When Hearts Whispers – Episodes
- Episode 1: The Girl by the Lake
- Episode 2: The Secret in Her Sketchbook
- Episode 3: The Letter in the Pocket that Changed Everything
- Episode 4: A Butterfly in the Wind
- Episode 5: Rain Over Nyamugari
- Episode 6: The Number That Changed Everything
- Episode 7: Truth at Huye Bus Park
- Episode 8: Jealousy, Trust & A Kigali Art Cliffhanger
The night in Huye still smelled of fried sambaza when Kevin ran. His heart beat like a drum in Umuganura celebrations. The phone call repeated in his head: “Someone tried to take Aline’s sketchbook tonight.”
He ran past goats tied near the road, past children chasing a tire, past Patrice’s small shop with its dim bulb. His bracelet scratched his wrist, as if reminding him: Hold on. Do not give up.
At home, Mama was sitting on the veranda, peeling cassava leaves. “Why do you look like fire is chasing you?” she asked.
Kevin bent down, hands on knees. “Mama, someone called. They said…they said Aline’s sketchbook was almost stolen.”
Mama frowned. “Sketchbooks don’t bring hunger, but they hold dreams. Sit. Breathe first. Love without peace becomes sickness.”
He sat. But his body shook. “Mama, what if Kigali is too big? What if I cannot protect her there?”
Mama’s voice was calm, like a hymn. “Kevin, do not confuse love with control. You are not her soldier. You are her partner. Trust is the only strong wall for love.”
Her words were like cool water, but his fear still boiled inside.
At 9:40, his phone rang again. It was Aline.
“Kevin! Did Emmanuel call you? Did someone call you?” Her voice was fast, sharp.
“Yes,” he said, chest tight. “A man told me someone tried to take your sketchbook.”
Silence. Only the hiss of Kigali’s network. Then Aline said softly, “It is true. When I went back for supper, the matron told me the studio had been locked. But when she opened in the morning, the desk looked touched. Emmanuel said the sketchbook was moved. He kept it safe.”
Kevin swallowed. “And you…you trust him?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “He is my teacher. I cannot live in fear of every kindness. Kevin, I need you to trust me too.”
Her voice cracked at the edges. She was strong, but she was also tired.
The next morning, Sandrine arrived at Kevin’s home, chewing roasted maize. “You look like a ghost who lost his own shadow,” she teased. “If you faint, don’t land on Mama’s cassava leaves.”
Kevin almost smiled. Almost.
Sandrine sat down, serious now. “Listen, little brother. Jealousy is a wild goat. If you let it, it will eat even your own garden. Tie it before it destroys you.”
Mama nodded. “Eh, this girl speaks wisdom.”
Sandrine slapped Kevin’s shoulder. “So, do you want to keep running like you are in Tour du Rwanda, or will you trust the girl you love?”
Kevin sighed. “I want to trust. But my heart…”
Sandrine interrupted, “Your heart is not a dictator. Teach it manners. Say: Be calm. She loves me. Say it again and again until it believes.”
Kevin laughed weakly. But it helped.
Meanwhile, in Kigali, Aline walked through Nyamirambo’s busy streets with her roommate, Imani. Women sold colorful second-hand dresses on ropes, and children carried buckets of water on their heads. The smell of chapati mixed with exhaust fumes.
Imani laughed loudly at almost everything. “Eh, Aline, you walk like a hen counting her chicks. Relax! Kigali will not swallow you.”
Aline smiled. But inside, she felt the weight of Kevin’s fear. She knew he loved her. She also knew jealousy was knocking at his door.
In the studio, Emmanuel greeted the students. “Today we learn perspective. See the city not only with eyes, but with heart.” His voice was kind. His eyes serious.
When he passed by Aline, he whispered, “Your butterfly… it carries hope. Do not let fear clip its wings.”
Her stomach twisted. Did he know about Kevin’s call? Or was he just being a teacher?
That night, Aline called Kevin earlier than usual. “Kevin, I must tell you something.”
Kevin’s chest tightened. “What is it?”
“I am afraid too,” she confessed. “Not just of thieves or sketchbooks. I am afraid of losing your trust. Afraid you will see every man here as an enemy, and one day you will stop believing me.”
Kevin was quiet. He looked at the stars above Huye. “And I am afraid of being too small for your big world,” he whispered.
They both breathed, long and heavy.
Then Aline said, “Kevin, love is not about size. It is about truth. If you feel small, walk closer. If I feel far, I will call louder. Promise me: no secrets, no hiding. Only truth.”
Kevin’s eyes watered. “I promise.”
That moment, their love grew not by removing fear, but by sharing it.
But life did not rest. On Wednesday, Mama received a visitor: Uncle Patrice, the one who fixed bolts and carried sacks. He sat heavily on the bench.
“Kevin,” he said, voice rough. “I heard something. People in Kigali are talking. They say a man from the studio; Emmanuel likes Aline more than just as a student.”
Kevin’s blood went cold. “Who told you?”
“A cousin of mine who works near Nyamirambo. He said Emmanuel is seen walking with her sketchbook often.”
Mama’s face hardened. “Be careful, Kevin. Gossip is a snake. But snakes still bite.”
Kevin’s trust shook like leaves in a storm.
That night, Kevin told Aline about the rumor. His voice trembled. “They say…they say Emmanuel walks with your sketchbook, that he looks at you more than a teacher should.”
Aline gasped. “Who said that? Kevin, do you believe it?”
He wanted to say no. He wanted to be strong. But silence answered first.
Tears filled her voice. “Kevin, if you let gossip decide our story, we are finished before we begin.”
His heart broke. “No, no, Aline. I am learning. Please, forgive me. I want to believe only you. I just…I fear too much.”
Aline breathed hard. Then her voice softened. “Kevin, listen. Love is not a prison. If you build walls, I cannot breathe. Build a bridge instead. Meet me halfway.”
Kevin whispered, “I will try. For us.”
Later that week, when the hostel lights dimmed, Aline placed her sketchbook under her pillow. She wrote in her diary: Trust is fragile, but hope is stronger. Promises grow with truth.
Just as she closed her eyes, her phone vibrated. A message from an unknown number:
“Uwimana Aline. Be ready. Monday’s review will change more than your art. Some want you to shine. Some don’t.”
Her blood chilled. She looked out the window. The moon over Kigali was bright, but a shadow moved near the hostel gate.
She quickly texted Kevin: “Something is wrong. Pray for me tonight.”
In Huye, Kevin read her message under the same moon. The bracelet cut deep into his skin as he whispered, “God, protect her.”
Then his phone rang. Not Aline. Not Emmanuel. Not Sandrine.
It was the same unknown Kigali number.
He picked up with shaking hands.
A deep voice said, “Kevin, if you truly love Aline, come to Kigali. Tomorrow night. Nyamirambo. Or you may lose her.”
The call ended.
Kevin’s breath caught. His heart raced. Tomorrow? Kigali? Was it a trap or a chance to protect her?
He stared at the dark hills. Then whispered, “For love, I will go.”
The night wind carried his words, soft and trembling.
End of Episode 9! Stay tuned for Episode 10
← Previous: Episode 8 – Jealousy, Trust & a Kigali Art Cliffhanger | Next: Episode 10 – The Journey to Kigali →
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