To Be A Lover: Family Trip
When Fifi had first gotten the mail to the yearly Honors Dinner and Awards gala night, she decided on the spot that she was going to invite Milo to go with her as her date.
The Honors Dinner and Awards gala night was one of the biggest yearly events that happened in Akure, Ondo state. It was very exclusive and based on invitation only. It was an annual gathering that brought together creators, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and people in the media industry to celebrate outstanding work across various fields.
Alongside her invitation, Fifi had been nominated for an award, and although she was excited about the recognition, she was even more excited about the prospect of spending an evening dressed up and getting Milo to attend as her date.
She picked up her phone and opened their chat and tap on video call. The call connected seconds after but it had been swapped to a voice call.
“Heyyy, you are busy?” she asked.
“Hmmm, yeah. I’ll video call you later tonight” Milo replied.
From the movements on the other end of the phone, Fifi concluded that Milo was truly busy.
“Well, I have something to ask you” she started playing with her fingers.
“Oh, okay. What is it?”
“Are you free on the 29th of October?”
Milo hummed, “I’m not exactly sure, what is the problem?”
Fifi pursed her lips deeply, “Well, my Honors invitation just came in. I also got nominated for an award, Creator of the Year”
Milo’s voice immediately climbed an octave, “Ouuuuu! Well, done Fifi. That’s my girl, congratulations”
Fifi blushed, “Thank you” she then paused and licked her lips.
For a moment she was grateful it wasn’t a video call else all her emotions would be put on full display for Milo to see.
“So, I wanted to invite you to be my date for the award night”
“Oh”
There was a moment of silence.
“Sooo, are you free?”
It took Milo a full minute before he replied, “Sorry but I won’t be available, we have a family event that weekend”
Fifi’s excitement dropped drastically and she pouted, “Family trip?”
“Yes. Tiolu and my mom has been excited about it for a while. I’m so sorry”
Fifi shook her head, “You don’t need to be sorry. It would have been a lot of fun with you”
“I know right”
“It’s fine. I’ll send you pictures and all of that”
“I’ll be looking forward to it”
Fifi chuckled; a part of her had been looking forward to having Milo as her date. She had imagined him standing beside her, looking handsome in a well-fitted suit, probably feeling uncomfortable about the cameras but keeping a soft smile on his face. She had even imagined telling Keke so that they could leave early and avoid getting asked any questions.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t be her date.
One week later, Fifi and Tiolu stood beside each other, reviewing the recent YouTube videos Tiolu had edited.
“You can remove the transitions in this part”
Tiolu nodded and immediately opened up her editing app, “Let me fix that right now”
Fifi sat beside her, watching as Tiolu removed the transitions.
“You must be excited about the awards night next week”
Fifi grinned, “Of course”
“I know you are going to win that award. Nobody is more deserving than you on that list”
Fifi laughed, “You can’t say that”
Tiolu refused to back down, “I mean it. I wish I could be there”
Fifi pouted, remembering their family trip, “Me too. But you must also be excited about your family trip”
Tiolu turned to her, “Family trip?”
Fifi smiled, “Yeah. Aren’t you excited?”
Tiolu frowned, “We don’t have any family trip next week. My mom has been clamoring for one but Milo’s company getting ready to release their new products he has been quite busy so she left the idea for a while now”
Fifi froze in her seat, blinking her eyes, “Are you telling me that you guys don’t have a family trip next weekend?”
Tiolu shook her head, “Not that I know of. Why?”
Fifi’s stomach tightened and she nodded slowly, “Nothing. I just thought you had a family trip”
Tiolu laughed, “No we don’t”
Fifi could feel the floor spinning under her. Tiolu’s words reechoed in her ears. Their family didn’t have a family trip schedule for the next weekend.
Milo had lied to her.
He could have told her No. she would have been pained but she would have understood. She knew he disliked attention and the reason why. If he had told her that the gala night was going to be too much for him, she would have understood. There was no way she could have forced him into that situation but instead of telling the truth, he had invented a family trip.
“Fifi?”
Fifi turned to Tiolu and tried to force a smile, “Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
Fifi forced herself to smile harder, “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
Fifi laughed humorlessly, “You bet”
Tiolu nodded and turned back to the laptop.
Fifi stood up and waddled towards the water dispenser. She thought that she and Milo’s relationship had gotten to the extent that even though they had said nothing about it; they were both aware of their feelings towards each other.
Or had she been imagining it all this while?
Did he truly and only see her as a friend?
If he only saw her as a friend, why did he have to lie?
She had thought that she meant something to him but he had lied so carelessly to her. He hadn’t even remembered to ask Tiolu to corroborate him on the lie.
The realization made her laugh and anger mixed with helplessness and disappointment flooded her chest.
“Fifi, I’m done, come and look at it again” Tiolu called out to her.
Fifi took a large gulp of the cold water and then walked back to review the footage. She forced herself to concentrated and review it properly.
“Alright, this is good. Thank you”
“Is there anything else?” Tiolu questioned.
Fifi smiled, “Nothing else. Just the reels and shorts and you’ll have to edit them from home. I’ll be going to Morrocco for that trip after all”
Tiolu looked surprised, “You said you weren’t going”
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Fifi shrugged, “I changed my mind”
Tiolu stared at her for a moment and nodded, “Alright. Safe travels”
“Thank you Tiolu. You can take the rest of the day off”
After Tiolu left, Fifi sat in silence for several minutes. She picked up her phone and stared at Milo’s last message. Her fingers hovered over the text button. She wanted to ask him why he had lied. She wanted to tell him that he could have simply said he wasn’t comfortable attending. She wanted to rant and crash out in but she instead closed her phone and called Keke.
“Please inform Apex that I’ll be travelling to Morrocco today. Book my ticket, I’m already packing. Tanya should meet me at the airport”
“Fifi, you said — ”
“Thank you” Fifi then cut off the call.
She suddenly felt very tired. She walked back to her room and packed one of her boxes without looking.
Four hours later, she was airborne. She hadn’t gotten the guts to tell any of the girls about what happened, She knew she could only hide it for a while but there was no while, not when they had a sleepover the next day but Siji had been the first to notice the moment, she landed in Morrocco and immediately started a video call on the group.
Fifi tried to plaster a smile on her face as soon as she picked the call.
“Hi guys” she waved at the camera.
“You said you weren’t going to Morrocco” Siji started.
Fifi’s eyes widened, “How did you know?’
“Because your location on snap changed” Siji retorted, “What made you change your mind?”
“First, wipe that fake smile off your face. You are trying too hard” Joya snorted.
The smile on Fifi’s lips flattered immediately.
Nini groaned, “Please don’t tell me this is a Milo problem”
Fifi bit down on her lip, “I invited him to be my date for the Honors gala night but he told me that they had a family getaway trip that weekend”
Nini frowned, “And?”
“He lied. Tiolu said there was nothing like that”
The video call went silent for a while.
“You are mad he lied” Siji said slowly.
Fifi chuckled, “He lied so carelessly. He didn’t even remember to tell Tiolu to help him out with the lie. I felt so stupid”
Joya looked irritated, “Fifi, no. felt stupid because he lied? No, no, no”
Fifi smiled, “Remembering the look on Tiolu’s face when she said what family trip won’t leave my head”
Siji rubbed her forehead, “This dude, milo is starting to really piss me off.”
Nini added, “For real because why would you lie?”
“He hates attention we get it but he’s getting somewhat better, no? I don’t understand why he lied”
Joya folded her arms, “Maybe he doesn’t know how to say no to you”
Fifi burst into laughter, “Then a lie is the better option? Such a stupid lie because what if I came from the gala and asked for pictures from the family trip? What was he planning on saying? Manufacturing pictures using AI?”
“So instead of confronting him, you ran away?” Joya asked.
Fifi looked away, “I just needed to get away and clear my head”
“Same thing”
“Siji’s voice softened, “I’m so sorry Fifi. I’m so sorry”
Fifi nodded, “Yeah. I was such a fool to think that I meant anything to him”
Joya spoke up again, “No self-inflicted insults when a man is involved Fifi”
“I tried my best guys. Texted him all the day, tricked and baited him into taking me out twice. I keep at it pushing it and hoping that he’ll just admit that he likes me, that he’s into me but it had been all my imagination after all”
“Fifi”
“You guys don’t have to say anything. I know. You all warned me; I was the one who didn’t listen and now I’m learning the hard way”
“Fifi” Nini called firmly, “There is nothing absolutely wrong is chasing after someone you like. I wish I had the same balls you do. It doesn’t make you stupid or foolish; he just doesn’t deserve you”
“You said you would survive if it came to this” Joya said quietly.
Fifi nodded, laughing at herself, “Still very bad at gambling, aren’t I?”
“We are here for you Fifi” Siji announced, “I just don’t like that you ran alone all the way to Morrocco.
Fifi looked down at her hands, “I’m sorry”
“Don’t be sorry for anything”
“We are the ones who are sorry that we are not there with you”
“I’ve never asked him to become an influencer,” she murmured.
Fifi smiled and said nothing. She was truly starting to regret running to Morrocco all by herself.
Joya spoke, “I think Milo likes you” she started and Fifi turned to him.
“I think that anyone who saw the two of you would say the same thing but he might not like you enough to confront what scares him and that is a problem, Fifi. Maybe the only problem”
Fifi’s eyes stung, “Right. He’ll rather chew stones than be in the spotlight”
“Fifi, Nobody is going to ask you to leave the spotlight for him, and I’m not going to ask him to step into the spotlight for you. Neither of those things is fair. But this?” She gestured towards the phone. “You two are close and spent so much time with each other, and he still couldn’t be honest with you about something as simple as an invitation. That’s bullshit”
“I know that you like him too much to see what we’re saying,” Nini continued softly.
“You’ve done enough pushing, Fifi. You’ve made it clear that you like him, maybe not clearly enough because you’ve not told him plainly. You’ve also given and created opportunities for him to get closer to you. You’ve practically laid out a welcome mat.”
Despite herself, Fifi let out a small laugh.
Nini smiled briefly, then grew serious again, “If he likes you, now is the time for him to man up and unfortunately, he boyed down”
Fifi and the rest of the women burst into laughter.
“I say you move on” Siji added, “Because you cannot keep doing all the work for two people.”
Fifi’s eyes filled with tears, and she quickly blinked them away. She and Milo were in a situationship at best. There was no way she was going to cry over a situationship but the more she thought of it, the more her chest clenched hard. They had never defined what they were to each other, and she had no right to demand anything from him.
She had fallen hard and deep for Oluwatomilola Johnson but however, her feelings weren’t reciprocated.
“I don’t want to lose him” she whispered.
“Well, you might not lose him — if you want him to remain as your friend. If you can see past your feelings” Nini said.
Fifi snickered.
“Well, take your time in Morocco and settle your feelings. When you come back, settle it with him cleanly. I don’t like how he has so much control your emotions and worse he has no damn idea!” Joya said with so much irritation.
“I’m telling you!”
“You don’t have to overthink anything tonight, Fifi. Just sit down and relax”
“Yes. We’ll be here with you”
Fifi nodded as she stared off into space. Her head was a mess and so was her heart.
How could he have lied when he could have just said no?
