sighed, "Forget it, I'm just going to go home."

I quickly stood up. "Come on, Ce," I urged, hoping to change her mind.

"Don't let a boy ruin your entire night," Kehlani added, her face scowling in disapproval. Ciara shook her head. "No, I want to go. The night is already ruined."

I stayed quiet, knowing that there was not the point of stopping her. "I'll use my car to get home." Ciara stood up while checking her phone. "You guys have your rides, right?"

Kehlani and I reluctantly nodded.

—

"I feel bad for C" Khelani expressed, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I actually thought he was a good guy." She paused, noticing my hesitation to follow her back inside. "What's wrong?"

"I think I'll head home. I just need to sit down for a bit before I leave." I replied, my voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and longing,