NOT MY USUAL WORLD Novel Chapter 14

NOT MY USUAL WORLD
EPISODE 14
Tobe stood at the door.
For a few seconds neither of them spoke.
Ronke stood there breathing heavily, as if she had rushed all the way from her office. Her hair was slightly out of place and her eyes still carried the weight of everything that had happened earlier that day.
Seeing her standing there in front of him again made something deep inside Tobe shift.
Six years of silence.
Six years of believing their story had ended.
And now she was standing in his doorway.
Tobe stepped aside slowly.
Ronke walked into the apartment.
She looked around briefly, taking in the simple space. The room was modest, still half arranged, boxes resting against the wall and a few things scattered around from the unpacking he had been doing earlier.
For a moment neither of them knew where to start.
Then Ronke turned and looked at him again.
Up close, she could see how much life had changed him. His shoulders were broader now. His face carried a quiet strength that had not been there years ago.
China had shaped him.
Struggle had shaped him.
But his eyes were still the same.
The same eyes that once looked at her like she was the most important person in the world.
Ronke suddenly felt her chest tighten.
Before she could stop herself, tears filled her eyes again.
Tobe noticed immediately.
He moved closer.
Ronke tried to speak but her voice broke.
She sat down slowly on the couch and covered her face with her hands.
For years she had carried anger toward him.
For years she believed he abandoned her.
But now everything had changed.
The truth about the letters.
The truth about her father.
The truth about those six lost years.
Her voice finally came out, weak and shaken.
My father did it.
Tobe frowned slightly.
She looked up at him.
The letters.
My father stopped them from reaching me.
I called our gateman and he confirmed it.
The words came out slowly, painfully.
Tobe stood still as the realization settled between them.
Ronke continued, her voice trembling.
All these years I thought you left me. I thought you chose to disappear. Especially after my father made you lose everything.
Tears rolled down her cheeks again.
Tobe moved closer and sat beside her.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Ronke suddenly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.
The hug came suddenly, almost desperately.
Six years of pain, confusion, longing and unanswered questions poured into that single moment.
Tobe hesitated for only a second before holding her tightly.
The warmth of her body against his brought back memories he had tried so hard to bury.
For a long moment they simply stayed like that.
Breathing.
Holding each other.
Feeling the reality of the moment.
Ronke slowly pulled back but her hands still rested on his shoulders.
Her eyes searched his face.
I missed you.
The words were barely a whisper.
Something inside Tobe cracked.
All the discipline he had built over the years suddenly felt fragile.
He had told himself many times that she had moved on.
That she probably had another man in her life now.
Ekene’s face flashed briefly through his mind.
He looked at her carefully.
You and that guy. Your boyfriend or fiancé. I don’t want him to feel…
Ronke understood what he was trying to say and cut in immediately.
She shook her head gently.
Ekene is just my friend.
My confidant. Nothing more.
The tension in Tobe’s chest eased slightly.
They looked at each other again.
The distance between them suddenly felt very small.
Years of buried feelings slowly rose back to the surface.
Ronke reached for his hand.
Tobe…
Before she could finish the sentence, he pulled her gently into another embrace.
This time the hug lingered longer.
Their hearts beat fast against each other.
The room grew quiet around them.
What started as comfort slowly turned into something deeper.
Something they had both tried to forget.
Tobe lifted her face gently.
For a brief second they hesitated.
Then he kissed her.
The moment was soft at first, careful, almost uncertain.
But the years apart had built too much emotion between them.
The kiss deepened as their hands held onto each other.
Everything they had lost.
Everything they had missed.
Everything they had once shared.
For a while the world outside that apartment simply disappeared.
Later that night the room was quiet again.
Ronke rested against him, her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Neither of them spoke for a long time.
Finally Tobe looked down at her.
It is late. You should go home.
Ronke shook her head gently.
Not tonight.
Her fingers tightened slightly around his hand.
I don’t want to leave tonight.
Outside the window the city lights glowed softly, unaware that two people who had once been torn apart by fate had found their way back into each other’s arms.
But the past was not completely behind them.
And the future was still uncertain.
To be continued.