LOVE THAT TANGLES

PROLOGUE.

"Leila we are running late already!" My mum exclaimed as she stood impatiently in my room.

"Mum the flight is by eleven stop exaggerating" I hissed as I moved to the wardrobe and brought out along coat.

"So? the time runs fast Leila, it's 6am now, but trust me with a blink of your own eyes the time it's gonna fly and you are going to miss your flight".

"Mum can you stop nagging already" I immediately regretted what I said when I turned and saw my mum's expression. Her eyes held surprise but her body was ready to pounce on me.

"it was a slip of the tongue" I corrected myself quickly and paused my lips in a thin line hoping she didn't take my words to heart. "let's pray"

My eyes widened at her words as I watched her walk to my bed side, she knelt down beside my bed and motioned for me to do the same, I guess this was the reason she wanted me to get ready early.

"close your eyes Leila, don't let the enemy use you I'm already annoyed right now" I did as she asked and we began our prayers. I received her blessings, even though I'm not a strong Christian like my mum, I never kept quiet when I heard prayers.

Immediately we were done she continued her nagging, I couldn't even digest my food properly as she was always rushing me.

We finally left for the airport and luckily the road was free. I believed the lord's blessings were already working for me, because if there was a go slow my mum would have probably pulled out my ears.

By the time we got to the airport there was still enough time before my flight as it was just past seven. My mum had suggested we take my luggage in to weigh and get my ticket but I refused causing me to earn lots of scolding but I held on to my decision. Sitting in the car was already enough embarrassment. I didn't want to go inside the airport and watch people leave way ahead of me.

"mum I don't understand, are you not supposed to delay so I would miss my flight and stay back with you?"

"And waste my money, not happening" I sighed, I was already missing my mum but I guess it was a one sided feeling.

Just like my mum said time flew by and I was beginning to offload my luggage with the help of a security man. The luggage were taken inside the airport building for security check. I held on to my ticket tightly as we moved on to the boarding gate.

My mum held me back as we neared the boarding gate. "Leila I know I've said this countless times but I have to remind you, you know you don't have a father, it's just you and I, so please stay away from things that would kill you because what kills you is going to kill me, you are my daughter Leila and whatever affects you would affect me, don't hurt yourself and don't let anyone hurt you. You have to take care of yourself is just you now, mummy is not going to be there with you so take care of yourself dear hmm?"

My eyes began to water from her words I squeezed my mum into a hug and I could hear her sniffle. "l'll miss you love I'll miss you so much". I was excited to study abroad but the thought of leaving my mum alone was devastating, there was no body at home to keep her company she's probably going to seat in the dinning and eat alone. I cried in my mum's arms and didn't care about who was looking at me.

"It's time dear" she loosed her arms around me and pulled me out of the hug. I nodded and wiped my eyes as I began to walk away I kept on looking back at my mum who waved at me with tears in her eyes until I was passed the boarding gate.

Eventually it was time for departure, I strolled to my sit which was close to the window. I settled myself and quickly fastened my belt. It wasn't long before an elderly man sat beside me. I greeted him which he replied with a smile. Everyone had began to settle down, and the pre-flight announcement was on. Sounds of fastening belt filled the aircraft as everyone obeyed the flight attendant.

"So that was you mother huh?"

I turned to the man in confusion. "the woman you were hugging"

"Yes" I answered, it hasn't been up to an hour but I already felt weird around this man. He seemed somewhat familiar to me but he looked creepy.

"So what are you going to do in Brooklyn?" His gaze were still on the flight attendant and I wondered if he was listening to what she was saying. "to study" I shifted my gaze to the window as the aircraft began moving on ground. "nice, Brooklyn college I guess" "yes".

"I came to seal a business deal you know, but I was hit with my past today". I didn't reply him, I wasn't in the mood of talking with anyone as I was still feeling emotional. The man noticed I wasn't interested in talking and thankfully he didn't try to bring up another conversation.

-

LEILA'S POV

"allow me" Before I could react the man had transferred my luggage into the trolley.

"Thanks" I shot him a smile as I tried to look grateful. I shoved my hands into the side pocket of my long coat as we began to head for the exit.

"So you are staying here for just schooling or do you plan on living here your whole life," The man asked. I scratched my nape as I contemplated answering him, telling a stranger about my plans is so not me. I was born and raised in an environment where you have to think twice before telling people your plans as no one knows the heart of others.

At this moment I felt uncomfortable, having an older man push my luggage while I walked beside him doing nothing.

"lost in thoughts?" I lifted my gaze from the ground and turned to him.

"Sorry"

"It's okay" As we made our way to the exit, I had the impulse to go more quickly since the silence was unsettling. Even though I was sick of hearing him talk, I preferred his voice to this uneasy stillness.

Everything at this point, both the silence, his assistance with pushing my boxes, and his question felt awkward to me. I realized that I had never once accepted assistance from a total stranger.

Although I'm supposed to feel appreciative, I can't help but feel that his offer to lend a hand was not genuine and that he was planning to demand payback. Or maybe I'm being overly suspicious and he really is a pure-hearted man.

"You still haven't answered my question.....is it that you feel uncomfortable with my question?"

"yeah, I'm not the type that shares my plan when I'm still on the journey to it.....sorry," I answered sincerely and was startled to hear the man laugh.

"You remind me of someone" Well that was unexpected. I noticed how his smile began to fade and was replaced with a moody face.

Fortunately, we were already near the exit when we went back to silence. I watched as he released his hands from the trolley handle.

"You can join me......my driver will drop you at your destination" he offered

"no thanks," The man nodded as he walked out of the exit.

Before leaving, I waited until the man was no longer in view. As I removed my boxes from the trolley, I felt a sudden urge to use the convenience.

I considered leaving my boxes outside but decided against it as It didn't look safe, I rolled my two boxes back inside the building as I searched for the convenience.

It wasn't hard finding the restroom as there were signs guiding me to it. I dragged my boxes into the restroom and set my handbag on one of the boxes. Before entering one of the cubicles, I dug my hand into the side pocket of my long coat to fish out my phone and stuffed it into my handbag.

The cleanliness of the bathroom surprised me. I detested using public restrooms in Nigeria as most of them were filthy but this was totally different.

As I exited the cubicle, I was startled to see a man in the stall stuffing something into his pocket. When he noticed me, the man hastened out of the stall. I was so startled that I hesitated for a brief period of time before moving to the faucet to wash my hands.

What was he doing here? I recall seeing a female sign on the restroom door.

When the thought of him stuffing something into his pocket hit me, I quickly walked over to where my handbag was and started looking through it to check if I had lost anything.

I began to freak out as I couldn't find my wallet and phone. I thoroughly searched the bag in the hopes that it was there, but it wasn't. It had already been taken. I wanted to chase after the guy but it was too late, he probably would have gone far.

I exited the restroom while keeping my head down and dragging my boxes behind me. Although I was accustomed to everyone going about their business, I felt hopeless and I wished someone would notice me and offer to help, but it seemed impossible as even the ones seated, doing nothing didn't bother to look my way.

As I approached the gate, I heard a car horn, thinking the car wanted to pass by me, I moved away.

"My offer is still open"

I turned to the man who was seated in the back seat of his car

At this point, my pride was not of Importance to me as I wanted to get to my residence quickly. I bit my lip and nodded in agreement while attempting to hide how desperate I was. The driver was out of the car in no time to assist me in loading my boxes in the boot of the car.

I felt uneasy as I sat next to him in the back seat not just because of the man but because I could tell from looking at the car that it was an expensive one, it probably would be able to pay my mother's salary.

"so where are you headed?" The man asked causing me to turn to him

"Kings Highway" Thankfully I had noted the address immediately my friend sent it to me.

As I watched the driver enter my address into the Waze mobile app I felt relieved, at least there was a fifty per chance of making it home without getting hurt.

The car ride wasn't as long as I expected as I was already at the front of my new residence. I thanked the man and waved him off as he drove away. Come to think of it the man didn't even bother to ask for my name or introduce himself

I shook the thoughts away as I began to admire the resident building, it looked more beautiful than in the photo my best friend had sent me. A duplex with off-white walls and ornamental plants along the edge gives the house a lively look.

I texted my best friend an hour before my departure to let her know I would be arriving today, and she had promised she would be in the house to welcome me. I walked over to the door and rang the doorbell. However, after ringing the doorbell for the fifth time I realized she was either out or deeply asleep.

To my surprise, the door flew open as I turned the door knob. I eagerly pulled my boxes inside, shut the door, and then left them at the bottom of the stairs which faced the door..

Before going upstairs to check out my new room, I looked around the lower floor, the living room was designed with a green sofa with two green brown chairs facing it, a square brown table in the middle

After getting enough view of the down floor I moved on to the first floor, I carried one of my boxes up the stairs as it seemed impossible to carry the two at once.

Getting to the end of the stairs, I noticed the positions of the rooms, there were three at one end, two facing each other with one in the middle and another one standing alone at the opposite end.

I walked over to three rooms which were all occupied, but something in the center room caught my eye. I grinned as I picked up the framed photograph which contained a younger me with my friend, I was reminded of the day we took this picture, we had made our pact not to turn on one another. We

looked so cute and unbothered by the passers-by. I placed the framed photograph back on the table before heading for the door.

Getting to the room at the opposite end, it was empty just like I had anticipated. Before entering the room, I dragged my box in and placed my handbag on the naked bed. The room was spacious, and despite the fact that the bed wasn't that large I still liked it. I hastily moved over to my handbag to fish out my phone and text my mum when I realized I had lost it.

I let out a groan and left the room to retrieve my other box. I was startled to see two girls kissing at the bottom of the stairs. One of them was easy to identify as her facial features hadn't changed much, I bit my lip and tried tiptoeing back to my room so as not to disrupt their activity.

"Leila?"

My eyes widened as I turned back to the two

"surprise" I spread my arms and let out a smile acting like I didn't just witness what she was engaged in.

"oh my God....Leila" Her unexpected hug shook me as I almost lost balance on the stairs. I relaxed into the hug soon and held her tight. Everything about her remained the same, aside from her height as she was slightly taller than me, her face which seems to be a more mature version of her as her once long straight hair was now bulb, her light pale skin was now tanned also. But she still had her bright smile and warmth as always.

"gosh when did you get here" she released me from her tight embrace but continued to hold my arm with both of her hands.

"Not too long ago"

"why didn't you call me"

"That is a long story" I sighed. A cough brought us out of our little conversation as I tilted my head to look at the person behind her.

"oh....Cindy meet Leila, my best friend, and Leila this is Cindy my girlfriend" My eyes widened in realization, I knew Eva was a lesbian but she never told me she had a girlfriend.

Cindy waved at me with a smile "Hi Leila" I returned the smile as Eva took my hands in hers and began to lead me downstairs.

"Hello," awkward.

"come on let's go sit" Eva motioned for us to sit before walking off to the kitchen.

Although both Eva and Cindy had tans, one could still spot the difference, Eva is Asian race and Cindy is white race. What a lovely combination.

"so you attend Brooklyn?" I had to speak up as I disliked the silence between us.

"yeah, I do" I could tell she felt uneasy by the way she fiddled with her skirt and bit her lip.

"so what's your course of study," I asked again

"nutrition" she replied simply

"same with me"

"that's so cool," she said with glee. The tension seemed to have reduced a bit which I was grateful for. She is Eva's girlfriend and it won't be good for either of us to be awkward around each other.

"you guys done bonding?" I was shocked to see a bottle of beer in Eva's hand. She placed the drinks on the square table before winking at me.

"Eva!!!" Cindy too was in disbelief.

"What"

"Why would you welcome your friend that just got out from a long journey with beer"

"what do you want me to do there's nothing to eat at home" My eyes flickered between the two girls as they argued

"So what...... you want to give her a beer" What a weird couple

"If she doesn't have issue with it.... Leila do you have an issue with drinking the beer"

I nodded to her question.

"see" Cindy grinned and gave a small clap.

"so what do you suggest we do"

"We could get her something to eat from outside"

"or I could just follow you guys and we can all eat together" I was tired but letting them go get food for me didn't feel right.

"Great then" Cindy stood immediately, her behavior had changed, and she acted livelier.

"let's go" Cindy stated as Eva groaned I smiled and watched Eva grumble as Cindy pulled her out of the house.

LEILA'S POV

I described everything that happened to me at the airport while we were on our way to the restaurant. Eva casually stated that I am to blame for losing my possessions and I immediately recognized the logic in her statement.

While we waited for Eva to deliver our meal, Cindy and I sat at the restaurant's back table. Cindy told me some things about Brooklyn College. She was a freshman like me but had an older brother who had previously attended Brooklyn College, so she knew some details about the school already.

Eva had already arrived shortly with our orders. I had ordered the same meal as them as I wasn't familiar with their cuisine. Eva placed her meal in front of her as she settled down to eat while the waiter distributed ours to us too.

I looked at the food closely, it appeared to be comparable to the kinds I see in the movies, but trying new foods has never been my thing. To get a whiff of the food, I put my nose closed to the meal and lifted my eyes to look at Cindy and Eva as they were laughing, with a frown I narrowed my eyes at them.

"I will admit it's not comparable to the food in Nigeria, but it has its unique taste and it's nice" Eva commented

"what's the name," I asked as I picked the chopstick. "Even though I could count how, many times I had used a chopstick, I had a general grasp of how to utilize one.

"Ramen Misoya.....as you can see there's Ramen, bean sprout, scallion, Fried tofu, the liquid is the miso broth.... Come on try it" she motioned for me to start eating

I grinned at her and used my chopstick to roll the said noodle, I bit it down and took a slow tasting test. I could feel Cindy and Eva's stare as they were waiting for my response. I grabbed up my spoon after finishing the noodle and spooned some liquid into my mouth as I began to savor the taste.

"It tastes better than I expected" I commented, Eva and Cindy smiled at me before getting down on their food.

I finished the bowl of noodles in no time as I was starving, Cindy offered to sponsor our meal which I was happy for as I didn't have any money with me.

"let's go shopping the house is pretty much empty without food" Eva said as we exited the restaurant.

Both I and Cindy nodded in agreement as we strode to the supermarket which was just three buildings away from the restaurant.

Eva chose a cart and started rolling it, while Cindy and I followed her as we selected the necessary ingredients.

"Eva can I use your phone please my mum must be worried"

"sure" Eva handed the phone over to me after entering her password.

Before sending her a telegram message, I entered in and saved my mum's number. It seemed as though she had been waiting for my text since she responded right away when I introduced myself and let her know I had arrived. She prayed for me as always, but I gave my assurance that everything would be okay.

Something or rather someone caught my attention as I handed Eva's phone back to her, without thinking I walked over to meet the guy. It was the same guy who had stolen my phone, he had bangs that covered his eyes and had the same color black hair, his clothing was also the same. I was so eager to face him and get things back.

Despite the fact that some people claim I'm shy, which may be, I never remained silent when someone messes with me and I wasn't planning on remaining silent now.

"Hey" I tugged his arm firmly and made him turn to face me. I couldn't care less if he was with someone, all I wanted was my phone and wallet back.

He gave me a perplexed look as he sized me from head to toe which infuriated me even more. I refused to give up even though his height made me feel intimidated as I looked into his eyes intently.

"and you are?" he said with obvious disgust in his voice. I huffed.

"The girl you stole a phone and a wallet from"

I watched as his brows knitted together, appearing perplexed. He violently withdrew my hand from his arm.

"this must be a misunderstanding" I felt his friend move closer to me but I stayed still as I kept eye contact with the thief until I felt an arm pull me away.

"you're right, she just arrived from a long flight she must be seeing things" I turned to Cindy in disbelieve why was she being nice to this guy.

"he's the thief Cindy" I said pointing at the guy. I frowned as Cindy ignored me and pulled me away from the thief. I could still feel the thief's eyes on me as I was pulled out of the supermarket.

Getting out of the supermarket, I yanked my arm away from Cindy's hold. "Why did you pull me out" I almost shouted

"Because you are causing a scene and accusing the wrong person Leila"

"Wrong person?.....it was him" I rubbed my temples as I tried to relax.

"did you see his face?"

I moved my gaze away from her. sincerely speaking, I didn't get a good look at the thief's face, but I remembered his hair, the way the curled bangs covered his eyes, and the clothes too.

"See you're not even sure......it's impossible for him to be the guy that took your things, Leila, that guy in there is stinky rich ...... he's father is literally the biggest sponsor of our school".

I rolled my eyes. My intuition still believed he was the thief, after all, people can be wealthy and still have issues that lead them to steal.

"come on now just let go the phone is gone already" Eva advised as she patted my back. I didn't want to accept since the thief might have been the guy in the supermarket but I nodded in agreement.

"Come on now let's go" Cindy wrapped her arm around my shoulder as we walked back home

I walked home by myself as Eva had to accompany Cindy to her home. Fortunately, it wasn't a long distance, and I was at home in no time.

As I arranged my belongings in my new room, the day began to fade. I had finished laying in bed and was almost done with folding my clothes when I decided to take a bath. I took my toiletries and arranged them before undressing them. Getting under the shower and covering my hair with a shower cap, I let the water run through my body as I began to wash up. The shower wasn't that much of a fancy one so it was easy to operate it.

Upon hearing a voice, I tensed up. The voice I heard didn't sound anything like Eva, who had previously told me that she would be spending a lot of time at Cindy's home.

I left the bathroom without bothering to dry my body and headed outside to see whether anyone had come inside.

"empty house......nice"

As I approached the stairs, I heard the voice again. I walked downstairs on tiptoes to search for the unknown person. The parlor was vacant, but I still had the impression that someone was at home. I was positive that someone was sneaking around in the house.

"Who are you?" a voice sounded behind me

"And you are?" she didn't sound nice but her face told the opposite, she looked innocent and adorable with doe-like eyes, her skin looked white and pale, and her hair too was dark, long, and silky.

She tilted her head with obvious confusion in her eyes.

"Leila?" another female walked out of the kitchen. I didn't have stare long to know they were related as they were so similar almost like twins.

"Yes......and you?"

"Your housemate......don't tell me Eva didn't say anything about us" she frowned. Eva did tell me there was two other girls in the house but aside that she didn't introduce them to me.

I felt so awkward as my body was still wet and was in no clothes. Before I could say anything the other girl walked to the stairs leaving me in confusion.

"don't mind her she's always in a shitty mood," she said as she patted my shoulder.

"I'm Amelia between and that's my twin sister Olivia" she pointed out as she tucked in her curly brown hair behind her ears.

"I'm Leila" I shot her a smile as we shook hands

"When did you arrive"

"Today"

"That's nice".

"So you are attending the fresher's party today right," Amelia asked

I could feel my brows knit together as I tried to understand what was happening.

"a party?"

"Eva still didn't tell about that" Amelia shook her head in disappointment.

"So the seniors are holding a get-together party for us fresher's so we could at least know ourselves before we resume school.....sensible right?"

"I guess" I nodded in reply

"I need to freshen up and start getting ready to leave......we could leave together"

"No thanks, I would wait for Eva" Partying right now didn't sound pleasant to my ears., I just got back from a twelve-hour flight with so many stressful encounters. Also, Eva coming back early wasn't certain as the time already reads past eight.