He took my left hand in his and squeezed lightly.
“I like being with you. More than I care to admit.”
His confession made my heart skip a beat. The nurse came in soon afterwards and set my ankle in a cast.
Back at the orphanage, the children had a field day scribbling their names on it. Chidi’s was the boldest with a love sign and his name in it. Aiden brought me down for dinner, which consisted of corned beef macaroni and cake afterwards. We all watched a series about a bunch of children on an island, and within an hour, most of the children were asleep. I was feeling a bit sleepy too, so I asked Aiden to help me back up to my room.
“Thank you,” I said as he placed me gently on the bed.
‘It’s nothing.”
“You just brought me up two flights of stairs and didn’t break a sweat. Your breathing is more even than mine.”
He shrugged it off.
My legs dangled from the bed as I moved further into it. His incredible strength came from being a shape-shifter. I dared not point it out. It did not seem like a topic to pop up at that moment.
“I’m sorry you got hurt.”
He got on one knee to observe my ankle. His hands touched the cast, and it looked like he was the one in pain.
“I hate seeing you hurt.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse haven’t I?”
He perked up his head, and I could barely move. His hand was on my calf.
“Thank you Aiden,” I said, stroking his hair with the tips of my fingers.
A low sound erupted from him.
He edged closer, gauging my response, his eyes on what he wanted. I closed the distance between us, my fingers still in his hair. Without any more hesitations, his lips were on mine. Warm and soft and soothing. Everything I imagined kissing him would be. He used his free hand to bring me even closer to him and kissed deeper. When his lips disengaged from mine, I was breathless. For a while, we just stared at each other. I took that as an incentive to go on. This time I initiated the kiss. He played with my tongue and then gently sucked on it. He invaded my senses with that move. Every part of me now yearned for him.
His hands encircled my back, squeezed tight, making every second of the kiss better than the next. I trailed my hand down his neck to his chest, my breath becoming faster.
He stopped, gave me a quick kiss on my cheek and flashed a smile.
“I think I just got the best birthday present ever.”
His voice was flooded with heated emotion. I waited before I spoke up knowing well my voice would sound worse.
“Are you sure? Because I saw a pair of boxer briefs, I would love to get you.”
His laughter made my heart flutter.
“Goodnight Simi.”
“Goodnight,” I mumbled.
I spent most of my waking hours trying not to read any meaning to the kiss. It had been a sweet, friendly kiss, and that was it. But deep down I knew there were no such things as soft, affectionate kisses. Not with the way he had kissed me anyway.
The next day we left the orphanage but not after been begged by the children to stay for the rest of the year. A request I was not so eager to decline.
Chapter 9
“What in God’s name happened to you?” was the first thing Femi blurted out when he saw me get out of my house with a crutch on my right hand. He was wearing white tennis shoes, shorts and a button-down shirt.
“Just a little sprain.”
“A little?” His bulging eyes conveyed surprise and anger.
“I’ll get better in less than a week so you can rest easy.”
“See what happens when you hang around that man? You’ve suffered many injuries because you were with him.”
“Well, not countless.”
He furrowed his brows. “How am I supposed to take you to play tennis like this? How? You can’t swim properly too, or do anything with that leg.”
“You can play table tennis instead, and I’ll watch.”
“Come here, you stubborn woman. I’ll help you into the car.”
He no longer looked angry. The fact that I was willing to go with him seemed to quell his mood.
“Thanks.”
At the club, we met Mr And Mrs Ajiri, a couple who looked like they were twins. They were the ones who had invited Femi to the club, and they seemed particularly eager to know who I was. Joining them at the alfresco restaurant brought relief to my aching legs. Mrs Ajiri who asked me to call her Philippa inquired about my legs. I told her I fell. “I see you have no ring on your finger. Both of you. How can two good-looking people be unattached?”
Her question made my stomach tighten.
“You have no one in mind, Femi?” she continued asking her uncomfortable questions.
I caught Femi’s eyes on me. I tried not to look back at him.
“I have someone in mind. I’ll need to be really convincing to get her to say yes.”
“I like that,” Mr Ajiri added. His lack of interest in the small talk was welcomed by me.
“You should work hard at it. She will not take you seriously if you don’t apply yourself,” Mrs Ajiri advised.
A man in tight shorts walked up to us and asked Mr Ajiri to play tennis with him, but he politely declined the offer.
“Femi has no one to play with,” I shot up immediately, hoping to clear the tension still hanging in the air. “I’m sure he would love to have a match with you.”
Femi took up his racket and helped me up from my chair. We said our goodbyes to the Ajiris. I trailed after Femi and his new tennis opponent by the name of Retford. They took positions in the court, and I took my place in the spectator section sitting down on one of the lowest rows of chairs. There was no way I could get up the stairs with my bad leg. Femi waved at me as he twisted his racket this way and that. The game started, and for the next five minutes, my eyes were focused on the two players, but my mind was somewhere else. Was Femi talking about me when Mrs Ajiri asked that question? His demeanour had clearly suggested so. Was I ready for such a commitment? Would I agree to marry Femi if he asked? Do I use my job as a front to push men away?
“Hey.”
My heart jumped at the sight of him.
“Oh, Aiden. You have a habit of always showing up,” I said.
He was in a hoody and cargo shorts. His tennis shoes gave a new meaning to the word white. I had thought that sharing a passionate kiss with him would bring awkward moments when we met again but seeing him now made me feel more comfortable than embarrassed.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here with Femi.”
I pointed at Femi, who was going at the game with determination. Aiden did not bother to look. Femi may not have existed for all he cared. He stared down at my aching leg.
“How’s the leg?”
“Better.”
“You should be resting not out here with some guy.”
Was that a hint of jealousy? I smiled.
“Femi is my friend.”
He laughed mockingly and said, “Get better.”
His eyes became softer, and his furrowed brows disappeared.
I ogled his lips and gulped, swallowing hard. It was almost like I had caught an instant fever, and it was not going away for a very long time. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Femi looking intently at us.
“I have to go,” Aiden said, taking my right hand in his and planted a kiss on it.
“Why?” I scolded myself for asking such a ridiculous question. I badly wanted him to stay. His presence never failed to make me feel good from the inside out.
His soft laughter rang in my ears. “I have a meeting to get to. I’ll see you.”
“Okay,” was my faint reply.
I watched as he walked away until he could no longer be seen. My focus returned to the game. Femi was no longer playing with determination but with brute strength. It was frightening to watch.
Every swing of his racket sent Retford cowering with fear. A few
minutes later, Retford proclaimed himself the loser and stopped the game.
“You didn’t even have to play to win. You sent him running away like a child.”
Femi dumped his equipment beside him and stood in front of me fuming. To ask or not to ask was the question that needed serious attention. I knew it could be disastrous and I braced myself for an outburst which I got in full. I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? Nothing, Simi. I’m absolutely peachy.”
“You’re not.”
“You’re damn right, I’m not. Why him?”
“Why who?”
“You know who I’m talking about.”
“I don’t know. You tell me,” I replied and moved my uninjured leg.
“Aiden Essien. I told you to stay away from him, and now you’re in love with him?”
“I’m not,” I denied even though part of me knew it was true.
“You cannot be with him. He’s dangerous, more than you know.”
I suspected something odd, but I eased out of the thought.
“Dangerous? What do you mean?”
He was quiet for a while and tried to keep a calm composure.
“He just is. He’s not someone you should be with. His nature cannot be denied.”
“What are you talking about Femi?”
His words were starting to clear my doubts. Did Femi know about Aiden’s secret and if he did how much did he know? Or maybe it was just ugly jealousy, and I was overreacting.
“It’s nothing you should worry about. I’m going to take care of it. I will.”
An unknown fear gripped my heart so suddenly, and I felt faint.
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” I asked, a pain growing in my chest.
“Are you okay?” Femi asked, coming closer.
“Just answer the damn questions, Femi.”
He moved a step back and said “I can’t. You’ll be safe, I promise.”
His intense concentration on the steering wheel on the drive back home provided the necessary distraction for him. All I needed to do was look out the window and count the traffic lights.
“Simi,” Femi called as I hobbled toward my front door. I refused to look back at him. He started his car and sped away. My anger turned to worry for him.
There were two messages from Ava waiting for me both asking me to call her ASAP. I took up the phone and dialled. Either she was so eager or nervous to spill her guts, her phone fell down. The clattering made me take the phone away from my ear and clicked on 'loudspeaker'.
She talked fast, asking me to invite Aiden for dinner on Sunday at her place to thank him for the ‘Orbit gig’ and hung up.
There was little time to process the information, and when I did, I realised there was no way I could stay away from Aiden, not even if I wanted to. I called Aiden and was put through to him by Henry.
“So can you make it?”
There was a continuous humming on the background, and there was shouting in a foreign language.
“Can you?”
“ .... I mean, yes.”
“Thank you.” The humming stopped, but the shouting continued incessantly.
“Hey, I gotta go. I’ll pick you up on Sunday by six.”
“Alright.”
Femi came around later that night to apologise. I smelled alcohol on his breath, but who was I to judge? I resulted to the same tactics sometimes under duress.
“You have to go home,” I told him sternly.
“I love you, Simi.” Femi looked so sad. “I’ve always loved you. Ever since the first time, we kissed, remember?”
I remembered. It had been a brief kiss between two nervous teenagers who knew nothing about life.
“But you love that rich guy, don’t you?” he asked. “Is it because he has more money than me? He does not deserve you, the beast.”
Something about that word sounded familiar.
“You should go home, Femi.”
His reddened eyes closed halfway and opened up almost immediately.
“Yes, I should go home. No need to bother you with my drunk self.” His sheepish smile did a wonder on his appearance. “I love you, Simisola Oladeji.”
"Do you want me to drive you home?"
"I'll be fine. I'm not that drunk. Just tired, very tired. Goodnight."
“Goodnight Femi.” He waved and staggered back to his car. For someone drunk, he handled the wheels well.
***
Mona came to the door after I rang the doorbell twice. Her eyes opened up as wide as it could possibly allow.
“Oh my god, you’re Aiden Essien,” she pointed out.
“That I am.”
“Good evening to you too Mona.”
I ceased to exist from that moment and the next few moments. I was gradually absorbed into the shadow of the man beside me.
“Jessica! Come here!” Mona called.
“What is it? Oh my god, it’s Aiden Essien.”
Both stood transfixed at the door.
“Can we come in now?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, welcome to our home.” Mona took his hand and led him inside.
“Oh, aunt Simi what happened to your leg?” Lisa observed.
“I...”
I noticed her gawking at Aiden, and I gave up.
“Nothing, just go ahead.”
“Oladeji’s daughter,” Jephery greeted.
“Jephery the great,” I replied.
“How’s the leg?”
“Still useful.”
Jephery, who was in the living room, stood up to shake hands with Aiden. The two men started talking, and the girls had to go help their mother set the table. My sister came in, and the first thing she said was “you look better in person than all your pictures.”
“Right?” The twins agreed.
“Thank you. Usually, people tell me the opposite,” Aiden joked.
“It’s what I love about this crazy family of mine," I said to Aiden. "No one is ever discreet. We just say whatever we want to and hope we get away with it.”
“Dinner is ready,” Ava announced.
“What is this?” Her husband asked.
“Yes, Mrs Eneje. Are we having more guests over?” I asked.
On the table was a buffet—creamy chicken, potatoes, fried rice, prawn pasta and other edibles.
“I just didn’t know what Aiden would like so I went all out.”
“I’m sure they’re all delicious, thank you.”
As we ate the twins bombarded Aiden with questions. I found out he had a new excellent quality; tolerance for annoying kids. The crazy thing about it all was that their mother let them ask; all in an attempt to get information too but more subtly.
“Can we come over...to your house?”
“We can arrange that.”
“How about tomorrow?” Lisa placed her hands together in a plea. Everyone laughed.
“No,” Jephery spoke out at last. “Tomorrow you and your sister are going to the dentist.”
“So another time Mister Aiden?” Mona asked.
“Definitely.”
After dinner, Ava brought out a banana cake and biscuits to satisfy our sweet tooth. She used that opportunity to thank Aiden for getting her spa into Orbit.
“Don’t thank me. I actually did that for my own selfish gain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Simi understands.” He winked at me.
“Don’t listen to him. There was no selfish intent to what he did.”
We talked for a while and called it a night.
It was raining gently when he drove me back home and walked me to the door.
“Your sister is an amazing cook.”
“I’ll say. She has been going at it since she was twelve.”
“You don’t look so much like her. If I wanted to be blunt, I’d say you don’t look like her at all.”
“That’s true. After my parents got married, they found out it would take a miracle to have any
children, so they decided to adopt. Ava came into their lives and then my mum had me a few years after.”
“It must have been lovely to have someone like her growing up. She’s delightful.” “She was pretty bossy and annoying. Now she is delightful.”
“Her daughters as well.”
“Those two are a scream. Better watch out.”
He lingered at the door, and I waited. Waiting for what? I did not know. He leaned forward and stopped when his lips were just inches from mine. My lips parted slightly in anticipation. He lifted his head and placed a kiss on my forehead, right above my eyebrow.
“Goodnight, Simi.”
“Sweet dreams, Aiden,” I uttered quietly, disappointed.
That kiss was a big step down from the one we had shared, and I had hoped for a repeat performance. Sadly none came.
Chapter 10
My mind wandered as I read a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine on the computer. From Aiden to Femi to the awful dreams I had on repeat. Something felt off.
“Simi, what are thinking of?” Nadia asked. Her gossip mode was activated, but she was getting nothing out of me.
“Nothing interesting.”
I noticed her burgundy dress and blue ribbon sandals. “Where are you going?”
“I have a date.”
“It’s almost 11 p.m.”
“I know.”
“You should be prepping to head home and get some rest.”
“No. I need this, Simi. He’s just too cute.”
“Nadia, can you help me get this typed out? It’s urgent.”
One of the pharmacists on call handed Nadia a sheet of typing paper.
“Sure," she replied. “I’m still going on my date.”
The way she spoke and then pouted made me laugh.
“And I’m going home. The emergency room has become a boring place.”
I stared at the two women who sat on the comfy white chairs, reading the fashion magazine strewn out on the brown coffee table. I started picking up my things when my phone rang.
“Aiden.”
“When are you getting off work?”
“In about ten minutes.”
The nurses replacing us walked through the door.
“I’ll pick you up. I have a strange surprise for you. I’ll give you a clue. It’s made of metal and really dangerous.”
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