CHAPTER 45&46
As Dera walked away, leaving us standing there in shock, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. The weight of her thr_@t hung heavy in the air, casting a shadow over everything.
“d@mn it,” I muttered under my breath, frustration and fear bubbling up inside me.
Atlas placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, his touch a comforting anchor amidst the chaos. “We’ll figure this out,” he said, his voice filled with determination.
But despite his words, I couldn’t shake the sense of dread that gnawed at me. The thought of Kelvin seeing that video filled me with a sickening mixture of guilt and anxiety. How could I explain what had happened? How could I justify betraying his trust?
“We need to do something,” I said, my voice trembling with urgency.
Atlas nodded, his expression grim. “We’ll talk to Kelvin, explain everything. Maybe he’ll understand,” he suggested, though the uncertainty in his tone mirrored my own.
” Tell him what? That his girlfriend is messing around with another guy, how thoughtful are you Atlas” I said.
Atlas sighed, his gaze heavy with guilt. “I know, Timi. I messed up,” he admitted, his voice tinged with regret.
I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes, the weight of the situation pressing down on me like a leaden burden. “We both messed up,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the din of the crowd.
But there was no time for self-pity or regret. We had to face the consequences of our actions, no matter how painful they might be. With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders, steeling myself for the difficult conversation that lay ahead.
“We have to tell him the truth,” I said, my voice firmer now, though the words tasted bitter on my tongue.
Atlas nodded in reluctant agreement, his jaw set with determination. “You’re right. We owe him that much,” he conceded, though the weight of his words hung heavily between us.
Together, we made our way through the throngs of people, the noise of the party fading into the background as we sought out Kelvin. With each step, my heart pounded in my chest, the anticipation of what was to come nearly suffocating me.
And as we finally spotted Kelvin across the room, my stomach churned with nerves, knowing that there was no turning back now. With a silent exchange of glances, Atlas and I braced ourselves for the inevitable confrontation, knowing that the truth would shatter everything we thought we knew.
“No, we can’t. I can’t. Kelvin will h@ťě me,” I said, tugging at Atlas’s hands.
“It’s worse if Dera tells him,” he reasoned.
“I know, but… it’s so hard,” I replied. Atlas fell silent.
“Let’s go, please,” I pleaded, and Atlas nodded. We walked out of the hall together, and I saw my driver already waiting for me.
The drive home was filled with silence; neither of us wanted to start a conversation. We arrived home, but I hesitated to go inside. Prom wasn’t supposed to end this early—it was only 7 pm, and we were supposed to be done by 9 pm. I knew my parents would ask me a lot of questions, and I wasn’t ready for that at all.
“Can I come to your house?” I asked Atlas, surprising him with my request.
“S-sure,” he stammered.
I turned to my driver and told him to inform my parents that I was going with Atlas instead. He nodded, and I followed Atlas to his house.
His house was quiet, and he held my hand, leading me to his room. When we entered, he closed the door.
I walked over to his bed and sat down, feeling tired and frustrated. My mind was filled with thoughts of Kelvin, and I didn’t know what to do. As I pressed beside me, I turned and saw that Atlas was already seated.
“Sorry,” he murmured. I sighed and then lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Atlas lay down beside me, and we both looked at the ceiling together.
~~~
THIRD PERSON’S POV
“I was 14 when I had my first boyfriend,” Timi disclosed, breaking the silence between them.
“He was my everything, or so I thought at that time,” she continued, her gaze fixed somewhere beyond Atlas, lost in the memories of her past.
“I was in 9th grade, and he was a senior, two years older than me. My parents were unaware of our relationship; dating at such a young age is generally frowned upon in Nigeria,” she explained, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
“Our relationship appeared perfect, like something out of a fairy tale. We were the envy of everyone, the ultimate power couple,” Timi reminisced, her head finding solace against Atlas’s chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
“But things took a turn when he started pressuring me for more, for things I wasn’t ready for at that age,” she confessed, her voice tinged with a mixture of vulnerability and strength.
“I resisted, but the pressure only grew stronger. Eventually, he relented, claiming he was fine with just kissing and cuddling, and he didn’t want s*x anymore, deep down, I knew he wasn’t contented at all.” Timi recounted, a shadow of disappointment flickering across her features.
“It became apparent, though, that he wasn’t content with just that. And that’s when I realized our perfect relationship was far from perfect,” she concluded, her words heavy with the weight of past regrets. ” I was happy though that he stopped asking”.
Timi recounted the events with a mix of vulnerability and determination, her voice wavering slightly as she relived the memory.
“He told me his sister was throwing a birthday party,” she began, her words coming out in a rush. “I was excited to meet his family for the first time, so I got a new outfit and told my friends about it.”
“My parents weren’t home, so I didn’t tell them about the party,” she continued, her tone tinged with regret. “But I did tell my sister, not Tiwa because she was just four at the time.”
“At the party, I met Ethan’s sister,” Timi said, her voice softening. “She was lovely, and I was enjoying myself until Ethan said he had a surprise for me.”
“Naively, I followed him into a room, expecting the surprise that he claimedwas there,” Timi continued, her words heavy with hindsight. “But then he started kissing me, and things escalated from there.”
“I was initially okay with it,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “But when he tried to take things further, I knew I had to stop him.”
Timi paused, her gaze meeting Atlas’s, seeking understanding and support as she shared her experience.
” I told him to stop that we should just make out and he accepted, we continued making out and I wanted to ask he what was the surprise but he didn’t give me the chance to ask, he tried to gain entrance into my dress again and I kept on stopping him”.
Timi’s voice trembled as she recounted the painful memories, each word heavy with the weight of her trauma.
“He was stronger,” she murmured, her tone barely audible. “I pleaded with him to stop, but he didn’t listen. He forced himself on me.”
Atlas felt a surge of anger and protectiveness rise within him as he listened, his heart aching for Timi’s pain.
“He R@P£D me,” Timi confessed, her voice choked with emotion.
Atlas’s heart clenched at her words, his gaze softening with empathy and sorrow.
“My screams didn’t matter to him,” Timi continued, her voice quivering. “He was rough, and he even hit me when I screamed too loudly.”
Atlas’s jaw tensed at the brutality of the act, his anger simmering beneath the surface.
“He left me there, bleeding and crying,” Timi recounted, her voice filled with anguish. “I even blacked out. When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital, surrounded by my devastated family.”
Atlas gently pressed a kiss to Timi’s forehead, silently offering her solace and reassurance in the face of her pain.
” My sister told me that I was missing for a whole day, My parents and sister had to fly back to Nigeria when they heard that I didn’t come home that night. The police found me before my parents finally arrived at the hospital immediately after their plane landed in Abuja.”
“They made sure that I didn’t contract any STDs or have any chance of getting pregnant. Thank God that Ethan didn’t have those,” Timi said, while Atlas patted her hair.
“Was he caught?” Atlas asked.
“He was, and till now he is still in prison,” Timi said. Atlas was relieved that they caught that wicked guy, but he felt really bad for Timi.
“Ethan was just stupid. You are a jewel, Timi,” he said, brushing his long fingers on her face. “You should be treated like a queen, and how dare he raise his hands on you,” Atlas said, already angry.
Timi smiled, using her hands to rub his shoulders. She looked at Atlas, who was staring back at her.
“I really want to be with you… But it’s so complicated.”
TBC