#JUST_BEST_FRIENDS
Author: Sam Freddy
CHAPTER 20: SHOTS GONE WRONG.
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Hesitantly, Idara collected the big, red cup from Candice, and then she took three slices of bread from the small tray, despite the disapproving look Isioma was giving her from her own seat. Clearly, something wasn't right about such kind act from Candice of all people, and Idara was well aware of that fact, but she had to accept the tea regardless, because Yomi's eyes were also on her, carefully watching her every move.
“Come on, Idara, take a sip and tell us how it tastes.” Candice said, still smiling sweetly. “Pretty please?”
“Candice,” Isioma called out sharply before Idara could do anything stupid, “why don't you drink it instead and let us know how it tastes, huh?”
“Oh, sure
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 21: LOVE IS BLIND.———Skipping lectures had become a habit for Yomi ever since he met Candice, but he didn't care though. To him, if spending time with her would make him happy, then it was totally worth it.Today being Monday, Yomi was busy driving on a freeway with Candice by his side, who apparently had no idea where he was taking her to since he refused to reveal their destination. However, one thing she knew for sure was that every trip with Yomi always ended up super-duper cool. So, basically, she had no cause for alarm, except for the fact that her patience was running out gradually, due to the long duration of the ride.Groaning, Candice glanced at her smartphone's screen and said, “Ain't we there yet? It's twelve o'clock already.”“
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 22: CHAOS.———After what transpired between Yomi and Idara just yesterday, Idara hadn't been the same again. She felt like utter garbage anytime she recalled the pathetic incident, and — as if that wasn't enough — the fact that Yomi called her earlier to inform her about everything concerning his trip with his so-called "lover" (including a lovely poem which he got from her yesterday) amplified Idara's pain like never before.However, somehow, Idara attended her final class for the day, and then met with Anastasia and Isioma at a cool spot close to the school library, where she then narrated her ordeal to the ladies, who were both beyond astonished after listening to Idara's plight.“Honestly, I've never been hurt like this since I was born.” Idara added,
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 23: REVELATIONS.———On this beautiful Tuesday evening, Yomi and Idara were together on a trip to a very classy restaurant where Idara and her mother had agreed to meet for dinner.Prior to the commencement of this trip, Yomi had begged Idara to forgive Candice for her violent action against Idara the previous day, and to also allow him drive her to her destination as a means of making it up to her on Candice's behalf. And Idara, being a typical softy, had agreed to Yomi's pleas without much fuss.Presently, the two best friends were listening to Yomi's car radio in silence while waiting for a go ahead sign from the traffic light.“Hey, Dara.” Yomi called, sensing Idara's odd mood. “You okay?”“Yeah.” Id
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 24: WELCOME TO LAGOS, BABY.———Completely naked under a fluffy duvet with her wealthy side-lover Mr. Titus by her side, Candice heard her phone ringing and sluggishly grabbed it from the bedstead to know who the caller was.Having seen the caller's name, Candice quickly jumped out of bed like an athlete and then excused herself as she hurried to Titus' bathroom to answer her call.“Hey, baby.”“My darling.” Yomi's voice was crystal clear, despite the fact that there was some noise coming from his end. “What's up na?”“I'm all good o.” Candice replied sweetly. “Besides, what's all that noise coming from your background?”“Oh.” Yomi chuckled. &ldquo
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 25: LOVE OR LUST?———After being robbed of their personal belongings, Yomi and Idara hastily returned to Yomi's car, as they had no other choice as to where to go.They were both wet and cold, due to being exposed in the rain for too long.Yomi currently had mixed feelings: gratitude and anger. Gratitude to God because the robbers didn't harm them, and anger because he'd been robbed of his hard-earned money and phone.Fortunately, Yomi had two bank accounts: his business account and his own personal account. The credit card he'd been with during the robbery was for his personal account, and the money he'd saved in that account was over three hundred thousand Naira; the same money he'd been planning to use part of in setting up Candice's new apartm
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 26: PROOF.———At exactly twelve-thirty PM, Danladi walked into Yomi's salon for a fresh haircut. He was delighted to see Yomi finishing up with a female customer upon his arrival.As typical guys, the first thing that Yomi and Danladi did was shake hands while hailing each other aloud, and then Yomi asked him to sit on the swivel chair and wore a black barber gown for him when he was seated.“Hey, bro, I heard about what happened to you and your friend last night, man.” Danladi said, eyes fixated on the wall mirror. “I'm sorry about that.”“Thanks, man.” Yomi said, sterilizing his clipper. “Who told you, though?”“Have you forgotten I'm dating your friend's friend?”
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 27: MAYHEM.———After a long day of massive flexing, the only thing Candice wanted to do right now was to have a warm bath and sleep peacefully, but she met an angry-faced Yomi sitting on his desk the moment she walked into his crib.“Where are you coming from?”“Sorry?”“Where are you coming from, Candice?” Yomi reiterated with bloodshot eyes. “I won't ask again.”Candice was beyond shocked at Yomi's harsh tone. “Babe, why're you being so aggressive on me like this nau?” She said, dropping her handbag on the floor. “You of all people should know that I'm just coming back from work.”“Oh, please!” Yomi fired. “Spare me that bloody
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 28: INDECISION.———Slowly, Candice's eyes opened and the first person she saw was a stranger sitting beside her, before spotting Yomi on the other side of the bed, sitting next to her as well.She noticed that there was a medical drip connected to her left arm, which she found somewhat awkward.“She's awake.”Yomi heard the nurse and looked at Candice at once. “Goodness! At last!”Candice coughed, confused. “What happened?” She asked, feeling light-headed.“You fainted.” Yomi got up, stroking Candice's forehead. “God, you have no idea how happy I am to see you talking. How do you feel?”“A little weird.” Candice tried to
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDS FINAL CHAPTERAuthor: Samuel FrederickCHAPTER 43: RIP.———Three days later. Friday. 9:00 AM.Ebony Millennium Cemetery, Lagos, Nigeria.Undoubtedly, today was a sad day for Yomi's loved ones. It was his funeral, and sorrow filled the air of the venue like a thunderstorm. His parents, friends, neighbours and colleagues were all present at the ceremony to honour him, and it wasn't easy for any of them to be here in this cemetery, especially with the sight of Yomi's corpse which laid in a grand casket on a small podium that had a lot of his portraits all over it.Unlike many African funerals, this occasion was a small and simple one hosted by Yomi's family. He was so close to his parents when he was alive to the point that he felt comfortable talking to them about anything and ever
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDS Author: Sam Freddy CHAPTER 42: GOODBYE. — — — It is said that just before one dies, their whole life flashes before their very eyes, and that was almost the case for Yomi tonight. He should've died after taking that pill, but somehow, he opened his eyes and found himself on a sick bed, right next to his friends who surrounded him with gloomy faces. Despite his blurry vision, he could pinpoint the four people in the room, which were Tayo, Danladi, Isioma and Idara, who sat right beside him on the bed with her head down, worried, while the rest of them sat on their respective chairs and had their eyes fixated elsewhere, apparently worried too, judging from the silence in the room. The only thing that could be heard was the constant beeping of the machine that was connected to Yomi's wrist to monitor his heart
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 41: HOMICIDE.———Furiously, Yomi pulled over to the roadside and hopped out of his car. He'd just arrived in Candice's street, and he had just one intention as he headed straight to her apartment, which wasn't going to favour her in any freaking way. Not at all.He heard loud music booming from the inside as he knocked on her door, and due to that, it took a little while for her to open up for him, and she was utterly stunned when she saw him at her doorstep at ten o'clock at night.However, at first sight, Yomi found Candice's appearance very ridiculous. She was dressed in a baggy shirt with no underwear — he could tell by the way her nipples poked at him like spikes and from the outlines of her nether regions — and she was a complete mess right now: her hair w
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 40: MEMORIES.———HIV?Yomi still couldn't fathom it even after leaving the hospital with anger about three hours ago. He'd abandoned Candice there, and instead of going home directly, he went to a bar to have a couple of drinks, and now he was seated in his car, somewhat tipsy, battling with his worries again.How on Earth could he be HIV positive? How did he let this happen? He still had a long way to go in life and he didn't need this at all. Thinking about the impact it would have on his health in a couple of years to come scared him to the bone. He couldn't imagine the virus metamorphosing into AIDS and wrecking his system down, bit by bit, until he was skinny enough to be compared to a skeleton, or probably die from its drastic effect on his health.
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 39: A DREAM COME TRUE.———On this cool Tuesday evening, the air was crisp and clear at the beach, and there were only a few people roaming about, which paved the way for Idara and Tayo's little romantic picnic on the sand.Well, they weren't actually sitting on the sand since they had a big mat spread out, which housed a plastic tray and a big basket that contained various fresh fruits and a bottle of champagne and two glasses as well, including Idara's fancy tote bag.Since the picnic was only a minor flex, Idara wasn't dressed to kill. All she wore was a brown floppy hat and a palm leaf-printed tube top, plus a unique drawstring denim shorts with brown strappy sandals on her feet, coupled with some colorful waist beads and blue wristbands and an anklet too. And, of course, she
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 38: THE BIG NEWS.———Panting heavily, Yomi barged into Candice's ward and saw her lying on the sick bed, her cheeks swollen like a balloon. Although she wasn't unconscious, she couldn't talk, mainly because the memory of the earlier occurrence kept playing over and over in her mind, making her shed tears on the spot. She'd never been humiliated like that in her entire life. The shame was just too much for her to shoulder alone.Yomi — who was at work when he received a call from a stranger who had informed him about the incident and had left all what he was doing to come here — stood before Candice, baffled by her unlikely appearance. Not only was her face red with bruises all over her hands and legs — most of which were covered in bandages — but she also reeked of egusi soup
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDS Author: Sam Freddy CHAPTER 37: KARMA STRIKES. — — — As a baker, Isioma had quite a lot of loyal customers in her school, simply because of the outstanding quality of her products and their affordability, and of course her exceptional marketing skills and her friendliness too. Today, she'd come to deliver a birthday cake to an evangelist's wife in the school's central church and she was heading out when she spotted someone kneeling before the altar, praying. To Isioma's surprise, it was Jordan, and he'd just concluded his prayer when she saw him. He stood up and sighted Isioma behind him. “Isioma!” Jordan exclaimed at once. “Are you spying on me?” “I wish I was,” Isioma replied, amused. “But, actually, I came here for business. I was on my way out when I saw you. What a pleasant surprise.”
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 36: DEEP REGRET.———Rocking a blue bucket hat with extra dark sunshades, a navy blue long-sleeved jacket, a white baggy shirt inside and black jiggy jeans, coupled with a matching pair of white socks and black and white Nike shoes, Isioma sauntered out of her lecturer's office like a boss, feeling on top of the world.Mike, who had been waiting for her on a bench for over ten minutes, jumped up on seeing her. She had a big smile on her face, which prompted Mike to ask, “It's about time! So how did it go?”“Well, it seems I won't be having any more trouble from Mr. Rochas, pal.” Isioma reported, pocketing her sunshades. “The big bad wolf has surrendered, miraculously.”“Aha! You see? I told you my plan would work!&rdqu
#JUST_BEST_FRIENDSAuthor: Sam FreddyCHAPTER 35: A WAKE-UP CALL.———Sunday, 8:20 AM, exactly three days after Idara's family's reunion.“So that's the house over there, down the road.” Mike announced, as he and Isioma alighted from a tricycle. “The big-ass one with the fancy painting and stuff.”“Oh.” Isioma's eyes traced Mike's index finger till they landed on a unique two storey building. “Are you sure?”“If I wasn't sure, will I be here with you? Of course I am.”“Perfect.” Isioma said, savouring the classiness of her surroundings. “What a nice estate. No wonder bikes and tricycles aren't allowed here. Anyway, what now?”“Now, let me give my sassy step-sister one l