TIDE'S OF LÛST EPISODE 96 “Hello baby”.........I said into the phone, while sitting up from the bed. “Good evening honey, how are you?”........she replied. “I’m good and you?”.........I asked. “Good. Where are you?”.........she asked after the pleasantries. “At this time of the night, where am I supposed to be? I am in my room of course. Why, any problem?”..........I replied. “I don’t just know why, but my mind is not at rest.....Are you with someone?”..........She asked worriedly. “An unrest mind? How, why? And who would be with me by this time?”.........I queried. “Baby I don’t know. Have been sleeping but suddenly I woke up. Don't know if I had a dream, but my mind is just so restless”.........She said with concern. Standing from the bed, I walked into Pascaline's bathroom and locked myself in. “Baby I don’t know what to say, but if what I am thinking is what you are worried about then I want to reassure you that nothing is wrong........I am in my room and nobody is here with me. I love you and you know that”.........I assured her. “It’s okay baby. I know you love me just that I haven’t felt like this in a very long time”..........She muttered. “I understand, it’s okay my love. So tell me about your day”...........I said, diverting the discussion. Sandra and I talked at length, as she narrated her uneventful day to me asking after mine too. After making sure that her mind was at rest, we ended the phone conversation bading ourselves good night. After the call with Sandra, I stepped out from the bathroom and met Pascaline who I thought would have slept off. She was sitting up on the bed typing her phone. I had thought that with the time I spent talking to Sandra, I will come out to meet Pascaline asleep. “That was Sandra right?”........she asked as I got to the bed. “Yeah”.........I replied unconcerned, settling back to the bed. “Is everything okay with her?”.........she asked. “Yeah, I guess she had a premonition that I was in a compromised situation”.........I replied and she smirked. “That is the life of a woman, we always suspect that something is going down behind us when we are not there”.........She mentioned. “No, that’s not Sandra. She might suspect something, but wouldn’t call or say anything, rather she will wait to see me first”..........I replied, turning my back on her. “So does that mean that we are done talking?”.........she asked. “Pascaline can we sleep already? We've had enough for a night and just so that you know, we never discussed about anything”.........I retorted. “Ok, if you say so”.........she replied and angrily turned over. I stared at Pascaline for a while, took a deep breath and laid on the bed. I was finding it difficult to sleep, but I eventually sleep off when it was around twelve midnight. At about 5am, the alarm from my phone pierced the silence of the room, jolting me awake. I groggily reached over to silence the alarm and sat up in bed, yawning and stretching my arms over my head. As I shook off the remnants of sleep, my gaze fell upon Pascaline, who was lying beside me, her body racked with sobs. Her face was contorted in anguish, and tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking the pillow beneath her head. My initial surprise gave way to concern as I quickly moved closer to Pascaline, trying to comfort her. “Hey, what's wrong?”........I asked softly, my voice gentle and soothing. However, instead of responding, Pascaline pushed me away, her hands flailing wildly as she sobbed uncontrollably. I was taken aback by her reaction, but I didn't give up. I tried again, speaking in a calm, reassuring tone. “Pascaline, please tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you”.........I pleaded. Despite my repeated attempts to comfort her, Pascaline continued to push me away, her sobs growing more intense with each passing moment. My concern deepened, and I began to feel a sense of desperation. I have never seen Pascaline like this before, and I didn't know how to reach her. “Pascaline, please don't cry. Whatever it is, I'll do my best to fix it. Just tell me what's wrong”...........I tried another different approach, speaking in a soft, whispery voice, As the moments ticked by, Pascaline's sobs slowly began to subside, replaced by ragged gasps for air. I continued to speak softly, trying to reassure her that I was there for her, and that everything would be okay. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Pascaline's crying slowed to a stop, and she lay there, her chest heaving with exhaustion. I gently reached out and took her hand, my eyes locked on hers, searching for answers. Pascaline's eyes, red-rimmed from crying, slowly met my eyes, and she looked away, her gaze drifting to the ceiling. My grip on her hand tightened, and I spoke softly. “Pascaline, please tell me what's wrong. I need to know what's hurting you so much” Pascaline's eyes fluttered closed, and she took a deep breath before speaking in a barely audible whisper. "You...you didn't want me last night”........She murmured. My expression changed from concern to confusion when I heard that, and I leaned in closer to her, my voice low and questioning. "What do you mean I didn't want you?”........I asked. Pascaline's eyes snapped open, and she looked at me, her gaze filled with a deep sadness. “No, Pascal. You didn't want me. You pushed me away last night when I tried to get close to you. You never got close to me again all because of Sandra”...........She lamented. My face fell as I realized what had happened. I had been so caught up in my own thoughts and worries that I had unintentionally hurt Pascaline. I felt a wave of regret wash over me, and I reached out, pulling Pascaline into a tight hug. “Oh, Pascaline, I'm so sorry. I had no idea I was hurting you, I was only trying to be faithful to Sandra”.........I explained. As i held Pascaline close, i could feel her body beginning to relax, her tension melting away as she wrapped her arms around me, holding him tightly. We laid in the position for a long moment, holding each other, the only sound heard at that moment was the quiet rhythm of our breathing. Finally, Pascaline spoke up, her voice soft and gentle, “I love you, Pascal. I just feel like sometimes you don't want me, like you're pushing me away”.........She muttered. “Pascaline, that's not true. I love you as a friend, I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise, but you should understand that I belong to someone........I promise to do better, to be more aware of your feelings and needs next time”........I assured her. Before I knew what was happening, Pascaline took me unaware by kissing me fiercely, and Surprisingly I found myself returning same energy. I kissed her like my life depended on it, until we both landed on the bed. To be continued..........