Hey, guys!♥️
We are approaching 2k reads already.🥺 I just wanted to say thank you. Again.✨ Thank you, fam.
Let's keep this energy going!🔥
Anyways, dive in. You guys should be ready to pick your jaws off the floor.🌚 Y'all mustn't have seen this coming.😂 You guys should not beat me o.😩
The song for this chapter is- Under The Influence by Chris Brown.
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"𝐻𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠
𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓
'𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦.'
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~𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙺𝙸𝚁𝙰 𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙰 𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙺~
It was lunch break in about twenty minutes or so.
Mrs Badru walked out of the class not quite long ago with a stern warning that noise-making wasn't permitted. But pfft, who was she kidding? Because the minute she set foot outside of the class, madness was unleashed.
The entire class was in disarray.
It was craziness at its peak.
Deja and her friends started the whole thing and of course, Jimi Davies took the reins, alongside his band of psychotic friends. The Hazel-eyed beauty initially wanted to make a video of herself on Tik Tok or something. She had mistakenly played a different song but apparently, that was like the drive they needed to plunge the entire class into chaos.
Ice Spice's Munch brought about a change of plans. That was all it took to put them in a frenzy. She was currently making a video of the entire class vibing to the song. If I'd be honest, it's a little uplifting. I mean, I could use some laughter right now.
I was sprawled lazily in my seat, watching them with an amusing smile, chuckling occasionally.
🎶"You thought I was feelin' you?"
"Nah!" They chorused, yelling at the top of their voices.
"That Nigga a munch!"
"Nigga a eater, he ate it for lunch!"
"Bitch I'm a baddie, I get what I want!!"🎶
"Favour Ibiam, sing and stop frowning your face like someone they just served breakfast!" I could detect the trails of laughter that hung in Jimi's voice. He was clearly throwing a jab at the light-skinned girl who had her arms folded across each other underneath her chest.
She was glaring at him, for real.
I had seen her reading earlier. They've obviously interrupted her reading but then, Jimi Davies looked like he didn't give a fuck. He was watching her with this smirk that graced his ebony face.
It didn't even help that Jimi was a few seats away from her. I could only imagine the kinda frustration he put her through every day.
She flipped her braids off her shoulder and stood up. She grabbed her book and was about to storm out of the class. She stopped short when Jimi got off the desk he had gotten on earlier while dancing. The tall guy grabbed her hand, preventing her from walking further.
"Where are you now going?" He asked.
"Get your fucking hands off me!" She snapped, fuming.
"Jimi, leave her jhor. The girl go jus dey vex every time." Kes spoke up in irritation.
"Favour pepper body!" One of his other friends, Diego, teased. For once, I could say I was proud of Favour for not saying a word to his friends. She snatched her hands out of the taller guy's grip and stormed out of the class.
"Haewwwww!"
"Jimi, sorry o!"
"You thought I was feeling you?" Someone from the back seat jeered, mocking Jimi with the song that was played earlier and of course, the entire class backed him up by responding instantaneously.
"NAH!" They chorused and their mocking laughter soon filled the air.
An embarrassed Jimi put up an unaffected font and strutted to his seat, my classmates' pig-like shrieks moved in sync, resonating through the four walls of the classroom.
It made the whole thing more hilarious.
I was a laughing mess on my seat, wheezing in between. I couldn't breathe.
I stopped to catch my breath and chuckled, tucking a stray braid behind my ear, my eyes scanning the entire disorganized room in the process, instinctively locking with his grey ones.
I should look away. I knew, but I couldn't. They held me transfixed, freezing me in a place. I knew I shouldn't even spare him the littlest glance, judging by how I had been avoiding him. The plan was to avoid him at all costs.
All it took for my solid plan to come crashing down was just a glance in his direction.
It was then I realized how hard it has been for me to have ignored him this much. It has been so hard and at some point, I was failing miserably at it. I just had to remind myself what the plan was.
"Will you invite Stefan?"
Chizaram's question found its way to my thoughts, seeping into them from where I had managed to shove it in after she had asked me at the Cafeteria. Inviting Stefan to the party meant talking to him.
I didn't understand why I was this embarrassed to even hold a conversation with him. He might have even forgotten about the whole thing and here I was, desperately trying to avoid him at all costs.
He was my friend and I shouldn't be treating him like he doesn't exist.
All morning, that's all I have done. I acted like I didn't notice the subtle glance he had been throwing my way during the last class.
How do you know he has been staring at you?
Oh, fuck off...
I found my eyes roaming his tall frame that was slouched against the chair. His white shirt was tucked neatly into his trousers, his black blazers were draped over it. He left it unbuttoned. It was so weird seeing him in his blazers. He was more of a sweater guy.
But then, the guy looked like a snack in whatever it is he wore.
It was a regular for him.
His facial expression was nearly unreadable. He kept his eyes trained on me, grey eyes peering into mine like they were searching into my soul. His gaze was intense.
His face soon regained its glow. His blank expression dissipated in no time. His bottom lips twitched, a coy smile marring his face but that didn't last long, he peeled his eyes off me and picked up his phone that was lying on the table. His eyes lit up with excitement which had me furrowing my brows, he strode out of the class afterwards.
Go after him!
That tiny voice urged but I shrugged it off.
I caught sight of Jeremy and Abasi who were grinning at me. Their eyes held some sort of amusement I couldn't pinpoint. I needed no soothsayer to tell me that they had been watching me. I arched one of my eyebrows at them, inquisitively. The duo could be creepy whenever they want to be.
I threw them a stink eye before looking away.
I knew that with each second I sat here, Stefan was bound to step back in, any minute now. It was as though my butt was glued to the chair. I was sceptical about going outside to meet him.
What was I even going to say to him?
You could send him a text, you know?
The thought of sending him a text didn't sit well with me. I frowned at it. It didn't make any sense to come out of nowhere and send him a text, inviting him to the dinner my mom's hosting. I found it insulting. I should do that while speaking to him one-on-one.
Kuku say you want to talk to him...
"Shakira, stop being a scaredy cat and talk to him already." I chide myself, muttering profanities under my breath.
This was all Zee's fault!
"Fuck this…" I cursed and got up from my seat. I picked up my phone and sauntered out of the class.
He was leaning against the wall, legs crossed, head hung low with his fingers moving swiftly across the screen of his phone, typing away on it. He was beaming with smiles, grinning from ear to ear.
Who was he chatting with?
I scrunch my face up a bit, my facial expression contorting into a deep frown. I was unconsciously glaring at him without realizing it.
"Reina?" His voice pulled me out of my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. It took me a while to notice that he had looked up from his phone. His attention was now fixed mainly on me, a perturbed look plastered on his face.
"Reina?" He called me again.
I blinked softly and shook my head before skipping off to meet him.
"Hi," I muttered quietly, my voice barely audible.
I sucked in some air as I kept my eyes fixated on his grey ones. They glowed and gleamed with utter amusement, peering into my eyes with the gentlest of emotions. His eyes on me made me a little conscious of myself. They bored into mine, effortlessly shedding layers of my skin.
"Look who finally stopped avoiding me…" He trailed off, his voice heavy with a tease. I pursed my lips, pouting a bit.
"I wasn't avoiding you!" I countered weakly, my voice slowly losing its confidence. The tiny smirk that graced his lips was enough to tell me that he didn't believe me.
Of course, I wasn't going to tell him I was avoiding him.
"I thought I was going to wait till eternity before you talk to me." He chuckled, eliciting a subtle eye roll from me.
I swallowed audibly, clamping my teeth over my bottom lip, and chewing it softly. All the confidence I had earlier had completely washed away, dissipated into nothing. I was a nervous train wreck in front of him and he seemed to notice.
"Is everything alright?"
"What's wrong?"
"Talk to me, Reina…" Every ounce of smile he had on his face was completely wiped off. It had dissolved into worry, judging by the creasing of his brows.
A tiny giggle escaped my lips. I found it cute.
"Ugh, relax, will you?" I swatted him on his arm and he exhaled. His tense features seemed to have slackened.
"I wanted to ask you something…" I trailed off. The subtle nod of his head was enough to tell me to proceed with what I was going to say.
"My mom's hosting a dinner party this Friday and she said I could invite my friends. Um… I was wondering if you won't be too busy to show up…" I paused and licked my lips.
"You can bring your friends too," I added instantaneously. I didn't want to come off as desperate. Sure, I wanted him there but I didn't want to impose anything on him.
His face seemed to have regained its brightness. I found my breath hitching at the sight of the smile on his face.
It was…beautiful.
"Of course, Reina. Just text me the address. I'll be there." He answered. I let out a breath I didn't know I held.
I had my eyes pinned on him as he tucked his phone into the pocket of his plaid trousers. He exhaled and was about to shrug off his blazer.
I didn't know what got into me.
One minute, I was standing not so close to him and the next, it felt like I had some sort of vampiric speed, I was in front of him in no time.
I was standing so close to him.
My hands came onto his firm ones gently, to prevent him from removing his blazers.
"Don't," I told him.
I was nearly breathless. I didn't know why but the proximity affected me. It affected me a lot more than I could ever bring myself to admit. I wasn't really touching him, but I could feel my fingertips burning as they grazed his blazers that were pressed firmly against his tall frame.
My eyes beheld his confused ones.
"Don't…take it off…" I swallowed.
"I think it looks good on you..."
I told him in a whisper.
My voice was nearly unrecognisable, breathless, smoky and overly small. I cringed internally in embarrassment at how I sounded. I found it so creepy.
"Thank you, Reina." He breathed.
What the fuck did I just wanted say?
The shrill sound of the electric bell rang out, resonating through the hallway. It had me pulling away from him abruptly like his skin had burnt me, setting my fingers on fire.
I peeled my eyes off him and exhaled, resting my gaze on the students that were filing out of their classes and trudging towards the cafeteria.
"Reina…" He called and I turned to him.
He looked overly relaxed like I hadn't just touched him. Almost like I never did and here I was, getting all breathless. Heck, I could barely maintain eye contact with him.
"What?" I asked him calmly.
"We'll get to talk about the whole tutor thing, right?" He inquired and I nodded with a small smile.
"Sure. I'll talk to you later, Stefan." I told him and spun on my heels, not bothering to wait for his reply.
I had to get out of there.
•••••
~𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙵𝙰𝙽 𝙱𝙸𝙱𝙸𝚃𝙰𝚈𝙾 𝙾𝙻𝚄𝚈𝙸𝙳𝙴~
I tucked the last of my books into my bag and zipped up. I turned to my locker, my eyes scanning its contents gently, checking if there was a book I was forgetting to bring along with me. When I found none, I slammed it shut.
Then, my hands moved up to my neck, I unknotted my tie and popped a few buttons open to get some air in. It was starting to choke me.
Ties are annoying.
Mrs Badru chose that exact moment to strut into the classroom. Her eyes brightened with hope when they landed on me. I furrowed my brows at her and managed to plaster a small smile on my face.
"Ah, Stefan, aren't you going home?" She asked, her eyes fixed on me.
"I was about to leave when you walked in, ma," I answered with a smile. My eyes settled on the heap of books that was in her hands and I found myself groaning inwardly.
Fuck, not the library again.
"Help me drop these books in the library." She ordered then dropped the books on the desk close to her before walking out.
I exhaled and moved over to the table, picking them up. I practically rushed out of the class and down to the library. I had no time to waste. I had to get home on time and finish up the assignments that were due tomorrow if I wanted to finish the horror series I had been binge-watching for some time now.
I was done and out of the library in no time. I glanced at my wristwatch to check the time and hissed when I saw that the time was far gone. I quickened my pace, wanting to get back to class to grab my stuff as soon as possible.
I had barely taken two steps when I froze.
"Stef…"
My muscles tensed up at the sound of that voice. My brain shut down completely, rendering my mind overly blank and transcending me into an entirely different plane.
I couldn't think.
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath in a bid to calm my racing heart that was hammering loudly against my chest, threatening to burst out of my chest.
I tried to convince myself. No, I willed myself to believe that it was my mind playing some dirty trick on me. It had to be my mind or I was going insane. I didn't know if it was the former or the latter.
I wanted to keep walking but my legs were immovable. They stood rooted to the spot like the soles of my air force had been glued to it.
I was immobilized.
And then, slowly, after snapping out of my mini mental shutdown, I found myself twirling around slowly to face the voice that had just plunged me into an overwhelming torment.
I veered backwards automatically without being shoved by anything.
Of course, it was her. My mind wasn't playing games with me. I found myself giving her a subtle once-over. I couldn't stop myself. It was hard not to.
Her beauty has always been exotic. It was intoxicating and enthralling like a siren's. It has always held this seductive feel to it. The kind that when you stare too much, you find yourself getting addicted to it and unable to take your eyes off it.
She commanded that effect and knew damn well how to use it.
Her blonde box braids were pulled atop her head in a high ponytail with two strands sticking out at the front to cup her face. The styling of her hair brought out the glow that her light skin held, highlighting her subtle Ariana Grande makeup.
She has always been obsessed with the singer for as long as I could remember.
She pulled it off without stress.
Her almond green eyes bore into mine softly and her perfectly glossed lips twitched in a light smirk, softness clouding those eyes. But then, I knew better.
Her white shirt was tucked neatly in her plaid skirt that rested on her mid-thigh. Her small legs were cladded in black perforated pantyhose tucked in her black LV heeled shoes.
"Demi…" I struggled to control my hoarse voice, tucking my hands into my pocket.
For someone with such a petite frame, she could have me fooled by how innocent she looked, but knowing how sly she could be, I stopped falling for that a long time ago.
As much as I hated to admit it, her gaze still affected me. It affected me. She knew this and she was going to use it to her advantage.
"Damn," She drew her words softly.
"It's been months and I still haven't gotten used to how hot you are..." She trailed off, her voice unusually low and started making her way towards me.
"You always know how to leave me tongue-tied,"
She took soft, light steps towards me like she had all the time in the world, swaying her hips gently.
And lead us not into temptation...
And lead us not into temptation...
And lead us—
STEFAN!!
"Demi, are you following me?" I blurted out in disbelief, arching one of my eyebrows at her.
"What if I was?" She asked me in a whisper, tilting her head gently to the side with a soft smile dancing on her lips. She sized me up, eyeing me underneath her lashes once she got to my front.
I inhaled sharply and took a step backwards, leaving some space between us. I glanced around the whole block in the process, only to find it empty. We were the only ones in this wing.
I was alone with her.
I was completely and utterly screwed.
She chuckled amusedly when she saw what I did.
"Demi, it's creepy. Stop following me. You and I have no business together!" I snapped at her and brought my palm up to my face, massaging my forehead gently.
"I find it cute if you ask me." She pouted and giggled.
"Demi, what do you want?" I sighed tiredly. I didn't have the strength for the drama she was about to put up. I was really tired and I wanted to go home.
The warm smile on her face slowly dissolved, every trace of the smile completely wiped off her face and it morphed into a look of irritation. She didn't bother to hide her disgust.
"I saw you with Malik earlier," She uttered with disdain. I watched as her green eyes darkened at the end of her statement, her tone holding an edge to it. I couldn't help the snort that escaped my lips afterwards.
The nerve…
"She has a name!" I yelled at her and saw her flinch at the sharpness of my tone.
I spoke up, suddenly uncomfortable with the silence that hung in the air.
"I still don't see that as a reason for you to start following me, Demi. What do you want?" I spat out my words like they burned the tip of my tongue.
"I can't check up on you again?" She queried, folding her arms underneath her chest. I raised my brows lightly at her statement and she sighed.
Was she kidding?
She took a step closer and I moved backwards.
"I miss you. I miss us." She said quietly and inched forward. I could feel my back hit the cold wall behind me, hinting at the fact that there was no way out for me anymore.
There was no place to hide.
I stared back at her with confusion written all over my face before chuckling humorlessly.
"There's no us. You made sure of that, Demilade," I said bitterly.
"Really?" She asked, mockingly. Like she didn't believe a thing I just said.
At some point, I was starting to doubt what I said because of how she was staring at me. She had this teasing and seductive look on her face like she was taunting me.
I sucked in some breath and broke off eye contact with her.
God, abeg...
"I'll ignore the fact that you are nervous right now. No, it's fine,"
"I'll ignore the fact that you are affected by my touch. Stefan, you can't even maintain eye contact with me for thirty seconds straight!" She chuckled softly and grabbed my hand gently.
"We both know you are not a good liar, baby," Her voice was breathy.
She trailed her fingers on my hands airily, till it got to my chest, her palm rested on it and I sucked in a breath.
"Demi, get your hands off me. I don't want to hurt you." My voice had gained a certain depth to it. I could see the smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She knew what she was doing was starting to affect me.
A whole lot…
She chuckled throatily and moved closer, breathing on my neck in the process while I struggled to control my ragged breathing. I could feel my resistance slowly slipping away from me. I couldn't hold on to it anymore.
Her cold, nude manicured finger crawled its way into my shirt till her palm rested on my bare chest.
I knew how addicted I was to her touch. How receptive I was to it whenever she touched me. It had heightened a thousand times more, worsening the whole thing.
"You are so beautiful," She whispered and her mouth dropped on the hollow of my neck. She pressed a dainty kiss on it and I let out an involuntary grunt.
I felt her smile against my chest.
"Demi, st__op" The little part of me that was still sane, that wasn't completely overshadowed by what she was doing to me, protested.
I willed myself to pry out of her hold but I couldn't.
"Do you really want me to stop?" She sounded so out of breath. She detached her lips from my neck and tilted her head upwards to meet mine.
She was shedding off every bit of the confidence I had left, every bit of it that I was desperately latching on to, with just one look.
Demi knew my buttons like she knew the back of her hands and she knew damn well how to push them.
She brought her hands up to my face, trailing her manicured fingers on my jaw and smiling softly at me. Her hands came to the back of my head and she pulled me to her level, locking her lips with mine.
I stiffened.
My body suddenly went cold like a bucket of ice was dumped on my head. Her hands moved over to the back of my head in a soft caress. I found myself opening up to her and kissing her back.
I wrapped my hands around her small waist, keeping her in place.
She fitted perfectly in my arms like she always did.
I allowed Demi to kiss me and I kissed her back.
A soft moan escaped her lips, earning an involuntary grunt from me. She nibbled on my lower lip and tugged at it softly. Her fingers grazed the buttons of my shirt in the process.
I was over her.
I was done with her.
What sort of sick control does she still have over me?
I should be able to pull away. What kinda hold does she still have on me? How can her touch still affect me this badly? It took so much more restraint than I thought to pull away from her.
And when I finally did, she didn't look pleased, She looked pissed.
Demi was like that whenever she didn't get what she wanted.
Entitled brat.
"Step the fuck back and get your hands off me!" I glowered.
She sighed and placed her fingers on my lips, wiping them before stepping backwards with a satisfied smile on her lips.
That action elicited a scoff from me.
"You still haven't changed," I chuckled and watched as her brows snapped together. She pursed her lips, staring at me.
"Still the manipulative, cold and heartless bitch I have always known. To be honest, I didn't expect less." I said with disgust laced in my tone. I was irritated to bits at the sight of her.
Demi knew the art of manipulation like the back of her hands. She'd twist the whole thing and fuck with your brain to get what she wants.
She was a master in this game.
I knew what was next. Waterworks.
She went awfully quiet. Her lips trembled lightly, her eyes had gotten wet, glistening with unshed tears. Fake tears!
I knew what she was doing. She was going to guilt trip me. Like she always did back then. The old me would have fallen into her trap, but I'm not as dumb as I used to be.
It gats be genies controlling this girl, because, what the actual fuck! What does she even want with me?
"Stefan, that's not fair! take that back, take it back, Stefan." Her voice was breaking as she stared back at me.
A scoff escaped my lips and I ran my palm over my face in frustration.
"No, Demi, what's not fair is you trying to waltz back into my life like you didn't rip my heart out a few months back!" I shouted at her. I could feel my anger intensifying each passing second. I wasn't even in the least concerned that I was raising my voice at a girl.
Demi wasn't worth it.
"What's not fair is you thinking you have some insane hold over me like I'm some rag doll you can toss around and treat however you like,"
I went on.
"God, don't you get tired?" I queried my voice heavy with disbelief, causing me to narrow my eyes at her bemusedly.
"Walking around in circles and repeating the same thing over and over again? What do you take me for? A second option you can always come back to because you have no choice?" I threw a ton of questions at her, all at once, not stopping to catch my breath.
I honestly couldn't wrap my head around the whole thing. It was the nerve of this girl for me.
"Stefan, I love you!" She yelled at me, tears streaming down her face and ruining her makeup in the process.
"And don't even try to act like the feelings aren't there anymore, because they are!" She snapped. Yes, she was feeling attacked and she needed to defend herself.
"You took mine for granted." I threw her a cold smile.
"I'm not allowing you to make a fool out of me like you once did. Just stay away from me. I won't be this nice the second time." I spoke firmly.
"That your yeye love, fry it and use it to eat bread because I'm not interested! I'm done with you, Demi. We are done. Read my lips, in case you didn't get the memo." I added, glaring daggers at her.
The sight of her riled me up like crazy!
She was sobbing loudly but I refused to be fooled by her crocodile tears. I worshipped the ground she walked on before. I am not doing that again. I barely glanced at her before storming off.
Demilade and I used to date early last session. This girl had me wrapped around her finger. I was that obsessed.
Little did I know I was a rebound guy for her. She was going through a rough patch with one of our seniors back then, her actual boyfriend, and she didn't have the decency to tell me she was seeing someone when I asked her out.
I was so stupid not to have seen the signs, not to have noticed the red flags.
I felt like the fool of the universe when I found out and survived a beating from her boyfriend.
She wasn't even remorseful when I confronted her. She blew me off and told me I was just being a baby about the whole thing. What the hell? She turned the whole thing on me and called things off with me.
My whole life flashed right in front of me.
Omo, I wan ment.
I was falling apart. Jeremy and Abasi, God, those two are like the brothers I never had, they had my back and were there for me throughout the whole thing.
We have stayed out of each other's way and done well at it, until now.
I sauntered out of the school building, after getting my things in the classroom and headed for the parking lot. I opened my car and got in, dropping my bag in the back seat and causing it to sound with a loud thud.
I exhaled, dropping my head into my palms. I was angry at myself. I was mad at myself for letting her get to me, for allowing her lay her hands on me.
I was disgusted.
I thought I was past this…
I thought I had it under control and it was all sorted out.
Demilade was my past and she has to stay that way. There was no way in hell I was letting her waltz back into my life. Hell would freeze over before I allow that.
A/N
*Peeks sideways and tiptoes out of the carton I was hiding in*
Are we still breathing?😂 Abi breath yaff seize ni?🌚 You people, I can explain.😂😭
I did leave hints though.🌚 Let me take you guys back to the specific places I left it. Do you guys remember the first chapter where Stefan was talking about the popular kids at school, dem Allan, Moyo and Idris. He mentioned Demilade. I intentionally wrote her name in italics.🌚
Stefan doesn't refer to her as Jasmine. He calls her Demilade. So, she was the one he was talking about. I guess you guys didn't realize because it was her middle name.😂😭 Epele😂
The second time was when he was conversing with his mom at home. The night he walked out of his room and met his mom at the dinning table working on something on her laptop. I don't know if you guys remembered but she said her son was 'in love, again' That is, Stefan haff love someone's child before.🌚
If you noticed, abeg gather here let's twerk. If you lie that you did, I will know.🌚
All I'll say is, you guys should always read carefully. You never can tell what you can pick up on along the line.
In everything you people do, please don't underestimate Jasmine!! I beg you people!!
I know you guys have a lot to tell me and I'll be waiting in the comments section. Y'all should scatter everywhere with comments.😂😂
I'm glad to finally tell you that the story just started.😌
Oh, and I changed the faceclaim for Shakira. I'm also going to change their mood boards. I tweaked some a little but not all of them are ready. I want to drop it at once. You guys can check it out once you are done reading. Don't forget to vote, comment and share.
Adiós ✨
Love, Didi.♥️