10 Days

At a ticket counter in Lagos, a stranger named Melvin tried to leap ahead in line. Sia, a woman with fire in her voice, called him out and a storm of words flew between them. Days later, they met again in a parking lot, and Melvin, sensing something fateful, proposed a simple bargain: 10 Days of friendship before both left the city. Sia, though engaged to Melvin's own brother Donald, agreed with strict boundaries. They dove into spontaneous adventures—street food, late-night walks, laughter that tasted like freedom. And as the days passed, the boundaries became threads, thin and easy to break. Meanwhile, Donald arrived in Lagos, a shadow of work and distraction. He was a man who measured love in missed calls and forgotten dates. Sia confided in Melvin about her loneliness, and Melvin's heart grew heavier with each confession. When Donald forgot her birthday, Melvin stepped in with a celebration that burned bright with promise. Jealousy finally stirred in Donald's chest, and he confronted his brother. Melvin admitted his feelings but swore nothing had happened between them. Sia, torn like a cloth between two hands, fled to clear her head. In the quiet that followed, Donald saw what he could not give. He found Sia and told her that Melvin's love was the gift she deserved. He stepped aside, not with bitterness, but with the grace of a man who knows when to let go. Sia and Melvin met again, and in that meeting, all the words they had held back finally escaped. They embraced, not as strangers or friends, but as two people who had traveled a long road to find each other. And so they stood, two hearts finally catching the same rhythm.