The Dice #33

Dunni slipped back into her four-inch heels, discarding the comfortable ballerina flats she’d worn for her lunch break. As she sank deep into her chair, the urge to scream clawed at her throat. Tade’s deception gnawed at her, a raw wound she couldn’t ignore. Why did he feel the need to hide his family’s wealth? Was it some kind of twisted test? The thought that she was on the verge of calling off their engagement was no longer just a fleeting notion; it was a real possibility. Trust was sacred to her, a non-negotiable foundation, and he had shattered it. Maybe he’d hidden his wealth because he was tired of being pursued by women only interested in his money, but that was no excuse. Not for her.

She paced across her office, momentarily forgetting that the walls were glass. The world outside could see her turmoil, but she didn’t care. The tension inside her was boiling over.

Grace walked in, breaking Dunni’s spiralling thoughts. “I just sent your presentation for the Abuja trip,” she said.

Dunni halted in her tracks, trying to shift her focus back to work. “Thanks, Grace. I’ll go through it.”

But as Grace left, Dunni found herself standing there, unable to shake the frustration gnawing at her. When had her life become so complicated that even her work, once her sanctuary, was now under threat? She had always prided herself on keeping her personal life separate from her work, but here she was, embroiled in a lover’s spat in the middle of a Monday afternoon. She rolled her eyes at herself, feeling the weight of her tangled emotions pressing down on her.

“Are you good?” Moses strolled in, his voice casual, but his eyes searched her face with concern. He was just as he’d always been, her steady rock, but something between them had shifted. The friendship they once shared felt distant now, almost foreign.

“It’s…” Dunni began, but the words stuck in her throat. She and Moses were no longer in that space where she could pour her heart out to him. “Never mind. It’s just something silly, but I’ll be fine.”

Moses nodded, but his eyes didn’t leave her. “I came to get you for the strategic meeting. You’re 15 minutes late.”

“Oh dear.” Dunni’s heart sank further. No wonder Moses was concerned—she was never late. Ever. It just didn’t happen. She wanted to crawl somewhere and cry. Nothing was the same anymore. She couldn’t share her frustrations with Moses, couldn’t let him tease her until she felt better, couldn’t let him reassure her that she was just overthinking things.

“I’ll be right behind you,” she said, grabbing her laptop. She hurried to the meeting room, pausing just outside the door to take a deep breath, pull her shoulders back, and force a calm she didn’t feel.

“You’re just in time for the Kakawa Housing update,” Ola said as she entered.

Dunni forced a smile and began her presentation. The project was on track, despite a few setbacks, and the team was working hard to meet the deadline. Her words were crisp, professional, but her mind was far from the task at hand. She threw a grateful glance at her assistant for ensuring the presentation ran smoothly, even as her own thoughts were in chaos. Dunni prided herself on her work ethic. Being a partner in the firm wasn’t a license to slack off; it was a call to excel. But today, everything felt off balance.

As the meeting wrapped up, Ola cleared his throat. “We have an announcement to make. One of us is leaving Architex.”

The room fell silent. The staff exchanged confused glances. With an attrition rate of zero over the last year, the news hit hard.

“Moses, one of our senior partners, is leaving us,” Ola continued. “Tomorrow will be his last day in the office, though he’ll work remotely to close out his projects and hand over responsibilities within the next month.”

The shock rippled through the room, a collective gasp followed by Dupe, the receptionist, bursting into tears. But Dunni felt paralysed. Moses… leaving? She turned to look at him, but he avoided her gaze, staring at anything but her. The revelation slammed into her like a freight train. She had thought about leaving, sure, but she had never imagined Moses would be the one to go first. The thought twisted her insides, leaving her breathless.

“Moses is relocating to the US for a new role,” Ola added, his voice a distant echo in Dunni’s ears.

A pain settled in her stomach, sharp and unrelenting. It wasn’t just a colleague leaving; it was like losing a part of herself. She remembered the first day they all met, their National Youth Service year, the shared dreams that led to the birth of Architex, the late nights and hours of unending work that brough Architex to the outstanding company that it was.  It has always been the three of them. But Moses had been her anchor, her closest friend, the one constant in a life full of change. How could she imagine a life without him? Every memory she had of the company, of her growth, was intertwined with Moses. He was the common thread in the tapestry of her life.

The staff began to share their memories of Moses, each one more emotional than the last. Dunni barely heard them, her thoughts a blur. When Ola had made the announcement, Moses had finally looked at her, and the raw pain in his eyes mirrored her own. But then he quickly looked away, and she could feel the distance between them grow even wider. Moses loved Dunni with a depth he knew he could never feel for anyone else. He was certain that no one would ever come close to stirring his heart the way she did. He would carry the regret of not seizing the moment 16 years ago—or even just two years ago—when he had the chance to tell her. Instead, he let her slip away, hidden in the fog of their friendship

Finally, it was Dunni’s turn to speak. She stood, her hands trembling as she faced the room, but her eyes sought out Moses. “We all will miss Moses,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wish you only the best.”

The words were simple, but they carried the weight of everything she couldn’t say. Moses and Ola knew she wasn’t taking it well. But Dunni would never admit just how much she would miss Moses. In another world, in another life, she might have told him the truth, but here, all she could do was put on a brave face and hide the storm raging inside her.

As she listened to others recount stories of Moses’ kindness—the cinema tickets that saved a marriage, the lunches he bought for his team, the quiet acts of generosity she had never known about—Dunni felt her heart break a little more. How could she live without him? Moses was her confidant, her true friend, the one person who understood her better than anyone else. The last two weeks had been difficult, but this… this was unbearable. She was drowning in a pain she had never known.

When the meeting ended, the staff left the room slowly, leaving Dunni, Moses, and Ola behind. Ola quickly explained that he had only found out that afternoon and then excused himself. Ola knew what Dunni needed without her saying a word. knowing they needed this time. They had been in each other’s lives for so long.

Moses and Dunni stood there, the silence between them thick with all the words they couldn’t say. Ola watched them, puzzled that Dunni couldn’t see it—that Moses was her lifeline, the air she unknowingly depended on. Their connection was so seamless that everyone else just assumed they were together. Yet, life had its own way of twisting their paths, leaving Dunni too stubborn, or perhaps too scared, to admit that her feelings for Moses went beyond mere friendship. Some bonds, no matter how deep, were simply not destined to be anything more.

She had so much she wanted to say, but instead, the words tumbled out almost carelessly, “When did you know you were leaving?”

“Does it matter?” he replied, his voice steady, his gaze fixed on her, hands buried deep in his pockets as if to anchor himself.

“Were you planning this when you visited my place two weeks ago?” she asked, her voice quivering with the weight of everything left unsaid. She didn’t want to revisit the painful memories, the way their once unbreakable friendship had vanished like smoke in the wind.

“No,” he said, his tone flat, almost distant. “I had the offer months ago but turned it down. I only reconsidered yesterday when Solutions Experts contacted Ola, questioning if our company was in trouble because one of our partners was seeking work with them.” His words were matter of fact, but they hit her like a blow.

Dunni felt a pang of guilt and looked down. “I was upset,” she admitted quietly. “It had become difficult to work together, and I thought it would be easier for everyone if I found somewhere else.”

“You don’t have to anymore,” he replied, his voice softer but tinged with finality. “I won’t be around to bother you. I have to go—I have a lot to do before my flight leaves tomorrow night.”

Dunni’s heart raced with everything she wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come. She wanted to plead with him to stay, to promise she’d end her engagement if that’s what it took—anything to make him change his mind. She wanted to cry, to run into his arms and find comfort in the safety of his embrace. But she did none of those things.

Moses gazed at Dunni, his eyes lingering as if trying to capture every detail, every expression, to carry with him for the rest of his life. The thought of never seeing her again tore at him, a pain he could barely contain. But the moment shattered as Dunni whispered, “I have to go,” her voice trembling. She turned and quickly walked out, desperate to escape before her emotions betrayed her.