AFFAIRS: The New Year Fling Part 2 ‘Resolutions, Mistakes… Resolutions’

AFFAIRS: THE NEW YEAR FLING

 

The first thought that ran through my head as soon as the car came to a stop was to run in case it was going to explode. I have seen too many movies, I know but better safe than sorry.

I opened the door and quickly stepped out of the car. I stood a few meters away from it for a few minutes, watching and waiting. Nothing happened so I rushed to make sure Big brother was alright. He had already stepped out of the car with everyone else. They were checking to see if anyone was badly hurt. Not a scratch but we were all pretty shaken. As time passed, the crowd around us grew thicker, so Big brother hailed us a cab and put me in it. He didn’t want me around the town people before we would have to start battling another story.

I got in and the driver took us home. Big brother came along because I had no idea how to get back.

As we drove past buildings, trees, I began to wonder how in a split second we could have all been dead. How precious and delicate life is. I wished I had gotten to the point of the bright so I could know what a Near-Death Experience is like.

‘We were just in an accident, Gee’, said Big brother to me.

I looked at him and smiled.

‘Yes and we are alive, Thank the Lord.’ I paused. ‘It was kind of fun though. The whole car spinning thing but we are alive.’

‘I know you would want to update your Twitter or Facebook status. Don’t. Before mum sees it and starts flipping’

‘How would she see it? She isn’t on either of the sites.’

‘But her brother is’

‘True. Well, I wasn’t going to update anything anyways’ I closed the web browser on my phone and put it away.

‘I believe you’, he said in a sarcastic tone.

‘Serious. I was just checking on the time’

He smirked. ‘Whatever, Gee. I ain't suing’

The taxi stopped in front of their residential building. It was two story building. Each apartment had three bedrooms and a common toilet, kitchen and living room.

I climbed out of the taxi and dragged my tired self into Big brother’s room.

8:00am

‘GEE!’

A very familiar, squeaky voice screamed my name from the hall way and came banging on the door of the room in which I was sleeping.

‘Wake your lazy ass up, Gee! I have missed you so much. Geeee!’

‘Urgh! Shut up, you stupid hoe. I’m up’

I grumbled out of bed. Bami. She is a friend of my brother who became a close friend of mine. Apart from the fact that she thinks I’m a psycho, everything else about us and our relationship is pretty normal and healthy.

I quickly rushed into the bathroom and brushed. I can’t be talking with a smelly mouth this beautiful morning. What if Fiifi decides to drop by and console me because of last night’s incident? I can’t disappoint my people.

I washed my face as well and put on decent outfit hurriedly.

‘BAMI!’ I hugged her tight as soon as I spotted her standing in front of the door with her silly, childish smile.

‘You don’t even grace these zones anymore’, she said after we pulled apart.

‘I’m sorry, love. Work is stressful.’

‘Got a man yet?’

‘I’m still waiting for Fiifi’

‘You, my friend, are pathetic.’ She hugged me again. ‘I have missed you though’

‘Then you should come visit more often’, I replied.

‘Abeg. That your place is too far’

‘You don’t say and you expect me, obviously without a life, “to grace these zones” more frequently? Bami, it is a new year; care about me more’

She laughed and pulled my hand towards the door.

‘Err…where are we going?’

‘Breakfast. I’m here. You just woke up and, it is a new year. I’m trying to start caring about you more’

‘But I can’t go out dressed like this. My hair is a mess. At least, let me shower and brush my hair’

‘Gee-’ She was about to start complaining when I cut her short.

‘My future lover might be at the breakfast café so please be patient’

‘Whatever.’

She walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.

‘Where’s my brother though?’

‘Oh. He went out to drop Fiifi at his family house. Something about them having a family get together this afternoon. They should be back this evening’

‘And since when did my brother become part of Fiifi’s family?’

‘How am I supposed to know that?’ she looked at me with a puzzled look on her face.

 ‘Go shower, Gee and hurry up.

We were at the Café talking about time gone past. I told her everything from me and Kojo’s breakup to Ayo’s story.

‘Let’s get your mind off those silly rats and meet, for ourselves, new guys. Not just new but…’ She laid out two invitation cards on the table ‘…clean cut, prim and proper’

‘What are these?’

‘Porsche just opened a new branch in this town and the opening is tonight so everybody, who is anybody, and is into cars, beautiful women and expensive wine, is going to be present at this event. I got an invite and you, my friend, are my plus one’

I kept looking at her like all she had said was French. In that moment of silence, I was trying to imagine the kind of people that I would possibly meet at the event. The possibility of Ayo being there was quite high. His family goes to these kinds of things but, whatever.

‘So?’

‘I’m in. As always’

‘Great. Let’s go shopping and get her hair did and nails and...’ She rambled on as we left.

The evening was simple and short. I did meet a lot of ‘new men’ but none of which caught my eye or interest. Most of them were proud, rude and shallow minded. Bami didn’t have any trouble with this sort of people.

Within a few minutes after the program ended, she was off to another party with a bunch of gentleman that had bought a brand new Porsche.

I got into my car and drove on home to big brother’s place. I walked into the living room. The lights were out and everywhere was quiet until Fiifi’s door came open. He had on nothing but a pair of track pants and was holding a tray of half- eaten cake. I would love to go into details about his firm, washboard abs, the perfect V that ran down from his abdomen into his pants; leaving so much to the imagination or the tattoo that ran straight across his chest, or his pink soft, supple lips or his charming, boyish smile that can melt hearts at first sight but I like cake more.

‘Hey. Want some?’ He walked towards me and placed the cake on the coffee table in the living room where I was standing.

‘Sure.’ 

I went into the kitchen and got a saucer and knife.

He took it from me and cut me a slice.

‘Want some juice with it?’, he asked. ‘Mum made lemonade and I know you love lemons so I saved some for you’

‘Thanks a lot, sweets. I would love some.’

‘Okay, I’ll be a minute. You can take your shoes off now you know.’ 

I smiled sheepishly and took off my heels. My feet hurt a lot as I stepped flat on the carpet. How Bami manages to walk in these almost every day is beyond me.

He came out with a tray of my cake and a glass of lemonade.

‘Come, let’s got my room. The living room is hot’

‘Or you’ve been in your air-conditioned room for too long’, I answered back.

‘Whichever it is, we are sure as hell not staying in here for a second’

‘Where is my brother?’ I inquired as we passed big brother’s room.

‘Oh, he should be on his way back. He went to visit a friend after the get together at my end’

‘I thought it was a family thing?’

‘Yes. It was’

‘So when did my brother become part of your family?’

He balanced the tray on his left side and opened the door with his right arm.

‘It is a long story, Gee. Not for tonight’

‘Ok.’

His room was chilled and smelt like man. How does a man smell? Go into your brother’s room or your dad’s or boyfriend’s. That smell? Yeah, that’s man smell. His room, unlike brother’s, was clean and organized. I loved that about people. Clean people attract me.

It wasn’t long before I wearing a shirt of his over the Khaki shorts I worn to the event and we were cuddled up on his bed, in the dark, talking.

We talked about almost everything from partners to work and family and the conversation slowly rolled into how we feel about each other. His eyes were small and charming like his smile. 

Fiifi was all kinds of beautiful to me, laying here with his perfectly sculptured body in nothing but his track pants.

‘Why didn’t you ever tell me that you felt that way about me?’, he asked staring straight at me, almost not blinking.

‘How could I? You were either dating someone or having a prospective girlfriend. I just never found the right time. Then, you are also my brother’s close friend I didn’t want to ruin what you guys have with my plenty emotions so I just never-’

He cut me short with a kiss.

‘That’s all in the past now.’

He pulled me closer to him, wrapped his arms around me and kissed me deeply.

‘I also feel the same way, Gee’ I wanted to say something back but he stopped me with another kiss.

‘Quit talking and just kiss me back’ He pulled the cover over us.

Whatever happened between me and Fiifi under those sheets would never be spoken of. We agreed to keep it our dirty little secret.