THE BEAST WITHIN- Chapter Nine

Bello looked on, confused.

“Break up? Where is this coming from?!” he choked.

She just stood there, towel wound around her moist, naked body; with an indifferent gaze fixed tentatively at him.

He stood up from the bed and motioned towards her. He made to touch her shoulder and she moved backwards. She raised her hand and made an accompanying face telling him to stop.

He wouldn’t be deterred though.
“Come here, let’s talk about this.”

Smiling, he made to draw her closer. Adeola dodged his outstretched arms and made for the door instead. She opened it and waved him out, eyes closed.

Bello was shocked. He looked at the girl standing by the door urging him out and didn’t see any semblance to the girl he fell in love with. He was embarrassed and his whole face was red and hard.

“What exactly is your problem?!” he quipped.

He stood still, incredulous, willing her to come back to her senses.

Seeing that he wasn’t moving, she slammed the door shut, dragged her plump body to the wardrobe and rummaged through it. She settled for a pink flowery gown and wore it, without underwears, making sure he didn’t catch any glimpse of the exotic parts of her body this time. She pulled the towel out from beneath the dress and left the room as Bello looked on.

Bello stood on the spot for 60 long and exasperating seconds. He still couldn’t understand or believe what was going on. He regained his composure and left the room soon after.

There she was, sitting outside the room in the corridor. He looked into her unyielding eyes and didn’t stop for another second. He was glad there was no one outside to witness the whole drama and he walked as fast away as possible.  He heard her door open and close but didn’t look back.

The morning sun was up in the sky by now but the promise of a beautiful day had been broken.

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Back in his hostel, Bello couldn’t fathom how anyone could change abruptly in less than 12 hours.

“Why did she tear out the journal entry? Why the sudden call for separation? What did I do wrong? What changed?”

Bello had so many questions burning craters in his head. Worst still, he had no plausible and rational answers to them. The only person who could and should have provided the answers he sought had gone unbelievably alien.

“Last night was brilliant, who would have thought this morning would be so cruel and sore.”

He was even more flabbergasted by the embarrassing eviction from her room. He grinned and shook his head in disbelief and self-pity.

As he leaned against the wall in his room, the whole episode replayed over and over in his head. He paid no mind to his rumbling stomach as he had lost all appetite for food. On a normal day, he would be gearing up for the second meal of the day by now. Not today though, he had no thought of food whatsoever.

He felt lost, defeated, deflated and wounded. Exhausted, he crashed into his ever welcoming bed and closed his eyes in hope of a healing and soothing dream.

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