Thanks alot guys

Thanks Shakyroh. I am much better now. Happy new year

Thanks alot Ehmjay.I appreciate oh

It is Ekanem's big day. She wakes up feeling so excited because she is finally getting married to the man of her dreams.

She takes a cold bath and reflects on her life's journey so far.Ekanem smiles to herself when she remembers how she met her husband to be.

She gets out of the bathroom and prepares for the wedding ceremony. Some of her close friends and family members are lodged in the same hotel as her making it easy for some to pop in to check on the bride to be.

Chichi ,her maid of honour, acts as both personal assistant and personal security. She takes it upon herself to screen some unfamiliar guests much to the displeasure of some guests.

Ekanem finally gets dressed in her beautiful wedding dress which accentuates her curves.Her make up is flawless. Her hair is neatly packed in a simple manner and she puts on her lace and pearl embroidered cathedral length veil.

Chichi hands her a bouquet of fresh flowers which was delivered earlier on by Toks's driver.

Ekanem collects it from Chichi and smiles when she sees the gorgeous flowers. She also notices a small white note tucked in the centre of the bouquet.

Ekanem opens the note and reads it ; "May our love be as fresh and as beautiful as this flowers my darling. See you soon my love" .She closes her eyes and says "Amen " in her heart.

The ride to the church is fun as Ekanem and her bridesmaids discuss .Chichi's interesting tales keep them entertained till they get to the church.

They get down from the car hurriedly since they are almost late for mass .Toks is already in the church waiting for his bride to arrive.

Ekanem's parents approach her just outside the church and give her a warm hug.

"You look so beautiful my baby girl", Ekanem's mum says to her.

"Mummy! , I am no longer a baby. I am a married woman", she replies with a smile .

"You will always be my baby girl. I love you", Mrs Akpan says to her daughter .

"We love you", Ekanem's dad says to Ekanem .

Ekanem's mum enters the church to join Toks's parents as well as the other guests.

Ekanem and her dad dance to one of the melodious church choruses as he walks her down the aisle. Tochukwu smiles with admiration as his lovely bride approaches him.

The exchange of vows is so heartwarming as Toks's self written vows almost move Ekanem to tears .They are finally pronounced husband and wife. Toks takes Ekanem into his arms and kisses her gently but passionately on her lips.

Ekanem smiles in a shy manner when he releases her from his grip .Some of the wedding guests clap for them ,a few approch them at the alter to congratulate them ,while some take pictures of the latest couple in Anambra state.

The wedding reception is at Toks's family compound.It's an evening reception ceremony. There's so much space in the compound that it's able to take a large movable marquee tent.

Ekanem changes into a glamorous dress and dances with Toks into the guest filled marquee. Lots of important dignitaries and some celebrities are in attendance.

The Master of ceremonies does a superb job of anchoring the wedding reception. He asks the couple to have their first dance.

Toks and Ekanem walks to the dance floor and as the slow but extremely emotional song plays, Toks takes Ekanem into his arms .They both dance to the slow rhythm of the song.

Toks whispers into his wife's ears"thank you for being friends with me ;the coffee maker .I love you so much babe!".

" I love you too and I will always be by your side. You bring out the best in me",she replies.

They ignore the crowd, all they see and all that matters to them at that point is each other until the music fades.



The end...

Happy new year dear

Thanks dears.I feel much better

When Toks leaves the house, Chichi excitedly sits beside her flat mate and says" tell me everything ! . How did he propose to you? ".

Ekanem narrates everything that happened that evening /night to her friend .

"How do you feel?.How are you going to handle work? , she asks Ekanem.

" I am truly happy. I haven't been this happy in a long while. As for the job issue, it shouldn't be so difficult getting a university in Tok's state to lecture in if we have to relocate eventually. I guess we shall cross the bridge when we get there " ,she replies Chichi.

"That's the spirit my dear. I am so excited and happy for you", Chichi says to her .

The holidays end on a good note. Toks takes Ekanem to meet his parents briefly before going to Abuja to declare his marriage intention to Ekanem's family. Both sides of the family are happy about the engagement.

They both decide that August would be a perfect time for the wedding in order to allow the two families prepare sufficiently for it.

Ekanem goes to work when school starts. She finishes early and decides to spend some time with Toks in his restaurant before going home .

As she starts the ignition, she hears a knock on her car window. She turns to her left side to see Richard trying to get her attention. Ekanem winds down the window and smiles.

"Happy new year Eky! "He says to her with a smile.

"Hi Richie! Happy new year. Sorry for not calling you back. It was a very hectic holiday ", she replies.

"You look great as usual "he says to her. As he looks at her with admiration ,he sees the engagement on her finger.

"That's a beautiful ring you are wearing" ,he says with a straight face.

"Thank you. We need to talk Richie.Please come inside the car" ,she replies .

"Talk about what ?" ,he asks .

" I am getting married soon. I wanted to inform you in person that's why I didn't tell you earlier over the phone " ,she says to him.

"Hmm! " he says to her with sadness in his eyes.

"Yeah", she replies .

"Congrats, I am sure that you told me because I saw your ring" ,he says to her.

"Don't say that Richie! .You are my friend" , she replies.

" A friend that you refused to date. It's okay anyway . I am happy for you",he says to her.

"Thank you", she replies.

"He is one lucky guy. I must confess that it's a heavy blow .Letting go of you will probably be one of the most difficult things for me to do. Watching my best friend get married to another man is definitely heartbreaking .Nevertheless, I want you to be happy. Congratulations Eky! ,he says to her.

" I know that someday, you will meet that special lady that will make you forget me completely. Don't be a stranger Richie", she replies.

Ekanem and Richard discuss briefly before saying goodbye to each other.

It's a few days to Ekanem's church wedding ceremony .The excitement in the air is almost palpable.The traditional wedding which took place at her father's house a month earlier was very successful.

Both families hope that the white wedding ceremony which is to take place in the King's palace would be equally grand despite the recent deterioration of Tochukwu's father's health.



https://claireslovenest.

Aaaaw , bless you too Miss Relly

Thanks for your concern guys , I was a bit under the weather.

Ekanem smiles in a shy manner when he releases her from his grip .
They spend a only a few more minutes in the garden because outside is too chilly for Ekanem.

As they walk back to the house, Toks says "I hope you like our house, are there any changes you would like ?.I want you to be comfortable whenever you are in Lagos " .

"It's a beautiful house. I doubt if I want to make any changes but you could take  me on a brief tour of the house" ,Ekanem replies.

Toks takes her into all the rooms on the ground floor. She admires the interior decor .The neatness of house makes her impressed as well.

Just as they are about to climb the stairs to see the rooms especially the master bedroom and the study Toks spoke to her about, he takes her into his arms again and says " I pray that someday , God willing ,this house will have kids playing everywhere .After a year of marriage though because I want you all to myself " ,he says to her with a smile.

Ekanem laughs and says "1 year indeed when you want me all to yourself. Let's see how it goes darling ".

Toks shows her the other rooms upstairs first before taking her to the study.

Ekanem's jaw drops when they get to the study." Wow! this looks like a modern study from a catalogue", Ekanem says in excitement.

" I know how much you love to read .I got an expert in interior designing to create a a place where you would write your research papers,study and prepare your lecture notes without interruption.I wanted to show you before taking you to meet my parents earlier on" he replies .

"This is too much Toks! . I love it ! ",Ekanem says as she walks across the room.

Toks walks up to where she is and takes her into his arms.

" I am glad that you love it" he says as he looks into her eyes .

" I love you so much Tochukwu. Thank you for believing in me ", she replies with a soft voice.

"I love you more darling. I have not been able to get you out of my mind since the first day I met you at the café" , he says to her as he strokes her hair.

They both go to the master bedroom and like the rest of the house, Ekanem is thrilled by the superb decor and space .

They discuss briefly in the house and Toks takes Ekanem to her house.

There's no sign of Chichi in the living room when they return. Ekanem goes to Chichi's bedroom to share the good news with her but she finds her sleeping soundly on her bed.

Ekanem makes a cup of tea for Toks and herself .They sit beside each other on the sofa watching an old movie.

Ekanem rests her head on his right shoulder. They must have dozed off for a while because they are unaware of Chichi's presence in the living room.

Chichi taps Ekanem gently on her shoulder. Ekanem smiles when she sees the mischievous smile on Chichi's face.

Ekanem excitedly flashes her engagement ring at Chichi. Toks wakes up coincidentally and sees Chichi smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"Hi "he says to Chichi as he gets up.

"Hi prince charming ! , I hope you are not leaving on my account?"Chichi replies .

"No! I have a meeting by 7 am and it's already 2 am",Toks replies with a smile.


He gives Ekanem a hug and says" I will call you later okay, try and have some rest ".

"Okay dear" , she replies .

Toks leaves the house hurriedly and drives off in his car.

Lol

I will update the last post this nite, so busy .thanks

Ekanem is silent for a moment then replies with a soft voice "I just decided to find out if you had returned from your trip since I couldn't reach you via your phone.I was worried about your dad's health ".

Ekanem moves her gaze away from him and begins to fiddle with her phone.

Toks smiles and says "really ! Is that the only reason why you came? ".

"What do you really want from me?",Ekanem replies as he looks into his eyes .

" I want the truth", he says to her .

"Will it really make a difference ? "She replies hastily and stands up from the sofa.

Ekanem goes to a corner of the living room .She sees a painting which draws her attention and as she stares at the painting, Toks walks towards her.

He comes up behind her and places his right hand on her shoulder. He then whispers into her ear "Stop doing this to us ".

"Doing what ? ",Ekanem replies with a soft voice .

Toks turns her around to face him and says " stop delaying what is inevitable Ekanem ".

"I don't understand what you mean", she replies .

There's silence in the room. He looks at her with a straight face and says " stop lying to yourself,your mouth says things which are contrary to how you feel. Your eyes say it all ".

"Hmm", Ekanem says with a smile on her face.

"Can we go for a walk? ", Toks asks.

"Okay, I could do with some fresh air", she replies.

He leads her through the back door towards the garden .Ekanem admires the beautiful waterfront which has a jetty on their way to the garden.

They decide to sit on the wooden garden bench in order to rest their legs.

"What a nice garden you have got here" ,Ekanem says to Toks.

"Thanks dear", he replies.

She looks into his eyes and says" thank you for a lovely evening".

"Thank you too. It has been great having you by my side",he replies.

Ekanem smiles in return and places her head on his well toned arm.Toks takes her right hand in his left hand .

" I love you so much Ekanem", he says to her with a soft voice.

Ekanem tightens the hand grip and replies "I love you too".

" I want you to know that I would never take you for granted, I know how far you have gone in your career and how passionate you are about impacting knowledge on others.I love you too much to ask you to give up on what you have worked so hard to achieve all these years.I will never stop you from being the best you can be", Toks says to her.

Ekanem smiles but wonders in her heart if a but would follow his statement."Is he trying to give a reason for walking away from me?" ,she says to herself.

He gets up from his chair and stands in front of her .In less than 5 seconds, he brings out a ring from the pocket of his trouser.

"He gets down on one knee and whilst looking into her eyes he says to her " I may not have it all figured out darling, I may not be the best man out there but one is certain, I don't want to live without you by my side.
You brought me out of my misery when I heard that a certain lady which fit your description has been looking for me .Will you marry this guy who is crazy in love with you?" , Toks says to her with a soft voice.

Ekanem trying so hard to hold back the tears from her eyes as he spoke to her says to him with a smile on her face ,"No one has ever understood and loved me the way that you do.Yes!!! , I will marry you. I will be by your side as you face all your challenges and achieve your dreams".

He slips the ring into her finger and takes her into his arms. "You are so beautiful Ekanem" he says to her and kisses her gently on her cold lips.





To be continued

Soo busy but if you insist, I will post a paediatric sized update. Lol. Thanks guys

Lol. Thanks guys .will update later today

"This is my house dear", he says to her with a smile.

"What a lovely house you've got !" ,she replies as she looks at the house with admiration.

They both get down from the car. As they walk towards the front door, Ekanem looks at the beautiful outdoor Christmas decorations. The garden as well as the exterior aspect of the house are lit with white light. The pillars and the front the house are adorned with beautiful Christmas garlands.

As Ekanem approaches Toks's front door, she notices the pre-lit ornament wreath hanging on the door .

She smiles to herself as she wonders in her heart how much time and effort Toks put into transforming his house into a fairy-tale Christmas castle.

He ushers her into his house. They both sit down on the brown sofa located in the living room.

"I am so glad that you are here .I have longed for a time like this.Welcome to my humble abode" , he says to her as he looks into Ekanem's beautiful eyes.

" I am equally happy to see you again and please this house is far from being humble", she replies.

"Thank you dear ", he says to her.

Ekanem smiles at him and says "how is your dad's health? ".

"Surprisingly, with prayers and this new diet regimen that everyone is talking about recently, dad has improved greatly. He will be going to Germany to see his oncologist in January .We are hoping for the best Eky! ",he says to her with a soft voice.

"You have to keep being positive. His life is in God's hands" ,she replies and places one hand in his to comfort him.

"It has been a very difficult period for my family .My mum is almost a shadow of herself. It's not easy watching the love of your life suffer from such a deadly disease " , he says to her with sadness in his eyes.

As she attempts replying him,a man walks into the living room to announce that dinner is served.

"Please join me at the dining table", he says to Ekanem .

"Okay", she replies as she follows him to the dining area.

They seat across each other at the dining table .The light from the beautiful crystal chandelier not only provided the necessary illumination but created a welcoming ambience.

" I asked my chef to prepare local dishes for us.I hope you don't mind", he says to her .

"I don't mind at all", she replies .

Goat meat pepper soup, local rice with ofada sauce and Ekpang nkukwo are available.

Ekanem smiles when she hears the last food option .They both settle for Ekpang nkukwo after taking a bowl of pepper soup.

They both enjoy their meal thoroughly and decide to have a slice of red velvet cake .

"Thanks for the meal, your chef certainly deserves an award", Ekanem says to him with a smile.

They return to the living room .Ekanem sits beside him while Toks turns slightly to face her .

He looks into her eyes and smiles.

"Why are you smiling?" , Ekanem asks jokingly .

"You make me happy Ekanem that's why ",he replies.

"Hmmm", Ekanem says to him.

"Why did you come to the coffee shop to look for me Ekanem? ", he asks while staring into her beautiful brown eyes.

"I am so confused Chichi. I don't know if it's really worth it. I have never allowed myself to be this vulnerable in the past ", Ekanem says to her.

"Follow your heart dear and try to get some sleep",Chichi replies .

Ekanem goes back to her room .She says to herself "life isn't meant to be this complicated Ekanem ".

She takes a cold shower and slips under her duvet.

It's a beautiful morning. The cold harmattan breeze makes Ekanem enjoy her sleep so much that she almost forgets about Toks.

She overcomes the inertia of getting out of bed and goes to the kitchen to take a glass of water.

As she walks towards her room to plan her day, the door bell rings.

Ekanem goes to see who is at the door.

She opens the door to see a box of donuts and a cup of coffee as seen on the label.

Ekanem doesn't see anyone around except for the snacks which was left on her front porch.

She takes the snacks inside. When she opens the box of donuts, she sees a small note which reads;

"It hurts not having you around me,I miss you everyday.Love Toks ".

Ekanem feels so sad after reading the message .She takes a quick bath and wears a casual long gown.

Just as she contemplates her next line of action, the door bell rings again.

Ekanem walks hurriedly to the door .

She sees Peter through the glass peep hole. Ekanem quickly opens the door and says "what are you doing here?".

"My boss asked me to give you this parcel " ,he says to her.

She says thank you to Peter and enters the house.

When she opens the parcel, she sees a note which reads "Please have dinner with me by 6pm.I will be in Lagos by 4pm today.Kindly wait for me at your house, if you can ".

She has mixed feelings about seeing him again because even though she wants to be with him,she is a bit worried about what the future holds for her if they end up together.

Ekanem relaxes in her living room .She is somewhat glad that she doesn't have to travel all the way to Anambra .

She watches the television as she enjoys the donuts and chocolate drink Toks sent to her earlier.

Ekanem goes to the market afterwards to do some Christmas shopping.

She buys some foodstuffs needed to cook a variety of meals on that day for her friends.

It's about 5pm. Ekanem freshens up and begins to prepare for her dinner with Toks.

She puts on a long black fitted gown and packs her hair neatly to the back. Her make up compliments her silver accessories.

At exactly 6pm, the door bell rings .Ekanem goes to the door to check whether Toks has arrived.

When she opens the door ,Toks smiles at her and says" you are so beautiful ".

"Thank you", Ekanem replies.

"Shall we go ?",he says to her with a smile.

They both get into his car .He puts on the cd player. Ekanem looks at him and gives a nod of approval at his choice of music.

There is silence in the car except for the music playing till they get to their destination. Ekanem knows that they have so much to talk about but decides to enjoy the moment.

Ekanem watches him with the corner of her eyes as he parks in front of a house with a waterfront.

She then moves her gaze away from him to the place he brought her to.

She admires the beautiful house which also has a lovely garden.

"Where are we?" She asks with a soft voice.

"That is going to be difficult considering the fact that I am in love with you. Good bye Ekanem", he says to her and walks away.

Ekanem goes back into her car and drives off. She decides to make a quick stop at the coffee shop.

She walks up to Peter with a smile on her face.

"Hi Peter, I am glad that you are the person working here today" , she says to him.

"Good evening madam!" , he replies.

"Please is Mr Tochukwu available at the moment? ", she asks.

"No ma, he has been out of town for a while. Is there a problem? ", he replies.

" I need to discuss something important with him.I don't mind travelling to meet him because I can't reach his phone lines ", she says to him.

"Madam I don't have the address of his current location and even if I did, it would be wrong to divulge such a sensitive information . He calls this office once a day though", he replies.

"Oh really! has he called today? , she asks.

"Yes ma ! He called an hour ago", he replies.

"Does he have a specific time of calling?" , she asks.

"No ma ! , He can call by 10pm or 7am , anytime he feels like ma",he replies.

"Peter can you copy the number he uses to call you guys? .When next I come, I'll pick it up from you if you don't mind " , she says to him with a smile.

" Ah, madam I don't mind doing that for you but the problem is that he calls with an unknown number. It's like he doesn't want any one to call him", he replies Ekanem.

"Okay thanks for your help " she says to him.

Ekanem leaves the café feeling so disappointed. She drives home and goes straight into her room.

"How am I going to find Toks?", she says to herself. "No responsible employee would ever dream of revealing the address of their boss without permission", she wonders in her heart .

She attempts calling Toks's line but it's switched off. Ekanem goes to bed after resolving in her heart to trace Toks whereabout , no matter how long it takes.

Ekanem wakes up the next morning .She makes a very brief stop at school and goes to the café afterwards.

Peter sees her as she comes into the café and smiles.

Ekanem sits on the chair and signals Peter to meet her.

"Has he called today? "She asks excitedly .

"You just missed his call ma ! " ,he says to her.

"Did you tell him that I need to see him? ",she replies with a look of disappointment in her eyes.

"Ehmm! Madam I told him that a lady stopped by to see him but when he asked who it was, I didn't know what to say .what is your name ma? ",he says to her.

"How could I have forgotten to introduce myself name properly. My name is Dr Ekanem Akpan. Please tell him to call me whenever he calls. I will come again tomorrow", she replies.

"Okay ma", he says to her.

Ekanem goes home, she contemplates talking to her mum about the situation but she changes her mind .She figures that it's better discussed face to face.

"Chioma may not want to help me by contacting Toks's personal assistant since I am not making all this effort for Kola. What's the guarantee that he would tell me where Toks or his parents live? "She says to herself.

Ekanem tries her best to distract herself by watching her favourite TV series.

Chichi comes home and finds her lying down on the sofa.

"Babe go inside and sleep, I hope you are okay? " ,she says to Ekanem.

"I will be fine once I am able to find him", Ekanem replies.

"Find who ?" ,Chichi says to her.

" I cant reach Toks and I don't have his house or village address ", Ekanem replies.

"This is serious.Have you asked his workers? ", she says to Ekanem.

"No luck from that angle", Ekanem replies.

"I don't know if this is a silly idea but I think you should just ask his workers for the name of his home town or better still check the Internet. Since his dad is a king, tracing his palace won't be difficult", she says to Ekanem.

"Chichi you are so smart , I will do that immediately", she replies excitedly .

Ekanem finds an article about a traditional ruler from Nanka who bares the same surname as Tochukwu.

She hurriedly shows it to Chichi." I have to go to Anambra state tomorrow. Have you heard of a town called Nanka before? " ,she says to Chichi.

" I have been to Ekwulobia before and I believe that it's close to Nanka", she says to Ekanem.

" I hope you won't get lost? " , Chichi says to her .

That's true my brother @ ibullem

"I care about him Chichi", Ekanem says to her." The problem is that I am not sure that I want to live a life that would be under constant scrutiny, it would entail my abandoning everything I have worked so hard for all these years", Ekanem says to her with sadness .

"Does it really matter? I think the real issue here is fear .You are so scared of giving your heart to a guy.You will both eventually figure out how you will handle your career "; Chichi replies.

"Why should I be scared?Meanwhile I am sure that Toks would be angry with me for not going with him to see his dad who is very ill", she says to Chichi.

"It's not too late dear , first of all, you need to stop leading that Chioma's guy on and make effort to see the guy you really love ",Chichi replies.

" I feel terrible for not going with him. What if he doesn't take me back?", Ekanem says to Chichi.

"It won't hurt to try first ",Chichi says to her.

Ekanem nods her head in agreement and goes into her room to retire for the day.

Just as she lies on the bed after taking a bath, she gets a call from Kola.

"Hi dear", he says to her.

"Hi kola", she replies .

" I hope you are resting? .I had a great day, thanks to you", he says to her .

"Thank you. I was actually about to sleep before your call came in" ,she replies.

"Oh! Okay, let me allow you sleep then.Goodnight dear", he says to her.

"Good night " ,she replies.

Ekanem wakes up the following .She is glad that the Christmas holidays start the following day because of her plans to go in search of Toks.

As she walks towards her car after giving her last lecture for the year, she gets a call from Richard.

"Hi Ekanem! , are you free at the moment?" , he says to her .

" I am actually about to go home. I hope you are okay? " , she replies with a soft voice.

"I will meet you at the parking lot in less than 2 minutes", he says to her and ends the conversation.

Ekanem enters her car and scrolls through her social media messages. She wonders what Richard wants to say to her in such a hurry.

He finally gets to her car and knocks on the driver's car window to alert her of his presence.

"Hey Richie! ", she says to him as he opens the front passenger's seat for him to enter the vehicle.

"Hi gorgeous! .How was your day? ", he replies.

"Not bad at all " ,she says to him.

"Ekanem what plans do you have for the holiday? ", he asks with a smile.

"I don't have clear cut plans yet" , she replies.

"If you aren't travelling to stay with your family, we could visit a resort close to Lagos this holiday", he says to her.

"That sounds fun but I don't think it's such a good idea", she replies.

"Why not?" , he replies.

"Richard we have been best of friends for some time now.I don't really understand what kind of game you are playing", she says to him.

"What game Eky? I do not understand what you are talking about", he replies.

"You asked me out some months back and you are currently getting close to Chichi, not that it bothers me anyway. I just want to be sure that you know what you want", she says to him.

"Do I smell jealousy in the air ? ",he replies with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Far from it Richie! ", she says to him.

"Well Ekanem if you must know. I am tired!.I am tired of watching you go out with other men. I am tired of watching you give your heart and attention to someone else when I who has been your best friend is left to scramble for the few minutes we spend together. I love you so much that it hurts.I decided to get close to your house mate to test your love for me.I thought that perhaps you would be jealous of our closeness or better still get angry when you see Chichi talking to me over the phone", he says to her with a loud voice .

"Wow!" ,Ekanem replies with shock written all over her face.

" I guess that's all you have to say after watching me make fool of myself", he says to her with sadness in his eyes.

"Richie! Calm down! ", she replies.

"It's okay Ekanem. It's crystal clear that you can never love me" , he says to Ekanem.

" I love you as a". ..Ekanem replies .

"As a brother, isn't it? ", he says to her.

"Goodbye! Ekanem", he says to her as he tries to leave the car.

Ekanem goes after him and holds his hand.

"I need you to keep being my best friend and brother .I can't bear to loose you Richie!" , she says to him with a soft voice.

"I am serious dear" , Richard says to Chichi.

They both sit down on the sofa .

"Do you have a preferred TV channel?", Chichi says him as she picks up the remote control from the stool beside her.

"What's that on the dining table?", Richard asks while looking into that direction .

"Oh ! that is my ludo game. Do you remember ludo? Or are you too sophisticated to know the game?" , she says to him jokingly .

"Chichi bring that game here ! , I will show you who the master of the game is", he replies with a mischievous smile.

After an hour of playing the game, Chichi says to him

"I need to go to the shop close by to pick some toiletries before they close for the day".

"Don't tell me it's because I beat you back to back", Richard says with a smile.

" I just allowed you to win. After all you are my guest", she says with a charming smile on her face.

" I could escort you ,if you don't mind", Richard replies.

"Okay! ,you are going to carry all the bags. That's your punishment for winning me in my own house", she says to him in a playful manner.

"Yes madam Chichi", he replies jokingly.

Chichi wears a comfortable foot wear and goes with Richard to the shop.

He waits for her to place the toiletries in her room before saying "I have to go home now dear.I had a great time ".

" I had fun too", Chichi replies.

"Can I have your phone number ? ",he asks.

Chichi gives him her number as sees him off to his car.


They both say goodnight to each other and Chichi walks back into the house whistling like a love struck teenager.


Dinner turns out to be better than Ekanem expects. She enjoys her delicious meal and fine wine served in one of the best restaurants in Lagos.

Kola's sanguine nature helped to make the outing even more interesting. He always had stories and analogies to make.

They both get into Kola's car after dinner. As he drives her home, he says to her; "I am so glad that I agreed to the blind date. I hated the idea initially because I actually like to be in charge of things like that. I am happy that Chioma insisted ".

"Hmm " ,Ekanem replies.

" I am like an open book Ekanem, What you see ,is what you get.I am not here to play. I like you a lot. Can you give me a chance to know you better? , he says to her.


"Okay! I actually admire your honesty, let's just take our time to get to know each other better", she replies.

They arrive at her house. Kola walks her to the door .He hugs her and says" I will call you before you go to bed".

"Okay, thanks for a great evening", she replies.


Ekanem enters her house and meets Chichi cleaning up the kitchen.

"You are welcome lover girl!" , Chichi says to Ekanem.


" I should be calling you that. For Richard to come to the house without calling me to inform me.Hmmm, is there something that you are not telling me? , Ekanem replies with a straight face.

"There is nothing going on between Richie and I", she says in a fidgety manner.

"You know that you can always tell me when you are ready " ,Ekanem replies .

"Forget about me for now.How about Toks? ", have you heard from him? , Chichi asks Ekanem.

"Yes ! ,he sent me a text message apologising for walking out on me. He blamed it on the emotional trauma he is currently facing" ,Ekanem replies.

"So what are you going to do now?.This guy really cares about you Eky", Chichi says to her.

Thank you @solidkay.working on it