AIDA

 I couldn't even look Caleb in the face as I followed mercy outside  By the time I stepped out of my cubicle, my chest felt tight. Not because of work. Not because of Mercy's sudden intrusion. But because I could feel Caleb's eyes burning holes into my back. I wasn't ready to have any conversations with him just yet till he was ready to be reasonable since he thinks I always try to get with every guy I smiled with. Even though I already promised him not to do anything stupid, I couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to be truly loved and not controlled  I didn't even understand my anger........was I even angry? I don't even know what I'm feeling. Mike waited a few steps away, hands tucked casually into his pockets, posture relaxed like he was the first time I saw him. He had this aura. I just can't place my fingers on it. His face was neutral, too neutral. Definitely not giving out any room for me to decipher his thoughts. But I caught it. The slight tightening of his jaw. The way his shoulders stiffened for half a second when Mercy mentioned his name. "Are you okay?" Mercy asked, already walking ahead of me. "Yes," I lied automatically. She didn't press it. Mercy rarely did. "Shall we?" he asked quietly, gesturing toward the hallway. I nodded. "Yeah. Let's get this over with." "Sorry," he said quietly as we started walking. "I didn't mean to... interrupt anything." I let out a short laugh. "You didn't." "Well it seems like I'm the reason you were dragged out of your office like that" His voice was calm. We moved past the glass partitions, the low hum of printers and keyboards filling the space between us. I kept my eyes forward, professional mask firmly in place. "This place can be confusing at first," I said. "But you'll get used to it." "I believe you," he replied. "You look like someone who knows her way around chaos." I glanced at him. "That obvious?" A corner of his mouth lifted. "A little." We reached the records room first. I pushed the door open and flicked on the light. "All archived documents go here. Nothing leaves without sign-out approval." I explained filing systems. Where confidential documents were kept. What not to touch unless instructed. Mike listened. Really listened.  "You sound like someone who's been here too long," he said lightly. "I've been here long enough," I replied. There were huge piles of books in this room, which made it scary. I rarely come here, I always had someone get something for me. I couldn't help but notice how close he was standing behind me. That was when I realized how small this place was. The records room had always felt big when I wasn't alone in it. Rows of tall metal shelves, stacked with files that smelled like dust and old paper. But with Mike standing just a breath away, the space shrank. Or maybe I did. I shifted slightly, trying to create distance, but the shelf dug into my hip. Of course. I cleared my throat. "So... um. These files are arranged chronologically. Older records on the left, recent ones on the right." "I'll try not to get lost," he said. His voice was closer now. Too close. I felt it then, his presence. Not loud. Not aggressive. Just... there. Solid. Calm. Like he knew exactly how much space he was taking up and was doing it on purpose?. I turned halfway, meaning to face him properly, but that only made things worse. We were almost chest to chest. For a second, neither of us moved. I became painfully aware of how tall he was. How I had to tilt my head slightly to look at him. How his eyes dropped, not to my chest, thankfully but to my lips, before lifting back up again like he'd caught himself. Something warm curled low in my stomach. Ridiculous. "Do you usually stand this close during orientations?" he asked, voice low, teasing. I scoffed, stepping sideways. "Only when the trainee refuses to respect personal space." "Duly noted." He smiled then. Just enough to show he was amused. Was he flirting with me?. We moved on to the printing section. The noise helped machines whirring, paper sliding out, staff moving around. Normalcy rushed back in, grounding me. "This area is always busy," I explained. "If you send a job late, it won't be ready until the next day. People get annoyed about that." "Nigerians are always angry, what's there to be happy about in this economy ," he said. I laughed before I could stop myself. He glanced at me. "There it is." "What?" "That laugh. It sounds like you don't do it often." I shrugged. "Work doesn't exactly inspire joy." "And yet," he said, looking around, "you run this place like it's your kingdom." I snorted. "Hardly." "But people listen to you," he continued. "That says something." "Mr Biodun runs this place" I didn't know why I said that, so I focused on showing him how to operate the printer. "Yesterday," he added, casually but not too casually. "At the restaurant." My heart skipped. Just once. "I wasn't sure if you noticed," he continued, eyes focused somewhere past me, "but... yeah. Small world." "I noticed," I said quickly. Too quickly. "Lagos is like that." He smiled. "True." He didn't mention the girl. We reached the IT support window last. I explained who to contact, what not to touch. "You're surprisingly patient," he said. "Don't let it fool you." "I won't." Silence stretched between us. . Then he spoke again. " I hope I didn't make things uncomfortable." I swallowed. "You didn't." "You left early." "I had to." He studied me, like he was piecing something together but choosing not to ask. "That guy," he said finally. "At your office." My heart sank. "Caleb." "Is he...?" "My boyfriend," I said, before I could think better of it. He nodded once. . "Lucky guy," he said. I laughed, sharp and humorless. "That's one way to put it." We headed back upstairs after I showed him other important rooms on our floor. As we passed the glass partition, I felt it. Caleb's eyes on my back. Burning. Watching.  As I sat down on my desk, my phone buzzed Caleb. A short  paragraph.  WE NEED TO TALK.  

Caleb

I was furious at this point  Wasn't she the one begging me to calm down the other day, why was she now behaving like it don't matter anymore I brought out my phone and typed frantically. WE NEED TO TALK I watched her walk in with him and waited for her to sit before pressing send, while staring at her to make sure she read it. my eyes fixed on her face until I saw the slight stiffening of her shoulders. Good. She saw it. People were pretending not to look, but I could feel it. They won't ever mind their business,Even Francisca, two-eyed Francisca that should be focusing on fixing her eyesight instead of ruining it further, was watching. These office people lived for drama. Amebo was their full-time job.. . I could already imagine the whispers. Isn't that her boyfriend? Why is she with the trainee? Men are useless these days. I couldn't take my eyes off her throughout the day and surprisingly she didn't even notice me. Which was very new. Concentrating on my work was hard, I found my mind darting back to Mike. If he had been loud, cocky, obviously flirting, I would have known how to handle it. Men like that are predictable. But he's different, which is very dangerous. I told her not to smile at people like that. I told her. I picked up my phone, typed a message, deleted it. Typed again. Me: Why are you always letting people get into your space? No. Too soft. Delete. Me: I don't like the way you're moving lately. Still not enough. Delete. Mike stood up and walked straight into her cubicle. Was he doing this on purpose to piss me off? She was talking to him, using her hands. Explaining things very intensely . He leaned in slightly to hear her over the noise. Too close. Way too close. My chest burned. Did she think I couldn't see this? Does she think I'm stupid? I stood up again. Mercy passed by and gave me a look. The kind that said don't start. I ignored her. I wasn't starting anything. I was protecting what was mine. I entered her office and closed the door behind me  " Excuse me," I said coldly, "I need to talk to my girlfriend." Aida looked up, startled. "Caleb-" "E be like this guy deaf o?" I walked closer to where he sat opposite Aida and dragged his chair back, the sound scraped loudly against the floor. The noise it made drew the attention of others in the office. "I'm not done here," I said flatly. "When I am, I'll leave." What annoyed me most was how calm he looked I didn't want to create anymore scenes so I walked over to the other side of the table where Aida sat and dragged her up. "Let's talk outside" Her eyes flashed with fear.  Yes That's what I wanted  As I tried dragging her more I noticed Mike had grabbed her other hand. My blood boiled Before I could react, Aida spoke quickly, her voice tight. "Please let go, I'll be back in a minute"  she was talking to him. Why was she acting like a saint? I didn't care at this point. I made sure the next drag was harder than the first one, and it was. Within seconds we were outside her cubicle and into the hallway leading to the backyard. When we finally reached a quiet place. I raised my hand. For a split second, I saw it in her eyes, the flinch, the expectation. Like her body already knew what might come next. My hand froze mid-air. I clenched my fist instead, so tight my knuckles went white, my arm shaking with the effort it took not to bring it down. "Look at you," I said, my voice low and trembling with restraint. "You've reduced me to this." She stared at me, breathing shallow, one hand pressed to her chest. "What exactly is your problem?" I demanded. She was too stunned to speak. I know I promised not to hit her again but I think she deserved this one, if I was to hit her here. "Answer me"!!!!!!!  That was when a tear dropped out of her eyes. "You don't talk to me like that," she said quietly. I leaned closer, lowering my voice. "You don't walk around the office like you're single." Her lips parted. She looked around, then back at me. "This is my workplace." "And I'm your boyfriend." "I didn't forget that." "Then start acting like it." "You know I don't like you spending time with other guys, and this time you're doing it in my presence, is it because you're higher than me in the office?." She exhaled sharply. "He's a trainee. I was asked to help him." "You enjoyed it." "That's not fair."  Seems like the fear in her did resound her brain. She was more submissive now. I softened my tone, reached for her hand. She pulled it back. It didn't matter, I grabbed it back. "You know how people talk," I continued. "This office is not safe. People misinterpret things. I don't want your name involved in rubbish. "My name?" she echoed. "Or your ego?" At this point I was so sure I was glaring at her. "This is exactly what I'm talking about," I said. "You're changing." She was quiet again " I think we should continue this conversation at my place" I could sense her fear again. Now," I said calmly, releasing her hand, "go back inside. Smile. Act normal." I watched her walk away. No man was taking that from me. I arranged myself and quickly followed her. At least I'm still very much in control of my relationship.

I couldn't bring myself to admit that I was scared of losing her, so I opted for the very best option available, Control. 

I need to control her, she seems to be forgetting that we started together and we must finish this together.

Aida  By the time I walked back into the office, my hands were shaking, so I curled them into fists to keep anyone from noticing. I pasted the smile he asked for on my face. The one I had perfected over the years. Seven years is too long a time to love someone but I did it. Caleb and I started dating in my first year at the university. We were young then, naive, hopeful and very foolish, in the way only first love allows. He loved me loudly. I loved him completely without holding back. Back then, his jealousy felt like passion. His possessiveness felt like protection. Everyone said we were inseparable, and I wore that like a badge of honor. We'd be seen coming back from class, holding each other's hand and smooching publicly on the road. Being in the same department with him made it even more gross for others because we didn't really care about the world then.Nothing mattered to me more than his happiness. We thought we had it all figured out until our final year. Things weren't as easy as they used to be,he was really lagging behind.  Two carryovers and BOOM he had an extra year. I graduated before him.And just like that, something shifted. It quietly started with small comments, questions disguised as jokes. "This one you've graduated, I hope they won't collect you from me o" "This your bumbum is increasing I hope nobody is pressing it" And then I got a job working at a finance company, it was quite popular in the area, I started earning and it made him feel more uneasy. I never planned to leave him. I loved him too much for that. So when he suggested we move in together, I didn't question it. "It'll strengthen our bond," he said. I believed him. At first, it really was beautiful. We were wild. Reckless. Always touching, always laughing. Endless nights, loud music, shared meals, shared dreams. We'd fuck throughout the day and end up fucking at night too. We tried all the sex positions we could find online. The people on our street thought we were married. My parents weren't around, they died when I was small and no siblings, so no one was asking questions. It felt like freedom. I felt accomplished. But freedom doesn't come with rules. Slowly, the warmth changed. It became Where are you going? Then why are you wearing that? Then why is that man looking at you? Love turned into monitoring. Concern turned into control. Arguments ended with apologies but somehow, I was always the one apologizing. I didn't want to think too much about the past and by the time I reached my desk, my chest felt hollow,I sat down carefully, keeping my back straight, and my face calm. Breathe, Aida. Just breathe. My phone vibrated. I didn't need to check to know who it was. Instead, I stared at my computer screen, blinking hard, refusing to let the tears fall. Not here. Not now. "Hey." Mike's voice was quiet. I looked up and saw him standing a few steps away, holding a file against his chest. His expression wasn't curious. It wasn't a pity either. It was... concern. "You forgot this," he said, placing the notepad I'd dropped earlier on my desk. "Oh. Thanks." My voice came out thinner than I wanted. He didn't leave immediately. Are you okay?" His voice was low. Careful. Like he didn't want to startle me. I nodded immediately. Too quickly. "Yes." Lie. He didn't call me out on it. Instead, he glanced around once, quickly then leaned closer, lowering his voice. "You don't look okay." Something about the way he said it without judgment and without pressure made my eyes sting. "I'm fine," I repeated, softer this time, like if I said it gently enough it might become true. He studied me for a moment, then stepped back, giving me space. I appreciated that more than he knew. "Mercy said I should sit with IT for now," he said. "But... if you're busy, I can come back later." Busy. I almost laughed. "Give me five minutes," I said, surprising myself. "I'll walk you there." His brows lifted slightly. "You sure?" I nodded again. This time, slower. "Yeah." We walked side by side toward the IT section, not touching, but close enough that I could feel the heat from his arm every time it swung near mine. I focused on the sound of my heels against the tiled floor, counting each step like it was a lifeline. One. Two. Three. "Thank you," he said again, breaking the silence. "For earlier. And... now." "You don't have to keep thanking me," I replied. "It's literally part of my job." "I know," he said. "Still." That word again. Still. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," he said quietly. "I can find my way." "I said I'd take you," I replied. "I meant it." He glanced at me then. Really looked at me. There was something restrained in his expression, like he was holding back words in his head. "Okay," he said simply. We reached the IT section and I showed him where he was told to go, then I turned and left him. By 4:47 p.m., my head was pounding. The office had quieted down, the way it always did when people started leaving. I pretended to focus on my screen, but I'd been staring at the same email for ten minutes. I knew he was around. I hadn't seen Caleb all afternoon, and that alone made my chest tighten.  By 5:05, I gave up. I packed my bag slowly, slipped my phone inside, and stood up. I looked in Mike's direction and he had already left. As I stepped out of the building, the evening air hit my face, warm and heavy. "Babe." My heart dropped. I turned slowly. Caleb stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, and standing beside him was sayo.  I didn't have the energy to exchange pleasantries so I didn't spear sayo any word.i could only focus on my boyfriend  "Hi," I said, already tired. He walked closer.  "I watched you today," he said. My stomach sank. "Watched me do what?" "Don't do that," he replied softly. "You know exactly what I mean." I swallowed. "There's nothing going on," I said quickly. "He's just a trainee. I was assigned to-" "I didn't ask for an explanation," he cut in "You've already said this before" I hated the fact that he couldn't wait for us to be alone to talk to me like that. He had to do it in front of her. "This thing you're doing," he continued, lowering his voice, "end it." My hands curled around my bag strap. "You can't tell me who to talk to at work." He smiled. Not kindly. "I can," he said. "And I am." "This is the last time I'm saying it, Aida," he added. "Don't let me see you entertaining that boy again." He stepped back. "Go home." And just like that, he turned and walked away. I stood there for a long time after he left, the street noise rushing back into my ears. My phone buzzed. A message from Caleb. Don't make me repeat myself, we'll talk later.

my spirit leave my body , I didn't know what to do.