THE_ QUIET THING - by Nimah

The first time Ayo met Zainab, she was sitting cross-legged on the grass, sketching something the wind kept trying to blow away. He offered her a paperweight, his phone, she laughed and said, “You trust strangers too easily.”‎He didn’t reply. Just sat beside her like he belonged there.‎‎They became inseparable after that. Shared inside jokes. Late night calls. Spontaneous meetups. She told him he felt like home. He told her she felt like more.‎He didn’t say it aloud, though. Not then.‎‎They were just friends, after all. She introduced him to her boyfriends. He helped her choose birthday gifts for them. She cried in his arms when they left. He never told her that watching her heart break felt like being underwater, screaming without sound.‎Still, he stayed. Because that’s what love does, right? It stays. Even when it’s invisible.‎‎On her 21st birthday, she hugged him and said, “You’re the only person who has never disappointed me.”‎He smiled. And almost told her.‎But he didn’t.‎‎Instead, he bought her sunflowers, the ones she said made her feel seen. She squealed, posted a photo with the caption: FROM MY BESTEST FRIEND 🥹‎It broke something in him.‎Years passed. They graduated. Life happened. Messages slowed. Distance grew. But somehow, their bond didn’t die, it just hmm; changed shape. ‎She called on lonely nights. He always picked.‎He stopped hoping she would realize he was the one. But part of him still did.‎One day, she said, “I think I have messed up every relationship I’ve had.”‎He replied, “Maybe you’ve just never been with someone who understood you.”‎And she went quiet. Then said, “That’s why I always come back to you.” Ayo swallowed the ache and smiled.‎‎When Zainab returned from abroad for a visit, they met again, older, steadier, quieter. She had no makeup on. He noticed. She didn’t apologize. He liked that.‎‎They sat on their old rooftop spot, sipping malt drinks under a soft sunset.‎“I used to think you loved me,” she said suddenly. He blinked. I did.‎‎She nodded slowly. “I think a part of me hoped you’d say that back then. But I wasn’t ready. And maybe I didn’t want to ruin what we had. Ayo looked at her intensely.‎‎And realized: she had seen him. All along. Not in the way he once longed for, but in a deeper, quieter way.‎I thought I needed to date you, he said, voice calm, To matter, To feel chosen.‎‎She reached for his hand. But you have always been my safe place. And in that moment, something in him exhaled.‎He hadn’t lost.‎He hadn’t been rejected.‎He had been chosen, just not the way he had imagined. ‎And that, quietly, was enough._Nimah Thoughts.✍️

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons