Chapter 23: The Present

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There were quite a number of people waiting as she entered. People were standing, seating, talking. But as she was about heading to the exit she heard a voice that made her stop at her tracks.

Is it...

She turned around. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him. He was talking to a nurse. He looked older, maybe a little taller even, but the years had apparently been good to him.

He was in a deep blue suit that looked like it was custom made seeing how it fitted his body nicely, showing off his abs and arm muscles. His shoes were well polished and shined. Everything he was wearing from up to down was apparently designers. He had grown beards, a lot, and his adam's apple stock out of his neck. His physique was perfect, he obviously still spent a lot of time in the gym. His deep brown eyes and dimple pierced smile apparently still made her heart beat a little faster. She was almost overtaken by lust just remembering all the times they had spent together. She was drooling now she was sure, but she just couldn't help it.

As she tried to stop herself by stepping back she bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry" she apologized to the middle aged man.

"It's fine my dear" he replied.

She decided to leave as soon as possible, she didn't want him to see her.

"Tomike?"

He called out her name, more like a question than it was a statement. His deep voice which was all too familiar made her shudder.

She froze right at the exit. She wasn't sure whether to answer or not, but with her abrupt stop after the call of her name, she had given herself away. It made no sense now not to answer. She felt a slight touch on her arm. She slowly turned around, and it seemed like she could get high on his cologne which now enveloped the air around her.

"My God! It is you. How long has it been, five years, six?" He threw his arms around her without any warning. It shocked Tomike, but it felt really good being in his arms. It seemed he felt the same as he didn't let go as soon as he should have.

"Hi" the only thing that could escape from Tomike's mouth after the unexpected hug had ended. She was nervous, she couldn't understand why though. The person she thought she had had enough of and was done with, why did her heart skip when she saw him now, why was she nervous, what suddenly happened to  her words.

"Hello" he replied in a mellow deep voice with a smile. He could tell she was nervous.

"You don't seem excited to see me" he continued, his brow furrowed with a smile still softly planted on his lips.

"I am. It's just so suprising to see you here. And it's actually been five years"

"Five years." He said, more to himself than to Tomike. "Five years since you broke my heart" he smirked

"Come on King, we are way passed that now" Tomike didn't like visiting her past.

"It's Kingsley please, nobody calls me king anymore" he chuckled, and it did something to Tomike's chest. There goes that perfectly shaped smile she couldn't get enough of. And the dimples, killer.

"Oh I see. So what are you doing here?" His tall frame towered over her and it was a bit intimidating. At some point in her life she always wanted him around her because his height made her feel protected.

"Me?" She watched his demeanor change as he looked down for a second and sunk his hands in the pocket of his suit pants. The question for some reason made him nervous.

"I brought someone here"

"Ok... Who if I may ask?" Tomike knew it wasn't in her place to ask, but she wanted to keep talking to him.

"My wife" he replied without giving it much thought. "She's here for her antenatal visit."

Tomike's heart sunk. She didn't know why but all the blood in her face suddenly stopped flowing. It was then she noticed the wedding band finely seated on his ring finger. She was dissapointed and her face could barely hide it so she looked down.

A wife. A pregnant wife.

She looked up and he had that smile on his face again.

"Congrats"

"Thank You"

"And you? What are you doing here?"

"Iya Bose is a little sick. I'm here to see her"

"Oh I see. Hope she's not too ill?"

"She'll be fine. She's a strong woman" Tomike was now trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him.

"Alright then, I'll get going now. See you around. By the way are you back in Lagos for long?"

How did he know she was 'back in Lagos'. He never knew she wasn't in Lagos in the first place, or did he?

"Yes, kind of" she replied, a little confused.

"Alright then, see ya" he winked as he turned around, heading for the exit and Tomike's heart couldn't take it anymore. Butterflies had now appeared out of nowhere and were doing somersaults in her belly.

In Tomike's lifetime she hadn't been in a lot of relationships. There was this one boy in secondary school who she kissed, then another guy she met when she first arrived in Florida, and that was is.

But this was different, the relationship she had with King was different. It was a rollarcaster ride, one minute they were up the next they were down. It was heaven in the midst of hell, it was sweet poison. She'd never imagine someone was so wrong for her but yet so right. He was the one guy in the world who knew her inside out, who could read her face in seconds, who could make her smile just as easily as he could sour her mood. At some point she was sure they were soulmates, but life had other plans for them.

Omo mi- my child
Amálá and Ewedu- a Yoruba delicacy.

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As I promised, another chapter. Hopefully I'll update more next week. And if you have been reading and following my story but yet to vote for my chapters, why naa! 😭😭 Oya go back and vote, and comment too, especially if you have a working keyboard on your phone 😅. It'll mean a lot to me and I'll love you forever😁😊. Who is ready to read all the gist about King? What do you think about his character? Let me know in the comments. Wait oo, you're still going to leave without voting, o wrong now! Please vote, thank you!
Xoxo💕💕
Val💕💕

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