BN Prose: Love Doesn’t Always Have to Feel Like a Burden by Toyosi Onikosi

Toyosi Onikosi


Yara always assumed that when a relationship ended, she would know right away. The emotions that follow will tell. Her first serious relationship ended three years ago, after months of trying to fix something neither of them could name. At work, she cried in the bathroom with the tap running, and went to her desk to answer messages as if nothing had happened. She cried in taxis, and many times in the shower, with water running down her braids and onto the floor.

So when things ended with Samie, she waited for some version of that.

They had been seeing each other for six months. It was not for a very long time, but the relationship had quickly become part of her life. Sammie sent her photos of things he thought she would find funny. She saved small stories for him during the day. When they went out for dinner, they ordered burrata to share, even when the menu made it clear it was meant for one person. Samie always moved the plate closer to the middle of the table, then gave her the better half without making a point of it. The relationship did not have any semblance of being temporary at the time.

But for a week or two, Samie suddenly became quieter. Yara tried not to read much into it, either. When they met for drinks after work, he said he had been thinking.

I don’t know,” he said. “I just don’t think I’m in the right place for this.”

Yara looked at him for a moment. “For what, exactly?”

“For… us becoming more serious.”

He seemed embarrassed saying it, as if he knew it was vague. She waited for him to add something more useful, but he didn’t. She asked whether she had done anything. He said no, not at all. He said she deserved someone who was more certain. She almost laughed at that, but she didn’t.

When they left the restaurant, they hugged.

“Take care of yourself,” Source link
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