Love Found Me When I Wasn’t Looking (Episode 4)

Victoria’s POV

Monday came too quickly.

I woke up earlier than usual, my mind still wrapped around Saturday his smile, his voice, that gentle peck on my cheek. I tried to act normal while getting ready for work, but my heart betrayed me. It beat faster than it should have for an ordinary Monday.

At school, I felt it immediately.

Daniel was already in the staffroom.

The moment our eyes met, something passed between us quiet, electric, undeniable. We both looked away at the same time, pretending nothing had changed, but everything had.

During assembly, I stood in front of my class trying to focus on morning instructions, yet my eyes kept drifting toward where Daniel stood with his pupils. Each time our eyes met, my breath caught. It felt like a secret only the two of us shared.

While teaching, I caught myself smiling for no reason.

“Madam, why are you happy today?” one pupil asked.

I cleared my throat quickly. “Face your book.”

But my heart was already exposed.

During break time, the staffroom became torture. We sat opposite each other, pretending to read or mark books, yet our eyes kept finding their way back. When he smiled, my stomach flipped. When he looked away, I missed him instantly.

Someone spoke, and we both laughed at the same time. The room went quiet for a second.

I felt it then the weight of attention.

Love, I realized, does not hide well.

Later that day, my phone buzzed with a message from my mother.

*Have you thought about the Abuja man? He is serious.*

My heart sank.

Family pressure had arrived right on time.

Daniel’s POV

Monday tested my self-control.

From the moment I saw Victoria walk into the school compound, I knew I was in trouble. She looked the same simple, graceful but something about her felt different now. Closer. More mine, even though nothing had been said aloud.

I tried to focus on my class, but my eyes betrayed me. Every time she passed by my classroom, my heart skipped. When our eyes met, it felt like the world paused for a second.

In the staffroom, I pretended to mark scripts, but I was acutely aware of her presence. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was nervous. The soft smile she tried to hide. I wondered if she knew how hard it was for me not to stare.

I reminded myself to be careful.

People were watching.

Then my phone vibrated.

It was my mother.

When will you bring a serious woman home? You’re not getting younger.

I sighed.

How do you explain to a Nigerian mother that love is growing quietly, intentionally, and not on demand?

I wanted to tell her about Victoria about her kindness, her strength, the way she made me want to be better. But I wasn’t ready to invite pressure into something still finding its feet.

That evening, I waited until I knew Victoria was home before calling her.

Victoria’s POV

His call made me smile before I even answered.

“How was work?” he asked.

I laughed softly. “Stressful. You?”

“I survived,” he said. “Barely.”

There was a pause, then he added, “Today was… hard.”

I knew exactly what he meant.

“My mum called,” I confessed. “She wants me to consider someone else.”

Silence filled the line.

Then he spoke, carefully. “And what do *you* want?”

That question mattered more than anything else.

“I want peace,” I said. “And honesty.”

“So do I,” he replied.

Daniel’s POV

After the call ended, I sat quietly.

I knew what was coming. Family expectations. Cultural pressure. Timelines. I also knew one thing clearly I didn’t want to lose her to fear or silence.

This wasn’t just attraction anymore.

It was intention.

And intentions deserve courage.

That night, we both lay awake in different rooms, thinking the same thoughts 

continue reading Episode 5