"See the love wey I get for you, pass any money
Pass any money
She tell me na me way dey make dey happy dey soji o
Woah-woah, woah, woah
Any amount for my babe, I'ma run it, I'ma run it up
No love wey pass this kind of mine so
O moge mi, gyal I'm tempted to touch
'Til the mornin' make I know."
Wizkid ft. Skepta "Longtime"
Nicole
"Damn, I'm thirsty as f*ck." The saltiness of potato chips can make you parched real quick. Adding peanut butter to the mix just makes it worst. I don't even feel like getting up to go to the kitchen to get something to drink. Ever since Kyle left the house two hours ago, I've been stuck on this couch.
So, we went on the trip to visit his hometown and it was amazing. I won't lie, I was a little scared of meeting his Mom in person because as much as she swore she loved me over the phone, her impression of me could have changed once she saw me. Fortunately for me, she adored me and pampered me the whole thing. She wouldn't let me lift a finger.
Kyle had built this huge mansion for her in Banana Island and she has staff working at the house, including a gateman, cook, and house cleaner. She also is a landlady of two duplexes a couple of streets away. Momma is living the good life. I mean, despite the fact that she's losing her only son to cancer.
Let me stop before I start crying again.
I enjoyed my time there. It's a beautiful country from the natural terrain, the people, the food, and the music. I ate so much. I was already exposed to so many dishes because Kyle would always cook them for me at home because something about eating them in Nigeria felt different and tasted even more delicious. I loved visiting the market at night to enjoy food from the street vendors and walking all the shore with Kyle under the moonlight.
His Mom sat down with the two of us after everybody else had gone to bed. She wanted to apologize for what Kyle did. She really thought he had told me about his illness at the beginning of our relationship. She was really upset when she found out he had hidden it from me for so long.
Kyle has gotten sicker ever since we came back from our two-week trip, but he's still doing his thing and the public has no idea. He doesn't want his legacy to be about his illness, but about the contributions he has made to the art world and the many people he has inspired to follow their dreams and be creative.
Today is finally the unveiling of his final exhibit. While he was getting things ready with the venue and planning everything, he locked the door to his art studio so I wouldn't get a peek at any of the pieces. Chile, sometimes I found myself staring at that door like my piercing eyes could burn through it and look at the works of art. Well, in just a few hours I will finally lay my eyes on them.
He and his crew left at 12 and it is now 2:14. The event is starting at 5 o'clock sharp. Kyle does not play about being on time. If you don't call that you're running late, the door will be closed and he will start without you.
When Kyle announced that this was his last exhibit, the news spread like wildfire because everybody wanted to know why but he made no comment. I already know it's going to be so crowded with industry people.
I heard keys jingling at the front door. Oh no, did Kyle forget something? I sat up as the door was pushed open. I rolled my eyes and laid my *ss back down on the couch when I saw it was Tae and Tucson.
"I know Nicole did not just roll those pretty brown eyes at us."
"I did and I will gladly do it again." They must fell and bumped their heads if they forgot what they did yesterday while we were at the warehouse.
These two were playing too many games and we didn't finish the shoot until 9. I just wanted to finish what we had to do and get home to my man. At least they got me some Shake Shack to make up for it.
"What are you doing?" Tae asked.
"Eating a bag of potato chips with peanut butter. You want some?" I offered before the bag was snatched from my hands.
"Give me that. You're supposed to be getting ready."
"I'm waiting for the bus to come first."
"The magic school bus?"
"No, Leo's bus. Remember how I told you he's in daycare sometimes?"
"Yeah."
"They have a bus that picks them up and drops them off at home."
"He's living the good life."
"Whatever. Where did you get keys from?" I got up to go to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and poured myself a glass of orange juice. I drink this sh*t at any time of the day. I love it.
"Kyle gave us his."
"Why? I can do my hair and makeup myself. I want everything to be light and natural tonight."
"A little help won't hurt."
"I guess." My phone vibrated and checked it to see a text from the daycare, signaling that Leo was nearby. "The bus is getting closer. I'll be right back." I slipped on my slippers and went outside by the curbside. I saw the bus down the block and I could see Leo smiling through the window.
"Hi Susan." I greeted the bus driver as it came to a stop next to me.
"Hi Nicole. How are you and Kyle?"
"Pretty good. Hope he was good today."
"As always." She walked over to Leo's seat and unbuckled him. "Bye Leo!" He barked as he hopped off the bus and ran over to me.
"Thank you. I love the haircut by the way."
"Thank you! You're the first person to notice."
"Really? Well, you look beautiful."
"I appreciate it. Y'all enjoy the rest of your day."
"You too!" I waved at her as she ran to drive away.
"Hey, baby boy. Did you have fun today?" I scratched behind his ears. He waved his tail and jumped around me. "Alright, come on." I followed him into the house.
"Hi Leo." Tae and Tucson are cool with Leo, but Tucson is like hands-off with dogs. He's not scared of them, but he's not a fan and I respect that. He and Leo have an understanding.
"There is something y'all can do for me."
"What?"
"Get him cleaned up and dressed. He just needs a bowtie."
"I don't know about that."
"Pretty please?"
"Fine."
"You two are the best. I'm going to get ready." I wrapped my hair and put three shower caps on before stepping into the shower.
I washed myself really well before getting out and moisturizing my body with my Fenty body butter. Then, I got dressed and layered my fragrances all over my body. I used my leave-in conditioner on my hair to get the curls popping. I checked the time to see it was 3:46.
Damn, the time is flying by. We need to leave by 4:10 or we are going to be late.
"Yellow or black bag?" I held both up in front of the mirror. Let me go ask these two knuckleheads since they want to be so involved. I walked out of the room and walked over to Leo's bachelor pad. The door was creaked open. Before I went inside, I heard outside listening to Tae and Tucson's conversation.
"Tae, pull yourself together."
"I'm sorry. I just feel so bad."
"I know but she's making the best of it and we have to stay strong for her."
"You're right. Were you thinking what I was thinking when she talked about the potato chips and peanut butter?"
"I won't lie, I was but I don't think she is."
"You don't think I'm what?" Tucson tried to hide his shock when he saw me. Tae turned his back to me and I watched him wipe his face.
"Um, becoming like Saweetie. You know how that girl is always eating the craziest things." Tucson answered, nudging Tae. Tae turned around with a smile on his face.
"Why were you crying?"
"I wasn't. There was something in my eye." These two can't lie for nothing, but I'll let it go.
"Right. Which bag should I bring?"
"Yellow." They replied in unison.
"Thank you. Don't you look so handsome? They did a great job, didn't they?" I petted Leo. My eyes turned to the trash can where I could see an empty container and a pile of grooming wipes. Tae caught me looking and tried to sneakingly push it out of my sight with his foot. "You two are a mess."
"You see what happened was, we wanted to make sure I was really clean and smelled good."
"Can't be mad at that." It's just like when you ask a man to change a poop diaper. He will finish the entire pack of wipes.
Tae drove us to the art gallery and after giving the car to the valet, we stepped inside of the building. It was packed, but it was still cool inside. I didn't see Kyle, and Tae and Tucson dispersed so it was just me and Leo walking around.
I looked up at the neon red sign of the name of the exhibit, This Feeling. There was a total of nine canvasses that were in a particular sequence.
Why Don't We Fall in Love: It was Kyle looking like he was in a trance as he shook someone's hand. You couldn't see the other person's face, but I guessed it was me because of the curly hair from the back of the head. I had that man hypnotized. I know that's right.
Privacy: It was Kyle mean-mugging Leo, while he was all up on me as I scratched his ears. I was sleeping over at Kyle's place for the first time and Leo refused to give us any alone time. I found it hilarious, but Kyle didn't. Once Leo crashed it in the living room, we ran to Kyle's room and closed the door.
The next canvas caused me to gasp because this man really had my clappas on display. My face still wasn't shown, but you could clearly the Carpe Diem tattoo on the side of the right thigh which I have.
Dance for You: It was me swinging on a pole while he watched me, sipping on his drink. Tae convinced me to do it. I was so nervous and prayed that I didn't bust my *ss. He loved it and took me down before I could finish my routine. Trust me, that wasn't the last time I pulled out that pole.
Trust: It was Kyle doing my hair while I sat in front of him on the floor. I had just finished washing and blowing it, ready for an upcoming appointment when this man begged me to let him do it. I thought it was a cute idea, but I didn't want to end up looking like a mess. He reassured me that he had been watching YouTube videos and I would love the hairstyle and I did. They were jumbo twists. I feel like they made me look younger. He really did his thing.
The next one cracked me up.
Motivation: It was Kyle doing push-ups in his home gym with me laying on his back and eating a bag of potato chips. I was worn out. He would push you until you got it right and did everything. I helped him keep count until he reached 100.
I remember the next moment like it was yesterday.
*************************************************
That day, I called him before I went to work and he didn't answer. I thought he was so sleeping so I sent him a text. Throughout the day, I kept checking on him but he never picked up or replied to my texts. I started to get upset about him ignoring me. That anger turned into worry when the sun was setting. I didn't care about us missing our dinner reservations. At that point, I just wanted to know that he was okay. I checked for him at work, at home, and with the crew. I didn't want to call his Mom and make her panic. I was really ready to call the police until I got a text from him to come outside.
"Hey, baby."
"Hey? Is that all you can say to me? Where have you been all day?"
"I just needed a day to reset. I'm sorry about ignoring all of your calls and texts. I didn't mean to get you worried."
"You could have sent me a quick message that you wanted to be alone."
"I know. I'm sorry. You still love me?"
"I guess."
"Babe. Why are you crying? Nicole?"
"Just stop. I'm fine."
"Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking about."
"I was really worried about you. I have no issue with you taking a break from the world, I just wish you would have said something. God forbid, you thought about taking some drastic decision. Imagine our conservation from last night was the last one. That would literally devastate me because I would feel like I could have done something to help you."
"Nicole. Baby, look at me. I know where your heart is coming from and I receive it. Next time, I'll keep you in the loop because I would love you by my side and I would hate for you to have all that anxiety. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"
"Okay."
"I love you, baby."
"I love you more."
"Come here."
"Sir, I'm not having sex with you."
"This has nothing to do with f*cking. Come on."
*************************************************
Ride with Me: It was me sitting on Kyle's lap in the driver's seat of his car. When his arms wrapped around me and my head laid on his neck, I felt all our troubles melt away. We didn't say a word as the radio played r&b in the background. It was calm and peaceful. We were holding on like we never wanted to let each other go. This became a regular thing for us at night even if we weren't having a disagreement. I later found out that he was actually in the emergency room that day and he didn't want to call me because it would have blown up the secret of him being sick.
In Da Club: It was Kyle playing a set for me on the equipment I had gotten him for his birthday. He dreamed of being a DJ when he was a kid, so I got him everything he could need to practice and potentially perform live for a crowd. I was the only one in the room with him, but we were partying until the early hours of the morning.
All Mine: It was Kyle and I holding hands at the beach that was right behind his mother's house in Nigeria. The sunset was so beautiful. Seeing him so filled with joy being back home made me so happy. I know he would have loved to stay longer, but he wanted to come home and complete this exhibit. I feel like he was really inspired and figured out the missing touches.
The final canvas was covered up and it had the title: Forever. What is it?
"There's my baby girl." I turned around to see my Mom.
"Mom, what are you doing here? I thought you were on a cruise."
"I was but I couldn't afford to miss this event."
"Thank you for coming to support." We talked for a while before I saw my father looking around the room.
"Hi Dad."
"Hi sweetie. You look beautiful."
"Thank you. I'm glad you could come."
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?" Greg, Kyle's asssitant announced on the mic. "I would like to welcome the man of the hour, Kyle Laurent, to say a few words."
"Thank you Greg. Can I get a round of applause for every person who helped make this posssible today? They work so hard and I couldn't have done without them or God. I just want to say I appreciate each and every one of you for coming. The turnout tonight has been amazing. Every exhibit I have come to display has always mirrored an experience in my life. This exhibit is definitely one that I hold dear to my heart because it shows another side of me that I have always kept hidden and I thought was nonexistent at a certain point. This Feeling is actually inspired by my reality from the love I share with an amazing woman in my life. She has loved me and rooted for me ever since I made her mine, and she is here tonight. Nicole, can you please come up?"
The way everybody just turned around and knew to look at me just made me so shy. I swear my face was red as h*ll as I walked over to him.
"As I'm sure that you have all noticed that in every memory, her face was never revealed. That was because I wanted to appreciate every part of her body, including her derrière." He said, causing everybody to laugh. "The final piece that I will reveal will show her face and I would love it if my love would do the honors."
"Of course."
"On the count of 3; 1 2 3!" I pulled off the sheet to reveal a portrait of me. I had a natural makeup look, a short curled bob, and a blush blouse. I loved how clean and graceful I looked. The star of the canvas was my right hand across my heart that contained a big rock on my ring finger.
"Wow." You could hear cameras shuttering and people buzzing about the canvas.
"This is so beautiful."
"It's even more beautiful in person." I turned around to see Kyle on one knee with a ring in his hand. "Nicole, will you be the only woman I will love and cherish for the rest of my days?"
I nearly dropped to my knees. Having my parents and friends cheering us on made this moment feel so special, and I was to utter the one word Kyle wanted to hear the most.
"Yes."
"I love you." He passionately kissed me.
"I love you too."
"Did I do good?"
"You did good. The turnout was amazing and my finger is a little heavier with a gorgeous ring. I'm proud of you."
"I wouldn't want to share this moment with anyone but you." We embraced in a hug and I never wanted to let him go.
The feelings I have for this man are irreplaceable and I want our love to remain until I have to say goodbye.
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