SHE came in, and slowly walked up to him. He was seated on his bed with his head bowed to the floor.
“Good morning,” she managed to greet.
“Why are you still here?” He raised up his head, “I thought I asked you to leave very early today,” he added.
“Yes you did. I was waiting to come in here to begin packing, my things are here,” she said.
He scoffed.
“What can you say about that portrait over there?” He asked pointing at the wall where the portrait hung.
Her heart skipped a beat. Had he known now? How? She didn’t know what to say, but just slowly turned to it and stared at the portrait of the lad she had killed two years ago.
“Will you talk?” He demanded and she turned her gaze to him.
“Jeremy I swear, it was a mistake, I never meant to, it happened out of the blues,” she said.
“Seriously? A mistake? You know you should be behind bars.”
She gasped.
“Jeremy.”
“That is how mean I can be once I’m being lied to. You know I had always thought you to be a resilient woman, hardworking and easy going, but you lied to me, faked your identity a great deal, and I am pained.”
“I am sorry, I was mesmerized by the fact that someone could still love me inspite of the chaos and hatred in the world, and I felt the same for him. This normal was the life I have always wanted but never had the courage to quit the underworld, until I met you. I’m sorry Jeremy,” she said.
Jeremy’s eyes, usually warm and inviting, were now icy, he scoffed.
“Well I know everything now, Jasira. About who you really are. Or rather, who you really aren’t.”
Her throat tightened.
“I am no longer identified with them anymore, I had quit and gained my freedom. Please, just listen to me.”
He shook his head, a grim line forming on his lips.
“Now isn’t the time to listen to you. I have given you plenty of chances to be honest with me, but you never took them. You lied to me, you faked your identity to me, to everyone here. How can I trust anything you have ever said?”
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
“Jeremy, it is not what you think. I did it for a reason, a good reason. Just give me a chance to explain.”
Jeremy stood up, his tall frame towering over her.
“I don’t think there is a need for that anymore, a lot of time was there to explain but you didn’t utilize it.”
She swallowed hard, trying to compose herself and Jeremy turned away, staring out of the window.
“I don’t know if I can do this, Jasira. I don’t know if I can look at you the same way again, I hate lies with everything in me.”
Her heart shattered at his words.
“So that is it? You are just going to throw everything away?”
He didn’t answer, and the silence that followed was deafening. Jasira stood there for a moment, hoping he would say something, anything, to give her a sliver of hope, but he didn’t, his mind was made up.
Finally, she turned and walked up to his closet to begin packing her things, her vision blurred by tears as she packed.
***
Jeremy settled on his bed and took out his phone, Jasira had just left the house, he immediately sent a reply to the text Amelia had sent the night before.
***Amelia, is this some kind of sick joke? How do you even know this?***
Amelia who was already awake and was on her phone when his response came in, quickly replied, her hands shaking, she had actually been waiting for it.
***I’m not joking, Jeremy. I knew for a long time now. Please, just be careful. Look into it yourself if you don’t believe me.***
Another long pause followed before Jeremy’s next message arrived.
***If this is true, I need proof. This is a serious accusation.***
Even when he had already found out from the perpetrator, he still wanted her to prove her claim.
Amelia’s mind raced. She had no concrete proof, only the word of her source, but she knew she couldn’t back down now. She typed one last message, her heart in her throat.
***I don’t have proof right now, but I know it is true. Just… be careful, Jeremy. Please.***
Hours passed, the anxiety gnawing at Amelia as she waited for any sign that Jeremy had taken her warning seriously, she really hoped things was gonna go well this time.
***
The ride home for Jasira was a blur, the city streets passing by unnoticed. When she finally reached her house, without even bothering to get out her bags, she headed straight for her room, and collapsed onto her bed, sobs wracking her body.
The hours passed in a haze of tears and heartache. She had lost everything she cared about because of a secret she had kept out of fear. The pain was unbearable.
Suddenly, her phone rang, the sound piercing through her sorrow. She glanced at the screen: it was Tarmah. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Hello?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Jasira? I just heard from Amelia. Is it true? Did Jeremy find out about your past?”
Jasira choked back a sob.
“Yes, he did. And now he hates me.”
“Oh, Jasira,” Tarmah’s voice was filled with concern.
“I’m coming over. You shouldn’t be alone right now,” and she hung up immediately.
Within half an hour, Tarmah was at her door, her face a mix of worry and sympathy. Jasira had once given her the address, so it wasn’t difficult finding it.
She opened the door and headed straight for the room upstairs, the moment she got in and saw her lieing helplessly on the bed, she wrapped her arms around her, her tears flowing freely once more.
Tarmah managed to make her sit up. “Tell me everything,” she said.
Between sobs, Jasira recounted the events, starting from the night before, to that very morning. Tarmah listened intently, her expression growing more serious with each passing minute.
When Jasira finished, Tarmah shook her head.
“Jeremy is a good man, but he is hurt. Give him some time to process this. In the meantime, you need to take care of yourself.”
Jasira wiped her tears, feeling a small flicker of hope.
“Do you really think there is a chance he will forgive me?”
Tarmah smiled gently.
“I do, but you need to be patient. Trust has to be rebuilt, and that takes time. Right now, focus on yourself. Heal from this. And when Jeremy is ready, talk to him again.”
Jasira nodded, feeling a little better. “Thank you, Tarmah. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“That is what sisters are for,”
Tarmah said softly, hugging her tightly. “We will get through this together.”
Jasira nodded.
“So I just got back from school yesterday and this morning, I overheard Amelia ranting over the phone, I eavesdropped and that was how I got to find out,” Tarmah said.
Jasira looked at her.
“What! Eavesdropped on your sister? But why?”
“Oh please. Your place is very beautiful and cozy sis, it is so bad that my first visit had to go this way,” she said looking around the room.
Jasira sighed.
“It is fine. What can I offer you?” She asked and chuckled, “see me asking like I do have something to offer,” Tarmah burst into laughter.
“Really?”
“I haven’t really started staying here fully you know, so -.”
“Oh okay, I understand now. Do not worry, ah! Relax okay, let me fix us something, you relax and rest here,” she said and got up.
Jasira smiled weakly.
“Ugh, the kitchen is -.”
“I will find my way to the kitchen sis, don’t worry yourself,” she said and winked, then began walking out of the room.
All Jasira could do was smile weakly, her mind drifted back to Jeremy and the melancholy returned, though a little bit suppressed.
***
Finally, late in the evening, Amelia’s phone buzzed again, she had been waiting for a response from Jeremy and now, he did.
***It is fine Amelia, do not spread it***
The text read. So short, discouraging, disappointing and annoying. She began thinking of what next to do, whether she should call at his house again or just hold on. Besides, she felt Jasira must have left by now.
She was still thinking when her phone buzzed again, it was another text message, but this wasn’t from Jeremy, it was from an informant.
***She has been sent out of the house. The house is empty with only him around, having a bad day in his room upstairs. I guess you should come over, he won’t ask you out, because he is down and needs someone to talk to.***
Her face quickly broke into a smile, then deepened into laughter. Relief flooded through her mingling with a lingering sense of dread. She had done what she needed to do.
Instantly, she rushed up to her closet to find something sexy to put on. Having done that, she went over to the dressing table to apply her makeovers. Soon, she was done.
That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, she boarded the smallest of her cars in the garage, and drove straight to Jeremy’s.
After parking at the garage, she went straight into the house. No one dared interrogated nor stopped her, why would they? Except they wanted to be fired.
She entered the living room and made for his bedroom, hoping it was open so she would be able to gain access to it. She got there and tried on the knob, luckily it was open. She slid in immediately.
He was lieing on the bed, his legs down on the floor and from his waist up, on the bed, he had his face looking up at the ceiling.
“Jeremy,” she called as she dropped her designer bag on the sofa and walked up to him.
He sighed weakly.
“Amelia what is it? What? You are pestering my life,” he said weakly, still looking at the ceiling.
Amelia took a deep breath.
“I am only concerned about your safety Jeremy, I am trying to protect you,” she said in a whisper.
“Protect me from what?”
“From the dangers of the underworld,” she said and he scoffed.
“The last time I checked, I wasn’t in any kind of danger.”
“Of course you were. Do you call that relationship? That was danger, not relationship. I just couldn’t stand by and watch you get hurt, Jeremy. I care about you too much,” she said.
He scoffed.
“I appreciate that, Amelia.”
Her face quickly lit up.
“You do?” She asked.
He didn’t say a word of response to her and she shrugged it off, as long as he had said he appreciates that, it was enough for her.
The smiles on her face deepened, like she hadn’t had that kind of smile in years, finally, she was seeing a glimmer of hope between Jeremy and her.
With the smiles on her face she laid down beside him, her thoughts full of what the future held for them.