They sat on the bench.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn’t empty.
It was full.
“You’re different here,” Amara said suddenly.
Namdi looked at her. “Different how?”
“You’re lighter,” she said, searching for the right word. “In the market, you were laughing like someone who doesn’t have problems.”
He let out a small breath. “Maybe I don’t. Not when I’m with you.”
She looked at him, slightly caught off guard. “Don’t say things like that.”
“Why?”
She looked away. “Because I won’t know what to do with them.”
A gentle breeze passed. The leaves above them whispered softly.
“What is your life like in the city?” Amara asked.
Namdi leaned back slightly. “Busy. That’s all. Complicated. Structured. Loud.”
She nodded slowly. “And lonely?”
He paused, then gave a small, honest smile. “Yes.”
Amara looked down at her hands. “I’ve never left this village,” she said quietly.
Namdi turned to her.
She shook her head. “No reason to.”
“You’ve never wanted to?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes. But this is what I know.”
He studied her face.
No regret. No bitterness. Just acceptance.
“You wouldn’t like the city,” he said.
She glanced at him. “Why?”
“Too many people pretending.”
She smirked. “And you? Are you pretending?”
He held her gaze. “Not with you.”
The air shifted again.
Softer.
Closer.
Amara stood up suddenly, pacing a little.
“You’re confusing,” she said.
“How?”
“You came here like a normal person. You sat in the market. You helped me sell meat.” She turned to him. “But people say you’re not normal.”
He chuckled lightly. “They’re right.”
“So which one is the real you?”
Namdi stood up slowly, stepping closer to her.
“This one,” he said.
She searched his eyes, trying to find something—anything—that suggested he wasn’t being truthful.
But there was nothing.
Just calm.
Just sincerity.
“You don’t even know me,” she said softly.
“I know enough.”
“You don’t.”
“I know you’re hardworking.”
She blinked.
“I know you’re stubborn.”
She almost smiled.
“I know you’re honest.”
Her expression softened.
“And I know,” he added quietly, “that I feel different when I’m around you.”
Her heart skipped.
She quickly looked away. “You talk too much.”
“Only when it matters.”
Another silence fell, but this time it was heavier. Charged.
Amara’s foot shifted slightly, and just like the day before, she lost balance for a brief second.
“Ah—”
Namdi caught her again.
But this time, neither of them pulled away.
His hand rested gently at her waist. Her hand held onto his arm.
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