CHAPTER NINETY-NINE: THE ANSWER
There are some decisions that deserve time.
Not because they are difficult.
But because they matter.
For the past week, I had been carrying Samuel's confession around like a secret hidden inside my chest.
Every morning, I woke up thinking about it.
Every night, I went to bed replaying our conversation beneath the mango tree.
No matter how much I tried to distract myself with classes, assignments or hostel duties...
The memory refused to leave.
Perhaps because it wasn't just a confession.
It was the continuation of a conversation that had begun years ago.
...
Saturday morning was different from the usual school routine.
Weekend sanitation had just ended.
Students were returning buckets and brooms to the store, while others washed their uniforms and spread them neatly on the clotheslines behind the hostel.
The compound was lively.
Some juniors chased one another with pegs.
A prefect shouted at a group of boys for splashing water unnecessarily.
The familiar atmosphere of a Nigerian boarding school settled over the campus.
After arranging my washed clothes, I walked towards the locker room to return the soap and cream I had used.
As I closed my locker, I heard footsteps behind me.
"Floral."
I turned.
Victoria.
Morayo stood beside her, carrying a bucket balanced against her waist.
"You've disappeared these days," Victoria complained.
"I've been busy."
Morayo laughed.
"Busy doing what?"
"Reading."
Victoria folded her arms.
"Liar."
I smiled.
"I'm serious."
"You've been reading..."
She leaned closer.
"...or thinking?"
I tried to keep a straight face.
"What are you talking about?"
Victoria looked proudly at Morayo.
"See? I told you she'd deny it."
Morayo nodded.
"She's becoming an expert."
"I don't know what both of you are saying."
Victoria sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
She lowered her voice.
"Has Samuel said anything?"
My heartbeat stumbled.
"What kind of thing?"
Victoria groaned.
"You like pretending."
"I honestly don't know what you're talking about."
She stared at me for a few seconds before smiling.
"Okay."
She lifted her bucket again.
"When you're ready to tell us, we'll listen."
"We're not forcing you," Morayo added.
"But don't keep everything to yourself."
I watched them walk away.
Strangely...
I didn't feel annoyed.
Instead...
I felt grateful.
Perhaps because they weren't trying to pressure me.
They simply cared.
...
Sunday evening arrived quietly.
The weekend was almost over.
Students moved around preparing their uniforms for Monday.
Books were arranged.
Shoes were polished.
Assignments were completed before lights-out.
After evening devotion, I decided to take a short walk around the hostel compound before returning inside.
The weather was calm.
The sky had already begun to darken.
From a distance, I could hear boys laughing near their hostel.
A whistle from the sports prefect echoed across the compound.
Everything felt peaceful.
As I turned the corner near the classroom block, I stopped.
Samuel was sitting alone on one of the concrete benches.
He looked up immediately.
"I was hoping I'd see you."
I smiled nervously.
"You've been hoping a lot lately."
He laughed softly.
"That's true."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he stood.
"I don't want to pressure you."
"I know."
"If you still need more time..."
I shook my head gently.
"I don't."
His expression changed slightly.
Hope.
Nervousness.
Expectation.
All at once.
I took a slow breath.
"I've been thinking about everything."
He remained silent.
Listening.
"I remembered JSS3."
He nodded.
"I remembered how kind you've always been."
Another nod.
"I remembered how you've always noticed when something was wrong with me."
The breeze lifted the edge of my cardigan slightly.
"I realised..."
I smiled shyly.
"...that somewhere along the way..."
I lowered my eyes.
"...I started waiting for our conversations."
Samuel didn't interrupt.
"I looked forward to school because I'd see you."
My voice became quieter.
"I missed you whenever we didn't talk."
I laughed awkwardly.
"I think..."
There it was.
The truth I had been avoiding.
"I like you too."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Not because nothing had happened.
Because everything had.
Samuel smiled.
Slowly.
Genuinely.
His dimples appeared almost immediately.
"I was beginning to think you'd never say it."
I laughed.
"I nearly didn't."
"I'm glad you did."
We stood there smiling at each other like two people who had finally found the missing piece of a very long conversation.
Then Samuel spoke carefully.
"So..."
I already knew what he wanted to ask.
"You don't have to ask."
"I still want to."
He took a slow breath.
"Floral..."
His voice was calm.
Honest.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
My heart beat so loudly that I was certain the whole school could hear it.
I smiled.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
His shoulders relaxed immediately.
As though he had been carrying that question for years.
"Really?"
I laughed.
"You asked."
"I know."
"And I answered."
He rubbed the back of his neck, almost embarrassed by how relieved he looked.
"I don't even know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything."
"I actually have plenty to say."
"Then start talking."
He laughed.
"You'll regret saying that."
We both laughed together.
For the first time...
Nothing felt confusing.
No rumours.
No guessing.
No mixed signals.
Just honesty.
Just us.
The dinner bell rang loudly across the compound.
Reality returned.
Samuel smiled.
"We should go."
"We should."
As we began walking towards the dining hall, we instinctively left a small space between us.
This was still a boarding school.
Students noticed everything.
Prefects noticed even more.
The relationship didn't need to become the latest rumour before it had even begun.
As we approached the dining hall, Daniel walked out with two of his friends.
He greeted us with his usual smile.
"Una never enter?"
"Not yet," Samuel replied.
"We're coming."
Daniel nodded.
"Better hurry before they finish serving."
He continued walking.
Not once did his smile disappear.
Not once did he let his voice change.
Only after he had gone several steps ahead did he glance back.
Samuel was saying something that made Floral laugh.
Daniel looked away again.
He smiled to himself.
A quiet smile.
One that carried both acceptance...
And disappointment.
Maybe...
Some people were simply meant to arrive at the wrong time.
And without knowing it...
He whispered silently to himself,
"I hope he never hurts her."