Three

<<3>>

* Make every second count. *

------ Mira ------

As soon as we entered his room, Joseph sat on his bed and began pulling off his sandals, while completely ignoring my presence.

I sat on the sofa in the room and stared at the room. Nothing has changed, his room still had the usual style and vibe, pictures of his artworks hang all over the room, one of them caught my attention.

A painting of me? I stood up to the wall to confirm what I was seeing. It was when I touched it, did I realize it was real. I remember jokingly telling him once, that I'd love for him to paint me, I never would have thought that he really did.  But why hadn't he shown me this? I turned to face him only to find him staring at me, but he averted his gaze the second our eyes met.

I walked back to his bedside and crouched in front of him, Holding his hands in mine, I made sure we maintained eye contact. “ Jose, do you really think, I would have done that to you? ”

He didn't say anything for a while, and when I'd thought he won't reply, I heard him say.  “ Do I have a reason not to? ” His words were like feiry knives, aiming at my heart. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Does it really mean he trusts outsiders words more than mine? Where was the best friend who promised to love me and dote endlessly on me? If one thing, he was nowhere to be found.

   “ I always thought you had some kind of trust in me, Jose. ” I didn't hide the disappointment in my tone. For a second, I thought I saw guilt in his orbs, but it was gone before I could see it clearly.

    “ You've always claimed that, I'm the best thing that has ever happened to me. ” I continued, seeing no response from him.  “ We've been best friends for over five years now and I've never hurt you. So why would I now? ” I shook him desperately, annoyed by his silence. “ Tell me why, Joseph! Why? ”

“ Because you were jealous, Mira! ” He stood up abruptly and pointed at me. Frightened by his action, I flinched.  “ Ever since I'd started dating Vera, you've been acting out of jealousy! How do you expect me to trust you when you are totally blinded by jealousy? ”

Silence reigned in the room as the impact of his words sunk deep into me. I couldn't deny the fact that I was jealous when he started dating, Vera the Queen Bee. Why wouldn't I? Joseph was my very first real friend and best friend! He was the very first person who treated me like an human being followed by his Nanny. I'd never experienced true love and affection ever since my parents died until I met Joseph. I'd fallen in love with him along the lines and somehow I believed he loved me.

I'd been living in that dream until he introduced me his girlfriend, Vera Lynn. I'd been attacked by waves of jealousy that day seeing the softness in Joseph's eyes as he stared at her.

He'd never stared at me, like that! It was then I'd realized that maybe he'd never seen me as someone he could date, but as a sister as I was not his type. The realization had hurt me.

Yet, inspite of my feelings, I was still happy for him. Why wouldn't I? Best friends are people that are always happy to see you happy, aren't they? So I was or at least, I tried to be happy. That was until I learnt about the scheme Vera and her friends had planned against Joseph. I'd so desperately wanted to tell him about it, but how could I have? When we so blinded by her love. So I kept quiet, secretly hoping he'll find out himself but he didn't. But in the end? I was blamed.

     “ Do you really think I'll stoop that low, because of jealousy, Jose? Do you really think so? ”

“ I honestly don't know what to believe, Miranda. ” He sat down on a chair nearby and crossed his legs.  “ It was obvious you weren't happy with my relationship with Vera. Or where you? ” Our gaze locked and I couldn't form the words to say.  I sighed seeing his knowing gaze, at that moment. I hated the fact that he knew me so well. Too well.

“ But Jose, that still doesn't mean I'd actually done that. ”

“ Maybe, but I do know one thing, a girl who's jealous can do almost anything. ”

“ Joseph, you — ” My words were interrupted by his ring tone, which he'd specially used for Vera. It was a song titled, Perfect for me by a Nigeria gospel singer, Moses Bliss.

Joseph reached out and picked up the phone from the stand.  “ Babe? ” I couldn't stop the pang of pain I felt hearing that. I've heard it more than a dozen times already in the space of two months, yet it still hurt everytime.

  “ The IP address of the fellow has been found? ” His words brought me back to the present and I didn't miss the way his face changed hearing her.

“ Who's IP address? I wondered? ”

He ended the call after exchanging the, “ I love you ” words with her.

His countenance changed when he stared back at me. “ I'd never expected this from you, Miranda. ” the disappointment in his tone was too obvious to go on notice.

“ What —- ” I'd just started speaking when I was suddenly pulled off the sofa I sat, he dragged me till I was at the door, without saying a word. He pushed me out of the room so harshly that I fell. I was still trying to recover from the impact when the door was slammed in my face.  “ Jose. ” I called out subsconsciously as tears welled up in my eyes.

“ What had just happened? ” I wondered as I pulled myself up to a standing position and walked towards the guest room.

.....

A/N : What do you think happened guys?  Do comment down below your thoughts. Take care, okay?