Patrick caught Ore stealing a glance at him as she picked up a can of tin milk. He waved her over with a look of excitement on his face. Ore tucked one of her long box braids behind her ear and knowingly made her way over to him.

"Hey, sorry I couldn't call earlier. Was quite busy, I had a visitor over. Wait, how do you know I stay here?" Ore asked longingly sizing the white plain tee he was wearing to match with a light brown short. He appeared carefree with a dark sunglasses on and a smirk forming on his lips.

"I didn't." Patrick simply shrugged. "I came around because I got transferred from Covenant to any federal university of my choice. I had to choose here because my sister was on my neck that she'd love if I was in the same school with her."

"Ooh." Ore cracked a smile. "Why would you be transferred though? Did you commit a crime at your old school?"

Patrick bit on his bottom lip drawing Ore's attention to how seductive and tasty it obviously looked. "Nah," Patrick spoke up after a brief awkward silence. "I lost my dad that's why."

Ore gasped. She totally wasn't expecting his reason for changing schools to be a bad news. Somewhere in her flimsy mind, she was wishing for it to be because he wanted to be relating physically with her. But she bluntly told herself she wasn't going to go down the relationship road again.

She instinctively reached out a hand to touch Patrick's soft smooth cheek. "I am really sorry that happened. I guess that explains why your sister has been acting cranky and avoiding my calls. Was he sick prior?"

Patrick placed his palm over Ore's hand and planted a brief kiss on it just as she flinched back. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She scratched the back of her neck as Patrick assured her that it was fine.

"No. It was an unfortunate night. He was about retiring to bed when he had a heart attack and slumped. I remember vividly because I had been called from school to celebrate his birthday which was the next day. It actually pained me a lot when he was admitted and put on oxygen. I don't want to go into all the long details because I feel I won't be able to withhold myself from crying."

Patrick sniffed taking off his sunglasses to wipe stray tears from his eyes. Ore's heart tugged at the way his body slightly trembled as more tears cascaded down his stubborn chin. Ore pulled him in for a comforting hug not minding the long stares she was getting from passersby.

Patrick encircled an arm around Ore's round waist and pressed his head on her shoulder. Ore rubbed his back quietly and jolted when Patrick's iPhone rang out separating them. She shuffled about her feet as Patrick excused himself to take the call. He returned to her side after a minute with a distressed look.

"I need to get going. My luggages were held up at a checkpoint." Patrick planted a kiss on Ore's forehead and slid into the driver's seat.

"Wait," Ore called out after she had regained some composure. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah," Patrick confirmed as he shifted the gear of the car to reverse. "But I will be back. I am moving into the lodge directly opposite."

"Ooh," Ore muttered. The compound Patrick pointed at was the one after hers. She waved as his car winded down the street.

Ore turned sideways, releasing the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Jumuoke how far na?" Ore asked as she watched her roommate giggling at something on her phone.

"It's nothing o," she snickered. "You don't like comedy shows na, so you won't enjoy what I am watching." Jumuoke burst out in laughter and clutched her stomach.

Ore eyed her debating on whether to continue with her Chemistry project assignment or join Jumuoke who was relaxing on the bed. She thought better of it as she recalled her torn test paper. Comedy could wait.

"Your own is good o. Philosophy department doesn't have much stress at all. Mine will just be killing themselves for book work. I have like five difficult assignments to tackle." Ore massaged her temples as she felt a strong headache coming on.

"Eyaa kpele," Jumuoke reminisced. "But some days are hell for me too o. Ehn . . . that reminds me." Jumuoke lighted up peering at Ore like a dork.

"Abeg Jumuoke don't start that your gossip train today. I am not in the mood," Ore mused as she swung her long legs over the edge of the bed.

"You know ever since I became your roommate, I have never seen you with a guy o. But this time, I feel a hot coffee is definitely brewing." Jumuoke rubbed her palms together and taunted Ore with her famous tickles.

Ore laughed hard trying to restrict Jumuoke's hands from touching her but it was to no avail. Jumuoke continued until Ore fell on the floor exhausted from the excitement.

"So tell me, who was that hot guy I sighted you with earlier?" Jumuoke smacked her lollipop on her lips and grinned wickedly.

"Jumuoke, who was that old man I saw you with last night?" Ore countered playfully.

Jumuoke shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay fine, we're even. You know I don't like someone nosing around in my business."

Ore resumed her seat biting the tip of her pen as a weird thought flashed through her head.

"What are you thinking this time?" Jumuoke teased.

Ore's eyes narrowed. "How I am going to get laid." At that, Jumuoke charged at her screaming that she was a sneaky little bitch.

Ore got off the phone with her mother and sighed heavily. Anytime her mum randomly called, her heart usually beat rapidly like she'd committed a crime. Ore knew it was because of the unfortunate incident with her at the hospital that threatened to slice off their relationship thread.

Before Ore boarded an Agofure bus that took her to her home in Warri, she resolved in her heart to face whatever consequences laid await for her actions. She accepted that she fucked up and wanted to make amends. She was surprised on reaching home, her mother screamed from the gate and raced to hug her.

Her father flipped the news paper he was reading in the sitting room aside and hurried out to find the cause of his wife's shouting. He was mildly surprised to see his daughter with her traveling box. Ore could tell her father was pissed at her judging from the lines forming on his forehead.

Ore had kept on pleading with him to forgive her like a prodigal daughter. Her mother also played her part in trying to dissuade her husband's strong mind. It was only when Ore was about packing her belongings for another semester that he called her to his chamber and spoke his first words to her.

Ore was elated she'd finally made peace with her parents. She left for school with a new found determination in mind, now she found it crumbling under the frustration some of her course lecturers were giving her. Most of them wanted sex, something she could never think of offering and a few others needed a certain amount of money she didn't have to give.

Ore got to realize that building a close relationship with God could change her life and turn it around for the better. Although, she couldn't say she had become staunchly religious like her mother initially wanted her to be but everything she did was with moderation in view.

And that was what gave her the courage to abstain from sex or any intimate relationship after what she'd passed through with Dami. She could only hope to keep it up till she was willing to sleep with a man. Ore was thinking of calling Patrick to ascertain if he was okay when she heard a loud rasp on her door.

She paused trying to gauge who it would be. It was almost ten p.m. and her roommate was out for a night party. Ore frowned cautiously checking from her window to see who the intruder was. But all she got was a shadow illuminated by the silver moon. She peeped through the camera before slowly unlocking her door.

As soon as the door opened, Ore was pulled into a hard and fast kiss.