Affairs- The Boy(s) 'Three is a crowd so one has to go.' (2)

The Boy(s).

I began punching the air as soon as I got outside the hall. Crazy men all around me.

What is going on?

My phone was still ringing.

‘Sorry, Mr. X but this isn’t the right time for receiving a phone call’, and put it on Silent profile.

‘Gee!’

Nina was right on time. I spun around as soon as I heard her voice.

‘Here.’ She picked up her pace and got closer to me but I grabbed her arm before she could start rambling on with her many questions and we walked quickly to the elevator.

There was silence when we stepped into the elevator for a few seconds until I screamed.

‘What is wrong with these boys?!’

‘I think it is the cake’, Nina said in her most serious tone.

‘Really? Really, Nina? Is that the best you could come up with?’

She shrugged.

‘I thought it was romantic.’

‘Not that romantic when everyone is calling you a whore at work in the morning’

‘Oh Please! Even if you didn’t kiss any stranger in front of them, they would still call you a whore because you are not married. Deal with it’

‘Urgh!’

The elevator stopped and we walked to my room and in front of my door was a basket of chocolate, and lots of roses and a note.

‘Wow. You are on a roll tonight. Aren’t you quite the hot cake, milady’

I grunted.

‘I wonder who this is from?’

The card read ‘Tei. Thanks for a lovely evening and an even better morning. Kisses.’

I was flattered and I did feel a little ting of missing him but immediately Nina spoke, I remembered Ayo.

Maybe it was because she was telling me that Ayo was walking towards me.

I placed the card in the basket and picked it up, ignoring her and the footsteps of currently, the most annoying hottie in the world, I began to struggle with the key to open the door. Why did it have to fumble at this moment?

I finally got it open and stomped into the room. Part furious and Part excited.

‘Gee!’Ayo called out from outside the room. ‘Please,wait! I’m sorry.’

‘Nina, get in and close the door’ she walked in and stood by the door, refusing to close it.

‘I think you should talk to him, Gee. Please’

I dropped the basket on the bed so hard that its content spilled on the bed and some onto the floor. I sat on the bed and rested my head in my palm.

‘Close the door, Nina!’ I yelled. Instead, she let Ayo walk into the room.

He walked up to me and stood in front of me. I could see his shiny, black shoes from the spaces in between my palm.

‘Gee, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.’

‘Get out, Ayo’, I murmured.

He knelt in front of me and tried to touch my hands but out of disgust and raging fury, I got up and yelled at him.

‘Get out!’

He got up with a shocked look on his face, and stood right in front of my face.

‘What is it Ayo?!’ I yelled on.  What do you want from me? You ruined me. I cried Ayo. I shed tears for you. For days, weeks, months. I felt useless. I couldn’t understand why. Questions with no answers. Messages with no reply. I even tried to kill myself for you!’

By then, I had burst into tears with my voice still sustaining its angry tone.

‘Isn't that enough torture for a weak soul like mine to carry? What do you want from me? You humiliated me in the office when you left and you come back and do it again. Do you want me to lose my job? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME? WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!’

He replied quietly, ‘Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you’ and there was the silence.

Nina coughed. I had completely forgotten that she was there.

I looked at her and then at Ayo. 

'I’m sorry but you have to leave’

‘Yes. I will, but I want you to have this. I was gonna give it to you tonight but…like you said, Sorry just doesn't  fix everything’ He dropped a small black box on the dressing table.

‘Good day, Gee. Nina’, He greeted and walked out.

Nina shut the door and ran to my side.

‘Hold me lest I fall to the ground’

She quickly put her arms around me and I instantly burst into tears.

She put me on the bed and used her gown to wipe my tears.

‘Stop crying, love. It’s Ok. We’d get through this together, alright?’

I  nodded.

‘Can I see the box?’ I requested. She got up, picked up the box and handed it to me.

I opened it slowly and gasped when I saw the most beautiful silver bracelet with my name engraved in it and decorated with little diamond stones.

‘Let me see’, said Nina rushing to my side. ‘Wow. It is so beautiful, Gee’

‘I know, but I don’t want it’

‘I understand why so I wouldn’t suggest anything. Just lie down and get some rest, OK? We have to wake up early tomorrow to travel back home.’

‘Yes, with all those annoying so-called co-workers of ours. Argh! Ayo. Why?’

‘He loves you, Gee.’

‘I know, Nina. I do but…’

‘But what?’

‘I don’t want to go back to him.’

4:15am

My phone rings.

I wake up to the annoying ring tone that had found its way into my dreams. Nina lay beside me. We were both still in our dinner gowns and the lights were still on. I wiped my hair from my face.

‘Shit.’

I climbed out of bed, still not quite certain of what I was doing. I was half awake and half asleep; searching for a phone everywhere I thought I heard the sound ringing out from.

Memories of what had occurred the night before began to rush into my consciousness when I spotted the black box on the floor. One of us must have kicked it off the bed. I picked it up and placed it on the table.

The ringing stopped and started again. Wow. I prayed it was not Ayo because I wasn’t ready for any confrontation. I found it on the chair where I had been seated earlier. How it got there, I didn’t care. I just needed to know who it was.

Mr. X.

My face lit up and I got a little lively.

‘Hey you’, I answered

Twenty minutes later…

I was laying on the bed, still on the phone with Mr. X.

He said something funny. I laughed but covered my mouth so as not to wake Nina up.

‘I have to go now. I would see you when I get back tomorrow. Sorry, today’

‘Straight to your place. No. I have to settle down first. Clean up, rest a while and then I’d meet up with you’

‘Great. Goodnight’

I hung up still with a smile on my face. I bit my lower lip passionately at the thought of meeting him later in the evening. I looked at Nina. She was far gone into dream world. I yawned and went back to bed.

8.00am

We were on our way back to the city. We had been on the road for almost an hour and the half. Nina was seated next to me chatting away with someone on her phone. There was no way she was going to leave me alone with all the snickers and weird looks I had been getting all day in the bus.

I had been thinking about Ayo the whole trip through. I didn’t get to see him that morning at the final assembly before we took off. In my hand, I held the black box he had gifted me and kept recalling all what he had said.

The rest of his life with me. No. He must have been overwhelmed with emotion when he said that. There is no way he could have meant it.

My phone beeped.

A message from Mr. X. Ayo was now out of my mind.

10.00am

In a taxi on my way home. Nina was with me. She was too lazy and tired to go to her place so she was gonna spend the day with me. I hadn’t told her of my evening plans yet. She didn’t have to know. UntilI was sure it was going to workout as I had planned it in my head.

12.00pm        

We had cleaned up the apartment, cooked, showered, eaten, gossiped. Nap time.

3.00pm

I began to get ready for my ‘date’ that evening. I told Nina that I just had a simple,quiet date but she shouldn't wait up because I might be late.

She didn't mind. She just rolled to her other side on the bed and sighed.

I picked up my car keys and locked the apartment with my key.

4:35pm

Mild traffic. I had just gotten off the phone with Mr. X. I’m sure he is cleaning up his place now like every other silly boy does when a girl is coming over.

5:29pm

I parked the car by his apartment’s building. Locked the door and walked into the building.

5:35pm

I knocked on the door and waited patiently. My heart was racing as I heard the bolt unlock. He opened the door and had a smile on his face.

I was smiling as well.

He walked up to me, grabbed my waist and kissed me.

I had to catch my breath when we pulled apart.

‘Wow.’, I said and giggled. ‘I miss you too, Kojo’