Preordained #ProjectNigeria

59- The Party II

Nwanyieze's POV~

Those light brown eyes had frozen me right there on the spot. And Maduka's kiss right in front of everyone present...

My legs are still shaking in my black pumps when Maduka says, "There's Tasha. Let's go and greet her."

My arm linked with his, Maduka leads me through a small crowd of about twenty people towards the other end of the room, where Tasha stands close to a table laden with snacks. Her gold sequined dress catches the light and sparkles beautifully in the bright lights. Her hair is in a high bun atop her head, adorned with metal beads. Professionally done make up sits on her face, which breaks up into a smile as we approach her.

Maduka gives her a side hug, but I notice that she holds onto him for longer. I force a smile and extend a hand, which she takes with an equally forced smile. I hear the music lowering and absently look over my shoulder to find its source. Saheed is close to the sound system, lowering the music. Our eyes meet again, and he winks at me, his grin still there.

I have a bad feeling about this.

"Meet my friend," Tasha tells Maduka and I. She turns and gestures to a person. The person steps forward and I nearly have a heart attack.

Temitope.

Temi is equally surprised to see me. Her eyes widen at the sight of me, her brows almost reach her hairline.

"Queen!" she exclaims. "Longest time!"

"Hello, Temi," I greet her, stepping forward to receive her excited hug. She withdraws after a few seconds and looks me over.

"You look so good, my dear! I'm so happy to see you!"

"You look good, too," I reply weakly. She is wearing a form-fitting black playsuit and sky-high heels, and on her head is a huge afro.

"You two know each other?" Tasha asks. "What a small world."

"Yes, small world, isn't it?" comes a voice from behind me.

Saheed is suddenly standing beside Temi, a lazy smile on his face. But his eyes are glittering with mischief, and I know better than to believe his smile.

"Is she your course mate, Nwanyieze?" Maduka asks, confused. Temi gives him a glance, opens her mouth to speak, but says nothing and closes it instead.

"No," I reply. Suddenly, it feels like the room is spinning. "Temi, we'll talk later. Maduka, I need a drink."

I allow him to lead me away from the little group to the balcony. The lights are dimmer here, and the cool night air is a huge relief.

"Are you okay?"

I nod slowly.

"If you don't want to be here, we could leave. Tasha and Saheed seem to be trying their best to make you uncomfortable."

"I can't blame them. Maduka, they teamed up against me. And it's justifiable."

"How is it justifiable?"

"This is Saheed's flat. Tasha is hosting her party here for a reason."

"Are they a thing now?"

"I don't know about that, but I'm sure that Temi is here for a reason."

"I'm listening."

Suddenly, I feel myself go numb. I can't explain how, maybe it's self-preservation, the need to feel no pain in order to function in difficult situations... I take a deep breath.