My phone buzzed on the bedside table, and I snatched it up before I even opened my eyes fully.
"Morayo! You won't believe how lit the party was!" Lia's voice blared over the speaker, practically vibrating with energy. "I mean, the music, the lights, the people… oh, and guess what? I met the most interesting guy....Jeremiah. Handsome, funny, charming, the whole package. And you should've seen the way he looked at me!"
I laughed softly, pulling the covers closer around me. "Not you acting like I was not there with you. But sounds like you had fun. I… I did too, actually. It was nice being out of my usual bubble."
"Nice?" Lia scoffed. "Girl, you were glowing. You're finally letting people see you. And tonight, you learned a little bit about having fun. I love it. I love you."
I smiled, feeling warmth spread through my chest. Lia's energy was infectious, relentless, and impossible to resist. "Thanks, Lia. I… I had fun, really."
"Good!" she chirped. "Now, spill. Did anyone notice you? Or were you just hiding behind me like a little shadow?"
I groaned. "Maybe a little shadow. But you… you were turning heads."
She laughed, a melodic, teasing sound. "Of course I was. And you… you're going to have your own attention soon. Just wait."
Before I could respond, my phone rang again. This time, it was my mother.
"Morayo! I need you at the shop! Customers are waiting, and you know better than to leave me with them." Her tone was sharp, no room for argument.
"Yes, Mama," I said quietly, slipping out of bed and grabbing my clothes for the day.
By the time I got back from the shop, my phone buzzed again. This time it wasn't Lia—it was a message from an unknown number.
"Good evening, Morayo. It was a pleasure meeting you last night."
My heart skipped a beat. I stared at the screen, rereading it. The tone… it was calm, deliberate, unmistakably intentional. My mind raced. Femi. It had to be.
Before I could respond, my mother's voice cut through my thoughts. "Morayo! Are you glued to that phone again? You think life is just chatting with friends and texting boys while the world waits?"
I stiffened, gripping the phone. "I'm twenty-three; I know right from wrong."
The slap came faster than I expected, sharp and stinging across my cheek. I pressed my hand to my face, biting back tears, swallowing words I knew would only make it worse.
"Don't think you can talk back to me," she hissed, eyes blazing. "You will learn respect, Morayo Whitfield, whether you like it or not."
I nodded silently, hiding my phone under my arm, my pulse racing, my mind spinning with Femi's message and the reminder that life at home never stopped reminding me of the rules I was expected to follow.