“Baby, you look so far away from here. What’s going on? Are you still thinking about what happened to you? I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“No, Daniel, I’m not thinking about what happened. There’s something else on my mind.”
He pulled my hand toward himself and gently squeezed it, a gesture that reminded me of Yemi.
“What is it, baby? Please share with me. It hurts to see you like this.”
“Don’t worry. It’s something I can handle.”
“Come on, Dami. We don’t need secrets between us. I want this relationship to work, but for that to happen, we need to start trusting each other completely.”
I smiled, trying to hide it, but I was sure he noticed.
“What relationship are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on. You’re not a kid. Why do you think the first thing I’d do when something happened to me was call you? I’ve known you for only two weeks, but it already feels like my life is tied to you. I won’t lie—I’ve been in relationships before. But this is the first time I’ve felt this way. I even told my mum about you, which, by the way, is why I traveled. She had slumped and was calling my name before she passed out. That’s why I rushed home.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry to hear that. How is she now?”
“Thanks, love. After I told her about you, she said she had recovered.”
We both laughed.
“Why would she say that?” I asked.
“My dear, my mum has been on my case for almost a year to get married. She’s even threatened to call all my uncles for a meeting about it. Honestly, I think the slumping was just a way of blackmailing me into doing something. You know how these mothers are.”
I chuckled. I could relate. Mrs. Coker once summoned the whole family to a meeting, insisting it was absolutely necessary. We were all panicked. My younger brother even flew in from South Africa. We thought it was one of those dramatic moments from Nollywood movies, where the mother gathers her children to bless them before she dies. But no, Mama burst into tears, lamenting that I hadn’t settled down or chosen a man from the numerous suitors. She even asked my younger brother if I was a lesbian. It was mortifying! But what could I do? Mama is Mama—you love her as she is.
I held Daniel’s hands and said, “I know it might sound sudden or too quick, but the truth is, I haven’t felt this way about anyone else either.”
In my mind, I questioned whether that was entirely true, but it didn’t matter at that moment. His concern and love felt genuine, and that was enough. As I looked into his eyes, I saw love—real, unfiltered love. This felt like home.
Then, in a flash, thoughts of Yemi crossed my mind, and my heart skipped a beat. I reminded myself of the saying, *“Stick with the devil you know.”* But who was the devil I knew, and who was the angel I didn’t? I’d spent more time with Yemi than with Daniel, but I liked Daniel first and only turned to Yemi when I thought Daniel was a bad person. Now that Daniel had been proven innocent, I felt it was better to stick with him. Yemi had said he wasn’t after anything romantic and would be fine if nothing happened between us. He only wanted to be my friend. Surely, he wouldn’t feel bad about me choosing Daniel.
I decided I’d introduce them to each other and encourage them to be friends. That way, I could have both of them in my life—Yemi as a friend and Daniel as my boyfriend. No competition.
“Darling, what’s eating you up? You still look so distant.”
“Oh, it’s the same thing I told you I could handle.”
“Maybe you should share it with me. Even if I don’t have to handle it, I’d like to know what’s on your pretty mind. This is part of us getting to know each other better. What do you think?”
I smiled. He was very perceptive.
“While you were away, the guy who bashed my car two Sundays ago was the one who helped me through all the pain…”
I saw his eyebrow shoot up. “Wow! I leave for a few hours, and someone’s already warming your heart?”
“Daniel, are you for real? Who’s talking about warming hearts? You presumably duped me of 900,000 naira, someone helped me not feel terrible, even paid part of the money, and you’re here joking about warming hearts?”
“Calm down, baby. I was just teasing. I’m only wondering why it’s bothering you so much that you seem distant while with me.”
“The thing bothering me is how to convince him it wasn’t you who duped me so he doesn’t see you as a schemer and me as gullible.”
“Err… Why does his opinion matter so much?”
“You know what? Just forget it. I’ll handle it.”
“Well, if you say so. I just want you to know—I’m a very jealous lover. I like having my woman to myself, undivided attention.”
“And I like sharing my man with the whole world. He doesn’t even need to give me attention.” I said this with an exaggerated eye-roll.
He laughed heartily, throwing his head back. He looked so handsome in that moment. I smiled, checked the time, and realized I’d overstayed my one-hour break.
As I stepped back into the office, my phone rang. It was Yemi.