#BNCelebratingLove: Ifunanya Experienced Love That Will Forever be Etched in Her Memory

I know we talk all the time about heartbreaks and how wicked guys can be and whatnot, but can we also talk about how exceptionally beautiful being in love can be? I’m talking about the sweet moments before a heartbreak, those moments when all you feel is intense joy and love, the knowing and certainty that somebody loves you as much as you love them, and the lightheadedness it brings with it. Can we talk about it, hmm?

I’ll go first.

I dated this guy back in university and we used to see each other almost every day. He would leave his lodge and come to mine and sometimes I would do the same. We would spend our evenings together strolling, eating suya at the convocation hall or just laying in each other’s arms.

When he first started to visit me in my lodge, he would come so late that I would be so mad by the time he came around. I wanted to spend longer hours with him before he left again. I spoke to him a couple of times about this, but he just never changed. He would come by my place by 8:30 or 9:00 pm when I expected him to come to me at least an hour earlier.

One day, I decided I was going to stress him a bit. At exactly 7:00 pm, I locked my room door and left for my friend’s place. I also switched off my phone so that when he came, he would not be able to reach me. I was so pumped up for him as I was expecting him to take me seriously.

An hour after I left my house, he started calling my friend. I told her to pick up his call so it wouldn’t look suspicious. She picked up the phone and the moment I heard his voice, I almost lost my will to continue. His voice was thick with worry. He told her he had already gone to three other places where I was likely to be and he had not seen me, so he was getting scared.

I didn’t want him to worry so much, so I silently motioned to her to reassure him well about my safety. There might have been something she said in an attempt to assuage his worries that triggered his suspicions because barely 30 minutes later, we heard a knock on the door.

It was him.

We knew even before she opened the door. She tried to lie as much as one can when you are in that kind of situation but it was obvious to me that he already knew I was inside the room. After long minutes of trying to cajole her into letting him inside the room, he eventually gave up and left.

By this time, I was already feeling very bad. I had not meant for things to go that far, I didn’t even know he would attempt to look for me. I had no idea he cared that much. I got home the next morning, and just as I was about to open the door I heard a voice.

“Ify, is that you?” It was his voice. Turned out he slept over at the next guy’s room just so he could know exactly when I returned.

My lodge mates would later tell me he had been sitting at the edge of my door for long hours because he thought I would change my mind and come back. My next-door neighbour had to offer him space in his bed when he discovered that he actually planned on passing the night in front of my door.

It was something so simple yet so deep. I knew how much he hated speaking to my lodge mates. I also knew how much he loved his sleep. Yet, he gave up these two things for me. The fact that he was prepared to sit and wait for me all night even though he knew I was fine, the fact that he still wanted to prove himself to me, it was then I knew that he loved me. Even more, I knew then that I had fallen in love with him.

That was a moment that would remain seared in my head even after years have passed. It was love in its purest form. A love that would transcend time. This was love beyond the moment.

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The #BNCelebratingLove Valentine Campaign is supported by Hingees – one of Nigeria’s finest clothing brands.