ANYAI search Toria’s face for clues that she’s joking. A waiter weaves between tables, the aroma of baked pastries trailing in his wake. But I’m barely aware of any of it. Her words keep ringing in my ears: I’d have to pay for my plane ticket to her “destination” wedding.“You’re hilarious,” I say, forcing a […]

TORIA I can tell it’s pissing Anya off, the fact that she knows very little about my relationship or impending wedding. I pretend to be focused on the food in front of me, keeping my mouth full to keep the smile of satisfaction off my face. I am not very good at lying and Anya […]

I pretend to be excited about Toria’s upcoming nuptials but somewhere in the back of my mind, I am thinking of ways to throw a spanner in its works. I know, I know. That makes me sound like a terrible person and maybe I am, but what do you expect me to do? How do […]

TORIALondon’s diamond sparkles on my finger and I feel a rush of emotions again. I am so in love with this man, it makes my heart hurt, literally. Whenever I look at the ring, I remember the proposal. He took me on his father’s private jet and said he had booked a weekend in Dubai […]

ANYA Our friendship always felt lopsided, like an ice cream cone melting unevenly—one side a puddle, the other still standing tall. I was always on the melted side, the side that dripped down your hand and left you sticky and scrambling. That meant I never had the upper hand. I was the one who needed […]

BENJY Benjy glanced at his watch. It was almost noon. He resisted the urge to pick up his phone to call Lizzy.He had been clear in his text message to her: I know you said I didn’t know what I wanted, but I think I do now. I know this baby is throwing a spanner […]

DEJI Do one nice thing for each other every day for the next week. This was Dr Amber’s assignment for them this week. They’d had two sessions with her and Deji felt like he couldn’t wait till they got to the good part because why did couple’s counselling seem like it was creating more of […]

ORE The news of their father’s remarriage was a welcome distraction for Ore.  Things had been tense since Wednesday when she had the text mix-up with Ramsey and Terry. At first, she had ignored Ramsey’s question mark message because her hands were trembling and she couldn’t seem to type anything. Her chest felt like it […]

BENJY The door opened and his sister walked in.When they were younger, it had been a running joke in their home that Ore was not friends with closed doors. She could walk into the most intimate spaces without a knock, expecting all to be well. When she grew older and her brothers began to demand […]

DEJI “So…Deji and Ivie, may I ask why you are here?” The way she said the why was what made Deji exchange looks with his wife. It was obvious why they were in the office of a marriage counsellor, wasn’t it? Their ship was sinking, they were drowning, they needed a life jacket or an […]