After the storm

by Osar Adeyemi

  "Well, he or she did a really good job." Yemi walked over to the tall French windows and looked out. "Whoa, look at that view! I could stand here for hours."

  Akeem walked over to her side. "That was one of the things that attracted me to this place." He placed his arm around her and turned her round to face him. "But today you're not going to spend hours gazing out of the window. I need your full attention on me."

  "But you have my full attention always, even when I'm gazing out of the window."

  Akeem looked down at her smiling face for a moment and then tweaked her nose lightly. "I'm going to miss you."

  "I'll miss you too," Yemi admitted. Akeem still had about five days left in England to complete his work. "But at least we'll talk every day." She shook her head slightly. "It still seems amazing though, that I've known you for just ten days!"

  "I've known you forever; I've just been waiting for you to show up."

  Yemi felt the now-familiar fluttering stirring within her at the look in his eyes. She had decided to "go with the flow," as Tola had advised her to. She had no choice, anyway; the guy had completely taken over her heart. "And to think that we had to meet outside Nigeria."

  He shrugged. "We could also have bumped into each other on the streets of Lagos."

  She smiled slightly. "What street? We live miles apart."

  Akeem moved a little closer, his gaze getting more intense. "I feel that we would have still met somehow," he said a little huskily.

  Yemi lowered her eyes. The air was getting too charged up. She hoped that coming to his apartment was not a bad idea. "Have you eaten?" she asked lightly.

  "No, I was waiting for you before ordering something in."

  "You don't have to do that. I brought some food with me. That's what's in the other bag," she moved towards the dining table where she had dropped her bags. "The kitchen is that way, isn't it?" she asked, pointing towards the open doorway, and he nodded.

  They talked as they ate. He complimented the stir-fried rice with spicy grilled fish that she had prepared, and she felt pleased. But he was still in a rather quiet mood and didn't seem as excited as she was about going back to Nigeria.

  After they finished eating, they did the washing up together. He got out a bottle of wine, and they returned to the lounge. Akeem handed her the remote control, and she giggled at the expression on his face when he saw the chick flick that she selected. He put his arm around her, and she snuggled close to his side.

  "You are rounding up your meetings now, aren't you?" she asked him a little while later. "Are you satisfied with the outcome?"

  "They've actually exceeded my expectations," Akeem replied. "I was able to tie up some stubborn deals that have been lingering for some time." He played with the tendrils of her hair. "It must be you. Your presence in my life is helping me function better."

  Yemi puckered her lips and smiled up at him. "That's so sweet."

  "I mean it," Akeem said, trailing a finger along her cheek. "And you have to remain with me so I can continue to do well in business."

  She smiled cheekily. "I'll think about it."

  His brows furrowed together in a mock frown. "I'll simply carry you off if you keep me waiting too long."

  Yemi laughed. "I won't mind being kidnapped by you. You'd find me a very willing captive."

  He cupped her cheek with his palm. "Don't go back on Monday," he said, looking into her eyes. "Stay back in the UK until I'm done."

  "But my ticket is for Monday."

  "I can easily change that and also upgrade it so we can fly back together."

  She pulled back and looked at him indignantly. "Upgrade? How do you know what kind of ticket I have?"

  He smiled. "My apologies. I meant I'll upgrade mine to yours."

  She giggled. "That's better."

  "So is that a yes?"

  "But what will I tell my parents? Besides, my cousin is getting married on Saturday."

  He just kept looking at her. She lowered her gaze. He was making her feel guilty. She was very tempted to do what he was asking, but her parents would want to know the reason why she wanted to stay back a little longer. Moreover, they were also aware that she had already spent all the money she'd brought with her. There would be too many questions, and she didn't want them to know about Akeem just yet.

  "We'll talk every day, and I'll see you as soon as you come in on Sunday," Yemi looked up at him a little pleadingly. "Is that okay?"

  "Do I have a choice?" he asked wryly. "But things will change very soon. The professor's consent will not be needed when I want to spend time with my girl."

  "I'm looking forward to that as well." She snuggled closer to him. "Now, where were we in this movie?"

  He laughed. "What movie? Have you watched any part of it at all?"

  "That's always the problem when we are together. We just get so wrapped up in each other."

  "That's how it should be."

  She turned round to look at him. "Will it always be so?"

  "Always." He tipped her chin up gently and kissed her. "Always," he repeated, before claiming her lips again.

  His kiss was everything she had imagined it would be, sweet and tender, awakening all sorts of strange emotions within her. He had given her light pecks on the cheeks and forehead over the past few days, and she had felt he was deliberately holding back because he sensed her inexperience. But he wasn't doing so now, and his kisses were lighting a fire within her.

  Yemi drew back a few minutes later. "Hey, my dad said I should not kiss any man except my prince," she said shakily, while trying to still her racing heart.

  "And am I your prince?" Akeem asked huskily, his face inching closer to hers again.

  "Mmmm…I may need another kiss to convince me." She jumped up as he lunged at her. "Oh no! I'm convinced; you're definitely the one, my northern prince!"

  "I don't mind convincing you," Akeem replied softly. His gaze moved to her lips again, and her heart skipped at the look in his eyes.

  "I'm fully convinced," Yemi replied, keeping her distance. "Absolutely no doubt in my mind at all."

  "Pity…just when I was looking forward to helping you make up your mind too." He patted the seat beside him. "Come back and sit down."

  She smiled at him but made no move to sit back down.

  "Don't worry, little girl, you're quite safe." An amused smile curved his lips as he saw the hesitant look on her face. "Honestly."

  She gingerly sat down beside him again. He laughed softly as he placed his arm around her and drew her close to his side. "How old are you again? Twenty-one or fifteen?"

  She giggled. "Almost fifteen."

  "Yeah…seems like that."

  They continued chatting and tried to watch the movie intermittently, but something always came up to talk about until they gave up on the movie. Yemi felt so complete just by being with Akeem, and it appeared like they had known each other for a lot longer than ten days. She still had those moments when she wondered about their relationship and if things would be the same when they returned back to Nigeria, but her doubts were gradually getting fewer and further apart.

  ∞∞∞

  Two days later, Yemi's older brother, Ayo, picked her up at the Murtala Mohammed airport in Lagos. The heat enveloped her the moment they stepped out of the airport. Yeah, I'm back home—the land of perpetual summer!

  Ayo saw her face and grinned. "Don't worry, you'll soon get used to it again."

  "I hope so. Right now, I feel like I'm roasting."

  She was glad when they got into the car and Ayo turned on the air conditioner. Little beads of perspiration had already started to form on her forehead; and to think she had only been away for a month!

  "Derin said she will pop in tomorrow to see you," Ayo said, referring to his wife.

  "That will be cool. I've missed everyone." She stifled a yawn with her palm and looked out of the window at the familiar road networks. Hot weather or not, it was good to be back on her own turf. She yawned agai
n, and Ayo glanced at her.

  "You must be really tired."

  "I am." She leaned her head against the seat. "I had to get up really early this morning to catch my flight."

  "You'll feel better after a nap. I have a surgery to perform later this afternoon, so I'm just going to drop you off at home and head back to the hospital."

  Yemi smiled at him gratefully. She knew how busy he was. Her parents were attending a conference out of town, so Ayo had offered to pick her up from the airport.

  When they arrived at their parents' house, Ayo helped Yemi with her bags and quickly left for the hospital as planned. Once settled, Yemi made a call to Tola's parents to let them know that she had arrived safely. She knew that Tola was attending a job interview and would not be home until later in the day. She had already texted Akeem when she was going through customs, and he had texted her back that he would call her as soon as he could.

  Not too long after her phone call to the UK, Bose, the housekeeper, knocked on her bedroom door and informed Yemi that her lunch was ready. She had prepared Yemi's favorite dish: jollof rice and fried plantain.

  "Thanks, Aunt Bose, you're the best! I'll just freshen up and then eat later." Bose had lived with them for a long time, and Yemi was very fond of her. She was not a blood relative, but in Nigeria, every older adult was automatically called Auntie or Uncle.

  Yemi showered and decided to take a nap. She was already missing Akeem so much. It was still amazing how much he had come to mean to her in such a short period of time. She had deliberately not told her family about him yet. She hated to admit it, but a part of her was waiting to see if his feelings towards her would remain the same when he got back on more familiar terrain.

  Tola had Googled him up while she was still in England, and they had read his impressive business profile. They could hardly believe that it was the same easygoing guy that they saw practically every day in the UK.

  But there had also been other bits about his social life, stuff that had given Yemi a bit of concern. Akeem had been linked with a lot of beautiful women in the past and even quite recently. Women far more sophisticated than her, to say nothing of their cool careers and wealthy backgrounds. Yemi had again had doubts about their relationship but somehow, those doubts always faded anytime she was with him.

  She sighed and rolled over on the bed. She sincerely hoped that everything would be okay when he came back. She had fallen too hard for him and didn't think she could bear it if they broke up.

  The next time Yemi opened her eyes, it was three hours later. She reached for her phone and, to her dismay, saw several missed calls from Akeem. He had also sent her a text saying that he would call her back later.

  As she padded into the bathroom to wash her face, she heard her parents' voices coming from the direction of the sitting room. She wiped her face and went to join them.

  "Welcome back, darling." Her mother beamed as she enveloped her in a hug. "Good to have you back. This house has just been too quiet!"

  "Good to be back, Mum!" Yemi hugged her back and then went over to hug her father. "Good to see you again, Dad. Thanks so much for super hols!"

  "You 're welcome, dear. I can see you enjoyed yourself."

  "Very much so, Dad." She chatted with them about her holidays and how much fun she'd had in the UK.

  "Go and get some food," her mother said a few minutes later. "Bose says you have not eaten anything since you got back."

  "Better still, bring your food out here and come sit with us," her father added.

  Just then, her phone rang. It was Akeem. She smiled and went into the kitchen to take the call, but they did not speak for long. After he realized she had only just seen her parents, Akeem promised to call her back.

  She took her food back to the sitting room and joined her parents.

  "Your holiday has done wonders for you. You' re practically glowing!" her mother said, looking at Yemi's smiling face fondly. "It's a good thing the weather was nice all throughout,"

  Yemi smiled at the compliment. If only you knew, Mum. This glow is due to a certain attractive man and has nothing to do with the English spring weather.

  ∞∞∞

  Yemi attended her cousin's wedding that weekend. She had been asked to make the bridesmaids' dresses and felt very pleased to see how good they looked in them. She knew that her cousin had been trying to cut costs by asking her to make the clothes, but that hadn't dampened her enthusiasm, and she had completed the outfits before she travelled to the UK.

  Designing and sewing was something she enjoyed. It was more of a natural talent, but she had also done a few courses over the years when her mother had noticed her interest in it. Her friends often teased her about why she hadn't taken up fashion designing as her course of study rather than accounting. But to her, sewing and designing was just a hobby she enjoyed, and accounting was serious stuff—something everyone would expect from the daughter of Professor Delano.

  She was very excited when Akeem came in on Sunday. They were not going to be able to meet that day because she still had to attend her cousin's wedding thanksgiving service along with the rest of her family, but nevertheless it felt good to know that he was now only a few miles away.

  School resumed the next day. She and her classmates at the University of Lagos, or Unilag as it was popularly called, swapped stories about their holidays and what they had done. Lectures were not that serious yet, so she had only a couple scheduled for that morning. She was planning to start studying almost right away, though. So far, she was on a 4.5 GP aggregate, and she didn't want to take any chances with her last semester at school.

  "Aren't you just looking good, girl!" A voice interrupted her thoughts as she hurried out after her last class. Akeem had already called to let her know that he had sent his driver to pick her up. He had a few things he needed to do in the office but assured her he would be back home when she got there.

  "Hello, Ada." She smiled on seeing her course mate behind her. "You're looking good yourself. How were your hols?"

  "Good," Ada replied, admiring Yemi's top. "How was yours? I learnt you went to England."

  "Yes, and it was lovely. Had a really swell time."

  "So what goodies did you bring back?"

  "Hugs and kisses."

  "Thanks, but you can keep those," Ada retorted. "I'll pop by your house later in the week, so have my real goodies ready."

  Yemi laughed and continued on her way. Her phone vibrated as a text came in. It was Akeem's driver, letting her know he was around and where he was parked. She called the driver's number to let him know she was on her way.

  "Hey, Yemi!" She heard her friend Sesan's voice and turned around. She had been so focused on getting to Akeem's driver on time that she had not seen him approaching.

  "Hi Shez!" she said, calling him by his nickname. "How've you been?" She and Sesan had been close friends since they were kids. His parents were lecturers as well and lived two streets from Yemi's house.

  "Good," he replied, catching up with her. "Looking great," he said, giving her outfit an admiring glance.

  She flashed him a smile. "Thanks, Shez." She hoped Akeem would think so too. She had taken extra care with her appearance before leaving home.

  "Finished lectures for today?"

  "Yep, I only had a couple of lectures. What about you?"

  "I'm done as well. I'm off to the library now."

  "I'm heading in that direction as well. Meeting up with someone there."

  "Good, we can walk together then," Sesan replied, falling in step with her. "We've not really had time for a proper talk since you returned from the UK. How was your trip?"

  "Super!" Yemi smiled. "Best holiday I've had in a while."

  "Really? You did say you had something to tell me when we spoke on the phone. Was it anything to do with your hols?"

  "Yes, but we need plenty of time to talk about that bit." She was definitely going to need his masculine perspective on Akeem.

  The
y rounded the corner just before the library, and she saw Akeem's car. It was easy to spot from the description he had given her. The driver was standing by it, and Yemi waved to him. He waved back.

  Sesan arched his brows as he looked at Akeem's black BMW jeep and the driver standing beside it. "Is that the person you are meeting up with?"

  "Yes," Yemi replied, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. "Or rather, he's the driver of the person I'm going to see."

  Sesan's brows went up a notch higher. "Okay…"

  Yemi glanced quickly at his face. His voice had disconcerted her, but his face was expressionless. "Let me leave you, then," he said quietly. "I'll talk to you later."

  "Okay, Shez," Yemi called after him as she hurried towards the car. "We've got lots of stuff to talk about."

  He gave her a small wave, but his face had lost some of its cheeriness. She wondered what was wrong with him. She decided she would catch up with him later to find out.

  "Hello, you must be Mike," she said to the driver as she approached. "I'm Yemi. Thanks for coming to pick me up."

  "You're welcome," he replied, opening the door to the back seat for her. "Are you ready to go now?"

  "Yes, thank you," Yemi said, settling into the car. She brought out the magazine she had bought earlier in the day and looked through it during the drive to Lekki, where Akeem lived.

  There were smatterings of traffic on the road, but it was not as bad as she had expected it to be, and they arrived at the house about forty minutes later.

  The house was picturesque, as was typical of houses in Lekki, and was surrounded by well-manicured lawns and beautiful flower beds. But she gave no more than a cursory glance around, as her attention was taken up by Akeem walking out the front door.

  He hugged her tightly. "So good to see you, baby. I've really missed you."

  "Same here," she said, breathing in his now-familiar cologne and reveling in the feel of his strong arms around her.

  Akeem led her into the house and they went through what was probably his reception lounge. It was a fairly large room with a polished white oak floor and Venetian-style furniture. The sofas were upholstered in a floral beige damask fabric. Beautiful drapes, in a darker shade of beige, bordered each side of the ceiling-to-floor windows.