Mirabel

June 7, 2023

Mira found herself staring at him again. She didn’t mean to, but her gaze kept drifting toward the boy, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by her friends. They teased her relentlessly, prodding her with sly remarks and knowing glances. Mira would shrug them off with a witty comeback, masking her feelings behind a veil of indifference.

It wasn’t that Mira disliked guys—she didn’t. But most of them had a way of disappointing her. They either acted ridiculously around her, trying too hard to impress, or came off as fake, masking their true selves behind a façade of bravado. Over time, she had grown disenchanted. She avoided their advances and wrote them off as a collective bore.

Then came Luke.

She remembered their first meeting vividly. It was during her 100-level year, right after she’d resumed classes. She had been sitting quietly, flipping through her notes, when he walked up to her.

“Hey there,” he began, his tone easy and his smile unassuming. “I’m Luke, a fellow course mate. And you are?”

Mira rolled her eyes inwardly. Here we go again, she thought, already bracing herself for the usual posturing.

“Mirabel,” she replied simply, keeping her tone neutral.

“Ah, Mirabel—lovely name,” Luke said warmly. “It’s nice to meet you. I really hope we come to enjoy this course of ours.” Then, to her surprise, he added casually, “Oh well, see you around, Mirabel,” and sauntered off, leaving her sitting there, stunned.

Well, that’s new, she muttered to herself, watching as he moved on to introduce himself to someone else. He wasn’t lingering, trying to hold her attention, or forcing a connection. He greeted her like he would anyone else. In fact, she realized with growing curiosity, Luke was introducing himself to everyone in the room, the same way he had to her.

That small act of normalcy had stuck with her. It wasn’t flashy or calculated, but it had been real. For the first time in a long time, Mira felt intrigued.

Mirabel Erickson, an 18-year-old 300-level mechanical engineering student, was strikingly beautiful. Her smooth brown skin, which she fondly referred to as her "chocolate color," only added to her confident charm. Born and raised in Lagos but of Edo heritage, Mirabel carried herself with a natural grace that often turned heads.

Yet, despite her looks, Mirabel couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was about Luke Princewill that drew her to him. Was it his intelligence, his height, or his unassuming looks? Or perhaps it was the way he lived—content in his solitude, unbothered by the whirlwind of social interactions around him.

After their brief introduction in their 100-level days, Luke never made any attempt to strike up a deeper conversation with her, save for the occasional polite greeting. Unlike others, he didn’t linger or try to impress her. Instead, he seemed to prefer his own company, often retreating to a quiet corner to read or think. What struck Mirabel the most was how at peace he always looked when alone.

Despite his solitary nature, Luke was well-liked by everyone. His friendly but distant demeanor gave him an air of mystery that only fueled Mirabel’s curiosity. What started as intrigue slowly grew into something more—interest, and eventually, attraction. But she never acted on these feelings, content to observe him from afar.

That all changed during the Akinyemi incident. It gave her the perfect excuse to close the gap between them, and she seized the opportunity with both hands.

At first, Luke remained casual and distant, brushing off her attempts to engage him. But Mirabel, ever persistent and thrilled by the challenge, didn’t give up. She found subtle ways to insert herself into his space, to make him notice her presence. Bit by bit, she chipped away at the walls he had built around himself.

Eventually, he gave in.

And so, their unlikely friendship began.

“These guys are really crazy, aren’t they?” Luke’s voice snapped Mira back to the present.

“Who?” she asked, momentarily confused.

“These terrorists! Jeez, are you even listening, girl?” Luke exclaimed, half amused and half irritated.

“Uh... yes?” Mira answered sheepishly, tilting her head.

“Christ, I’ve been rambling for ages,” Luke replied, throwing his hands in the air.

“You mean the zotes?”

“Yes, of course, girl! Who else would I mean? Akatsuki?” he retorted, arms akimbo.

The Zotes—short for Zombie Terrorists—were a fringe group that had made headlines months ago. They had gone on air, threatening the Nigerian government with the release of a bioengineered virus, the Undead Bio-Engineered Virus (UBEV), unless their demands were met. Those demands included a ridiculous ransom of five billion naira, among other crazy terms.

Few people took them seriously. It was, after all, Nigeria. But their final warning—a promise to use a Nigerian school as a testing ground for the virus—had sparked heated debates online. The attack date was set for the 9th of June, just two days away.

“Well, according to them, next tomorrow’s the day,” Luke said, his tone laced with worry.

“Oh, come on,” Mira scoffed, leaning back in her chair. “Don’t tell me you believe that nonsense.”

“See? This is exactly the attitude that’s going to doom this nation!” Luke shot back heatedly.

“Calm down with your conspiracy theories,” Mira teased, frowning. “There’s no need to get all riled up, Romeo.”

“Wait... who? What... Romeo? Where did that even—” Luke spluttered, caught off guard.

Mira smirked. “I guess I’m sorry then my Romeo,” she said with mock sincerity.

“Whatever, Juliet,” Luke muttered, rolling his eyes. “Let’s just focus on this circuit theory assignment, abeg.”

Mira couldn’t help but snicker as she picked up her pen.