A Valentine's Affair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A VALENTINE'S AFFAIR

 

BY

 

OSAS IDUBOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COPYRIGHT© 2023 OSAS IDUBOR

 

All rights reserved. No part of this E-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise (mechanical, photocopying, recording or stored in a retrieval system) without the prior written consent of the author. Such action is an infringement of copyright law.

 

DISCLAIMER

 

This E-book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead is purely coincidental.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

 

The second-person narrative technique is right about being one of the hardest narrative techniques to employ while writing, yet I thought to wind up something for you all, my wonderful tribe. Thanks for constantly reading me; with you in mind, I made sure this would be yet another irresistible read you wouldn't be able to put down until you are done reading it.

 

So, do have a lovely read.

 

Yours in penmanship, 

Osas Idubor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dedication

 

To God, with the whole of my heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS

 

TITLE PAGE

 

COPYRIGHT

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

 

DEDICATION

 

ONE

 

TWO

 

THREE

 

FOUR

 

FIVE

 

SIX

 

SEVEN

 

EIGHT

 

NINE

 

TEN

 

ELEVEN

 

TWELVE

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONE

 

You just got off the phone with your bestie, and her last words to you were, "Go out, have fun, hook up with any son of Adam." It wasn't up for debate; she didn’t leave any room for that and hung up even before you could put up a protest. This was coming after you both had spent so much time talking about your past relationships, and she suddenly hinted that it was high time you moved on from your most recent relationship, which though was more than two years ago.

 

For more than two years, you hadn’t opened your heart to any man. Didn’t think you cared, even though you were once a hopeless romantic. You were living your best life as far as you were concerned, and you didn’t think you had any heart left for these unrepentant sons of Adam to finish scattering. But you had this deep talk with your bestie, and it opened your eyes and your heart to emotions you had been trying so hard to keep locked.

 

You wanted to feel loved again. You wanted another shot at this thing called relationship, and maybe you had only been pretending all these while not to care. It was even worse that you recently binged-watched a Korean series whose plot was thick on romance and found yourself secretly wishing to find your own Jang Uk. You wanted to be Mu Deok, Jin Bu Yeon and Naksu to your own Jang UK.

 

Now everything made sense, and what would make even more sense would be for you to go out on Valentine’s Day as your bestie had advised. But you would rather have a certain amount of control over the outings than throw yourself out with such reckless abandon, so you went over your socials; it was high time you replied to some of the messages you have been ignoring for ages. But it wasn't as though all your fears had suddenly vanished into thin air; after all, these were men, and men are dogs. They cheat and cheat and leave you gasping for air. They cheat at almost everything and with almost anything, in skirts or otherwise. Didn't you catch Ramsey with his dog? his dog, for crying out loud, the same dog you were so fond of and would pet whenever you visited him. But the afternoon that you caught them, Ramsey wasn't expecting you; you didn't tell him you were coming over and wanted to surprise him that day since, well, his birthday was the next day, but you got surprised instead.

 

Back to: The men on Facebook were still as disappointing as ever, replying to your messages with "dear," "sweetheart," and the likes and asking to know where you lived. Solomon, what do you need my home address for? You asked yourself, not him. You sighed now and ditched your Facebook account for other instant messaging apps in hopes of meeting real boys. Boys whom you could hold intellectual conversations with, who wouldn't bore you with the five Hs of "How was your day?" and "How was your night?" "Hope you've eaten?" and so on.

 

You opened your Instagram account and, coincidentally, found that you had a new message request. You checked to find out who the request was from and saw that it was from a certain Gabriel. You hurried to his profile, and boy, was he a breath of fresh air. You didn't hesitate and hurried back to your inbox to accept the message request. You then dropped an unsuspicious reply to his message, after which you hurried back to his profile and this time you checked for other details.

 

His bio read "Medical Student," and just before that were two flags, one Nigerian and the other the United States flag. His most recent picture was that of him graduating; your heart did a little skip even as you patiently read his caption, whilst hoping he wasn't any younger than you, but he wasn't, or so you concluded because he clearly stated that he had just bagged his masters; it wasn't his first degree he was celebrating.

 

You wondered how he found your profile, but that would be question for later, you told yourself. The first thing would be to get to know him.

 

"Oh, you are not Adora. I'm sorry for barging into your DM unannounced; I mistook you for someone else." His next message read, even before you two could have a proper conversation. There was no denying how disappointed you were, and slowly, you logged out of Instagram in a bid to let go of the mid-day disappointment.

 

You should have declined his request, you thought. Read, and ignored or deleted his message, since, well, he wouldn't technically know you hadn't read it.

 

You decided to sleep it out. Tomorrow was another day to man-hunt, but first, you needed to let go of the disappointment of day one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO

 

Your bestie's definition of you going out to have fun, was you hooking up with a couple of super hot dudes, but you hadn't suddenly lost your decency. If anything, you wanted a chance to get to know someone new and fun that you could hopefully fall in love with.

 

It was day two of your hunt and you felt refreshed as hell, forgetting how the previous night panned out.

 

You had such a wide smile plastered on your face and couldn't wait to continue from where you stopped man-hunting but first, you had to clean around the house and fix yourself breakfast. It was a Saturday, and about three weeks to Valentine's Day. You couldn't believe you were doing a countdown to Valentine, but, oh well.

 

After cleaning, you felt too lazy to cook and fixed yourself a light meal of oats with fruits and milk, it felt refreshing but you knew sooner than later, you would be visiting the kitchen for a real meal. There was no denying how much of a foodie you are and although now that you think of it, it often posed a problem in your past relationships, but you also didn't see how that was any important now.

 

What those boys saw was a glutton, but you Obehi knew you were far from being one. You only ate when necessary and as the spirit led.

 

You had your phone in your hand now and just returned from the kitchen where you had gone to rinse the bowl you used for breakfast. You wiped your mouth with the back of your palm and scrolled down your TL with the other. A piece of interesting gossip news caught your attention, one of the famous A-list actors was being talked about. Apparently, someone had leaked her private photos and she was threatening to sue.

 

You sat properly on your sofa and couldn't wait to get to the root of the gist and made a stop next to your favourite gossip blog. As expected, the blogger was the first to release the news but more painful was the fact that the blogger was laughing at the actress, calling her "a confused doll" this was a name that no doubt had to do with her actual nickname which is Barbie. You cringed. It was nothing to laugh about, there was nothing cute about having ones naked picture littered everywhere and as assumed by the blogger and commenters, you didn't think she was behind the leak. Who intentionally leaks their private photos on the gram? And just as you made an attempt to leave a comment, you got notified of a new message, it was from none other than Gabriel from the previous night. He was asking to know if you were ignoring his message and he sent other messages you had no clue of but found yourself now curious of. So you had no choice but to open his messages. You came across three different apologies with the smiling face with heart eyes emoji. You smiled. You couldn't help with the smile. You replied then, feigning ignorance of what he was talking about.

 

"I had so much work to do and had such little time for the gram." You replied. You wondered if he would argue that you had been online all these while and you waited patiently for his reply, whilst feeling nervous.

 

His reply came in two seconds later, it was short and the simple "Okay."

 

You felt your throat dry and although you didn't mean to, you were beginning to feel sad, why didn't you say something else? Was this the end of your conversation? Was he offended by your reply? Two minutes later and there was still no reply from him after the okay. Three and four minutes later and it became so obvious that none would be forthcoming. It was then left for you to do something, anything to rectify the mistake you already made.

 

So you asked how he was doing. He replied almost immediately saying he was fine and was just about to message you but he was busy at the moment and about to fly halfway across the country to meet his parents.

 

"I haven't seen them for some time now, it wouldn't be bad to visit them and I plan on doing just that today." His message read.

 

Wow, a family-oriented guy, you thought and smiled.

 

"How about we chat much later? I would kill to have that chat with you."

 

Your heart skipped a beat.

 

There were more messages. "You seem fun and my type. Been to your TL and I like all that I see."

 

You were on cloud nine and didn't know yet what to reply him with. To tell him he seemed like so much fun too? To say okay? To someone who had just described you as fun?

 

"I'll be here." You kept it short and hopefully, it came across as cute to him.

 

You found yourself smiling still and unable to do away with the smile.

 

His next message came in, reading. "Thank you."

 

If anyone had told you you would meet someone sooner, you sure as hell would have doubted.

 

Gab seemed promising and now, you looked forward to holding more conversations with him.

 

"Just a little problem though." His next message read.

 

Your heart raced against your chest and your smile was now slowly fading.

 

"I don't chat much here, WhatsApp?" He asked.

 

You heaved a sigh of relief, you waited a while before you eventually sent him your digits, because you told yourself that you didn't want to seem desperate.

 

He sent another message and it was him appreciating you for sending your digits.

 

You were back to smiling and after replacing your phone on the sofa, you danced into the kitchen. You were excited, all too excited, but it didn't stop you from fixing a real meal now sha. You were hungry and it wasn't as though oatmeal solved anything in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THREE

 

You were back to having your thoughts preoccupied with the ill act that was meted out to the A-list actor. You felt all too sorry for her and didn't know why people chose to mock her instead. Their comments were totally off-point, and sooner or later, you were bound to make a post addressing the issue on Twitter. You were a force and kept lending your voice to things like this and was rather a shameless advocate for women's rights, even though there were tons of people who were strongly against your tweets and opinions. As expected, some were already running with the narrative: "I can't wait to see how that shameless Obs comes to defend this one now."

 

"Obs," a name carved out of the name "Obehi," and it would've been such a cute name had it not been sometimes used by the trolls to mean "obsessive."

 

You spent more time online and in the comment section of the posts that had to do with the actress, as though you hadn't gotten the hang of the gist. Or maybe you were stalling, watching, and waiting to see if Gab would message you, but you got nothing. In your head, you had pictured how things would go. How you both would text nonstop, hang out, and go on dates, even though that seemed close to impossible pending whenever he decided to get on a flight to Nigeria because clearly, he was in the US. The location on his pictures said so. But you were looking forward to hanging out, going on dates with him, and even having your first kiss, which will pave the way for many more kisses to come. You couldn't help it; you were a hopeless romantic, and ever so often, it was quite easy for you to build your future (in your head) with guys you had only just met. No, guys; they weren't perfect, they weren't good, and your opinions were still intact, but you would keep kissing as many frogs as you wanted till you found your prince charming. You were hopeful if not for anything; the many movies and books you've read have unconsciously assured you that you would meet your Mr Right someday and have that happily ever after.

 

Just as you stood up from the bed and slid out of your gown, your phone beeped. You bent over slightly and figured it was a new message on WhatsApp. Who could it be? You found yourself asking, even as you unlocked your phone and opened WhatsApp.

 

"Hi, Obehi, It's Gabriel we got talking yesterday on Instagram. Happy Sunday." The message read. You paused but smiled. You had almost forgotten that you sent him your number.

 

You dropped the phone gently on the bed and continued from where you left off with helping yourself out of your outfit. You had been in it since you returned from the church some thirty something minutes earlier. Your undies were left now, and you bounced right back into the bed. You knew you had to take a quick shower soon but knew Gabriel's messages were more important. You could really see your date with him happening now and couldn't stop wishing it would happen on Valentine's Day. But you knew deep down it was just mere wishes; spending the day chatting with him instead, would do the magic instead.

 

"Hi, Gabriel. How are you?" You asked.

 

His reply came in almost immediately, as though he had been waiting for your message. It made you feel giddy inside, and you would leave a response after about four minutes. You were used to playing hard, and you weren't about to make an exception for him.

 

His reply dropped immediately, and there were more messages from both your ends after that. It didn't seem like it was ending anytime soon, and you loved how you both bantered off each other. You couldn't remember the last time you had this kind of banter with any guy, not even your last, and you knew for a fact that Gabriel was your next.

 

"So got plans for valentine's? I'm buzzing to go on a date with you, that is if there isn't someone looking to break my head once I ask you out."

 

You giggled. It was a soft giggle. You were laughing at his attempt to know if there was someone in the picture. It was cheesy, too cheesy.

 

"I'm single to stupor. You've got nothing to worry about." You replied, but would find yourself regretting the response after a while. You didn't think it was such a great thing to say and didn't want him thinking you weren't a hottie, but you scolded yourself sooner for overthinking things and didn't want to miss going out with him on Valen...you held your thought, and you instantly got reminded that he was abroad.

 

"What a relief!" He sent. It was his first message that took longer for him to send, but you were happy anyway. "So what do you say to our first date? And on this special Valentine's Day? Meanwhile, heads up, you might want to put on as many shields as possible."

 

"Why?"

 

"You are going to fall hopelessly in love with me at first sight, and when that happens, you just might follow me home for an..."

 

"For an?" You felt hot all of a sudden.

 

"For an even more intense time together." He sent. You could feel your thigh muscles wet and your heart softly beating against your chest. Who was this man, and how was he able to evoke so many emotions in you from afar?

 

Now more than ever, you looked forward to your date with him. Something close to a fairytale experience at a romantic resort.

 

"But that's close to impossible." You replied, after snapping out of your thoughts.

 

"Why?" he asked.

 

You thought of all the ways you could ask him the question and didn't think you knew how best to ask him, till you found yourself typing "You are in the US, aren't you?" and eventually sending it.

 

His reply came in almost immediately. It was the face with tears of joy emoji. Then more texts came in, the last being "I am back in Nigeria."

 

You wanted to ask how since he said he was flying half the country to see his parents the day before, but you remembered he never mentioned he was in the US at the time, and it made even more sense that he was in Nigeria already. You heaved a sigh of relief whilst grinning hard from ear to ear. Your prince charming was here, and you were bound to have the best Valentine ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOUR

 

Valentine's Day came sooner than expected, and you found yourself on a romantic date with Gabriel.

 

You couldn't contain your excitement and knew that if it was a dream, you would rather not wake up from it.

 

You both were in a tent, lit with candles and paper lanterns, with throw pillows stuffed beneath and beside your arms. You were almost going gaga over how lit, cozy, and unreal the date and its environment were. When you both talked about the date, you pictured it happening in a hotel that, of course, would be packed with people in cliché red and white outfits, courtesy of the valentine. You never imagined you would be having a private dinner with him in this tent that has been set aglow not just with the petals, flowers, candles, and paper lanterns but with sparks you imagined you both could feel.

 

Your banter continued even better in person, and you couldn't help breaking into giggles at the end of your sentences. You both knew you could sit and talk until the wee hours of the night if care was not taken. You never ran out of things to say to each other, and his American accent even made the conversations more likeable; it had a certain mix to it. It was coloured with class and sophistication and everything in between.

 

Another thing you loved about him was his eclectic taste in music, which was yet another thing you both had in common. And you both took turns to tell the story behind your preference, noting that you preferred classical music amongst others. It surprised you, because half the time, the guys you go on dates with either have no clue what classical music is or don't prefer it at all to other genres.

 

"Are you a US citizen?" You suddenly asked him; you've been dying to know.

 

"Flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you." He said.

 

You chuckled. "Come on, it's so easy to tell."

 

"Really? I didn't think it was until now. But to answer your question fully, yes, my mom was pregnant with me when she relocated abroad to meet the man that got her pregnant."

 

You laughed. He was so cheeky, and you could never take him seriously. "The man that got her pregnant, isn't that technically your dad?" You smiled when you asked.

 

"No."

 

His demeanour suddenly changed. It was then that you knew this wasn't one of his random jokes, and you instantly felt bad for aggravating him. What have you done? And how could you rectify the mistake?

 

"I'm sorry." You said, calmly.

 

"He abandoned her. Made her come all that way only to abandon her."

 

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

 

"He made her believe they were going to be happily married when he was already married."

 

"That must've been tough. I'm so sorry, Gabriel."

 

He suddenly stopped talking, put his head up, and gave you a death stare. You swallowed hard and could feel your heart pounding ever so swiftly against your chest. He seemed like he could pounce on you at any time, and you readjusted in your sitting position, getting some throw pillows out of the way as gently and unsuspiciously as possible.

 

"Just look at her!" He suddenly shouted, bursting into laughter shortly after he said that.

 

The tension was still there, and you were having such a hard time calming your nerves.

 

"You look so terrified. You should see your face. City boy was just messing around." He said.

 

You shut your eyes and let out a sigh.

 

"I hate you right now." You said.

 

"And I'm already falling for you." He replied.

 

Your heartbeat took on a soft rhythm this time, and you could almost not feel your cheeks. And your stomach rumbled in excitement.

 

He leaned closer, and you maintained eye contact with him but would soon shut your eyes, even as he cupped your face and went in for a kiss. It was magical—the kiss, the moment, and everything in between. You kissed back; there was no playing hard to get. You wanted to live in the moment.

 

He paused and pulled back a bit. "Again, you look so unreal. The idea had been to totally mesmerise you, but I find myself totally mesmerised by you." He said.

 

You looked away shyly. This man was making you weak at the knees, and it was only a matter of time before you melted completely at his feet. Because you didn't know what to say, you drank nervously from the glass of wine that had been standing idly next to you.

 

"I want you in my life. It's scary, I know; we've known for how long? Two weeks plus? Yet I can't go a day without thinking about you. You are the first person I think of when I wake up in the morning, the first..."

 

"Are there others you think of after me?" You chuckled shortly after saying this. You didn't mean to interrupt, but you couldn't help but crack a joke. He smiled slightly, bent over, and kissed you on the cheek before continuing the conversation.

 

You felt loved, but you felt stupid the most for saying what you said. You instantly hated yourself for your constant lack of trust and hated how that had almost ruined the moment.

 

You leaned closer to him now and rested your head on his shoulder even as he continued talking.

 

You caught a whiff of his scent, and for the umpteenth time that day, it was doing you in, in ways that might not please the Lord. You were losing it with this man, and no sooner had he turned to look at you than you put your head up and drew his lips in for a kiss. Screw playing the hard girl, you thought. The moment was yours to seize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIVE

 

You were getting used to his short kisses on your cheeks that came unexpectedly, but that left you warm on the inside.

 

You both were getting ready to go home, and the once-sunny weather was no longer as bright as it used to be that day. It seemed like it would rain, and you hoped you could make it back home in time before it did. You hadn't driven down; you had boarded a cab, but now he was doing you the honour of taking you home in his car.

 

You helped him pack up and load the car with some of the things that were his and that he had used in achieving the romantic date. He had gone on to talk to one of the people in charge of the resort, probably to let him know that he was checking out, and when he returned, you both went over to where he had parked out front and got in the car, getting ready to leave the private resort.

 

You had the time of your life and kept smiling even as he drove.

 

"Care to come over to mine?" He suddenly asked. "I have got a fantastic place, and it's excellent in size and decor. Most times I can't resist the urge to show it off, like now, I'm buzzing to let you see it. Just so you know, this fine bobo is quite serious with his life."

 

You cheesed. "There is no getting used to your cheekiness. It's beginning to grow on me," You said. "But I would rather be home; I'm far spent and could use some relaxation."

 

"Right? I'm so sorry, the date went on longer than expected. But are you sure you are capable of giving yourself the maximum relaxation you deserve?"

 

You chuckled nervously. "Why do you say so?"

 

He reached out and held your hand with his hand that wasn't on the steering and placed a kiss on the back of your palm. "I can help you relax well. My house has all the magic. I've got an excellent bar that's stocked with all the good stuff. Soda, juice, beer, vodka—you name it. But in case you might want to keep a light head, then I have got the bathtub that would do the job, and I won't be watching; I'd give you your privacy."

 

Your breath caught in your throat. You were lost for words and didn't think you knew what you really wanted to do at the time. The offer seemed irresistible, yet you knew deep down that you would kill to have some alone time right at that moment.

 

"The offer is charming, to say the least, but I've got to go home."

 

"Any reason? Could I be the reason? Am I boring you?"

 

"No,"

 

"Oh, come on, don't be a stranger, you can let me know the truth. I know I am the reason; I might not be a good host after all. This is the first time I have gone all out of my way to try to impress a girl, and it's because I feel something strongly for you. I just thought we could further chill out at my place just so we could make this day even more memorable. I didn't know I didn't do a great job the first time..."

 

"Hey, that's not it. Okay, you know what? I'll come. I'll follow you home."

 

"Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want to." He said.

 

You nodded and said nothing after that. Your heart was pounding with a feeling you couldn't quite place your fingers on. Excitement? Nervousness? You could only wait to find out. You rested your head against the window, even as the ride continued.

 

*

 

The house was far from the city and in a bit of a dodgy area. You knew what the feeling was about now; you were nervous and suddenly didn't feel safe, and you thought you could rewrite your decision of coming now. You just had to look for an excuse to leave.

 

"You good?" He asked, as if reading into your thoughts.

 

You nodded your head nervously. "I'm good. Why do you ask?"

 

"It's just that you have been awkwardly silent, or do you think I'm going to use you for rituals or something?" He laughed, but you didn't. "Oh, come on. So this house of mine is like a 5-star hotel, and there are a lot of staff on hand. We won't be alone." He said, even as he honked the car once more. He had done that two times already since you both arrived in the car. Presumably, he was trying to get the attention of the houseman to come open the gates, and just as he was about to honk for the fourth time, the gate opened and a man in a well-tailored uniform appeared.

 

Your tension eased the slightest bit. Even as he drove in, your eyes went on a proper tour, and you were indeed marvelled by the beauty in front of you. And yes, he wasn't lying when he likened the house to a five-star hotel. It was that luxurious, and even when you stepped in, you could clearly see how magnificent the interior was. The large hall that served as the living room in the mansion was nothing short of spectacular, and your eyes indeed caught sight of the bar he spoke about. It was a minibar, and you found the arrangement of the different varieties of drinks to be excellent.

 

"Wait till you see the pool behind the house; now that I think of it, I think that would be the first of things to get you to properly relax." He said.

 

You were shaking your head. "I didn't...I didn't come with my swimwear."

 

"And that, my friend, isn't a problem." He said. He dashed off the stairs, smiling, leaving you to wander about the living room.

 

Just by the left-hand side, what would have been the kitchen, seemed like a small restaurant, and curiosity took the better part of you, so you strolled over to have a look. You weren't wrong; it was a restaurant. Your breath caught in your throat. "How is this possible?" You asked yourself and would walk in properly to have a look; fair enough, it had just two tables and chairs, a TV mounted at the far end of the room, and that whatever the sitting position of the guests, they could watch the TVs from where they sat.

 

Who was this man? And how much wealth does he command? You asked yourself.

 

"I see you have found the restaurant." He said, causing you to jump slightly in fear.

 

You hadn't heard him walk in. You turned around gently while managing a smile.

 

"Just a little heads up, this mansion used to be a 5-star hotel; it folded when the owner slumped and died in one of the bathrooms."

 

"Oh," you said. You wished the death part didn't accompany the story and didn't know how to feel from there on.

 

"No, matter how hard they tried, the business couldn't go on. But I took the courage to buy the abandoned property." He covered the distance between you two. "This is just one of the few restaurants people used to dine at, at the hotel. There is another one at the other end of the building. I can show you to the place."

 

You smiled. "Never mind." You were beginning to hate how moody you were, especially as he was trying all he could to make you have a good time. You saw how his demeanour soon changed even as he passed you the clean swimsuit, and it was then that you decided to throw caution to the wind. This man here has been nothing but kind, charming, and sweet. And you were going to be his sweet little girl soon.

 

"Where do I change?" You asked, smiling with the brightest smile you could muster.

 

You followed after him even as he stepped out of the restaurant and stopped when he stopped walking. He then pointed his chin to a room, after which you nodded and walked towards the room, whereas he walked away too, in the opposite direction.

 

The room was close to being empty, but there was a bed with a beautiful sheet adorning it, and you locked the door behind you even as you went over and placed the swimsuit on it. You needed to get out of your flowering gown, and you did.

 

When you walked out of the room minutes later, he was there waiting for you, with tall glasses of drink.

 

"Wow," he said. "You make it so hard for me to breathe." He added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIX

 

You didn't know what to think of his statement, but it swept you off your feet, nonetheless. You both were by the poolside now and were feasting on chicken wings with a good amount of sauce and pineapple juice to go with them. You loved the ambience by the waterside. You loved the aroma of the food and the music playing in the background.

 

Soon you let your hand rest on the deep brown table, shut your eyes, and chewed quietly. You were happy that you no longer had the moodiness and nervousness that were threatening to ruin everything, and rather unexpectedly, you felt Gabriel's hands on your thighs. You opened your eyes to find that he was now squatting next to you.

 

Before your mind could further wander, he pulled your lips into his for a tender kiss. It was the warmest you have ever had with him. The kiss felt like home; it was different; it was soft; and you'd never had that kind of kiss with any guy before. Something about it felt right, and you didn't know when a single tear rolled down your cheek. You cleaned it as fast as you could, but it hadn't gone without his notice.

 

"Hey!" He called gently. "You good?"

 

You smiled, chuckled, and tried to keep yourself from breaking into tears all at the same time. You mumbled a simple "thank you." Hard girl, hard girl, and this man had completely swept you off your feet.

 

He smiled. "Wait till you witness the last surprise I have for you." He winked and got up, cleared the table, and excused himself.

 

You were getting ready to go for the swim had you not felt dizzy now, and slowly, you dropped your head on the table and passed out.

 

*

 

"Obehi, OBS, obsessive obsession." You heard Gabriel call. You were just regaining consciousness and became alarmed the moment you noticed you were tied to a chair.

 

You could feel your heart threatening to thump off your chest, and slowly, you turned your head to the sides in a bid to find out where you both were, but the place was far from being familiar; it didn't seem like any of the rooms in the hotel-like- mansion. But you could hear the pitter-patter of rain beating against the roof and windows.

 

Before you could ask what was going on, he took the plunge and started talking.

 

"I've been looking forward to this meeting." He said, after which he burst into uncontrollable laughter, his six-foot frame bending slightly and his hands hugging himself. "Or haven't you? Don't tell me I have been the only one looking forward to this?" He asked.

 

You were far from being dumbfounded; you felt bamboozled by him, to say the least.

 

Asake's Bandana started playing in your head; you most definitely didn't see this coming.

 

"I should have just quit the intro of kissing you and go straight to doing this, but you will agree with me that that would have been boring. I mean, it wouldn't kill to kiss you here and there, and if I had been more patient, I would have been able to place my head between those twin towers of yours." He said, staring at your breast.

 

You looked away; you couldn't maintain eye contact with him at the moment.

 

"...further wrap you in a hug and let my hands caress that succulent body and waist of yours."

 

You still didn't know what this was about, but whatever it was, as long as you were tied to a chair, it wasn't anything good. You were done for and you could feel your whole body shaking.

 

"I could barely focus on the master plan I had for you because I didn't expect you to be more dazzling in person. Pictures don't do justice to your beauty, OBS, and I would have sworn you were a duck had I not invited you over for a romantic date."

 

You now confirmed your suspicions that he knew you on the streets of Twitter because, before his reveal, he had constantly made use of the nickname "OBS." But still, you had not the slightest clue what this was about.

 

"Men are dogs, right?" He asked, slightly resting his hand on your shoulder now.

 

You gasped for breath. This wasn't looking cute any longer. It was never cute, to begin with.

 

"Men are dogs," this time it was a statement and not a question. "Madame feminism, strong advocate of women's rights, defender of the defenceless. Agba influencer. Men are dogs, right? And isn't that the reason why you drove Baby T to his death? You made those minions of yours drag him over what would have been the most basic issue ever. What didn't you say? How didn't your coven witches support you? Let's agree the innocent boy made a mistake; wouldn't it have been best to correct him lightly and then let him be? But no, you kept dragging him till he committed suicide."

 

You suddenly felt your throat dry. You couldn't believe your ears. Yes, you remembered a certain Baby T, a young man who was supposedly in his mid-20s and who had an issue with a girl on the TL, and you had taken it upon yourself to support the call-out on the boy. But suicide? It was news to you. You never knew he took his life and wished this would all be a terrible nightmare that you would soon wake up from, but as time ticked on, you became evidently aware that it wasn't a dream.

 

"Ba...Baby T?" You found yourself asking.

 

"Yes, Baby T!" Gabriel shouted and stomped his foot on the floor. "He was such a light in the world, my light, my ray of sunshine! The kid brother I have always been so proud of! The only good thing that happened to me after my horrible first dad but you snatched that light. You quenched his brightness."

 

"How is he dead?" You found yourself asking, even as your voice shook. What you didn't expect was him walking over and planting a heavy slap on your cheek, one that almost made you go deaf.

 

"Are you insane?" He shouted and pushed the chair you were tied to almost immediately.

 

The chair landed on the floor, and the impact left your body in shambles. Your head banged the most from hitting the floor directly from behind. You winced. You couldn't bear the pain that shot around your body.

 

He walked over, and in one swift move, he bundled you and the chair back up.

 

"Of all the many things that would happen to you today, I can assure you, the best will be you not leaving here alive." He said.

 

You were deeply in pain. The side of your left eye that had been wounded was hitching you, but you couldn't do justice to that; your arms were still firmly tied behind your back. But you would bend your head slightly in an attempt to rub it against your shoulder.

 

All the while, one question kept coming to mind, even as you expressed countless discomforts. "How did you get yourself into this mess?"

 

 

 

 

 

SEVEN

 

That was not to say you didn't feel bad for Baby T; you felt horrible and disgusted by the actions you had taken that led to his death. It was why you couldn't bring yourself to pray now; had you not been thinking of ways to rip this man's clothes off in a way that wouldn't please God? How would you then use the same lips to seek protection?

 

You were contemplating within yourself and hadn't noticed him walking over to the corner of the room and returning soon with five litres of fuel.

 

"This is it. Make peace with your god." He said even as he poured the fuel all over your body.

 

You were going to pass out, and you could already feel your spirit leaving your body.

 

He moved back, brought out a lighter, and switched it on, but just before he could toss it over your body, you woke up panting heavily.

 

It was a dream. It was a dream. You felt trickles of sweat pour down your body in relief. Everything, from the date down to the visit to the home of the boy whose face you couldn't remember now but whose name was Gabriel, had felt so real and too real that you pinched yourself now to be sure you were really awake.

 

You felt like crap but felt like crying the most, and so you let yourself cry. There was the intense pain that was slowly weaving its way all through your body, and you would sit up in bed soon, letting out a sigh for the umpteenth time since you woke up.

 

But rather soon, you started laughing, in between shedding a few tears.

 

"So it was all a dream?" You asked yourself again. After a while, you got down from the bed, walked into the bathroom, washed your face, and returned to your room.

 

You checked your phone for the time, and it was some minutes past 2 a.m. You needed to go back to sleep, even though you knew that was close to being impossible at the time owing to how totally devoid your eyes were of sleep.

 

You decided to sit down and document the dream. Someday, you could talk about it in the newsletters you occasionally send out to your 1,000 subscribers. Maybe on Valentine's Day even, which was about three weeks away. It would make a killer read if properly executed and if the actual events were altered slightly. You thought. You reached out to your notepad, which never left the side of your bed, and gradually, you documented the dream that night.

 

*

 

You couldn't push off the thought that the first you were so close to having something real in a long time, it had been a complete dream, but then you hurried over to Baby T's Twitter page to check on him, to see if there was cause for any alarm, and would find that he was randomly retweeting and tweeting. But somehow, you were the least settled. His name wasn't the only real thing from the dream; the events had indeed happened, and now you felt troubled, too troubled. What if he was contemplating suicide? There was no way to tell, but you thought of a plan: you would send a message with one of the parody accounts you had. Yes, there were the celebs you shamelessly loved and had fan accounts for, but you would rather have your ass rot in jail than have your actual fans see that part of you; hence, there would not be anything Agbary about the "Agba influencer" they called you.

 

Twenty-four hours later, there was still no reply from him. You knew it could be because of several factors. One, it was a parody account, and people barely interacted with accounts like that. Especially because the people who often run these accounts are sometimes fraudsters. Two, he might not be the type to reply to messages; he seemed like someone with so much ego, and the fight with him had even been because of that. He had locked the girl (who called him out on Twitter) outside his house at about 2 a.m. because, according to him, the girl was going to forcefully have her way with him.

 

At the time the callout was made, the girl who brought the matter to Twitter said he locked her outside because she refused to sleep with him; he then came and countered the story, saying she wanted to forcefully have her way with him. Between the two, you believed the girl's version of what transpired because it made so much more sense than his inconsistent, half-baked story, you thought.

 

They dragged him for days. The matter went on much longer, with boys coming to his rescue and girls defending the girl who made the call, although a smaller percentage of girls chose to take sides with Baby T. They felt the girl was lying because it wasn't her first time being involved in a scandal like that one.

 

On your part, you put a call through to her. In the heat of the issue, you knew you had to make the call, and when you did, you asked her severally if she was indeed telling the truth. She swore by her grandmother's grave that she was. You became far more convinced, and besides, after his first attempt to try to deceive the public, Baby T never put out another post. It was all mayhem from his defenders, and they continued supporting him till the issue died down. And you? You hadn't in any way folded your arms; you equally matched their energy, and your first victory came when he deactivated and went quiet for a long time.

 

"Obvious reaction of a guilty person." You posted after a while, and the tweet had so many retweets, likes, and comments. Because your followers knew all too well to whom you were referring.

 

This hadn't gone without you getting dragged by a few people, though.

 

"Obsessive Obehi is at it again." They kept chanting at the time.

 

Coming to: Your breath got caught in your throat even as you opened your message box now and found that Baby T has left a reply to your message.

 

"Hi, angel." It read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EIGHT

 

Who is his angel? You found yourself asking, even though, deep down and for some inexplicable reason, you felt relieved that he had replied. You had already given up hope and didn't think he would reply, but now here you were, relieved and thinking of what next to say to him.

 

The goal had been to check up on him, and there was no better time to remind yourself or so. And you most definitely couldn't wait to get it done and over with.

 

"This conversation could go two ways."

 

The moment you read this, your throat tightened.

 

"1. You tell me your real name, and we vibe really well. Or 2. We carry on pretending you are really Nancy Isime. I mean, I could play along sha, unto say, na my celebrity crush."

 

You didn't think he would be this fun to chat with, but you resisted the urge to match his energy. Your hatred for guys hadn't suddenly vanished, and unlike your dream, you were the least romantic.

 

"Are you sure you wouldn't settle for the second option? I mean, this will be something close to having the real Isime in your life. You never know; I might know more about her than you." You typed while convincing yourself it was simply a reply and nothing more.

 

"You know, what? You are right. This should be fun, but I must warn you, I'm quite the charmer."

 

You paused. It seemed like a line from your dream, only that Gabriel's words had been for you to put on shields to avoid falling for him.

 

This left a tingling feeling in your chest, and you wondered now if the dream was any revelation of what was bound to happen, but that would mean that you have to steer clear of Baby T.

 

But you told yourself you needed to keep chatting with him. Needed to be sure he was okay and not depressed; needed to know if somehow he was contemplating suicide even if he wouldn't spell it out completely.

 

So you carried on with the conversation, and you both chatted for a long time. It felt as though you had known him all your life, and the clues you were searching for? You didn't know if they were there or not. But he seemed happy. Really happy, and despite your feeling that it was enough reason to call it a day and stop chatting with him, you couldn't help but keep with the conversation.

 

"Since you live quite close to the airport, you should be able to attend Usher's event tomorrow."

 

For a moment, you were dumbfounded after reading the message. Yes, you had mentioned to him that you lived quite close to the airport, but you didn't know about the other things he was talking about, and for a moment, you felt his message was incomplete.

 

"Could you rephrase?" You asked.

 

"Yes, love." He sent.

 

You thought you hated when guys you barely knew used pet names on you, but you said nothing now and waited for him to rephrase his message.

 

"A friend of mine named Usher is putting together a poetry slam; you mentioned your like for poems, so I thought it would make so much sense if you attended the event."

 

"Oh, cool." You typed and sent. But, you thought, that would mean you running into him at the event; you didn't want that. "You will be attending, yeah?"

 

"Of course, he is my friend; I got to show him support, which is why I'm equally inviting you. Invited quite a good number of friends." His message to you read.

 

You didn't know what to make of the invitation, and you hadn't suddenly forgotten your dream. What if this was the dream playing out in reality? Gabriel invited you to a private resort, and Baby T was inviting you to a function. What if—just what if he knew you were behind the account? You thought so, but you also didn't see how he could know.

 

There was nothing to link you to the account—not the number you used in registering, not the email address. Again, you told yourself that this was a better opportunity to check up on him, and no sooner had you thought of that than you sent a message to him, agreeing to be in attendance.

 

"Yes!" he replied.

 

He seemed excited—all too excited—but despite your coming down with a smile, you resisted smiling.

 

What if he recognised you as Obehi? you suddenly asked yourself. But then, when has anyone ever recognised you outside of social media? You would respond.

 

You were one of those girls who weren't photogenic and didn't bother much with pictures. So you only had a few pictures on social media, but your tweets got you to trend all on their own.

 

So you thought it wasn't up for debate or contemplation any longer, and you were going to be in attendance at the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NINE

 

You arrived at the hotel where the poetry slam was taking place rather early, and after asking around, you were directed to the right hall where it was taking place.

 

It was an incredibly small hall, and this made you feel the slightest bit worried. Because you could count the number of people present, and no sooner had you settled down when you caught sight of a ruggedly handsome man in an expensive-looking suit. Right there and then, you forgot your reasons for coming and uncontrollably had your entire attention focused on him.

 

All the while the organisers were trying to set up, you still had your attention pinned on him, and soon you both had locked gazes. You were the first to pull away, but nothing prepared you for what happened next. He walked down to where you were and said something you didn't quite catch the first time until he repeated himself.

 

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

 

You were confused, to say the least. About two people had turned around and had their attention focused on you both. You could sense a drama coming down, and you got up on your feet and walked out as fast as you could.

 

But he followed after you.

 

"Obehi."

 

It was then that you halted your movement. Who was this guy? And how did he know your name? You found yourself asking because he most definitely seemed like someone who knew you in person.

 

"Do I know you?" You asked.

 

He scoffed. "Why would you? When all you do is drag and shame people all year round, rinse and repeat."

 

This time, your throat knotted. "You are?" You were all too eager to know. You already noted that he wasn't Baby T. You knew what that one looked like. So who was this? And of all people to get mad at you, why does it have to be the good-looking guy? You thought and asked yourself.

 

"Your darling Baby T," he dropped like a bomb.

 

You stood rooted to the spot. "No way." You found yourself saying.

 

He shook his head. "I don't know who invited you, but I would rather you leave this place right now, except you want me to cause a scene."

 

You didn't see how any of this was possible. How had he recognised you outside of social media? Everything happened so fast that you couldn't put it past the fact that you were having a dream. But you pinched yourself severally, and the last one hurt like hell.

 

You could feel your heart racing so much against your chest as though it were about to explode. How on earth did he recognise you? You had earlier planned to slip in and out of the event unnoticed and now you blame yourself for not using the scarf you had thought to make use of last minute.

 

You had no choice but to go home, but your legs won't move. The stubborn part of you wanted to stay for the event. Wanted to see if Baby T would come around again to have a conversation with you.

 

You were still baffled, absolutely baffled, to find that the handsome man was Baby T, and now, you went over his Twitter account, but couldn't find a single picture of him. You went over yours next and searched for the tweet that you had put out late into the previous year, concerning the issue (that he was involved in). It was then that you figured he was most definitely not the same person.

 

Now, you felt furious, angry even, and would demand an explanation from him, so you walked back into the hall with hopes of coming across him, but he was nowhere in sight. You sucked. You really needed to find out the truth, so you sat back with hopes that he would get back into the hall, but that was how time went by; the event kicked off and came to an end, and Baby T was nowhere in sight.

 

But you had thoroughly enjoyed yourself and now felt the need to write to your 1,000 newsletter subscribers. It had been a while, and you most definitely couldn't wait to get started on the article. But just as you were about to step outside, you bumped into him, Baby T. His chest was thick and firm.

 

"You stayed," he said.

 

You looked at him quietly and then pushed away from him.

 

"Can you get out of the way?" You asked.

 

"Is that what you want?" He would say.

 

You stood confused and nervously looked around you before engaging him in further conversation.

 

"What do you want?"

 

"I should be the one asking you." He said without hesitation.

 

By now, you were angry and could use a brick on his head—okay, not the head with the cute face in it, you thought, maybe somewhere else, like his...you swallowed even as you retraced your eyes from his pants up at his chest.

 

"Now that I think of it, I do have some questions for you. The first would be, who the fuck is Baby T and how are you him?"

 

The music had just stopped playing at the time, and you hadn't expected your voice to be loud, but it was. Some attention was thrown your way, and Baby T hadn't hesitated in pulling you along with him even as he stepped out.

 

You both were outside now, even as the guests from the poetry slam and other events trooped in and out of the compound.

 

"Sit." He ordered once you both arrived at an open space with fancy chairs and tables.

 

Your breath annoyingly got caught in your throat. "Are you high or something? Do you know who the f*ck you are talking to?"

 

He laughed. You didn't see what was funny.

 

"Of course I do. The saucy Obehi, the one and only obsessive Obehi, the one whose nose is always stuck in other people's business. Defender of the defenceless, "Her royal pettiness." He said.

 

You swallowed. There was no way this was going to end well. You might as well be in serious trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEN

 

Even as he continued talking, your mind kept going back to the dream you had of Gabriel. What if this was a manifestation of the dream, and you waited rather impatiently for him to finish talking so you could take your leave.

 

Subsequently, you texted your bestie; you wanted her to know where you were and shared your location with her.

 

"And as for Olore, did it ever cross your mind that she might have been lying? For someone who even used the wrong picture to drag me, she is almost capable of anything." He took a deep breath. "I didn't demand sex from that girl. Yes, we planned on meeting for the first time, but when she arrived, I was baffled at how much different she was from her pictures. I promise I'm not about the vain things, but you really should meet Olore in person. She didn't seem like someone who took very good care of herself and personal hygiene is such a huge deal for me. She kept scratching and scratching what I suppose was an itchy spot on her legs, arms and back, so I knew we couldn't possibly share the same space, so I told her I would use the couch, and that was when she began to get angry. She insisted we use the same bed. Now we weren't in any form of relationship but were getting to know each other, so I felt it totally unnecessary for us to share the same bed." He paused.

 

You swallowed. In a million years, you would not have thought that these were the episodes that ensued. You feared he might be telling the truth but waited to see if there would be any inconsistencies because you remembered bits of his story that he shared on Twitter when the whole thing happened. Despite his leaving out these details, you were learning about them for the first time.

 

"She kept insisting and even reiterated that she wasn't expecting anything to happen between us. Rather grudgingly, I obliged, and I wish I never did because as soon as I got in the bed, Olore put her leg across me, the same leg she had scratched the most; this caused me to get up in panic, and then she fell on her butt in the process. She let out such a loud scream that I could have sworn I had an animal with me in the room. She was enraged, and that is when she started saying all manner of things all at once. I apologised severally because I could clearly see she was in pain from the effect of falling. She limped while pacing and throwing insults at me, then was fine again in minutes, or should I say seconds? At least that is what I saw. I was partly relieved, only for this girl to start crying."

 

You shifted in your seat. Embarrassment slowly sifts its way to your chest.

 

"I went over to where she was sitting on the single couch in my bedroom, put my hand over her, and tried to pacify her, only..." He took a deep breath.

 

You took one too. Whatever he was about to say, you could sense that it wouldn't at all be pleasing.

 

"She pulled my lips into hers for a kiss; I pushed back out of shock, but she moved closer and closer, seeming stronger even. I hurriedly stepped out of the house, and she followed after me, all the while whispering to me that she was horny and I should be understanding. My neighbours could easily have heard us, but I was being quiet about everything and most definitely didn't want to cause a scene, so I told her how sorry I was that we couldn't have sex, but this loose woman started screaming for help, and out of panic, I hurried in and locked her outside, then tossed her bags to her from the window."

 

You were speechless but had questions. "Didn't your neighbours come to her rescue? Also, didn't you care about what she would say to them? So why did you have that much confidence leaving her outside?"

 

You watched him shake his head. He seemed disappointed in your question but was doing so much to not show that he was.

 

"I would be lying if I didn't subsequently have the same thought. It later occurred to me, but I also couldn't open the door for her to get in again. I have two neighbours, and the other two recently packed out one month earlier. The current two had travelled for a function, and it wasn't until that moment that I remembered. And in case you are wondering, the time was roughly 8:30 p.m., which meant that it wasn't late and Olore could as well have been able to go home. Which she did, of course, except she lied about my kicking her out at about 2:00 a.m."

 

"Wow," you said.

 

"I know it's not every day you come across a disciplined man like myself. So make of the story what you need to make of it. I have nothing more to prove to you, Obehi. Coming across you, I just felt the need to tell you the truth about what happened." He got up.

 

"Disciplined, you say, but if she had come to you, Cardi B, you wouldn't have hesitated to get between her legs." You said.

 

He was quiet for a while before he eventually spoke again. "You never give up, do you? Obsessive Obehi." He had a faint smile on his face, and with that, he walked away.

 

Of all the many things to feel at the time, shame was at the top of your list. You couldn't see past what you did now, and rather slowly, you got up on your feet and walked away.

 

 

ELEVEN

 

It had been a week since you last met Baby T, and you still felt like shit for dragging him in the past without taking into consideration that he might have been telling the truth.

 

After his revelation, there were times you wanted to feel good about the decision you had taken, but guilt kept eating deeply into you.

 

"Do you reckon that I go overboard most times with my uhm, my..."

 

"Your what?" Your best friend, who was sitting on the sofa with crossed legs, asked.

 

"Theory? Deductions? I mean, how I handle matters most times on Twitter."

 

"Ah! Obsessive Obehi. Erm, do you want me to answer you truthfully or otherwise?"

 

You didn't answer. You couldn't answer and even felt your throat dry.

 

"You don't, oh! If not for the fact that I know you personally ehn, the kind of hatred I would have had for you would have been second to none. I wish people knew this you—the sweet, charming, and considerable you. I wish you let out this part more. And if at all you need to address issues, I wish you wouldn't judge based on what people say; I wish you would...see, those your followers that keep praising you come rain or shine would never tell you the truth. It is why I am telling you, oh. After all, you can't beat me." She said.

 

You said nothing in response. But instead, you felt guilt wash all over you. Now that you think of it, what started as a harmless practise wound into an obsession of yours that you most definitely didn't know when you slipped.

 

How Baby T left things with you, there had been no room for further discussion, and so you weren't able to tell him that you were the one behind the parody account that he had recently been chatting with. You wondered if it was any relevant now and would find yourself waiting to get his message, but since you didn't think you would be getting one, you cut to the chase and sent him a message.

 

"Hey, you didn't show up for the event." He said this in response to the message you sent.

 

You didn't know why, but you responded, letting him know that you did and asking that he take the broadest guess as to who you were.

 

He said he was without a clue, and this time, your heart started racing even as you contemplated what to say in response. To come clean or not? And after about a while of contemplating, you finally decided to let him know who you were. You didn't mind if he hated you altogether.

 

"I would not have guessed." He replied. "Stalking me now?" he asked.

 

You laughed. You couldn't help it, as his response was funny—or maybe it wasn't, because now you're back to frowning.

 

"I suspected it could be you when you first asked the question, but I didn't think you could be the one considering you always have your plate full of dragging." He had a tongue-in-cheek emoji to go with it.

 

It slightly annoyed you, despite your feeling less tense while chatting with him.

 

"You seem to be enjoying this."

 

"Enjoying what?" he asked.

 

You could feel your insides churning.

 

"What else?" You asked dismissively.

 

He sent a laughing emoji. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't. Why be a party-pooper? I just want to experience or know what it's like to be like you. To troll and know what comes with being a troll."

 

"I'm not a troll!"

 

"Yes, you are."

 

"I'm not."

 

"Want to keep denying? You could channel that energy into writing me an apology and clearing the air about what initially happened." His message to you read.

 

"No way!"

 

"Ouch, thought you'd changed."

 

"Don't be silly, Baby T."

 

"It's Tega; call me Tega. Baby T is my nickname."

 

"Oh, yes, there is that, which we are yet to talk about." You typed and sent.

 

"Which is?"

 

"The fact that you didn't say anything when the wrong picture got used in place of your actual picture."

 

"I was in the back seat, enjoying the show of it all."

 

You grimaced. "You can't be serious."

 

"No, I'm not. I was just trying to make light of what happened. I was never happy. But my pictures were nowhere on the net at the time, and even now, you wouldn't find a single picture of mine on Obasanjo's internet, not because of any tricky reasons but because I rarely snap." He sent, after typing for a long time.

 

You let your shoulders ease. It was his first serious message to you, and you couldn't help but feel awful altogether. It must have really been tough for him.

 

"Sorry. I truly am."

 

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" He asked.

 

You waited patiently for his next message to come.

 

"Did you just apologize?" He asked. "You really just apologized." He sent this after a while. He seemed excited. It was infectious. A wry smile crept to the sides of your lips.

 

"Yes." You typed and sent.

 

"Thank you too." His next message said.

 

"For what?" You couldn't help but ask.

 

"For believing my side of the story. No one, except you and Olore, knows what really happened that night. And while Olore might have succeeded in sullying my name, it's good to have one person believe me. It means the world to me; you have no idea. And I'm sorry that I didn't say anything when the wrong picture was being used, and I'm as equally guilty as you and everyone else. I share in the blame."

 

You felt your eyes get teary. You went quiet and did not know what to type for the next five or so minutes. But you knew deep down that you were bound to make a counterpost. You were bound to revive the issue and let the whole of Twitter Nigeria know how much wrong you had done.

 

If anything, the experience taught you a big lesson. And now more than ever, you would most definitely think twice before jumping to conclusions.

 

The day went by without another word from you to Baby T, whom you now knew as Tega. There was no message from him too, well, until about two days later, when he sent a message that left you all smiley.

 

"You won't talk to me again, abi? I have messed up abi? It's not fair oh." The message said.

 

You thought it was cute, and you would send a reply almost immediately. And that would lead to your texting nonstop until you become addicted to chatting with him.

 

About a week later, you put out the post you had been planning, but this was after you called Olore to further get her side of the story right because you most definitely didn't want to further judge by one side only. But her story changed, coupled with the fact that she also didn't remember Baby T's name and had mentioned five names in a row in a bit to recall the name, not to mention how dismissive of the issue she had become, like it didn't matter or like it never happened. It infuriated you to the core—how so much blind you had been to see the truth. And while some people commended you for your effort in coming forward to state the truth of what happened and take responsibility for being in the wrong, others criticised you; some said you might have been offered d*ck behind closed doors, and your best friend felt they weren't far from the truth. She teased you, saying Baby T had become the bane of your existence. You denied it severally, even though the thought of him made your insides warm.

 

That same day that you made the post, you got a message from him saying he wanted to call you. You felt nervous as hell. It was the first time you both were going to have a conversation over the phone.

 

You received the call when it came with shaky hands. Your bestie stared at you and shook her head, all the while smiling even as she exited the living room.

 

"Obehi." He called quietly. His voice was soft and smooth but had a hint of emotion you couldn't quite place. "You shouldn't have. Apologizing to me was enough. You shouldn't have come out to clear my name knowing you would be dragged."

 

"Doesn't it matter to you to get your name cleared?"

 

He was quiet for a long time before he said, "Not at the expense of your getting dragged, no. Besides how many people know what the real Baby T looks like?" He said.

 

You couldn't get past his first line. "Not at the expense of you getting dragged," you repeated to yourself. "What do you care?" You blurted out even before you could stop yourself.

 

You heard him release a breath that he seemed to have been holding back.

 

"You still don't remember, do you?"

 

For a moment, you were confused.

 

"Obehi Ehimen, we used to be chat buddies back in the days on Facebook. I went by the name "Typical Johnson." Johnson is my middle name, and courtesy of you, Facebook was so much fun to me then, till I deactivated my account.

 

Your breath caught in your throat. Johnson was the one person you looked forward to chatting with each day, and when he went off the radar, you couldn't help but mourn his absence. You liked him so much that you kept looking for him.

 

"Why do you like keeping a low profile?" You asked. You were almost in tears.

 

"I don't know, but for you, I could make a real profile."

 

"Why?"

 

"Will you keep asking because you don't know? I would do anything for you, Obehi. These last two weeks and some days have been the best I have had in a long while. It was something like the days I spent chatting with you on Facebook. Then, when I..." he paused.

 

You could feel your throat dry.

 

"When I loved you," he completed.

 

"How about now?" You asked softly.

 

"I love you senseless...now. Love you even more." He said.

 

You heaved a sigh of relief, all the while smiling and unable to control your joy.

 

"I would do anything to secure a place in your heart. I know you hate men, and I know you never fail to let the TL know, but give me a chance to prove to you how much of a gentleman I can be. Obehi, I can't do without you. When I deactivated my Facebook account, I thought it would be easier to forget all about you. But I haven't been able to all this time, all these years. When that issue with Olore came up, it was enough for me to kill the feelings I had for you, but it surprisingly never diminished. Do you think it would not have been easy to recognise you at that event? Your picture is the last I see before going to bed and the first I look at when I open my eyes."

 

"Obsessed much?" You asked and chuckled.

 

"I'm learning from you, mama," you heard him say from the other end. "The one and only Obsessive Obehi."

 

"Call me that one more time again, and I would..."

 

"Kiss me?" he asked.

 

You felt your cheeks flushing. "Just go away."

 

"Or you mean I should get much closer to you?"

 

Now, this was how you liked your man, and boy, were you madly in love with him.

 

The conversation went on for more minutes and eventually ended with him asking you out on a date on Valentine's Day, and you had agreed to do just that.

 

"I go, love, oh." You heard your friend Sally say as she got back into the living room.

 

While smiling, you gleefully announced to her that he just asked you out on a date.

 

"On Valentine's Day?" she asked.

 

You nodded.

 

"So I'm going to be the only one without a boo for Valentine's?"

 

"Oh, well." You said, still smiling down at your phone. "I could have sworn you had a man in your life from the way you told me in that nightmare of mine to go out and hook up with any son of Adam."

 

"Wait, I said that?"

 

"Hmm-mm." You said. Chuckling. "You almost got me killed, sha."

 

"Ah! I could never do it. So tell me, what are you going to wear down to the date?"

 

"I have no idea yet."

 

"Oya oya, let's go decide on the best outfit." She said this while dragging you with her to your bedroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWELVE

 

You caught sight of your own reflection in the glass door before you stepped into the hotel. You loved what you saw. Men, you thought you hated them; you thought you wanted nothing to do with them. But here you were, to see one of the sons of Adam. But you would be lying if you said your opinion of men hadn't changed all the while that you had been in communication with Tega. Your very own Baby T. You chuckled nervously now.

 

You went from being scared to letting a man in, and although you had yet to agree to date him, you couldn't see yourself not agreeing to do so. You loved him. Finding out that he was "Typical Johnson" made him more special to you. Because somewhere around 2013—about 10 years ago—you experienced your first love, and it was for Typical Johnson, the same person you now know to be Tega. Everything felt so surreal, you were yet to believe everything was real, till you found him waiting for you in a dapper outfit and a smile that was so charming it made you melt.

 

The moment you got close, he opened his arms and drew you in for a hug so warm you didn't want to ever leave his comforting arms.

 

"I'm so glad you came. You have no idea how really excited I am to see you, my Obehi." He said while holding your jaw with a finger.

 

He pulled the chair out for you, and once you both took your seats, he stretched his hand to meet yours.

 

"Tell me I'm not dreaming and I'm really sitting across the table from you."

 

"I might as well think I am dreaming." You said and chuckled nervously.

 

"What?" You couldn't miss the look of surprise in his eyes.

 

"I had this dream." You hated yourself but couldn't stop now. You narrated the entire dream in no time, and once done, Tega burst into uncontrollable laughter.

 

First, he signalled at the waiter before continuing with the discussion. "I'm an alone child and don't even have a brother, other than that, please tell me you don't think I'm going to kidnap you."

 

"Who knows?"

 

His smile slowly disappeared.

 

"Why Obehi?"

 

"Because this feels too real."

 

"What does?"

 

"Everything. And the fact that..."

 

"That what?"

 

You hadn't responded.

 

"Obehi, please talk to me." His speech was soft. "Please." You could see that it was coming from a place of sincerity.

 

"That I love you. That I fell too quickly for you, this time."

 

You watched his face light up with a smile. "Had there been another time?" He asked, still quietly.

 

You looked away shyly.

 

"Oh, my God!" You heard him shout this time, his face thick with the nicest smile you had ever seen anyone wear. "You have no idea how happy this makes me feel." He got up, raced over to your side, and planted a kiss on your cheek. "Even if you don't agree to date me, this is enough for me." He said.

 

"Really?"

 

"Okay, I didn't mean that." He said.

 

You both laughed.

 

"I love you, Obehi; I'm never going to get tired of saying it." This time he was serious and was on one knee. "Will you do me the honour of being my girlfriend, for real? I promise not to be like the guy from your dream." He added, grinning.

 

"Just look at you; you can never resist the urge to be cheeky, right?"

 

He shook his head playfully.

 

You smiled. "Yes, I will. Tega Johnson Ekeng. I loved you when you were Typical Johnson, loved you when you were Baby T, and love you even more now as Tega."

 

There were no more words left to be said, and he enveloped your lips in his for an intimate kiss that went on for more minutes till the waiter arrived in the private lounge where you both were.

 

"Never really fancied Valentine's Day, but you just made it so much more special to me, and I'm always going to remember this day. Thank you for being mine, Obehi." He said.

 

You nodded while chuckling. "My pleasure." You said quietly.

 

Your stomach rumbled almost immediately. Okay, this man was about to find out how much of a foodie you were, you thought and grinned, even as you turned to face the waiter to place your order for food.

 

 

 

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Osas Idubor enjoys sharing inspirational thoughts, writing, and marketing strategies. Catch her on the Zero Authorpreneurship Network Africa: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1492191291250305/?ref=share_group_link where she is doing all the cool stuff professional writers like herself do.