Jolade la!d dejectedly on her bed. She had just managed to have a shower. Her eyes clearly depicted her situation. She had almost cried her eyes out on her drive home. She wondered how things could be turning out this way.

Her room was dark unparallelly already but she never deemed it fit to switch on the lights.

The ambience was really chilly now, yet she wore nothing albeit a light saffron gown. Much more pressing issues, she felt were tugging at her mind.
Issues, she thought were more paramount than her happiness.

Anabelle had a fiance, already- she withstood that but having a promotion again, life surely wasn’t fair with her. Anabelle who she felt was a Sluut, how bad could things be!

She heaped blame on herself for wasting some minutes with Anabelle. Had she stormed out as her heart seriously ached she would, when she met her with their mum, she wouldn’t have heard the Shtt she was fed with, she felt. She thought life was being unfair to her.

Law of karma, she believed exists. She knew it would catch up with Anabelle soon, then, she’d have the best laugh. She wished for Anabelle’s past to come calling soon and uncounsciously though, she placed her happiness in Anabelle’s hands. She would never be happy until her other half falter- until their mom realizes her bad characters. She marvelled what could be placing a bar on that now.

Her mind drifted to Paul. She missed him. Now, she needed him most.

---

Anabelle smiled at Daniel out of pure love. She admired the way it seemed his whole attention was on the street when in truth, it was on her.
He reminded her of a joker.

Daniel’s gaze wasn’t fixed on the street. He drove with little concentration. The night’s earlier events were still fresh in his memories. He pondered on everything that happened and wondered what could’ve gone amiss between Anabelle’s half and her mum. He judged it quite strange.

That didn’t alter his view about his ‘fiance’ though. He still found her wonderful and the best he could ever meet. Her reaction got him more endeared to her. She was glowing, still to him.
He could never give her up in exchange for anything. She was doing well also. He loved everything about her.

He was in a state of sublime ecstasy or so, he felt.
He devoted less attention to the steering and placed his less idle hand on Anabelle’s shoulder. She smiled at him. They spoke no words but they perfectly understood each other. They felt life was smiling at them.

After about twenty more minutes of blissful driving, he got to Anabelle’s apartment and halted. It was a few minutes to ten already. Everything was fathomably grave yardish.

Anabelle hopped out and he got off too.

They stared at eachother and both yearned for more.
Anabelle almost asked him to stay back, but couldn’t. She just couldn’t.
“See you tommorrow. Have a nice sleep,” Daniel bade.

“Bye, Dan,” she replied and walked up to him. “Have this,” she said and pecked him lightly.

Daniel smiled. He wished more would follow.

“Bye,” he hopped in his car.

As he slept on his bed that night, he had a joyous smile on his face. It was mutual.

Paul got up from his seat. He paced around his office, pondering on issues he couldn’t even explain. He had brooded all day. He hadn’t even been able to work on any file despite the voluminous paramount files that la!d helplessly- some seemingly screaming inaudibly for breath as huge books la!d on them, on his table, clamouring for his attention.

He felt it had been an hectic day, though he did virtually nothing albeit wallowing almost endlessly on his newly acquired leather chair.

He hadn’t call Jolade for a couple of days ago.

He was busy trying to sort things out in his head first.
He even refused to pick her call when she did, earlier that day. He had begun to feel ashamed and terrible. He had lost faith in his integrity. He felt Jolade wouldn’t know who he had become.

Anabelle was beautiful, nice and all- fine, but he never thought he’d stoop so low as to even think of betraying Jolade. That was inhumane. Anyone would do anything to own her but here he was, playing games with her emotions.

He remembered the good memories they had had together. The lovely trance inducing words they had often exchanged. No! he muttered under his breath and sank back on his swivelling chair.

A tear rolled off his left eye. He wiped it off and sighed. He was ready to let go Anabelle for Jolade.
He had often called her his life. Now, he felt, was the time to prove it.

He gazed at the ticking clock that carried its duty dilligently out like it knew nothing of his plight. It was some minutes to Five. He wore his black jacket on the white shirt that hugged his body tightly and walked out. He was going to right things.

---

Anabelle giggled excitedly. She had just gotten off the phone with Daniel. They had utilized almost thirty minutes on the phone. He regarded hisself as her Fiance now. He was anyways, so, no qualms.

It was some minutes past seven already. She wore a light vivid gown. She never minded the gradual alteration the ambience was going through.

She felt ‘super’ joyous.

He had always been loving and all. She almost couldn’t wait for the moment he would ring her. She looked excitedly to the day. He sure knew how to fathom situations, too. He was yet to breath a word about the little drama Jolade displayed, it was two days gone now. She felt he expected her to sort things out on her own. She was more than capable of that.

She found herself lost of the drive behind Jola’s acts, though. She marvelled how a sister could loathe her that much, or atleast, seemed to.

Her mind drifted away from Jolade. She needed her calm and joy now. Her boss had informed her she would be going on her first trip in five days time. He advised her not to falter. She wouldn’t either, how would she! She was really looking forward to the D-day. She would ensure her boss had reasons to sing melodiously, her praises.

She giggled sheepishly again. She felt she had heard from Hakeem a long while ago. She picked up her phone and dialled his number. She waited a bit. Hakeem picked.