Who could've thought

Over the years, I've learnt that life isn't all about coincidence. If your ex suddenly takes interest in your little sister, you wouldn't call that coincidence. Would you? Surely, it must've begun a long time ago. And there's more to what the eyes can see or what the ears can hear.

"You're so radiant with smiles these days. What's the secret?" I asked my cousin who was on her phone, giggling a little bit too loud in the early hours of the day.

"Well, it's nothing. We could just say that I'm practicing happiness." She responded.

"Is that really it?" I asked and moved closer to where she lay and I peered into her phone and she quickly moved it away and laughed out loud.

"Jenny, what are you hoping to see?" She asked me, still laughing.

"If this is love, then I'll have to get myself a man. I need to experience this." I teased her and she laughed again.

"How about your boyfriend, ain't you both head over heels with each other?" She asked me.

"Well, do you see me laughing like you are doing right now?" I responded with a question and we both laughed.

I and my cousin were very close. We were closer than some siblings and best friends. Not once had she hidden anything from me and I've never hidden anything from her too. We were as tight as thieves but that morning, she was reluctant. I noticed that she didn't want to disclose who she had been on the phone with.

"Tell me, who the guy is." I asked and tried to snatch her phone from her but she held on to it.

" It's no one of much importance. Just let it be." She replied.

"So, you don't want me to know who you're hanging out with. Is that it?" I asked her again.

"It isn't as you've thought it to be. He's a very shy person and he wouldn't like it if you found out about him. One of these days, I'll convince him to come around." She said and I let her be, after realizing that she wouldn't say anything to me.

Some days later, I paid my boyfriend a visit and I complained to him about the attitude Emily had given me in regards to the man in her life. I was still bothered about it.

"You can't always expect someone to tell you everything." My boyfriend said after I had finished my tale.

"But she hasn't hidden anything from me before. I'm aware of the dirtiest of her secrets, why would she hide this little one?" I complained.

"Well Babe, sometimes things we think to be little may be as deep and as wide as the Ocean. Let it go. She's a grown woman and she can take decisions by herself." He responded.

"I'm just worried for her. She has a frail heart and I don't want her to get hurt in the end." I said again to him and he drew me closer to himself and patted my back.

"She'll be fine." He said.

Soon, the whole discussion about my cousin was forgotten and we focused on ourselves.

"When will you visit my home?" I asked him.

"Do you feel uncomfortable here?" He responded with a question as well.

"No. Not at all." I said while shaking my head from side to side to indicate negative. "It's just that you don't know where I live and I think my siblings and cousins should know who you are. Is that a bad idea?" I asked at the end of my explanation.

Josh sighed and placed my head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry that I haven't done the right thing. We're not even supposed to be having this conversation. I'll make it up to you. I promise." He said soothingly to me and I smiled in conviction.

After some time, he fell asleep and I happily watched him sleep so peacefully till a message popped up in his phone. I trusted my boyfriend and I've never doubted him for once but that evening, I had this urge to check the message that had come into his phone and when I did, I felt faint.

There, in my eyes was the chat he has been having with my cousin. It turned out that the guy who has been keeping her happy was him and he had made her promise to keep his existence a secret. She obviously didn't know he was my boyfriend since she hadn't met him before and she too was bugging him with coming over to our place and he told her the same lie he had told me.
I stared at him as he slept.

'How could he do this to me?' I wondered.

I stood up and quietly left the house. When I got home, I saw my cousin sitting on the couch. I had this rush of emotions that I couldn't fathom but at the same time, I was numb. I went into my room and shut my door.

Indeed, I had seen the smoke but I was too naive to figure out where the fire had come from and now I'm stranded on the decisions to take.

'Should I keep quiet and watch where all of this will head to or should I confront him?' I thought as I felt sad for my cousin, knowing fully well that she'll be heartbroken again.

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