“Sophia kissed me.”
Obiora felt a quick rush of emotions he didn’t bother to interpret, focusing instead on the foremost of them: confusion.
“Okay …” he said slowly, waiting for the punchline.
Ejiro abruptly shoved his hands through his hair. He looked so fucking distressed, almost on the verge of tears. It made Obiora alarmed.
Obiora quickly stood from the water, reaching over the side so he could switch the bubbles off. The silence afterward was loud.
He sat on the edge of the tub adjacent to Ejiro, trying to exude calm.
“It’s okay,” he said, as sincerely as he could. “Just talk to me. She kissed you. Then what happened? Did you tell her she was a bad kisser?” he tried to tease.
Ejiro snorted, then made a pained noise and hid his face behind his hands.
Fucking hell.
Fuck it, Obiora thought, moving to sit beside Ejiro, not too close that their bodies touched, but close enough that Ejiro knew he was here. Ejiro’s tense shoulders tensed up even further for a moment, before relaxing completely. Obiora bit back an exhale of relief.
Ejiro dropped his hands. He took a deep breath. “We were—we had just finished eating, right? And we were talking, and then—she just—out of nowhere, she kissed me. And … I wasn’t expecting it, and I kind of froze—oh God, she’s going to eliminate me—”
“Hey, hey now. Ejiro, slow down. Breathe.”
Ejiro obeyed, though his breaths were harsh. “I still—I kissed her back, all right? But I still hesitated—God, I feel like fucking shit, right now. I feel so awful. Why was I so surprised? She’s going to think I—that I’m—fuck! Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
Christ, Obiora had never seen Ejiro so upset. “Hey, it’s okay, no one’s going to eliminate you. You said you kissed her back, right? You’re fine. You were just surprised, right?”
“But that’s the thing.” Ejiro moved away slightly, like he needed the space to protect himself. Obiora felt the loss at his side keenly. “That’s the thing—I didn’t want to kiss her. Oh God.”
“Oh,” Obiora said, while Ejiro silently hyperventilated.
“I like her, I really do, but I didn’t—I couldn’t—”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, calm down—”
“How is it okay? How could I not want—”
“Ejiro. Stop.” Obiora’s voice was harsh. Ejiro’s mouth clicked shut. His eyes were wide. Obiora continued, “You said you didn’t want to kiss her; do you know why? Was it something she did?”
Ejiro started shaking his head. “I don’t know—I don’t know. I just—I didn’t want to. I know how—I know that must sound—”
“Did you tell her that?” Obiora interrupted.
Ejiro stared at him like he’d grown two heads. “Did I tell her that? Are you being serious right now? I know this might just be a—a game to you, but Sophia and I—we’re dating. Technically, we’re dating. It doesn’t make sense that I—and on live TV! I can’t, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” Obiora said evenly. “You said it yourself, you and her are technically dating. And Sophia’s a lovely person, Ejiro. I’m sure if you’d explained, she would have understood.”
Ejiro’s lower lip trembled. Obiora’s heart fucking broke.
“How can I explain myself when I barely understand?” Ejiro whispered. He looked away, wiping his eyes. “Ugh. Fuck. Ugh. I like her a lot, I do, but …” Abruptly, he seemed to go from upset to angry as he spat, “I felt so fucking disgusted when I kissed her. I hated every moment of it. How could I explain that?”
“You said you didn’t want to,” Obiora said gently. “You didn’t want to, but you did anyway, just to make her feel better. Of course you’d feel disgusted about that. Look.” Obiora adjusted himself so he was facing him. “Ejiro. I want to ask you something, and I want you to answer me honestly.”
Ejiro swallowed, then nodded.
“You like Sophia, right?”
“I do,” Ejiro admitted, almost desperately. “I like her. So much.”
