Naira chose to step outside the house to get some air. Her head was still filled with the earlier conversation. She had only taken a few steps when her phone rang. A message from someone made her stop in her tracks.
She silently read the sender's name. It was the name she had spent five years trying to forget.
Naira let out a long sigh, and the world around her seemed to stop. Her hand suddenly went limp, and she almost dropped the phone she was holding.
“What does this mean?” Naira asked as she read the message.
Her phone rang again, and another message appeared. Naira read it too. She only read the messages without replying.
Without thinking, Naira immediately called her best friend. As soon as the call was answered, Naira spoke in a trembling voice. “He’s back,” she said.
Her best friend’s soothing voice came from the other end. “You don’t have to reply right now.”
Naira nodded, even though her friend couldn’t see her. For the first time, she didn’t feel alone.
“What if he forces me?” Naira asked.
“Find out why he wants to be friends with you first. If he keeps pressuring you, I’ll come with you to meet him,” her best friend replied from the other end of the call.
“Naira…” Naura’s voice startled Naira so badly that the phone in her hand fell onto the front porch.
“Oh my gosh, Naira. Why did you drop your phone?” Naura asked as she picked it up.
Naira took her phone back from Naura.
“I was just startled.”
“Hmm, so who were you talking to just now?” Naura asked.
“My best friend,” Naira answered briefly.
“I’m going to my room to rest. We can talk later if there’s something you want to discuss,” Naira said as she walked away, leaving Naura alone and confused on the front porch.