Isa POV

"Come on Temi, we haven't got all day," Sophie says. Irritation is clear in her features as she stares at Temi. She's no longer her usual over bubbly self, but now takes on a stern tone. No doubt, this is because Temi had almost gotten her into trouble with her mom earlier on.

Temi, on the other hand, is looking wretchedly between a murky green dress and a navy blue dress. They are identical, just different colors.

"Well?" Sophie prods, "which one do you want?"

"When I was told that I would get a say in what dress to pick, I thought I actually would."

"You are having a say. You get to pick the color of the dress."

"Yes, I get to choose between ugly and ugly," Temi responds in her usual sarcastic manner, "but thank God I can pick the color."

From the look on Sophie's face, I can tell she doesn't appreciate the sarcasm.

I have to say I am with Temi on this one. We're currently inside a designer store and, under the instructions of Temi's mom, we're picking out a more 'appropriate' dress for the event tomorrow night. And by 'we', I mean Sophie.

Temi genuinely looks miserable as she finally points towards the navy blue dress. Without a second to spare, Sophie instantly starts ushering Temi towards the changing room to try the dress on.

As usual, I follow behind them, biting my lips slightly in order to keep my mouth shut. I am the bodyguard afterwards, and I have a feeling my opinion on Temi's agency in picking what she wants to wear would not be appreciated by Sophie.

I wait outside the changing rooms for Temi, standing next to Sophie. Sophie is typing away on her phone, lost in arrangements concerning the events of tomorrow night. I'm not even sure if she's aware that I'm right next to her.

A few moments later, Temi emerges from the changing room wearing the dress. She looks even more miserable than she did when she went in, and I roll my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching out for her. I don't know why, but every fiber in my being wants to comfort her.

The dress doesn't look ugly on Temi, that's not at all the problem. Hell, I think nothing could actually look ugly on Temi. However, it's the fact that she's obviously not comfortable in the dress, but nobody seems to care.

"Oh Temi darling, you look wonderful!" Sophie exclaims, clasping her hands together.

Temi responds by giving her the biggest scowl that she can manage, and I clench my jaw to keep the loud snort from escaping from my lips.

"Okay, let's wrap things up here," Sophie says as she turns and starts barking orders at the employees standing close by.

Temi is no longer scowling at Sophie but her eyes have diverted to a pair of black platform shoes on display.

"Can we get those shoes, too?" She asks.

"Absolutely not," Sophie responds, barely batting an eye in Temi's direction. "The instructions from your mother were clear. Also, we are within a budget."

"The shoes would still fall within the budget." Temi replies, "Plus, it should be my reward for having to wear this ugly dress against my will."

"She's right."

Two pairs of eyes are suddenly on me. Sophie's eyes are wide and look at me in disbelief. Whereas Temi's are narrowed with suspicion. I can just imagine the thoughts that are going through her head.

"I think she should be able to get the shoes as a reward." I divert my attention to Sophie as I speak, ignoring Temi. "She's going out of her comfort zone a lot, for her mom's sake. I don't think a pair of shoes would hurt anyone."

I know it definitely won't be hurting bank accounts, no matter how expensive it is.

For a moment, Sophie looks like she's about to argue but decides against it, shaking her head instead.

"Fine, go get changed back into your clothes, Temi, so we can pay for these things. I've got an important meeting that I need to get to."

Temi does not look ecstatic, but she looks a little less miserable, which I find soothes my heart a little.

We check out the dress and shoes and Sophie drops us at our hotel before having the driver take her to her meeting venue.

"Wait, do you want to eat first before we go up to our room?" I ask Temi right before she steps into the hotel lobby.

Temi's eyes narrow slightly as she thinks over my question. I find how suspicious she is of every little thing I do amusing, but even more so concerning.

"It's not a trick question, I swear. We just haven't eaten much all day, and I figure it makes sense for us to eat. You know, to stay alive and stuff. Keeping you alive is kind of my job, you know."

Temi scowls at this, and I have to admit I am deserving of it.

"Fine," she finally huffs, turning on her heels so she's walking ahead of me.

"Well, are you coming?" Temi asks, turning around to face me standing a little distance from her, "or are you just going to stand there like a creep?"

A smile tugs on my lips as I jog slightly to catch up to Temi, who rolls her eyes and begins walking again.

"This looks good," I say, pointing at an Italian restaurant a little ahead of us, "it's got outside seating as well."

"You always choose street-side restaurants," Temi comments as we make our way towards the restaurant.

"I enjoy looking at the scenery," I say as we settle into one of the free tables.

A small smile forms on my lips. Temi pays much more attention to me and my habits than she lets on. I find it endearing.

"You're such a hippie." Temi responds, causing my smile to only grow wider.

"Hey, are you ready to order?" a server asks, suddenly popping up in front of me. I divert my eyes from Temi to look at her. She's a brunette with startling green eyes and a wide smile. I smile back on impulse.

Temi clears her throat loudly, and the server shoots her an irritated glance before turning back to me.

"What would you like to order, gorgeous?" If it isn't already clear that she's flirting with me, the server bats her eyelashes in succession. It's a hilarious sight and I bite my tongue slightly to keep from laughing. It's cute.

"Are you gonna take my order, or are you just gonna stand there drooling?" Temi rudely snaps at the server, causing her to turn a dark shade of red.

The server doesn't respond to Temi's jabs, but quickly takes our orders and hurries away, sending a well-deserved glare in Temi's direction.

"So fucking unprofessional," Temi murmurs loudly, glaring at the server in response.

"What is?" I ask, my irritation getting the better of me, "her being friendly?"

Temi scoffs obnoxiously, rolling her eyes. "Friendly? She was clearly flirting."

I pause for a moment, realizing that Temi is jealous. A brief feeling passes over me, but I immediately push it away.

"So what if she was flirting? Is it illegal for her to flirt with me?"

"She shouldn't be doing it on the job." Comes Temi's hard-headed reply, and I shake my head at her stubbornness.

"You know, you don't always have to be an asshole to everyone."

"Maybe it's just who I am," Temi snaps, folding her arms across her chest stubbornly and jutting her chin out.

A strange feeling passes through me. Once again, I have the urge to reach out to her and pull her into my arms, but I ignore it.

"I don't think you're an asshole, Temi. You're just going through a hard time. It definitely doesn't help that it's not even being acknowledged by those around you."

Temi's eyes flash up at me. "What are you? My fucking therapist?"

"No. But you should see one."

For a moment, Temi and I sit there, just locking eyes. Neither of us breaks eye contact, and we hold it for what seems like a very long time before a server appears with our order.

I'm not surprised to see it's a different server from the one we had initially had, but neither Temi nor I comment on this. Rather, we eat our food in an awkward silence.

The venue for the event the next day is even bigger than the one from the first event, which I didn't think was possible. There are even more people here, and a million things are occurring at the same time.

As usual, I am dressed in a suit, and Temi is wearing the dress from yesterday. Her braids are away from her face, packed into what looks like a tight bun and her feet are squeezed into a pair of uncomfortable-looking heels.

I watch her cautiously, scared that she would topple over at any moment. But miraculously, Temi stands her ground.

The whole situation seems crazy to me. But I follow Temi around at a distance the entire night, leaving an ample distance between us. I know Temi is already extremely overwhelmed, and the last thing I would want is to add to this by hovering over her.

I watch from a distance as she interacts with a bunch of people. A fake smile is etched perfectly onto her face, and from the way she carries on shallow conversations, it's clear that she's used to this.

At some point, Temi walks over uncomfortably to the refreshments table, and I follow her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"What does it matter? What are you gonna do about it if I'm not?" Temi snaps at me in response, not even bothering to look at me. This stings me. Not just because of her attitude, but because I know she is right.

What am I going to do? I'm just her bodyguard, after all.

"Temi, come over here. I need to introduce you to someone," Temi's mom suddenly says, appearing at the refreshment table. She is dressed in an elegant dark gown, paired with high heels that she pulls off a lot more elegantly than Temi does.

"Mom please," Temi groans, "I can't do this anymore. I've met enough people."

"Temilola. Don't be selfish."

My head instantly snaps up at these words and I'm about to say something that is bound to get me fired, but Temi beats me to it.

"Selfish? I know you did not just call me selfish, mom. My best friend fucking died a few months ago. I should be in therapy, not pretending for you at some fucking government event. Fuck this, I'm out."

Temi does not wait for a reaction before kicking off her heels and taking off for the exit, while her mom stands there with a shocked expression on her face.

There's a lot I want to say to her, but I'm more concerned about Temi right now. So, with nothing but a glance, I take off after Temi.