“Okay… em, Desmond,” she called softly.
“Yeah? I’m listening, Kike.”
“I’m pregnant.”
The words dropped heavily between them.
She stood up immediately and began pacing around the balcony, rubbing her forehead anxiously with one hand.
Desmond leaned back slowly against the chair, his eyes widening in shock.
Pregnant?
How?
He had never even seen her in that light before.
Okay, they had never really discussed whether either of them was seeing someone else. They usually joked around topics like that and quickly moved on to other conversations. He never knew she had a boyfriend.
Or perhaps…
Had she made a mistake one night and ended up pregnant?
“How sure are you?” he finally asked.
“I’m very sure,” Kike replied immediately. “I started noticing signs, so I bought a pregnancy test kit and it came out positive.”
“Wow. You can’t rely on only the test kit, Kike. I think you should visit a hospital first—”
“I already did.” She interrupted him. “The hospital confirmed it too.”
Then she sat back down beside him.
Desmond went silent.
He didn’t even know where to begin.
The questions crowding his mind felt too heavy to ask immediately.
How did it happen?
Who was responsible?
What exactly did she want from him?
Still, the truth had to be addressed eventually.
“Who’s the father?” he finally asked carefully.
“His name is Fred.” Her expression darkened instantly. “Desmond, I made a huge mistake. That idiot took advantage of me. He’s such a bastard!”
She hit his shoulder angrily as she spoke.
“Calm down first,” Desmond said gently. “Let’s handle this one step at a time. Who exactly is Fred? Your boyfriend?”
She looked away briefly before facing him again.
“We’ve broken up already. I ended things the very morning I found out he slept with me.”
Desmond frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“I was drunk,” she said quietly. “Or maybe he intentionally got me drunk. I woke up the next morning with only a towel wrapped around me.”
She paused and exhaled sharply.
“I ended the relationship immediately.”
“Wow…” Desmond muttered. “And this happened how many weeks ago?”
“The doctors said the pregnancy is already four weeks old.”
A month.
Desmond rubbed his jaw slowly.
“Please, Kike… abortion shouldn’t even be an option.”
“I’m not planning to kill this child God has given me,” she replied instantly. “And I’m not going to give birth to a baby and call him a mistake either. That’s exactly why I called you here.”
“Okay…” He adjusted uneasily in his seat. “So what exactly is your plan?”
“My parents don’t know Fred. They’ve met him once before, but I never introduced him as my boyfriend.” She sighed. “Honestly, I had already been thinking about leaving him because that guy never truly loved me, Des. All he ever cared about was my body. My hips. My chest. Everything was always physical with him.”
She shook her head bitterly.
“I still don’t know how I gave myself to someone like that.”
Then she looked directly into his eyes.
“I don’t want him fathering my child.”
“You should’ve known him properly before getting involved,” Desmond said quietly. “Honestly, I never even suspected any of this was going on.”
Then he paused.
“When are you planning to tell your parents?”
“When you hear my plan… and agree to it.”
His brows tightened.
“Okay. I’m listening.”
Kike inhaled deeply.
Then she said it.
“I want you to stand as the father.”
“Ehn?”
Desmond paced around his room restlessly.
It wasn’t tiredness driving him mad that night.
It was fear.
Real fear.
Kike’s request felt far bigger than him, and he still hadn’t given her any answer.
He switched off the light and collapsed onto the bed without removing his shoes.
Barely two minutes later, he stood up again, rushed to the switch, and turned the light back on.
“What exactly am I supposed to do?” he muttered under his breath.
Would helping her out really be wrong?
And what if Feire eventually found out?
How would he explain that he was only acting a role in somebody else’s script?
His head was crowded with questions, yet his mind refused to produce answers.
Eventually, he dropped back on the bed and drifted into an uneasy sleep around 1 a.m.
By 7 a.m., Mosun was already awake.
She connected her phone to the home theatre system and blasted music through the apartment while heading toward Feire’s room.
She had promised they would make pancakes together with maple syrup that morning.
Feire sprang up immediately the moment Mosun hit her playfully.
Honestly, if Feire said Mosun was her only real problem in life, she wouldn’t be lying.
Mosun could annoy someone beyond reason and still somehow force forgiveness out of you the moment she made her usual guilty face.
“It’s morning, baby. No sleep for the wicked,” Mosun teased.
Feire yawned deeply.
“I’ll join you. Let me brush first.”
“Be fast. I’m already arranging things.”
Then Feire frowned.
“But why are you playing music this loudly this early in the morning? Today is Saturday. Some people had stressful weeks and want to rest, but this your music can wake the entire neighbourhood.”
“This isn’t loud abeg. Meet me in the kitchen.”
She walked away immediately.
Feire brushed quickly and joined her a few minutes later.
“Okay,” Mosun began proudly, “let me teach you how to make maple syrup properly. You’re my daughter after all. You don’t know these things.”
“Abeg, spare me,” Feire laughed. “Just explain it normally. I can learn too. I don’t know where all this mouth-making comes from.”
Mosun grinned and began showing her the ingredients.
They were still in the kitchen when Feire suddenly remembered Desmond.
“How far with Desmond? Have you guys spoken?” Mosun asked casually.
“No. I’ll call him when we’re done here.”
Eventually, they finished cooking, and Feire immediately checked her phone, hoping to see a missed call or at least a message from him.
Nothing.
Her chest tightened slightly.
Maybe he was still upset.
She decided to call first before eating.
“Hey, dear,” she greeted once he answered.
“Hello, Feire. Good morning.”
His sleepy voice confirmed he had just woken up.
“Oh… did I wake you? I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. How are you?”
“I’m okay, dear. What about you?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
A brief silence followed before she spoke again.
“I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“Stop behaving like a child,” he replied calmly. “That issue is gone already. So what’s your plan for today?”
She shrugged unconsciously even though he couldn’t see her.
“Nothing really. I doubt I’ll go anywhere unless something comes up.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll call you later.”
“Alright.”
The call ended.
He sounded normal again.
And somehow, that alone settled her mind.
Maybe everything was truly fine again.