8.

"I'm not feeling so good," I tell mom as my insides turn and I feel as if my intestinal walls are shrinking.

"How do you feel? Where do you have the pains?" I hold my stomach tightly as that's where it hurts.

"My stomach feels like its shrinking and my head really hurts," I roll about on the bed.

"Do you think its your period? Should we see the doctor," Mom asks caressing my back to help soothe the pain.

"No we shouldn't, I guess its just cramps" I say as the pain seems to die down.

"Are you sure?" Mom asks again. I stand up sitting upright, as my phone rings and I nod to my mom telling her I'm okay.

Its Theo. I look at my mom and then to my phone.

"I have to take this, sorry, its Theo." I smile shyly and pick the call.

"Hey," I pick the call.

"Hey. Are you okay? You don't sound so well," Even when he's not seeing me he can detect that something is wrong.

See why I love him.

"Yeah not really, just some bad headache and stomach upset, but its alright now." I say back glancing at my mom who is still sitting on the bed with me.

"Okay can I come over? To see you I mean," Oh no.

"Um, I have to go to school today, my classes are almost ending song I have to attend compulsorily," I can't let him come considering I haven't told my mom anything about him. just his name.

"That's okay, how about after school, let me pick up and then we'll go somewhere," He asks.

"Okay that's better."

"Please haula take something okay?" I hummed softly. "I love you" My heart pounding ten times faster after he says that.

I really can't get enough of this, can I?

"You too. Thank you, see you soon," I end the call and look up at my mom who is looking at me like I stole meat from her pot.

"I want to meet him," mom says. What? No way.

"Mommy please," I try to sound like a child.

"I'm serious, at least let me know who my daughter is hanging out with," I knew I wasn't going to win this, I have to bring Theo home.

"Bring him home tonight," She says and I nod having no choice.

Right now she's just going on easy with me because she can't practically treat me like a child like how she used to, she has seen I have grown up and able to make decisions that's why she's this nice, oh how I wish you see the way she handles my brother.

"Fine but before I do there's something you should know" I tell her looking down.

"You're pregnant aren't you. I knew it. That thing!" Holy molly. Just kill me now, seriously mom?

"What? No. I'm not pregnant," For God's sake this woman.

"I knew you were doing something with him," Mom holds one finger and points at me while talking all her theories. "You... God, haula.."

"Mom stop it I'm not pregnant! I swear and I told you before nothing like that is going on between I and Theo. I don't even want it to. You've taught me to be better than that and I respect it, I would never go against that. I'm still a virgin and if you don't believe me we could go to the hospital and check it out, I guess you'll feel relieved then."

I said it, I knew that wasn't the end of this topic when she brought it up the other day. My mom can be very persistent and until she gets it she never stops.

We both stay silent as she runs a hand over her face sighing. "I'm sorry haula, its just that all that made me think you couldn't wait and...,. Just that I'm really sorry. I trust you and I trust you would make the right decision," Mom holds my hand and squeezes it relaxing herself.

"All I wanted to say was to tell you about him and where he's from. I didn't want you to know at a late hour," My mom can be pushy sometimes but I know she just wants the best for me.

"Okay tell me," She sits back on the bed.

"He's not from around here, like not around here, not this country. He's from the U.S and his full name is Theo McCall." I don't know how my mom is going to take it about Theo, but I just hope all will be well.

"So he's not a Nigerian and not black?" Mom asks. Where is this going?

"Yes," I answer.

"Are you both serious about each other?" Okay I didn't expect this question.

"It seems so, I think he's serious," I don't know but I believe he's serious about me and wants it to work.

"Okay good, invite him over like I said, lets take a look," Mom smiles and winks at me making me laugh.

She definitely knows how to leave a place.

************

"She wants to meet me?" He's excited. He's freaking excited to meet my mom. Is he crazy?

"You're actually excited?" I stare at him like he's crazy.

"Its what I've wanted, of course I would be." He comes closer pulling me to him. "Don't you want me to?" He whispers in my ear sending shivers down my spine.

"Why wouldn't I?" I manage to speak back as my back rests on the wall.

Theo didn't accept for us to go out, he says I'm sick and he wants to take care of me as he said, so we decided to come to his place. And no not in the same place they all stay.

I asked Theo the other day if they stayed together in the same room and he laughed, when he laughed he looked so handsome and cute at the same time. He said 'how can grownups like them all stay in the same room, that's crazy' those were his words.

And just thinking about how it would look like if they all stayed together.

I don't even want to imagine it.

So here we are at Theo's room with him taking care of me.

Is that what we're doing?

"Well I get to meet her," He bites my earlobe which makes me jump up a bit, but later crave it. I've never had anyone bite my ear before.

God it sounds so weird.

"Sorry, does it hurt? You don't like it?" Theo asks concerned as he seems to notice my action.

"No its not that, I like it just that no one has never done that to me before," I say shyly.

"Well can I do it to you?" This is another reason why I love being with Theo, he doesn't do anything unless he asks me if I'm okay with it before he continues.

Which guy does that anymore?

"Do you want to?" I look up at him as he stares at me intently while he comes closer.

His breath hitches my neck and make me gasp at the effect of that. He kisses my neck starting from below to my chin. I seem to be enjoying it and he notices that so he continues.

He brings his face to meet mine and look at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I whisper.

"I love you haula," oh my God. Do you guys know how it feels when you hear someone you love telling you they love like literally saying only that statement and looking at you like you're the only thing that makes them live.

This feeling, this dancing sensation in your stomach and your heart starts to beat faster. That's exactly how I feel right now. Overjoyed.

"I love you too Theo," I had to tell him one day or another and today seems to be the best day to do it.

His lips curves into a huge smile as he rushes down and grabs my lip and we kiss like we have no time left.

"We... We have to get going, its getting late and I don't want you to drive late," I pull away and grab him by the shirt looking at him.

"Just five minutes more " Theo grabs my lips again, this time I respond faster and kiss him back. And we do that over and over for who knows how long.

"Th... Hm....Theo.. Hmm," I can't even form a single sentence. What is he making me become?

"Theo we have to go." I finally say.

"Okay, okay. Before we do I got you something." He tells me with a smile as I stare at him going to a cabinet and gets back with a small box in his hand.

"Here," He hands it to me.

"What is it?" I say smiling while I collect it. I open it and my lips become speechless. it is a silver necklace with the word written 'love' on it.

"Theo," I remain speechless as I lookat him. I pull him to me and hugging him tight not wanting him to leave me. "Thank you, I love it." I tell him and he hugs me back.

"And I love you." He replies.

******

"So Haula tells me you're from the U.S?" Mom asks.

We are at home specifically on the dinning, eating. When I and Theo got home to say mom was happy was an understatement, I guess she didn't think I would actually bring him home like she requested. She was actually very welcoming and nice to him to which I am grateful about.

"Yes actually, my dad's an American while my mom's an Asian, but we stay in the U.S." Theo explains well.

"That's good to hear, what do you do?" oaky this is turning like an introduction for marriage.

"Well, um I work for the government," He replies.

"Oh I see, as what?" Mom pushes but at that moment her phone rings, which she excuses herself.

"She's nice and welcoming." Theo says with a smile as mom left while he grabs my hand in his.

"You're lucky," I say sending him a wink and mom gets back.

"Sorry about that," Mom sends a smile.

"No problem Mrs Mathews," We continue to talk and I notice mom laughed a lot.

Seems like she likes him. Thank God.

"So when are you going back?" Mom asks.

How could I have forgotten?

He's going to go back soon, how didn't I think of this since?

Probably because you've been so caught up spending everyday with him that you could actually forget your own name.

Oh shut up like you didn't like it.

"In a week or less, I've actually been called back." Theo says and I look up at him and my body tenses.

He didn't tell me. Oh haula you were supposed to know, he told you it was only three weeks he had.

Theo glances at me and I avert my gaze.

"Oh, so soon. So I take it as you don't have any plans with my daughter after you go back," Mom becomes more serious.

"Definitely not. I plan to be coming back once In a while, and maybe I could take haula with me sometime?" Theo says more like a question.

"Well I don't know about that, let just stick to you coming back once in a while okay?" Mom says naturally but I know she isn't too happy about it. Or more like angry with me for dating someone I knew we both stayed at different countries knowing it wouldn't be convenient.

"Sure." Theo says and I remove my hand from his that I realized he was holding.

"Okay I'm going to clean up," I get up and start taking the plates while mom looks at me and Theo watches me while I go to the kitchen.

I get back seeing my mom and Theo talking about something which they stop as soon as they see me. I just smile and continue what I'm doing.

I clear everything and go to wash them, when a familiar hand grazes with mine. "Let me" Theo says grabbing the sponge from my hand.

"No, don't worry I can do it. Thank you." I refuse.

"Okay haula, what's wrong? You've been acting kind of upset right before we finished eating."

"Nothing I'm fine, nothing is wrong." I smile. I can't pretend this doesn't affect me. Who wouldn't? I don't know when next I'm going to see him when he leaves. How I'm I supposed to react?

"You're lying. Is it about me leaving?" And he knew.

"You know what Theo? We don't get to play this game, the game of catching feelings and then leaving. I've fallen in love with you so much and then you want to leave, you've made me feel something for you that I've never felt for anyone else and then you say you have less than a week to leave. It isn't fair at all and when were you planning on telling me they called you back?" Honestly I don't know what I can say or do anymore I'm practically helpless here.

"Haula.... I.... I was going to but I didn't want to ruin the happiness we had. We were so happy and I didn't want to ruin that. Do you know how much it pains me to leave, do you know how long I've waited to find someone like you, someone that whose smile alone can take my pain away, someone that understands and always find a way to be patient at every situation. Do you know how hard that is? I don't want to go but I have no choice, but I promise you this I'll come back, I will." He grabs my hand as we rest on the sink.

"I don't want you to go," I begin to say. "But I also can't be selfish, you got your job before you met me and I can't let you leave that. I guess we'll just have to spend the rest of the time we have remaining worth remembering," I smile sadly as Theo grabs my face in his hand.

"I will always remember you haula." He leans in closer to kiss me slowly while I let myself drown in the moment.

I guess there isn't any goodbyes around here.