"I can't take away your pain but I can make you feel better."

-Teni makanaki.

"You heard me right." He said.

She rolled her eyes. "So what are you? A psychologist?"

He shrugged while she rolled her eyes. He began to caress his jawline while studying her face.

In a moment he noticed she had full, dark and perfectly carved eyebrows. They hovered above
her big doe eyes that were coated with kohl and would normally unflatteringly stand out amongst
other eyes. His eyes ran down to her small, flat nose, then to the tiny, black pimples scattered on
top and around it. Close to the nose, stood a black mole that he thought made her look cuter. He
didn't fail to notice her perfect cheekbones and how her bottom plump pink lip complemented
her features even more.

She looked at him, impatiently. "Why did you say that?"

"What?" He feigned ignorance to annoy her.

"You said I can't deceive you with my smile. You said if my eyes could show my soul, everyone
would cry when they see me smile."

He gave a nod, smiling now. "I know what I said."

May glared at him this time around, unable to hide her annoyance. "And I asked why you said that, you haven't given me an answer yet."

"Uh? What's that on your cheek?" He asked, changing the topic on purpose.

She touched her cheek, her eyes widening a little. "What?"

She didn't wait for his response as she turned to look at her reflection on his car side mirror. She saw a small bruise, that she hadn't noticed earlier, forming on her right cheek due to her fall on the wooden table.

"Uhm... It's nothing."

He raised a thick, black brow at her. "Are you sure? Or would you like to share?"

"Nope. It's truly nothing."

"Okay," he said, not wanting to press further. "Where are you heading to? I can give you a ride."

"Nowhere in particular."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I just wanted to stroll with no destination in mind."

He shook his head thoughtfully. "Okay then, jump in."

Soon enough, they are riding through the streets in silence. May was too busy admiring houses they passed while he was focused on the road ahead. When he got tired of the silence, he turned on the radio. Madison Beer's song 'Dead' started playing.

The music filled the car, the words pouring out of the radio.

"You said, you can't live without me.
Then why ain't you dead yet?
Why are you still breathing?"

He was whistling to the song, obviously enjoying it. May didn't feel the same way. She could
only hear the lyrics and it brought back old memories that melted her heart. Her soul was
burning.

She began to have flashbacks. Back in the good old times that she was having an affair with
Edric. In those days, he usually sent her love letters, one of which read:

My angel, my lover, my one and only. I love you so much that I can't even live without you.
You're the air that I breathe, never forget that. Love, Edric.

She remembered how those letters used to give her joy. How she would squeal whenever she
received them or when he managed to slip it inside her pocket by chance.

How she would always expect more letters. How she loved him to the extent she didn't even care
that he was poor. She gave him all her heart. She loved him dearly, but he didn't care. He only
was doing everything for his own selfish desires.

May felt disgusted with herself. She was so young and gullible then that she believed all the lies
he had scribbled down on those scraps he sent her.

May fought her tears as she looked at her reflection through the rearview mirror. She didn't want her new friend, whose name she doesn't know yet, to know that she was on the verge of shedding tears.

She realized now that those letters didn't even make sense.

My angel...
Angel? She didn't even have wings.

My one and only...
If she was his one and only, how then did Bella end up being his mistress?

I can't live without you...
Yet someone else is occupying her space on their matrimonial bed every night.

You are the air that I am breathing...
How the hell could he breathe her? And even if he could, now that he is cheating, why hadn't he
died yet?

You don't know how much I love you...
Love? How could she have been so foolish to listen to that? If he had truly loved her, why didn't
it last? How come his name doesn't make her smile anymore? What killed all the butterflies in her stomach? What happened to the craving he had for her before she took in and bore Maryam?

What happened?
What happened!?

That kept ringing in her ears, for a moment she forgot she was in a car with a mystery man.

Someone's hand squeezed hers, bringing her back into reality, she turned to look at the driver,
who was already looking at her with concern in his eyes. She was so caught up in her thoughts
that she didn't even know he had stopped the car.

She tried to speak but felt like her lips had been glued together. As if on cue, a tear rolled down
to her lips, making it part just a bit.

He didn't let her speak as his hand reached out to wipe the tears off her face. "Why are you
crying?"

Her eyes widened like she just realized something. She'd just let a total stranger see her cry. She sniffled. "I'm fine." She sounded like she was angry at him but that wasn't it, she was only angry at herself.

He sighed, looking calm and relaxed now. "It doesn't seem so to me."

She wiped a tear before it had a chance to slip and embarrass her again. "And why do you care?"

He smiled, wiggling his brows at the same time. "Because we're friends, aren't we?"

She tried but failed to stifle a laugh. "Friends that don't even know each other's names."

His mouth formed an 'o' at this. "Oh, that! Forgive my manners. I was so entranced by your beauty that I forgot to introduce myself."

Men...

She rolled her eyes. "Tell me, jorrh"

He cleared his throat like he wanted to say something of a great deal and this amused her. "My name is Iby Philip."

"Iby?"

"Short for Ibiyemi Philip and you are... May Felix right?"

She drew her neck backward in surprise, blinking up at him, she asked. "How did you know that?"

"I asked around the other day when you snubbed me."

Oh. "I am sorry for the other day," she apologized.

He shook his head in understanding. "It's okay. At least, I got to talk with your gate for a while."

For the first time in a long while, she laughed a sincere one.

"Your laughter sounds like music to my ears. Can I listen to it again?" He asked when her
laughter died down. He was saying things to make her feel better. May didn't realize he was
actually speaking his mind.

She suddenly felt shy, rubbing her left hand on her face and smiling. If she wasn't brown, her
cheeks would have turned into a bright tomato.

He squeezed her hand lightly and she realized that his hand was still holding hers.

She only smiled and withdrew her hand from his. He took it that she wasn't comfortable with him holding her and so he muttered a sorry to her.

There was a short pause after which May decided to kill it. "So where did you stop the car?"

"Oh, yeah. We are in front of Mr. Biggs eatery and I am starving. Do you care to join me?" He
asked, hoping she doesn't decline.

May didn't have to think twice, her stomach was growling at the mention of food. She followed
him out of the car.

"Yesss," she drawled. "Why shouldn't I? My stomach has already suffered enough." She joked and he laughed. She couldn't help but think how good she felt.

They had a great time together, discussing some random stuff, exchanging numbers and laughing that she totally forgot about home.

"Uhm, what time is it?" She asked.

He looked at his wristwatch. "6:30 pm, any problem?"

She stood up almost immediately. "I've got to go. My daughter is at home. Alone."

"Oh! Let me take you home, then." He offered. He called for the waiter, paid the bill and
followed May out of the restaurant.

An hour later, Iby parked his car opposite her gate. "So here we are," he announced like she didn't already know.

"Thanks a lot for today." She told him, getting out of the car.

He smiled, making May wonder if smiling was his hobby. "Don't mention it."

She shook her head in affirmation, not even knowing why she was nodding in the first place. She stood there, waiting for him to drive off before she walked towards her house.

The street was calm and it was already getting dark. Only a few people could be seen buying
some stuff from nearby shops or teenage boys hanging around with girls of their age that would
end up with them in an unfinished building later.

The gate was open, it never was locked until 12 o'clock at night, when her neighbors were sure
nobody would go out or come in again.

As May walked to her house, she was smiling cause Iby was on her mind. He was a nice guy, she
thought. She was surprised when he ate three meat pies. She couldn't even finish two.

Still thinking about Iby, she forgot about what awaited her at home. She opened the door only to be greeted with the hard face of her husband, who was holding a folded belt.

"Woman, where are you coming from?"

Her smile vanished as fear took over.

~~~~~

Below are other books by me, just incase you decide to check em out as well.

• Naya's distraction

• Fate's machinery

• Lady D

• Contents of Life

• Where short stories lives.

Your votes & comments are my source of happiness. Keep em coming. One love.