CHAPTER FIFTEEN “CONVINCED”

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde
As inspired by the DEEP ONE

Imade’s POV

We landed just after sunset.

The city welcomed us with golden lights and warm air… the kind that clings softly to your skin, like it’s saying stay a while.

I stood up slowly, adjusting my bag, suddenly aware that whatever started in the air didn’t end with landing.

It followed us.

At baggage claim, we stood a few steps apart.

Not deliberately. Not awkwardly. Just… aware.

“So,” Daniel said after a while, watching the conveyor belt crawl…

“Is this your first time here? I didn’t even ask earlier.”

“Yes,” I replied. “I’ve dreamt of this place for years.”

He smiled faintly.

“It has that effect. This is my sixth time in two years.”

Outside the terminal, drivers called out destinations. Luggage rolled across the pavement. Voices overlapped.

“Which hotel are you staying at?” he asked casually… like someone making conversation, not gathering information.

I hesitated, then answered.

“The Meridian.”

He blinked once, surprised.

“Really?”

I nodded.

“That’s where I’m staying too.”

For a moment, I wondered if this was coincidence or something else… but the look on his face answered the question for me. He seemed as taken aback as I was.

“Well,” he said quietly, almost amused, “that explains why the universe hasn’t left us alone.”

The universe!
The name unbelievers try to call God without actually wanting to acknowledge Him.

We shared a ride… not because we planned to, but because it made sense. Same hotel. Same direction.
The car was quiet. Not uncomfortable… just thoughtful.

Daniel looked out the window for most of the ride, then spoke.

“You travel like someone trying to breathe.”

I swallowed.

“At home,” I said slowly,
“I was constantly performing. Obedient daughter. Good wife-to-be. Good daughter-in-law-to-be. Good girl.”

“And here?” he asked.

“Here… I don’t know yet.”
He nodded, like that answer made sense.

At the hotel lobby, we checked in separately, a few minutes apart.

The receptionist smiled politely… pretending nothing was known, nothing assumed… yet her smile suggested she had seen this kind of story play out too many times.

We were on the same floor.

When the elevator doors closed, the air shifted… not because of intention, but because of awareness.

Still no touching. Still no crossing…Just silence that felt full.

As we stepped out, Daniel paused.

“Imade,” he said.
I turned.
“I don’t want to be a mistake,” he said quietly.
“Yet I hope we have a memorable time here. I’ve been around a few times… I know some of the best spots in the city. I’m here to help you breathe… safely.”

The words were simple.
Honest.
Layered.
Unfinished.
He didn’t explain.
Didn’t say more.
And that made it heavier.

“Good night,” he added softly, then walked toward his room.

I stood there longer than necessary.

Back in my room, I sat on the edge of the bed, my thoughts loud.

My phone buzzed.

A message from Teju.

“Did you arrive safely?”
I stared at the screen.

I had arrived safely,
but I had also arrived somewhere unfamiliar…
Somewhere fragile.
Somewhere where nothing had happened…
and yet, something already had.

To be continued…

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