AFFAIRS: THE UNTITLED
Ayo
had a confused look on his face, wondering what I had just said.
'Who?’
I
looked at him. His face was still close to mine. With Tei at the door, my
interest in him died rapidly and the distance between us became uncomfortable.
I
think he could read it from the way my eyebrow curled up a few seconds after I
moved my gaze from the door to him. I stood upright and adjusted my hair and
outfit.
‘Expecting
someone?’
I
looked up from the floor and at him. I said nothing.
‘New
boyfriend? Potential?’
I
said nothing still. Tei knocked again.
‘I’m
coming!’ I answered and looked to Ayo who was standing a few metres away from
me.
‘He
is a friend I just made and I think you should leave now’
He
put his hands in his pocket and nodded in agreement.
I
walked towards the door and unlocked it. He was standing behind me and that
made me nervous. What if he becomes enraged and smashes my head into the door? I
had seen that happen in the movies but the possibility of that occurring is
very low. Ayo isn't a violent one, as far as I know.
I
unlocked the door and opened it.
There
he stood in all his glory. His lips as pink as a baby’s tongue, that weakening smile; eyes glistening and
skin so smooth and shiny like he had never been under the sunlight, ever.
‘Hi
Gee, I know you weren’t expecting me but…surprise!’
He
did jazz hands and we both burst out laughing.
‘Nice
to see you again, Tei’
‘You
remember my name? Nice’
‘Of
course, I do’
He
hugged me and yes, he smelt divine.
I
had almost forgotten about Ayo while I was basking in Tei’s rays of sexiness until his
voice broke me out of my trance.
‘I
would be taking my leave now, Gee’
I
turned around and looked at him.
‘Oh,
I best not be rude. Ayo, this is Tei. He is a doctor friend of mine and we just
met yesterday.’
I looked at Tei.
‘Tei,
this is Ayo. A…’ I looked back at Ayo while I introduced him to Tei. ‘…friend
and colleague of mine’
Ayo smiled at me with a little hint of disappointment in
the manner at which I had introduced him.
Tei
shook his hand and they exchanged pleasantries.
‘Well,
I should leave the two of you for the night. It is getting late.’ He looked at
me. ‘It was nice catching up. Goodnight.’
He
bowed slightly and walked away. I waved back at him and then to Tei.
‘Shall
we?’ He held out his palm.
‘Yes,
we shall but I have to lock my door first.’
‘Yes.
The door. Important.’
I
rushed into the room. Sprayed a bit perfume, applied some gloss, quick hair
brush and cleavage adjustment; a smile to myself and I was out.
We
went down through the elevator to the pool area. A few of my colleagues were
still hanging around chatting. A live band had set up just across the pool and
they were playing some old school disco songs so a few others were on the
dance floor making some funny bodily movements that I’m sure they assumed to be
dancing.
‘Do
you like to dance?’ Tei asked me.
‘Like?
I love it.’
‘Care
to be my partner?’
‘Sure,
kind sir’
He
held my hand and we walked to the dance floor.
From
Kool and the Gang to Lionel Ritchie to Whitney Houston back to Tina Turner, it
was an evening of pure fun but it got even better when in the midst of everyone
dancing, Tei stopped and planted a big one my lips.
Did
I give in? With most of my colleagues dancing around us, and the slightly
frustrating thought of being the topic of conversation at work or being called
names again?
Yes,
I did. Who cares? I felt like I was in a movie, in the scene where the actors
felt like they were the only ones in the world and it felt good.
He
was a great kisser. As soon as we pulled apart, we stood there looking at each
other, smiling even though I could hear murmurs of my name but I didn’t give a
care in the world.
‘Come
with me’, he said and he took my hand. We ran off into the hotel, giggling and
kissing in the elevator much to the irritation of the other passengers till we
ended up on his floor then his room and his bed.
‘Are
you lost in Wonderland?’ Tei called out from the bedroom. I wiped my face for
the last time, hung the towel and walked out calmly.
He
was in nothing but boxers, spreading butter on a slice of toast.
‘You
took so long in there’ He walked up to me and gave me a polite kiss.
‘Yeah.
I was washing my face’, I replied. ‘I see you started without me.’
‘On
the contrary, I was preparing some tea and buttered toast for you’ He led me to
the small make shift dining table and pulled out a chair for me. After breakfast, he
ordered some ice cream and we cuddled up and watched some movies together till
it was time for me to leave.
Nina
kept pestering to tell her what I was up to because I didn’t look a bit like I had
been having cramps. I maintained my story. Ayo was present at the conference
and this time, we were making a lot of eye contact. Nina noticed.
‘Oh
my! You bad child. You and Ayo got it on’, she said nudging me at every word.
‘No,
Nina’ I looked at her. ‘We didn’t get… it… on’
‘So
what happened?’ she asked enthusiastically.
‘Not
now. Not here, Nina’, I pinched her.
‘Ouch!
That hurt.’
‘I
know. It was supposed to.’
An
hour later, the conference was over and Nina dragged me upstairs to my room so
we could get dressed and mainly, to hear the story of what happened between Ayo
and me.
‘So,
does this mean you guys are back together?’ she asked styling my hair.
‘No.
It doesn’t. After everyone saw me kiss that guy last night? They will even have
more reason to call me a whore. Besides, I don’t want to have anything serious
for a while. I just want to be alone and free and you know…single. It hasn’t
even been half a year since Kojo and I split.’
‘I
know. Relationships are exhausting.’ I got up and helped her zip up her gown.
‘Does
this mean that Tei is free for grabs? Because I’m not on a self discovery
mission’
I
tugged at her hair a little.
‘If
you go near him, I will eat you’. We burst out laughing.
‘You
can have him if you want, sugar’, I said.
‘Ok,
I’m ready. You?’ she asked then flipped her hair and applied more gloss. I
adjusted my gown.
‘Yes,
I am. Urgh! Heels are a pain’
‘Beauty
is a pain, Gee’
I
turned out the lights and we left.
The
dinner party was indoors. I spotted Ayo as soon as I walked into the hall. He
was seated across the hall, chatting up a pretty lady from another company. He
said something and then they both laughed. That used to be me or could have
been me. Certainly not that fat, but I should have been the one laughing with
him at his boring jokes.
As if he had sensed my presence, he suddenly stopped and looked in my direction. Our
eyes met and I looked away from him almost instantly.
‘Guess
who is walking towards you?’ said Nina.
‘Ayo?’
‘Psychic
now. Aren’t we?’
‘I
saw him as soon as we walked in. Cock block me, Nina. I don’t want to talk to
him. Not here or now’
‘Why?’
‘Stop
asking questions and go’ I pushed her a little towards his direction and walked
off quickly.
My
phone began ringing.
I
took it out my pocket to see who it was.
Let
us call him Mr. X for now.
I
hurried to the pool side which was close by to receive the call.
‘Hello?’
The
conversation lasted for a few minutes. I hung up, took off my heels, pulled up
my gown and sat down with my feet in the pool.
I
sighed in relief from the hurting shoes I had had on.
‘Boys’,
I said to myself. ‘Exhausting and complicated’
I
sat there for a few minutes enjoying the cool breeze on my face and cool water moving between my toes until I heard the sound of footsteps moving closer
towards me, so I quickly turned around to see who it was.
And
there he stood, smiling at me with a knife in his hands.
