The Dice #49

Three years later…….

“I always thought what you said and did about how you feel was because of the prediction of your dice. I never knew you were speaking from your heart. I never knew you had the same feeling I had for you. I was never bold enough to confront what I felt for you. I was safe in the cocoon of our friendship and did not want anything to destroy the bond we shared.

Dunni laughed bitterly. How foolish I was., I lost you in the end, lost you as a friend and the bond we shared. Is there any place in your heart to forgive me? I am not asking that we go back to what we had, but start something new. A new friendship.

“Hey, babe, a girl I had not noticed sauntered towards Moses with a kiss on his lips while handing him a glass of champagne, gazing through her long false lashes at Dunni with curiosity.

“Thanks, darling, meet Dunni, she used to be my partner at Architex Designs. Dunni, meet my fiancée, Jessica Audu.”

Duuni had never felt this humiliated in her life. She wished the ground would open and swallow her. She’d bared her heart and soul and was rejected. Karma – she was being paid for in her own coin. This must have been how Tade felt when she returned his ring. She could hear the crack of her heart, and she knew she was not going to survive this.

She braved a smile and shook hands with Jessica, pleased to meet you.

Moses watched Dunni intently, the pain in her eyes and the heartbreak she tried to hide. He knew that false smile and confidence from the extra hunch of her shoulders. He knew she was breaking from the double blink of her eyes at intervals. He knew the moment she turned to leave that a tear had escaped, and she was trying to leave with her dignity intact.

How complicated could their love be? He had healed and moved forward but like a sucker for punishing himself he wanted to see her again. Just behold her beauty and go home to torture himself some more. What he had not envisaged was that they were two hurt hearts beating for each other, but with so many obstacles in their path.

He could no longer go ahead with this farce of a fake engagement. Jessica was his pretend fiancée, and she acted the part so convincingly that she could have fooled him, too.

Dunni looked for the nearest exit as she made her escape. She has concluded her work for the night. She gave her speech about the project and managed to make a fool of herself before Moses and his fiancée, drank more wine than she should have. At least she was sensible to call an Uber to take her home and arrange for her car to be sent to the office on Monday.

Just a few minutes into the safety of her living room, she heard her doorbell. There could only be two people who Sule the security will let in without checking with her, Ola and his wife. She had not bothered to remove Moses; he had not been to her house in three years. So, she did not have to worry.

Pulling her 4-inch open-toe silver Jimmy Choo sandals from her feet and pulling her braids up with a hair band, she went to the door and was shocked to see Moses. One part of her was glad he followed her, but then she remembered he was engaged and could never be hers.

She stood at the entrance of her door, not letting him in.” What do you want, Moses?”

“Please, can I come in?”

Dunni smiled sadly at how things had changed between them. Moses would take strides in here like he owned the place, first looking for the remote control to put on the TV to CNN or whatever sports he was crazy about. He loved Formula 1 and the NBA. He was one of those few guys who missed out on receiving the spirit of football. Then he will make his way to her kitchen to help himself with whatever there was to eat, which was most of the snacks.

That changed in the year she was with Tade, she learnt how to cook and never looked back. She is now into eating healthily. Vegetables and fruits are constant in her house. She was his ex-partner; their friendship was dead, making her maybe an ex-friend, and she was never his girlfriend, so she could not earn the tag ex-girlfriend.

Moses stood outside waiting for her to let him in. He did not miss the puffiness of her eyes, which indicated she had been crying.

Dunni reluctantly let him in, still stunned that he was in her house and curious about what he had to say.

“How are you?” he asked, watching her closely.

“I am fine, and you?” If he came all the way for a small talk, that was his problem. Two can play the game.

“As fine as can be.”

“How is New York treating you?”
“New York was brilliant. Although I moved back to Lagos six months ago.” Moses watched her reaction closely to his revelation. The surprise and the hurt that followed in her eyes pleased him.

“You did?”  This was news to Dunni. There was no indication or information that the award-winning New York Architect was in Lagos. She learnt the hard way from her relationship with Tade to check some of the gossip columns occasionally, but she must have slipped back to her old habits. It was an upheaval task to open anything apart from the architectural journals.

“I told Ola not to tell you. I thought it was better than the way.”

“Hmm, she grunted, so why tell me now?” To think he had been in the same city as her for six months and found no need to contact her.

“How is Tade? Surprised you never married him.”

She shrugged. One of life’s mysteries. It did not happen. But we remain friends.

Moses knew all that; he knew she met him regularly at Ocean View restaurant on Friday nights, and that had made him stay away when he came. It looked like they were trying to make it work, but he may have been wrong with Dunni’s confession earlier today.

There was a moment of silence when the small talk had ceased. Dunni watched Moses, determined not to break the silence. She had never been able to do it in the past, but just like how everything had changed between them, she did not feel any need to break the silence.

“I have stopped using my dice.”

“I know you gave it to me, remember.” She did not tell him that sitting at her dressing table is the Dice and how pathetic that she speaks to it every morning and night, but it had become a guiding light for her. She also would never admit that the Dice was always right. Which was why she was more confused when it alluded to her and Moses getting married, and she concluded that the only part the dice ever failed in the past and the present was where she and Moses were concerned.  Every other situation was on point.

“Changed the dice to a gold dice now engraved with diamond stones.”

Against all her resolve to remain civil with Moses. Dunni burst into fits of giggles.

“You stopped using the dice but now use a gold and diamond dice? I have had a long day and want to rest. I am not interested in your dice, fiancée or anything that has to do with you.”

While Dunni was ranting, Moses had invaded her personal space with a ring and a stone in the form of a dice engraved with diamonds.

“Will you marry me?”

Dunni was unsure if this was one of his many jokes.

“If you must know, I still asked the dice this time.” But you gave it to me. The Dice lives in my heart. It is the guiding light to my life, and it is never wrong, but I could be wrong when I do not take the necessary actions at the right time or do not take any action at all.

She wiped the tears that fell down her cheeks. What about Jessica?

Jessica is my cousin’s best friend and my pretend fiancée since I came back. It kind of put those sharks away from hounding me.  She gets settled for every outing including her love sucked up boyfriend with new clothes and accessories. She almost ran me bankrupt, though.

This elicited laughter from Dunni. “I should have been charging you for all those plus one outing in the past.

“That was me creating every moment to be close to you and keeping the barracudas away. Just one season, I turned my back, and the biggest of them came and swept you off my feet.

No talk of sharks and barracudas. Adunni Adesida. I have always loved you and will love you for eternity. Would you do me the honour of spending the rest of your life with me?

“Yes, Moses. I love you from forever and want to spend my forever with you but….

Moses looked alarmed, and Dunni had to laugh this time.

But no long courtship, no fanfare wedding, no….

She did not finish her words as she could feel Moses’ mouth devouring hers in a kiss she’d only experienced in her dreams.

The END