It didn’t take long until the dishwasher was filled and running, its gentle hum filling the kitchen.
Ajiri took a deep breath. She was wiping her hands aggressively with the hand towel, not meeting his eyes. Ejiro felt his heart begin to pound.
“Blessing and I were thinking of getting our own place,” Ajiri blurted.
Ejiro heard what she said, but for a moment, his brain refused to compute it.
Ajiri quickly met his eyes. “It’s not for a while,” she continued in a rush, “at least not for another year or so; we’re waiting until after she graduates and my internship is over, but I just—we just thought you should know.”
“Right.” Ejiro nodded. He was blinking too much. “Right.”
“Are you okay?” Ajiri asked desperately.
Ejiro smiled. It was small, but it was genuine. “Come here.”
They hugged tightly.
“I’m fine,” Ejiro said when they pulled apart. “Seriously,” he added at Ajiri’s probing look. “It was a long time coming, anyway. I’ve always felt like I was somehow … intruding.”
“Ejiro,” Ajiri began, upset.
“No, no, I know,” Ejiro said. “It’s not a slight against you two. I just know how you two feel. You deserve privacy. And besides, we’ve been together our entire lives.” Same classrooms in primary and secondary school, same classes for their Bachelor’s—and they’d lived in the same space since they’d moved to the UK; they’d never really been physically apart from each other for too long.
It was Ajiri’s turn to say, “Come here.”
“I love you,” Ejiro whispered into her buzzed afro, swallowing repeatedly.
“I love you, too. Don’t cry.”
Ejiro laughed, quickly wiping away his tears. Ajiri wiped hers as well.
“Are we okay?”
“Ajiri,” Ejiro said, making sure to input all his love for her into the way he said her name. “We’re okay,” he promised.
“Okay.” Her answering smile was wobbly, but her dark eyes were filled with gratitude.
Ejiro took a deep breath, their heart-to-heart finally giving him the confidence to admit, “I’ve decided I’m going to talk to mummy.”
Ajiri looked so fucking proud of him. “Yeah?”
He nodded, bashful. “I don’t want to leave the UK. I’ve never wanted to leave. And I hate that she’s all alone over there, but I—” He hesitated, because despite the conviction he’d used to talk Obiora earlier on, he still felt awful and selfish and guilty as he whispered, “I deserve—”
He was startled by his phone ringing. He glanced at the caller ID, hoping, praying that maybe—
“Oh God.”
Ajiri reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it tight. “Go on. Answer it. Whatever happens, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” he whispered, squeezing her hand hard.
Ajiri nodded just as he answered the call. “Hello, mummy, mingwo.”
“Vredo. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Fuck, he couldn’t breathe.
“Has your uncle spoken to you yet?”
