Episode 5: The Last Evening
Sophia woke up earlier than everyone else the next morning. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, knowing it was her last full day in the apartment that had been her home throughout university.
For some reason, the reality felt heavier than she expected.
By nine o’clock, the apartment was buzzing with activity. Cartons were sealed, clothes were folded neatly into traveling bags, and the little decorations they had hung over the years had all come down.
The place no longer looked like home.
“I can’t believe someone else will be living here soon,” Ada said as she looked around the sitting room. “It’s going to feel strange.”
“It already does,” Sophia replied with a faint smile.
Later that afternoon, Chioma suggested they buy drinks and snacks for one last evening together. There was a supermarket a few minutes from the compound, so the four of them agreed to walk there.
By the time they returned, the sun was beginning to set.
As they entered the compound, Daniel was unlocking his apartment.
He looked up almost immediately.
“You ladies went shopping?”
Chioma answered before Sophia could.
“We’re celebrating our last night here.”
Daniel smiled.
“So it’s really tomorrow.”
Sophia nodded.
“Yes.”
“Safe journey in advance.”
“Thank you.”
He hesitated briefly, then added, “I hope wherever life takes you next, it treats you kindly.”
Sophia felt an unexpected warmth spread across her chest.
“Thank you… I hope so too.”
Daniel gave a polite nod and went inside.
The conversation lasted less than a minute.
Yet, as always, it stayed with Sophia much longer.
That evening, the four roommates spread a mat on the sitting room floor. Soft music played from someone’s phone while they shared snacks, laughed over old pictures and talked about everything they had survived together.
They laughed until someone mentioned graduation.
Then the laughter slowly faded.
“I’ll miss this,” Ada said quietly.
“So will I,” Chioma replied.
Nobody spoke for a few seconds.
Sophia looked around the room and realized this chapter of her life had ended much faster than she imagined.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, she stepped onto the small balcony outside the apartment.
The compound was peaceful.
A few apartments still had their lights on, while others had already gone dark.
Her eyes wandered toward Apartment 6.
Daniel’s sitting room light was on.
She wondered what he was doing.
Watching television?
Reading?
Working on his laptop?
She smiled at herself.
She had spent almost a year wondering about the little details of his life without ever truly knowing him.
“Can’t sleep?”
Sophia turned around.
It was Chioma.
She wrapped her arms around herself against the cool night breeze.
“Not really.”
Chioma walked over and stood beside her.
“You’ve been looking at that apartment for almost ten minutes.”
Sophia laughed softly.
“I know.”
“So… have you decided?”
Sophia didn’t pretend to misunderstand.
She knew exactly what Chioma meant.
“No.”
“You only have tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“If you leave without saying anything, you’ll probably think about it for years.”
Sophia lowered her eyes.
“That’s what scares me.”
“And if you tell him?”
She let out a slow breath.
“Maybe I’ll embarrass myself.”
Chioma smiled gently.
“Or maybe you’ll finally have your answer.”
Sophia remained silent.
The truth was, she wasn’t afraid of hearing no.
She was afraid of discovering that everything she had built in her mind over the past year had never existed outside of it.
That thought hurt more than rejection itself.
The next morning arrived faster than she wanted.
Suitcases stood neatly beside the door, ready to be loaded into the vehicle that would take her home.
Sophia looked around the apartment one last time.
Everything was packed.
Everything…
Except the words she had carried in her heart for almost a year.
And as she reached for the handle of her suitcase, there was a gentle knock on the door.
The four roommates looked at one another.
Nobody had been expecting a visitor.
Bonus Question
If you were in Sophia’s shoes, would you open the door hoping it was Daniel, or would you be too nervous to find out?
