Just stay a bit longer.

Adeniyi picks up a chair from the corner of the room and places it beside my bed. He looks at me with a knowing eye, and I smile at him. We are about to watch the last episode of Originals. My money is on them finding a way to save Klause from impending doom, but Niyi is entirely convinced that this is his end.

“You know he is the main character, and they will find a way to save him, right? I say to him as I grab the bowl of plantain chips from the table beside me. Niyi does not say a word; he looks at me and smiles again. In 2013 when the show started, we watched the pilot episode on my Blackberry bold two while sharing my earpiece. Ever since that day, we watched every episode together on whatever device we could find after downloading from pirated sites.

“You know this show is why we became close friends?” He finally speaks up. Since he got here, the only word he said was when he greeted my Mum before heading to my room. Ever since then, it’s been smiles and gentle nods. “No, the reason why we are friends is that I knew how to download from illegal sites, and you were too lazy to learn how.” I protest, and he smiles again.

“You’re awfully quiet today, you good, bro?” I do not take my eyes off the screen. I know when something weighs heavy on his heart. Niyi does not like to share; every time he has gone through something, he has gone through it alone. I tell him that’s not how to live; he tells me that’s how he knows how to. Hopefully, he talks to me this time, but I sit next to him most often, and we stay there quiet.

“Listen, man, I’m good. Now focus on the movie; I won’t be answering any questions because you refused to focus.” Obviously, I’m going to ask questions; the last episode of this show aired years ago, and because we couldn’t see it together, we agreed we weren’t going to see it. The years rolled by, and we both got caught up doing our thing; we didn’t make time to see it until now. I know we are both pretending not to have seen spoilers and holding on to the opinion we had the last time we saw it, but it’s comforting. So I will ask questions if some things aren’t making sense.

“You have me here, now; talk to me. I would not always be here, and you know it.” I stuff my mouth with some plantain chips and wait for his response. He hates it when I talk like this, but it is true. For years, I’ve tried to live this life I have to the fullest, but I think the time is getting closer. I expect him to get mad at me, so I prepare my mind for the backlash, but some things have to be said.

“I’ve told you repeatedly not to say things like that. What’s your problem?” Yes, there it is, the outpour of frustration. He tries to keep his voice low not to alert my Mum, but I know he desperately wants to yell at me. We both met at the sickbay, he was pretending to be sick to get away from Math class, and I was just recovering from a crisis. We talked; I told him how I missed home and my mother taking care of me during times like that. Niyi said he would come to check up on me if it meant him missing afternoon prep.

We had a deal, I spoke to the nurse in charge, and she allowed him to stay by my bedside during afternoon prep. He had recently been rejected by a girl with whom he stood no chance and kept sulking about how he was better than the guy she picked over him. She made the best choice that time; Niyi was a dead guy. But I listened to him sulk and make jokes about the situation.

When I got discharged, I switched to a day student and would always smuggle my phone to school. We would watch music videos together, movies, and anything new outside school.

“You will be fine; you have to stop talking like this? Remember that time you broke up with Ana, who liked you a lot regardless of your big nose because you thought it was the end? Then you got better, and you regretted it. It feels like the end now, but it isn’t.” We are no longer paying attention to what is playing on the screen — Ana, sweet girl. I broke up with her when I thought it was the end for me and cried when I got better, and she wouldn’t take me back.

“When I called you here today, it wasn’t to preach to me, Niyi. I wanted us to finish the Originals. I don’t want you watching it years later and wishing we completed it. Because then whoever is your best friend would have to hear you sulk like a child, so focus.” I want to change the topic desperately, but he gets up and turns off the television.

“You’re being a selfish cunt” he points at me with the remote. He has put on some muscles. The gym is finally paying off.

“And when did you start saying the word cunt?”

“You think it is funny? I’ve been by your side ever since the day that we met. You do not have permission to tell me goodbye while watching Originals. This show is meant to be a happy memory for us. We are to grow old, have kids, and make them call each other cousins. Now you want to leave me in this life with grief and endless memories to torment me?” He falls to the wall and slides gently to the ground with his head between his knees.

I want to reach out and hug him. Tell him everything would be fine, and he would find happiness somewhere between mourning me and moving on. But I can’t move without feeling a universe of pain.

“Adeniyi”

“Eze”

“You are the best friend I could ever ask for. I wanted this moment to be perfect; that’s why I downloaded it illegally too. Look, there is still 02 TV series on it. To remind you, us, of how far our friendship has come, blossomed, and how beautiful it is. You came into my life when I felt family could only love me, and you showed me what true friendship is, and I’m entirely grateful for that.” I try to sit up to have a better look at him. Niyi is crying.

“But but but….” The words struggle to come out of his mouth.

“In every moment, a choice exists. We can cling to the past or embrace the inevitability of change and allow a brighter future to unfold before us.” I say, feeling wise in my words.

“Are you quoting Klause? Jesus Christ, you are such a clown. Why do you even have that at the top of your head.” I can’t tell if he is impressed or trying hard not to knock me on the head.

“You think I would watch the last episode without seeing my favorite episodes first? Our favorite episodes. Do you know me at all, sir?”

“Well, that’s true. I wish I had gone on that trip with you, but I was broke then, and our calendars have been occupied with one thing or the other ever since. And all the things we wanted to do, places we wanted to see, concerts we wanted to scream at….” If I don’t stop him now, he will talk himself into a bad place of regrets.

“ Let us not speak of regrets. We’re in the perfect moment of the perfect day. Let’s try to enjoy it.” I interrupt.

“You’re doing it again; stop quoting Klause.” I can tell he likes it. He’s just trying to be a complicated guy for no reason.

“ You are the best friend in the whole world.” He looks at me for the first time since he hit the ground. His eyes are bloodshot red. How can someone cry so intensely and silently?

“I love you, bro.”

“I can tell you I love you tomorrow; you are not dying today.”

“You did it; you did it, you did it. You quoted him too!” I do a little dance on my bed with excitement in my heart. He grabs the remote, and we continue from where we stopped.