Adunni stood there, stunned by Taiwo's confession.
"You can't be serious. You're lying, right?"
Her gaze moved to Lekan, looking for any hint of denial, but his silence and the shame on his face said it all.
Her expression turned furious as she looked back at Taiwo.
"Are you crazy?"
Taiwo nervously gestured for her to lower her voice.
"Keep it down, alright? It was just… for fun. Just one night."
"Fun?" Adunni's voice was filled with disbelief.
"What do you think Akeh will do if he finds out?"
Taiwo shrugged, chuckling.
"What will he do, beat me? And what about him sneaking around with the chief's daughter at midnight?"
Adunni shot back,
"I thought Purist Altine cleared that up in front of everyone."
He scoffed.
"You actually believed her?"
Adunni fell silent, unsure of what to say. She turned to Lekan, hoping he'd say something to make sense of this.
"Are you really just going to stay quiet?"
Lekan finally spoke up, his tone quiet.
"Honestly, I don't know what to say."
Adunni shook her head in frustration.
"I can't believe you two."
She stormed out, leaving the clinic.
Once she was gone, Taiwo turned to Lekan.
"She won't tell anyone, right?"
Lekan sighed.
"I'm sure she won't."
As evening fell, the students wrapped up their meditation. Akeh made his way back to the dormitory in a canoe with Montes, who chatted as they rowed.
"You're really strong. I didn't think you'd actually beat me earlier," she said.
Akeh shrugged.
"You just lack strength. If you had more, I'd have lost."
Montes nodded.
"Makes sense. No wonder Purist Altine keeps telling us to balance spiritual and physical energy."
"Yeah, I still have a lot to learn on the spiritual side," Akeh admitted.
When they reached the dorms, Akeh went to his room. As he opened the door, he saw everything was neatly arranged, but the smell of trash lingered.
He frowned, deciding there was no way he could sleep in there. Closing the door, he stepped back outside, where Montes was still by her canoe.
She looked at him curiously.
"Why aren't you going inside?"
"The room's in no condition to sleep in," Akeh replied.
Montes raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah, I heard what the other students did, Sorry about that. So where will you stay tonight?"
Akeh glanced at the first-rates' rooms but sighed.
"Guess I'll just meditate outside for the night."
Montes looked at him in surprise.
"You're really going to meditate all night? You must be serious about this soul mastery."
"You have no idea," he replied.
She thought for a moment.
"In that case, I know a good spot for you to meditate. I'll show you."
Akeh agreed, stepping back onto the canoe.
As Montes guided them through the narrow waterways, dusk settled in, and lanterns lit up along the houses. They moved silently through the maze of canoes and floating homes.
Curious, Akeh asked, "Where are we headed?"
Montes smiled.
"To the edge of Makoko. It's quiet out there. I go there sometimes to meditate."
He nodded, and for a while, they drifted in comfortable silence until Montes spoke up again.
"I was cheering for you, you know."
Akeh blinked, a bit confused.
"What?"
"At your Dambe championship match. I was there. I'm actually a fan."
Akeh let out a soft, embarrassed chuckle.
"So you saw that fight, huh?"
Montes smiled, teasing him gently.
"A bit disappointing, but your opponent was just too strong."
Then, with a smile that seemed innocent but cut deep, she added,
"You were so close to getting first place."
Akeh managed a polite smile, masking his frustration.
"Yeah… let's not talk about that."
Finally, they reached the edge of Makoko. Montes pointed ahead.
"That stretch of water is the Lagos Lagoon. Chief Lamthe comes here sometimes for his isolated training."
Akeh climbed off the boat and nodded.
"Thanks for showing me the spot."
Montes gave a small wave.
"See you tomorrow at training."
She rowed back toward the dorms, leaving Akeh alone. He settled down to meditate, appreciating the peace of his surroundings.
Meanwhile, at the clinic, night had fully set in. Taiwo was in the room with Akeh's mother, while Lekan kept watch outside.
After some time, Lekan grew tired of waiting. He peeked in and whispered urgently,
"I thought you said it was just for one night. We need to leave."
"Just a bit longer," Taiwo said, barely looking up.
Lekan shook his head, whispering sharply,
"I'm leaving. I can't wait any longer. Tomorrow, I'm done with this."
Taiwo looked frustrated.
"Come on, don't leave me alone here. What if I get caught?"
Lekan sighed, turning back to watch the door.
He opened it to check for anyone approaching and froze—standing there was Ifeoluwa, staring back at him with wide eyes, fully aware of what she'd just witnessed.
To be continued...