"I-I..." the words desert my mouth and I develop a speech impediment over five seconds.
His smile fades and he drops the menu he was holding up to see me better.
It was now or never.
"When Victoria said I was old enough to handle a drink she was right but not completely honest. I'm not 18 or some Uni girl like you may have thought. I turn 18 in a month and I'm in my final year of high school." I confess readily to leave immediately if he was no longer interested in the conversation after long.
"Well do you want to be here?" he asks in a monotonous voice.
I blink confusedly. "What type of question is that?" I ask but he only stares on.
"Okay yes, I do."
"Then I'll wait," he says looking back at his menu like it was no big deal.
"You'll what?" I question pushing down his menu with more force than I intended.
He stares at me with wide eyes ready to laugh but he pipes down at my bewilderment.
"Look I'm not here to tell you how to run your life. I appreciate your honesty, but you're almost an adult and regardless I'm not age mates with your father. So if you're here of your free will who am I to let a good thing go?" Isren explains, ending with a noncommittal shrug.
I am taken aback by the compliment and I'm sure even my melanin was having a hard time fighting my blush.
His intense gaze melts my heart and suddenly I could care less about what the world had to say about the right thing to do.
I never felt more alive than at this moment and I never wanted it to end. It is then a realize our faces are only inches apart and I pull away.
Never kiss on the first date.
He leans back in his seat sparing me one more longing glance before he finalized his meal choice for the afternoon.
.........
I laugh out loud at the story of him getting caught with his girlfriend and how his father nearly castrated him that day.
Customers look in my direction irritated at my breaking the tranquility of the restaurant now and then.
I drop my napkin trying to swallow my remaining giggle and after composing myself I finally speak. "I think these people have had enough of me I should be on my way now, it's almost five o clock."
He nods and calls for the bill. "Yeah you're right to let me handle the check and we'll be on our way."
"Our? I thought you were paying for my transport." I say wondering what he was getting at.
"You've had the afternoon to probe me and I'm pretty sure it's clear I'm not some creepy old predator. So would you like to get in a stranger's car and let him drive you home or you'll do me the honor of escorting you back?" Isren answers and it's a no-brainer.
"Alright, take me to home me with you," I mutter, immediately wishing I could rephrase my sentence. That did not come out how I intended.
"As tempting that sounds I'd rather not, you may be every inch a woman, but that's not on paper yet," he remarks and while his brazen desire flatters me I'm slightly disappointed by his refusal.
The waiter arrives by our table with a pos in hand and he takes his eyes off me saying some words I couldn't make out to the waiter.
This allows me to stare at his lips and I wonder what it would be like to have the famous first kiss many girls my age fantasized about.
"You ready?"
I blink forcefully tearing my eyes to the head behind him before I can look him in the eyes again.
He seems not to have noticed my staring so I cement my act with a smile. "Yes let's go."
....................
I admire the rich interior of his car from the nude. It screamed affluence and I fought the urge to fall asleep all at once in this car.
I didn't know much about cars and could barely tell it was a convertible but I'd be an idiot to not know this cost a fortune in naira.
"You may be older than me but there is no way someone as young as you could afford this car. What kind of 9 to 5 do you have man?" I question him ready to bolt if he was an internet fraudster or ritualist. I surreptitiously glance at the locks wondering how I would figure out that thing.
Maybe I should have thought of that before being so brash with my questioning.
Isren laughs. "You don't know me do you?"
I look at him wondering what he was on about. I knew every handsome Nollywood actor so there was no way he was a star.
"Isren Olubode, son of Chief Olubode, and Vice President of the Multi-Million-dollar, Lucrosse Hotel Chain," he says and I almost faint on the spot -well as close as I could get to pass out.
"You're the multimillionaire playboy I've heard about on Liza Nkechi's blog," I say finally connecting the dots on my we met at an exclusive club and money was never an issue for him.
"For the record, I am not a playboy I have had unsuccessful relationships with two women and have recently been spotted with the woman my mother is trying to pawn off on me," Isren says taking a second to look at me before returning his gaze to the road.
"Still if you have a million women at your disposal why would you want some fresh-faced girl barely out of high school," I say and fold my arms under my chest.
I was not going to let him use and dump me.
"Because I'm reckless like that," he says with a charming smile and I fight the irritating butterflies in my stomach.
"I'm being serious, I don't want some Lagos socialite drama in my life. You're way out of my league." I retort my insecurities eating me alive. I just don't add that I'm flat, young, and can be easily categorized as his sugar baby.
He parks a few houses before my fake address, my real house was two streets down. When he's done he turns to face me propping his hand on the neck of my car seat.
"I'm not out of your league. I'm filthy rich with old money and live a life that's been chosen for me. Most of the women I've dated in the past were business arrangements and though I wouldn't categorically say younger girls are my type, you're different. You're not just a fresh-faced girl you're a breath of fresh air." he says begging me with his eyes to believe every word he just said.
I let out a shaky breath starting to feel heady at his proximity. I could see every fleck of brown in his eyes and smell the scent of peppermint mixed with our lunch on him.
"I just don't want to be wrong about you. All my life I've been told to stay away from boys and now here I am in the car of a guy ten years older than me. My mum will skin me alive if she finds out and if gossip columns start carrying news about me being seen with you I'll become a pariah in church." I respond letting my vulnerability slip through the cracks for once.
He sighs, using a finger to pull my chin back to him as I look away.
"What do you want Nimi," he asks and I look for an answer to give him.
I've never had a relationship. Understood very little about God with my heart despite knowing everything about Him, or so I thought, in my head. People will always judge me and tell me what's acceptable in this society without any regard for what I feel.
Yet here he is asking me what I want.
I look at him with a determination I did not know I possessed. "I want to take a chance on you."
He narrows his eyes searching for the truth. "I want you to be sure of what you're saying Nimi."
"Positive. I know no one can make any promises, but I don't care I want to live my life on my terms." I say with a tone of finality.
Slowly a smile breaks onto his face and I release the CO2 I didn't know I had been holding.
High on euphoria, I don't stop talking. "You didn't ask me the second thing I want."
His brows squeeze together and he asks me what.
I move an inch closer so my lips graze his ever so lightly. I see him visibly swallow and hesitation is written all over his face.
"A goodbye kiss," I whisper looking at him through my inked lashes.
Author's Note
If you've made it this far thank you for reading my book! I appreciate every single one of you so much❤️. Please remember to leave a vote if you enjoyed reading it as this really helps my books. Feel free to leave a comment to say hi! Or let me know your thoughts as you read. And share this book with a friend you think would like it.
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