After the storm (7 page)

The
waiter brought out the bags of food a few minutes later, and they
made their way to Akeem's car. Yemi leaned back against the seat
and closed her eyes. Despite the nap she'd had earlier in the day,
she still felt so tired. She could hardly wait to be over and done
with her exams and uni.

"Are you
okay?"

She
opened her eyes and saw the concerned expression on Akeem's face.
"Just a little tired."

"You
need to take it easy. You're working too hard." He started the
engine and eased his way out of the parking lot. "I'll definitely
breathe a sigh of relief when your exams are over. I hardly even
get to see you these days."

Yemi was
amused at his tone. "Well, it's just a month to go, but come to
think of it, I see and talk to you more than anybody else,
including my brothers. Even Dotun has started complaining about me
abandoning him." 

He
smirked. "Well, he'd better get used to it. His sister is
taken."

Yemi
smiled. "How is your mum doing?" she asked as he navigated his way
skilfully through the traffic. He had told her that his mum had a
heart condition and had been ill over the past few days.

"She's
okay now health wise but somewhat moody. It would have been my
dad's birthday tomorrow, and she is always a little emotional
around this time every year." He smiled slightly. "It's not just
her, though; we all miss him. Sometimes, it still feels a little
crazy that he is really gone."

Yemi's
eyes softened. She knew Akeem had been very close to his father. He
had told her that a drunken driver had crashed into his father's
car three years earlier, killing him instantly. "I wish I could
have been there for you back then."

"Thanks,
baby. It was a tough time then; dealing with the unexpected loss of
my mentor and suddenly becoming the one that everyone looked up to
at KH."

"You've
done a good job of it, too. I read up a bit about KH, and it's
obviously going strong."

Akeem
smiled as he glanced sideways at her. "So you've been checking us
out, huh? Finding out if I can afford to feed and clothe
you?"

"Something like that." Yemi smiled cheekily at him. "Material
girl like me needs to be sure that her man has a few pennies
in his bank account."

Akeem
laughed. "That is so not true! I've never met any woman who
actively resists receiving gifts as much as you do, but you are
mine now and have no choice in that matter."

Yemi
touched his arm. "I don't want to belong to anyone else." She felt
warm all over at the tender look he gave her.

A few
minutes later, Akeem turned into the street where his house was
situated. Yemi stared at the house as they drove through the
electronically controlled gates. She still got struck by its beauty
whenever she saw it. It was a cream-coloured architectural
masterpiece, surrounded by well-tended lawns. Tall ornamental palm
trees dotted the compound, giving the house the appearance of a
beautiful aristocratic woman holding court amongst her
admirers.

"Finally," she said as they got into the sitting room a few
minutes later. She rubbed the back of her neck with her palms
before stifling a yawn. "I'm not supposed to be this tired. After
all, I had a nap earlier on."

"I still
feel you're overdoing it. I know you have a target, but you've got
to take it easy." Akeem eyed her slim frame. "You even look like
you've lost some weight."

Yemi put
her hand on her hip and struck a pose. "But I thought skinny was
cool?"

He gave
a low wolf whistle. "Gisele Bündchen had better watch out; my
girlfriend is hotter than her!" He picked up the takeaway bags from
the table. "But fashionable or not, I don't want you to disappear
into thin air." He gestured towards the sofa. "You just sit down,
and I'll sort this out myself."

"I'm not
that tired," Yemi protested.

"Orders," Akeem told her as he headed towards the
kitchen.

They
chatted as they ate, and he insisted on clearing up by himself
afterwards. Yemi watched him as she lay back on the sofa. This was
one of the reasons why she could never consider him a "big catch."
He was so sweet and caring that she forgot who he was. She was only
reminded of his status when she went to his office or when they
were with other people.

"Come
here." She beckoned to him when he popped a glass of fruit punch by
her side. "I love you," she whispered before touching her lips
to his.

Akeem
leaned in and deepened the kiss until she pushed him
away.

"But you
started it…" he said with a roguish gleam in his eyes. His gaze
dropped to her lips and his head dipped towards hers again, but
just then his phone rang. He ignored it, but it kept on ringing. He
gave her a quick kiss, then touched her cheek lightly with his
finger before picking it up and looking at the caller ID. He
grimaced. "Sorry, baby, I have to take this call. It's
Adil."

Adil was
his younger brother, who lived in Abuja with his wife and their
twin sons. He headed the Abuja branch of the KH office. Yemi was
aware that Adil had flown into Lagos several times since she and
Akeem had started dating, but Akeem had never suggested that she
meet him. She had met all his close friends but was yet to meet any
member of his family. She found it a little strange but didn't want
to ask Akeem about it. She felt that would imply that she was
pushing for commitment, and after all, they were still just
dating.

∞∞∞

The
golden orange rays of the sun were gracefully receding, giving way
to the violet and blue hues of twilight as Yemi dressed up for her
date with Akeem. She felt all tingly and warm inside. She
remembered how nervous she had been the day before, when she had
gone to check her results, and then had felt like screaming with
joy when she saw that she had graduated with first-class
honours.

"Yemi,
Akeem is here," her mother said, coming into her room. Her eyes lit
up with admiration as she looked at her daughter. "My, you look so
beautiful!"

"Thanks,
Mum." She didn't know where Akeem was taking her, but he had asked
her to dress up. It was the first time she would be wearing the
beautiful silk ink-blue Vera Wang dress that he had bought for her
a couple of months earlier. The dress emphasised her small waist
and showed off her slim figure, swirling softly around her feet as
she moved. It had an embellished bodice, so she opted to leave her
neck bare and just wore a pair of silver drop earrings with a
matching bracelet.

After
one last check in the mirror and her mother's approval, the two of
them exited Yemi's room and made their way to the sitting room,
where Akeem sat chatting with her dad.

"You
look stunning," Akeem said, rising to his feet as Yemi came into
the room with her mother.

Her dad
beamed proudly. "She looks just like her mum when she was about
that age."

"Don't I
look the same now?" Yemi's mother teased as she linked her hands
with her husband's.

"Of
course you do, my dear. You are just as beautiful as
ever."

"I quite
agree, sir," Akeem joined in. "I can see where Yemi got her looks
from."

They
chatted with her parents for a while before setting off. Yemi was
pleased at how easily Akeem got along with her parents. She could
tell that they liked him a lot and were very impressed with his
manners. Her parents had initially had some reservations about
their relationship because of the differences in their ages and
Akeem's social status, but all that had been erased when they met
him.

"So
how's my first-class honours girl doing?" Akeem asked her as he
nosed his car onto the motorway. "Has it sunk in yet?"

"It
still feels so surreal! I remember how shaky I was when I went to
check the results."

"I was
just as nervous as you were yesterday. When my phone rang and I saw
your number, I was almost too scared to pick it."

Yemi
laughed. "No wonder it rang for a while before you answered it. I
thought it was because you were in a meeting."

"No, I
was just biting my nails and hoping with all my heart that
everything was okay."

"Well,
I'm glad that it's all over," Yemi sighed happily. There were times
when she still woke up at night thinking that she had to study
before it would dawn on her that she was truly done with school and
exams.

"Do you
remember my family friend, Sesan?" she asked him. Akeem nodded.
"It's always been assumed by everyone that he would graduate with
first-class honours very easily, but amazingly he didn't. He came
out with a second-class upper."

"That's
still okay."

"You
don't get it." Yemi turned slightly in her seat towards him. "Sesan
is brilliant! Easily cleverer than me any day. So this is such a
surprise to everyone."

"Well,
now you've beaten him, so that should make you happy."

"Not
really. I'm more puzzled about what could have happened to
him."

"Like I
said, he'll be all right. He does not even need a degree to be
successful, but hey, let's not talk about academics or anything
like that tonight." He gave her an injured look. "I'm still
trying to get over the trauma of you rationing the time we spent
together when you were studying for your exams."

Yemi
laughed. "I'm all yours now, at your beck and call!"

A
crooked smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "How about making
that offer permanent?"

"How do
you mean?"

"How do
you think I mean?"

"I have
no idea."

"Really?"

Yemi
didn't reply. He glanced at her smiling, averted face and laughed
softly before changing the topic.

"I've
heard about this place. Everyone says it's so glamorous," Yemi said
as Akeem pulled into the parking lot of Navagne, a five-star hotel
that had been recently opened on Victoria Island.

"I felt
I needed to take you somewhere really special tonight to celebrate
your success," Akeem said as he parked the car.

They
walked into the hotel and were escorted to their table. Yemi looked
at the interior of the hotel in admiration. The lights from the
chandeliers cast a magical glow over everything.

"Nicer
and nicer." She said as they were seated in the VIP section, where
Akeem had booked them a table.

"Only
the best is good enough for my girl," Akeem said, pulling out her
chair for her before sitting down himself. "It's good to see you
looking relaxed again."

She
leaned over and touched his hand. "Thanks for being there for
me."

"I'll
always be there for you, baby," Akeem said softly, taking her hand
in his. "Always."

Yemi
didn't know if it was possible to love him any more than she
already did. He was everything she had always desired and more. "Me
too," she said, holding his gaze.

The
tender moment was interrupted by a waiter coming to take their
orders. Some minutes later, another waiter brought their
drinks.

"I'll
likely be popping into my office at Abuja this week," Akeem said
after the waiter had left. "And I'll also make a quick stop at
Niger state to see my uncle."

"How
long are you going to be away?" Yemi asked, trying not to feel
deflated but not quite succeeding.

"Just
four days. I'll be back before you know it."

"That's
fine," she said quietly. "Your mum is from Niger state too, isn't
she?"

"Yeah,
same town as my dad."

"Is her
family into business as well?"

"Yes,
but also heavily into politics." He laughed. "They like to have a
bit of power!"

Yemi
listened as he talked about his mum's family, but she couldn't help
comparing their backgrounds as he spoke.

A waiter
brought their food a few minutes later. She looked at the food, but
her thoughts were far away. She had deliberately tried not to think
too far ahead, but she wondered what the future held for her and
this man that she loved so much.

"Baby?"
Akeem's concerned voice cut through her thoughts.

She
forced a smile and took a small bite of the succulent scallops she
had ordered.

"Mmmm,
these are nice," she said, savouring the taste and trying to appear
light-hearted.

Akeem
arched his brows slightly, but he started eating as well. He told
her about his mother's plans to renovate their family home. For
someone who normally didn't talk much about his family, he was
surprisingly doing a lot of it that evening. The renovations
involved a whole wing of the house, and he joked about how his
mother was trying to get him to take charge of the project. "I know
she can handle it, but she likes to get me involved in anything she
is doing as much as possible."

"You're
her son."

He made
a face. "She doesn't let me forget it." He went on with the
description of what his mum told him to do at the house and what he
felt needed to be done. Yemi tried to listen, but her mind kept
wandering off as she continued to compare their family
backgrounds.