~KUNMI~

I entered my room with a scowl on my face. Junior just pranked me. I was in my room, gisting away with Aminah, more like she was the one doing all the gisting and I was just listening when my younger brother screamed that Adam was asking of me downstairs. I forgot everything immediately and I stood up from the bed, wore my flip flops in the wrong way only to get to the sitting room to meet my brother lauging hard. He was practically rolling on the floor.

Would it hurt to smolder him just for a second? But then, he looked too cute for me to even twitch his ears.

Aminah was also laughing when I got back to the room and I knew she must have heard what happened downstairs. She was sitting on my bed, her neck stretched forward because of her new hair that was obviously causing her a great discomfort. She had tried to lie down in thousand of positions when we got back from the salon but she eventually gave up and she resorted to sitting instead.

Made me wonder if she was going to sit through the night too.

"If you miss Adam that much, just go to him. He's just in the next house, isn't he?"

I chuckled to myself at her words. So easy for her to say. Just go over to the next house and ask of him?

No way!

Especially after what happened three nights ago. The memories came rushing back and the smile that was forming on my face was wiped off immediately. Tara's messages were still in my dm.

"Or do you want me to help you call him?"

She held up her phone as if she really wanted to call someone and I was quick in snatching it away from her.

"Of course not."

"Then, just go and meet him or is it because I'm here?"

She asked again, her voice coming out teasingly and I found myself smiling.

"Of course not."

She raised one of her eyebrows at me, a smirk on her face.

"So, you really like him? Hmm?"

She asked, moving closer to me and nudging me with her right elbow. Trust Aminah to never relent when it comes to things like this.

"Who am I even kidding? It's so obvious that you're smitten by him."

I rolled my eyes and I leaned away from her but that smile wouldn't leave my lips.

"Heyyy, look at that smile on your face."

She hugged a teddy bear to her chest, her famous Aminah smile still on her face. Now,  we were both smiling at each other without absolutely no reason.

"I think liking someone is one of the best feelings in the world. That feeling that you completely belong to that person or that the person completely to you. That this person would always put you first no matter what and that this person would always have your back. I think we all deserve to feel like that, at least once in our life and then, there's absolutely nothing like you're too young to feel things like that. Feelings are feelings, age has nothing to with it."

Gone was the happy and goofy smile on her face and it was now replaced by a wistful, almost sad smile and her tone was laced with nostalgia.

Or was it longing?

She met my eyes and the wistful smile was instantly replaced by her signature Aminah smile. I frowned, wondering what that was all about.

It couldn't be, could it?

"So, if you like Adam, don't even think of any other thing, especially when there are lots of other girls waiting for the perfect opportunity though I'm sure he won't even see them."

Especially when there are lots of beautiful and slim and perfect girls who probably deserve him. Why would he even look at me? Why was he even looking at me?

"Hey girl."

She screeched, startling me out of my train of thoughts.

"I can guess what you're thinking by the look on your face and please, dead that thought. Don't even go there at all. Adam likes you, period! Scratch other girls and what they look like. He isn't even looking at them, you're all he can see and you deserve him. You better use that to your advantage before other leeches like Bola start sufarcing again."

I burst into laughter before I could stop myself. Did she just call her friend a leech?

"He likes you a lot. You should even play hard to get but then, you probably even like him more."

I shook my head. Aminah seemed to know my feelings even more than I do.

"So, should I call him now?"

"Noooo!"

Her brows raised and the corners of her mouth twitched up as she looked at me warily.

"There's nothing to tell him if I should call him."

"There are lots of things to tell him. You can start by telling him that you like him."

She said, wringing her eyebrows suggestively at me.

"No way."

"Yes way. Girls are doing that, it's no big deal."

"Wait, was that what you..."

She shrugged, a playful smile on her face.

"Maybe I did..."

My eyes widened. Wait, what?

"Maybe I did not."

She burst into laughter and I joined in too, the sound of our laughter vibrating through the entire length of the room.

It felt good, the randomness of this thing, talking into the night with a friend, talking about a boy I liked. That was the least and last thing I thought I'd ever talk about, at least not now. It felt euphoric too, like all the stars had perfectly aligned for me.

"You're a girl, you deserve to feel this way."

Do I? Really? Me?

"So, should I call him now?"

"Nooo."

I replied, the word sounding and feeling more like a smile than an actual word and she shrugged before she stood up from the bed. She looked comical, her neck stretched out like that of an ostrich and I almost laughed. The more reason why I avoided hairstyles like that like a plague.

"Maybe, I should just give Bola his number."

It took a minute for that to sink in and she was by the door when I got want she meant by that.

"You wouldn't dare."

She burst into laughter as she stepped out of the room. She was probably going go the kitchen to eat something. I thought I was the one who liked to eat but I was just a learner compared to her.

********

Aminah was still downstairs and occasionally, I could hear her indistinct chatter with my younger brother. It was late in the night already and my parents had retired to their room. Mom had taken a special liking to Aminah ever since she started coming around. I knew she felt I needed that kind of energy, chirpy, vigrant and always bubbly.

My thoughts were all over the place, Aminah's words, Sophia's and especially Adam's words ringing in my ears.

You're a girl, you deserve to this way.

You look all cute and beautiful when you're flustered, I can see why Adam is looking at you.

And Adam, he made me feel things, things I never thought I could feel. He made me feel like I was more than just this body, that I could be something more. When I'm with him, I feel like I embodied so much more than the sun and the moon, I feel like a supernova.

It was overwhelming, beautifully overwhelming.

My phone vibrated on my bedside table, my lips stretched into a smile when I saw the name flashing on the screen and my heart skipped triple beats.

"Hey, Kunmi, can you come out for a minute?"

His voice had a raspy and a rushed edge to it, as if he just finished running a marathon and I found myself nodding, momentarily forgetting that he couldn't see me.

"Kunmi?"

"Yes. I'll be out in a couple of seconds."

Aminah said something to me when I got downstairs but I barely heard her and soon enough, I stepped outside the gate to see Adam standing in front of it and looking anxious and nervous as hell. He said nothing when he saw me, he just continued to stare at me, a new depth to his already intense gaze, an appreciative look as if I was the single most unique thing ever. It was only after I called out his name that he startled out of his reverie and he looked away from me, his tongue swirling over his bottom lips.

"Hey! How're you?"

I found myself frowning a little, brows arching and I badly felt like smiling because that did not sound like Adam at all.

"Go on a date with me."

He stated plainly, as if he just asked me to pass him his set of brush or something. I staggered back, lips parting in surprise and eyes widening in realization. Wait, did he just ask me to go on a date with him? A date?

"I mean.. Would.. You... Would you like to go on a date with me?"

He stammered, still looking anxious as if my reply would alter the rest of his life. I did not what to say to that and I wasn't even sure I was going to say anything until my mouth opened and said;

"Did you bring a flower?"

His expression was priceless, as if he just got hit by a truckload of realization and he looked around, probably looking for a flower?

"A flower? Was I supposed to bring one?"

I burst into laughter before I could stop myself. He really thought I was serious? A flower? Seriously? Well, I once called him a baby so I shouldn't be surprised.

"Of course not. You just looked a little bit nervous."

I managed to voice our in between laughter and it took a second for him to really get the joke. He smiled, albeit still nervously.

"So, is that a yes?"

My laughter trailed off into a smile, that amused smile that wouldn't wipe off my face no matter how hard I tried and I knew my reply before I even voice it out.

"Yes."

*******

I sat in front of the mirror, eyes huge like saucers, taking in the girl in the mirror, taking in the me in the mirror. I shook my head and I turned back to look at Aminah who was grinning from ear to ear.

"You look pretty."

She beamed at me, a proud grin on her face, her hands clampsed together in front of her chin and she looked like a proud mother hen.

Proud of what she just turned my face into. It was not a makeover, no where close to even a makeup, just the basics but it still made me look beautiful.

I don't even know how she pulled it off.

Getting something to wear was a major problem. Aminah wanted me to wear something that'd show something. In her words, you should give him something to stare at but the thought of that was enough to make me cringe and eventually, we both had to compromise and now, I was dressed in a pair of black jeans with a mustard yellow wrap top that exposed too much cleavage. It was even more noticeable because the diamond pendant seemed to be drawing attention to it. My blank cross bag and my phone was lying on the vanity.

"Shouldn't you get going already? It's almost 6pm. Adam must be waiting for you."

I shook my head, uncertainty, nervousness and anxiety almost paralyzing me.

What are you doing?

Seriously? Going on a date?

Have you forgotten the first time you guys ate together?

Do you know want to embarrass yourself again?

I could basically hear a maniacal laughter in my head, the thousand demons building a temple there causing my head to hurt badly that I couldn't even tell if the pain was imagined or real.

Right. What was I thinking? Agreeing to go on a date? A date for Christ's sake! Gone was all the euphoric feeling from last night, the euphoric feeling that made me sleep with a smile on my face and to wake up with that same smile on my face, what was left now was just an almost paralyzing fear, my mind thinking of a thousand things that could go wrong.

I might as well cancel and just sleep.

I might as well just go. Pretty sure I won't die.

"Where are you guys even going to? Or where is he taking you to? Why are you guys not even going together? Well, I guess it's better if you go separately."

Aminah rattled on, oblivious to my discomfort. I hardly heard any of her questions and even if I did, I did not know which one to answer first.

"I'm just imagining it in my head, Adam sitting by the floor to down window waiting for you, you walking in through the gliding doors and him turning back to look at you at that very moment, his eyes filling up with love just looking at you and time would stop with all these love songs in the background. Oh My God!"

She rattled off with a dreamy expression on her face before she squealed like a 3 year old that was just given her favorite ice cream flavor. I smiled, feeling a spark lighting in me and I knew it was Aminah's excitement rubbing off me. If she was this excited about the date, maybe I should too.

"I think you should leave if you don't want Adam to start thinking that you've bailed on him."

I tapped on my phone's screen to see that it was 5:50pm and I would really be late if I did not leave now.

Well, I should leave now.

Aminah followed me downstairs and before she closed the car's door behind me, she said;

"I've got you covered. You can stay out for as long as you want but you must spill even little details of the date to me when you get back, okay?"

Then she winked at me before closing the door. I was still smiling to myself as the car drove out of the compound.

*********

I sighed for the umpteenth time. We were already outside the diner. Scratch that, we've been outside the diner for more than 15 minutes and I still couldn't bring myself to get down. I could feel the driver's eyes on me through the rear view mirror and finally, I mustered a smile and I got down from the car.

The diner, Wordies Village had its name written in different shades of blue at the very top of the building. The name had sounded somehow when Adam mentioned it and I thought he probably made a mistake when he said it but that was really the name? I stepped inside and my mouth dropped open at what was inside.

It looked majestic.

And I instantly knew why they had named it Wordies.

The wall overlooking the street was a top to floor window giving an awesome view of the busy Lagos street. Everything was in a theme. The other walls were covered in the aged browning pages of books. The floor looked like it was littered with millions of discarded book pages, as if someone tore out book pages and they just left it on the floor. Even the ceiling was covered in words. The diner was basically covered in words.

Oh wow. Some ambiance this was.

There was a low tone playing softly from somewhere in the diner and I knew someone was playing the piano. The tune that was being played had a soothing feel, it was this kind of tune that made you feel like you were watching the sunrise or the sunset without an iota of worry in your veins. It made me feel a whole new semblance of peace, like I've been stuffed with all sort of beautiful things.

I continued looking around, momentarily forgetting that I was supposed to be looking for Adam. I was just in awe of what this diner looked like. I did not even know that places like this existed in Lagos.

The diner looked and  felt like a library or like I was standing in the middle of a book. It was separated into two parts, the diner and an almost bare space, save the thousands of written words on the wall, the piano and the patterned chairs by the wall.

There was an Artwork that screamed Adam right on the wall that separated the diner and the other space and I found myself walking towards it, mesmerized by it.

"Hey."

I did not even need to turn back because he was standing directly beside me. Made me wonder if he had been standing there for a while or if he just got here.

He had a small, almost nervous smile on his face and I found myself subconsciously smiling back. Wasn't I supposed to be the nervous one?

He still said nothing, just staring at me, his eyes fixated on my facial features as if he was trying to imprint them into his memory. Something seemed to snap him out of his reverie.

"This is your painting, isn't it?"

His eyebrows raised, something like an amused grin starting to form on his lips.

"How do you know that?"

I shrugged, moving back a little from the painting a little.

"It's more like my sixth sense. I was just able to tell that it's yours."

This particular painting reminded me of those murals in the old art studio. It wasn't sad. It was the painting of a group of friends sitting in a diner, eating, drinking, laughing and living together.

He was doing that thing again, getting lost as he stared at me while every other thing in the background faded to the recess of my mind.

"Ohhh, let's go. I reserved a seat for us."

Yeah, feeling warm, a thousand butterflies dancing in my tummy. The diner was small and from the looks of things, it was those kind of places where you had to reserve a seat for weeks. Made me wonder how he was able to pull this off but then, he even has his painting hung in a place like this.

Med Med!

We soon got to one of the few empty seats and he pulled one of the chairs out for me. That made a brush creep up to my cheeks. He took his seat opposite me, flashing me his signature Adam's smile. The table looked like an opened book and I was wowed again. This ambiance was just out of this world.

"I wanted to say this earlier but I was too lost to even think straight."

I smiled, nodding slowly at him, silently urging him to go on.

"You look....amazing."

He stuttered and I smiled, the simple words tugging at the deepest part of my heartstrings.

This new feeling was beyond amazing, it was euphoric and beautiful and terrific and whatever this feeling was that made me feel like something more, like I had light in veins instead of blood, like I could feel the sky at my feet, I was interested in feeling it for a very long time.

Someone should tell her she can even feel it forever.

Wahala for who no get date 😭😭😩😩 and the date only just started 💃💃💃

I have some sort of surprise for you guys in the next chapter. Try not to scream when you see it 😂❤️.

See you guys soon, very soon❤️❤️❤️😉🤗