Her last wish episode 85 – finale
HER LAST WISHđŹď¸
đ(Moremi)
Final Chapter.
A month After.
Dan was the last to drop his flowers on the graves.
Minutes later, they were walking out of the cemetery. Phil dabbed the tears that stood at the corner of her eyes before getting into the car.
Fel and Anne got in after her and Rylan got in beside Dan.
***
Phil hummed as she made lunch, she has gotten surprisingly good over the past couple of weeks. She wonât completely agree that she now enjoys cooking, there are still times she doesnât enjoy eating the meal she prepares.
âThe spring onions is going in next right?â Anne asked.
âOf course, youâre done chopping themâ Phil turned.
âYupâ Anne sprinkled the chopped spring onions into the pot on fire.
âI canât wait for this to get ready, Iâm starvingâ Phil grumbled.
âExactly, I bet Dan and co must be starving as wellâ Anne said, no one had anything to eat before leaving for the cemetery in the morning and now itâs almost past noon.
âRight, I donât think they are in the living room any longer though, I canât hear a soundâ
âThey left for the grocery store, I guessâ Anne said.
âOh, this should better get ready before theyâre backâ
âOr some people are going to collapseâ Anne joked and they laughed.
~~
Dan stood outside the grocery store, waiting. Memories replayed in his head; this was where he had first told Layla about his feelings and now, he was here again, he couldnât help his aching heart. He loved her; he still loves her.
âMemories?â He heard and smiled on seeing her behind him.
âHow come I didnât know you were behind meâ he said, helping her with the packs of juice she went in to purchase, he had offered to stay outside.
âBecause you were so lost in thoughtâ Layla said, a part of her felt Dan was thinking about the first time they were here together.
âHow long have you been behind me?â
âLong enough to know your body is only standing here, your mind is farawayâ she pressed her l-ips together.
âRightâ He sighed âDo you plan on getting more things?â He asked, seeing Layla didnât seem ready to leave.
âNahâ She smiled, sitting on the pavement and patting the space beside her for him to sit as well.
âUhâ He raised his brow.
âCâmonâ She chuckled.
He sat beside her, wearing a confused look. He wondered if she already knew they were going to surprise her with a car today and was intentionally delaying it from happening.
Layla wiped her sweaty palms on her dress, she had this all planned out perfectly. Why is she suddenly this nervous;
She had plan on telling him after getting back from visiting her mum and brotherâs graves. But she had arrived home before them to receive a mail.
By the time they finally got home, she had lost her momentum. It wasnât unusual, she was used to feeling that way whenever she visits her family at the cemetery.
Well, she has to say this now, she canât wait any longer.
âDanâ She started. âI didnât just come here with you to get packs of juiceâ
âOh, you wanna get more things? Letâs go in and get themâ
âI made you come with me just so I could tell you⌠somethingâ By now, she stopped wiping her palms on her dress but that didnât mean she felt less nervous.
âReally? Is anything wrong? Are you okay?â
âIâm fineâ She smiled, always so touched by his unwavering care, her heart welled up with so much love for him.
âWhile I was in the store, you were reminiscing the last time we were here?â
Dan nodded, fumbling with the plastic bag.
âDo you really still have feelings for me?â She asked, she knows he does but why does it seem as though her heart was beating fast as she awaited his answer. She had wanted to scre-m out her feelings for him soon after she survived the surgery but had decided to wait until she was fully recovered.
âI know youâre probably uncomfortable with having to deal with me and my feelings for you but believe me, Iâve been trying so hĂŚrd to make it stop but⌠itâs just so hĂŚrd. I will try h-rder, Iâm really sorry to have made things upsetting for youâ Dan stared down at his feet, blinking rapidly, the fact that he was feeling bad quite obvious.
Layla smiled, âYou do not have to worry about trying to stop your feelings any longerâ
His brows creased as he wondered what she meant.
âI do not have feelings for Dylanâ She announced and he looked at her, disbelief in his eyes.
âOkay, I once did but it stopped long ago, long before you confessed your feelings for meâ
âThis is⌠quite hĂŚrd to believeâ He raised a brow.
âI know right, but thatâs the truth. It was so obvious I didnât like Dylan anymore, itâs a wonder you didnât noticeâ
Dan stared at her, he could tell she wasnât joking, she just said the truth. He remembered Anne telling him same but he had put her off, Dylan did as well but he hadnât believed. How come it was obvious to everyone else but him.
âWowâ He sighed. âI could bet all my money you still have feelings for Dylan if you didn’t say this.â Dan said, starting to feel a fire of hope ignite in him but he quickly put it off. Not having feelings for Dylan anymore doesnât change anything.
âI guess you didnât notice because I made it seem as though I was still into himâ
âWhat?â He furrowed his brows.
âYeah. I had my reasons which Iâm actually about to tell youâŚ
âWhen the doctor said I was diagnosed with leukemia and I had a limited amount of time to live. Well, I had these silly wishesâ Layla paused, chuckling to herself. âI told myself even if I was going to die, I would love to at least accomplish these three things. As at then, I was deeply into Dylan that two of my wishes were centered around him; my first wish was being free of the hate charged towards meâ
âAnd you accomplished thatâ Dan smiled.
âYeah, and Iâm glad, my second wish was getting to k-ss Dylan, and my last wish? I guess I would come back to that laterâ
Dan listened raptly.
âYou guys have been asking for the reason I came back the day I collapsed. I told others already and I reserved telling you for this day. I came back because of you Dan, to tell you how IâŚfelt.â
Dan blinked. âIâŚI donât getâ
Iâm in love with you, foolâ
âI donât know how to say this, itâsâŚâ she sighed.
âI like youâ she said and he nodded.
âYou know right?â she asked.
âOf course,â Dan said, getting more confused as he was yet to pick the hints.
âYou know who the most good-looking guy in Ocean High is?â Layla asked and felt stupid immediately. She was doing a really bad job at this but she couldnât approach it any other way.
âWellâŚâ Dan paused, struggling to decipher where this was going. âLayla, whatâs up with the questions? Itâs kind of ⌠offâ
âI know right and Iâm sorry for putting you into this state because Iâm not bold enough to be directâ She didnât meet his gaze. âIf you would please be patient enough with me?â
âOf course, and donât be hĂŚrd on yourself, if itâs something you do not feel ready to say yet, then it can wait till whenever you feel up to it. I definitely do not mindâ
âI have to say it now or it’s gonna take some time to build up the courage again…â She said. âOkay, back to my questionâ
âWell,â Dan shrugged âPeople do say Dylan was the best looking until I cameâ
âYeah, presently you are the most good-looking guy in the schoolâ Layla acknowledged.
âThank youâ Dan said, he would have bowed dramatically if he wasnât feeling a type of way.
âDo you know what my last wish was?â
âI would love to knowâ
âI know I do not have a death date any longer, at least none that I know of, but regardless, I would love to keep my last wish in check. Like I said; As at then, two of my wishes were centered around Dylan and one of my wishes was accomplished with him but I guess my last wish evolved with meâ
âOhâ Dan nodded, prompting her to continue.
For a moment, their gaze followed a kid, whining as he walked alongside a woman.
Layla continued when they were out of sight.
âBefore I proceed, I need to make a disclaimer; my last wish sounds as silly as the second but it just has this significant hold on me, it grew with meâ She felt itâs time to stop being indirect.
âMy last wish was to date the most good-looking guy in Ocean High, the hottest guyâŚâ There was a long pause and she wished she could see the expression on Danâs face but she wasnât ready to meet his gaze.
She continued. âWhich was Dylan at the time and itâs funny how Iâm going to fulfil my last wish with another person without having to change what that wish was because everything seemed to fall in place. I want to accomplish my last wish with the most good-looking guyâŚâ She paused, to look him in the eyes. âIn Ocean High, as of the momentâ
Dan blinked like someone being casted a spell upon.
Layla smiled, seeing he got the message already but only needed a more solid confirmation before getting his hopes too high.
âIâm in love with you than Iâve ever been with anyone else Dan, I realized my feelings for you way before you confessed yours to me. I didnât want to acknowledge it at first because I felt stupid to have developed such feelings for my best friend who was nothing but kind to me. I tried to get myself distracted with Dylan severally because I didnât want to feel anything for you but damn, I had to give in when it wasnât working.
âMy feelings for you seemed to grow stronger and Iâve never wanted to be with someone so bad. After you told me about your feelings, I wasnât sorry because I didnât feel anything for you, I was sorry because it was something I wanted as well yet I made you feel as though it was one sided. I was sorry because my health condition was denying us both something we wanted. I didnât want to venture into something I knew was going to be cut short. I was almost tempted to but leading you on and everything comes to an abrupt end is going to hurt you even more and I didnât want thatâ Layla paused to breath, she has been talking in a rush and Dan has been mute, staring at her as he assimilated her words.
âThe day I collapsed, I wanted to tell you how I felt. I didnât want to die without making you know I was in love with you as much as you were with me. Actually, a part of me is glad I didnât get to say it until this moment. And, when I k-ssed you in Nigeria⌔ She switched her gaze to her laps, m-ssaging it nervously with flushed cheeks. âIâŚwasnât drunk on palm wine, I only pretended to be.â She couldnât see the smile on his face as she continued. âI love you so much Dan and Iâm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. Iâm so in love with you and itâsââ
He bent back her head across his arm and k-ssed her, softly at first and then with an intensity that made her cling to him as though he was the only solid thing in an unstable world. The s-nsations she never thought she was capable of feeling burst through her veins and soon she was k-ssing him back without restriction.
***
âWeâre dating!â Layla interrupted Aunt Esther who was about asking if she told Dan about her feelings already.
âOh my God. Finally,â Aunt Esther grinned.
âYes, finallyâ Laylaâs grin was wÂĄder, she sat on her bed, holding her phone close to her ear. Her auntâs call had come in after they were done with their meal.
âI was about calling to tell you, everyone knows alreadyâ The excitement in her voice was detectable.
âAwwn, I canât even imagine how happy you both must be right nowâ
âIâm so happy, Iâve not felt this fulfilled in a long time. Dan had even called his parents at work to tell themâ
âAre you serious?â Aunt Esther laughed.
âYesâ Layla chuckled, âAnd it was so funny because he rarely calls their work line so they thought it was emergency until he told them the reason he had calledâ
âAhâ Aunt Esther laughed. âAnd I bet they were not annoyedâ
âNah, they were only relieved it wasnât an emergency like they had thoughtâ
“Wow” Aunt Esther was pretty sure he might not have gotten away with it easily if he had tried it with one Nigerian parents.
âIâm so happy for you guys.â Aunt Esther smiled.
âThank you and howâs my girl, does she still give you endless kicks?â Layla asked, chuckling.
âYes o, itâs now much than before sef. I would have thought it would be a boy if I hadnât done pregnancy scan o. Sheâll be very stubborn with the way Iâm seeing things. Hmâ
Layla laughed. âI canât wait to see herâ
âMe too oâ Aunt Esther smiled proudly.
âHowâs Dave and his dad?â
âThey are fine o. Howâs everyone over there as well?â
âGreat.â
âYour friends even came to visit yesterday and I wished they didnât have to leave. You wonât believe Dammy is still yet to forgive me for that thing I did. That girl ehnâ Aunt Esther shook her head.
Layla laughed. Dammy had told her how Aunt Esther had almost made her heart leave her body with the way she had reacted after picking Danâs call. She had everyone on the verge of tears and dread.
âMe that wasnât even in control of my emotions anymore after hearing you survived. I didnât even know when I scre-med and started cryingâ Aunt Esther chuckled.
âAunty Moremi!â Layla heard Davidâs voice.
She giggled âGet him on the phone pleaseâ
***
âOkay, we need you to come have a look at something outsideâ Fel grinned. They had initially planned to present the car to her when she sees them off but decided to do it this way instead.
âGuess the latest car owner in town! Whoops! Itâs Layla!â Layla shouted excitedly to the surprise of everyone. They had planned to surprise her but it turned out she surprised them instead.
They exchanged glances as she did her happy dance, wondering who let her in on the surprise.
âNo one told me a thing, I found out when you guys were teaching me to drive. You made it too obviousâ She chuckled.
âI told you guys she probably found out alreadyâ Phil shrugged, smiling.
âIâm very sure I didnât make it that obvious. I tried as much as possible to disclose nothing. Rylan must be the one!â Fel hissed.
âWhat the hell do you mean!â Rylan growled at her. The fact that they were dating now didnât change how they get on each otherâs necks.
âYou must have been the one that made it so obvious to Layla that we were going to get her a car. I could remember you were all over the place! Dan inclusive!â Fel said.
âHell no–â Dan half yelled.
âYou must have been the one. Your mouth runs unendingly. It must have slipped out of your big mouth!â Rylan hissed.
âIt didnât! you guys were the betrayersâ
âNo! You wereâ
âYou guys were!â Fel scre-med.
Anne gro-ned and rubbed her forehead as they argued.
The slam of the door brought an abrupt end to their argument, they exchanged glances again on realizing Layla wasnât in the room with them any longer.
âOh my God. Layla, stop! We were meant to present it to youâ Fel shouted as they ran out the door after her.
Anne and Phil glanced at each other before laughing.
***
âEveryone get in my carrrrr! We are touring Vegas!!â Layla scre-med excitedly after an hour of obsessing over her car.
As they toured the streets of Las Vegas in the cool evening with Layla behind the wheels, they sang along gleefully to the song blasting through the car.
Layla smiled, enjoying the car karaoke, her body riveting with so much joy and energy.
She wondered if it was real to be this happy, she had been wallowing in sadness years ago and if she had been told sheâd ever be this happy, she would have thrown a punch in such personâs face, but here she is; when she thought she had lost everything and the world didnât matter to her anymore, little did she know the universeâs plan for her.
She’s grateful to God every day of her life.
Of course, the pain of losing her family can never be erased, they were forever engraved in her heart.
She glanced at Dan who was seated on the front passengerâs seat, watching him sing with so much vigor, she smiled, her heart brimming with love for him.
She quickly turned to concentrate on the road and soon, her cheeks were heated up after a brief contact with his l-ips. He had felt her gaze on him for sure.
She glanced at him and he was staring back at her, wearing the most beautiful smile, her cheeks grew hotter and her smile wÂĄder, she again switched her gaze to concentrate on the road, this time with butterflies in her belly.
She resisted the urge to scre-m out her excitement and tell the world how blessed she is.
She resumed singing along with them as they drove through the dazzling city lights.
***
.
.
.
Written by Azeemahâşď¸
Hurray!!!!!đđ
Thanks for reading guys!!!!!!
I’m so sorry I took quite long to upload this chapter. I should have posted it on Wednesday but I wasn’t really satisfied with it so I had to keep editing. It’s the last chapter and I wanted it to be close to perfect.
Thanks for going on this bumpy ride with me, I really appreciate and I hope you enjoyed it.
I love you guysss so much, thanks for keeping me moving, for sticking with me and encouraging me, even though I’ve not been a consistent author. You don’t know how much your love means to me, I won’t ever take it for grantedâ¤ď¸
k-sses….
Author Zeeâď¸