Me: Can I come in?

Ryan: We won't sleep together.

Me: I didn't come for that.

He clears the passage for me to enter. It's weird, but I missed this house a lot in just two days. I can still see us making love all over this living room. He offers me a drink but I decline his offer because I was in too much of a hurry to get to the heart of the matter.

Ryan (when seated): Yes I'm listening.

Me: I'm ready.

Ryan: To?

Me: Try ... with you. I agree to go out with you.

Ryan: What made you change your mind?

Me (pulling my fingers): I love you too.

He arches his eyebrows with a surprised look. We stay silent, staring at each other without either of us being able to say anything.

Me: Say something.

Ryan: Ok.

Me: Ok? Is that all you have to say Ryan?

Ryan: Yeah.

Me: Ok. I think I made a mistake to come and tell you my feelings. Good evening to you.

I get up to go out disappointed and angry but before I get to the door he turns me around, grabbing my waist and grabbing my lips as he pushes me against the wall. Damn how I missed her lips.

Me (between his lips): What are you playing at?

Ryan: I was punishing you but now I want you too much.

Me: You said we weren't going to sleep together.

Ryan: When I told you, we weren't together yet but now it's official.

Me (opening his jeans): I missed you too much.

Ryan: You too my darling.

I find myself naked in the second that follows our movements are so fast. As soon as I receive it in me I am in heaven. It's on her couch that we make love, let's say round one for now.

*** Maya AMESSAN ***

Sitting on my bed, I blacken the pages of my diary with everything I feel in my heart. I always have a lot of stuff to tell because by the way I don't want to tell other people including my girlfriends. I tell myself that they also have their issues to sort out and their lives to deal with so I don't have to add more. It is true that we tell each other things, our dreams, our desires and all but me I keep the deepest things. I keep them for myself. But generally Olivia guesses them and I admit it. I love my girlfriends, both of them, and I'm happy to have them in my life. I got to know Cynthia first in college and even lived at her house with her mom who was my mom's best friend from school. My mother followed her new husband to Ghana when he was posted there for work. I couldn't follow them because it was in the middle of the year. So I was living in the city until one day after going to visit Cynthia at her house, her mother recognized me because of my resemblance to my mother and she offered to come and live with her. It was her way of remembering her friendship with my mother, with whom she did her entire college to university course before they lost sight of each other. At the end of the year, I didn't want to go to Senegal anymore because I was comfortable here. So she sent money to Cynthia's mother to help with the household needs. After we met Olivia and then when the affair with Cynthia's boyfriend broke and her mother kicked her out, she and I decided to share a roommate. Olivia also wanted to join us and with our small salaries that we earned in the jobs we did between classes, we were able to support ourselves. Today although we make a good living, we don't want to go our separate ways. We will only do this when we are each married.

Of the three of us, Cynthia is the most distracted and upbeat but still a lovely person. Olivia is the hot-blooded and very direct one. You put yourself on her path, she puts you back in your place but she is also adorable. I am the most reserved. So reserved that I never had the courage to tell the man I loved how I felt about him.

Olivia (returning): Have you heard from Cynthia?

Me (hiding my diary): We knock before going home.

Olivia: I already know everything that is written in this diary. Only Cynthia ignores them.

Me: I haven't heard from her. Maybe she had something unexpected at work. It often happens to him.

Olivia: She can still call so we can cook ourselves.

Me (standing up) You know how she is.

Olivia: And you should stop cuddling her. She's the big sister.

Me: Come on, I'll cook for us.

Olivia: We can order food downstairs. It's been a while since I ate their braised chicken there.

Me (smiling): We had to start there.

Our order delivered, we taste our well-braised chicken in front of our heads as we like it. There are men who know how to braise chicken better than women, and this is the case with this guy who is just downstairs in our building. We hear the sound of the lock and we see Cynthia appear all smiling.

Cynthia: Good evening girls.

Olivia: Are you coming in now? Cynthia why every time you're on the show do you do anything?

Me: Olivia, she must have a reason.

Olivia: If she was able to be there, she could at least warn us that she was late. But dido.

Cynthia (smiling): I'm sorry girls. It's just that Ryan and I reconciled.

Me: What do you mean?

Cynthia: Well we're dating. I decided to go for it like you told me and we're together now. He told me he was in love with me.

Olivia looks at me while I try to smooth my mouth to be happy for my friend. I get there and with the biggest of smiles congratulate her.

Me: Finally you made up your mind to get into a serious relationship.

Cynthia: Yeah and it's thanks to you. Olivia don't you congratulate me?

Olivia: No. I'm angry against you.