Ten thousand reads??
For real, I don't know what to say. I am trying to search for the words but it's not coming up. It's all hitting me so hard and it's so overwhelming. You have ever been so happy that you just don't know how to express yourself?🥺 You are trying to come up with words but the only that comes out are tears?
God, I am so overwhelmed. I don't even know how to handle it.
It's one thing to have an idea but it's another to actually have someone that has your back any fucking day! Someone just pumps you with the courage to do any fucking thing you set your mind on! black__quill I love you, babycakes. You don't need me to write epistles to prove it for you.
You have ever just had that one person you feel like you can just turn to whenever you get stuck? That just tells you the raw, unfiltered truth and just leaves it up to you to take it or leave it. If it were up to my first draft😂 Walahi, you people won't read past the prologue.
But Iyanuoluwa-Temi took it upon herself to help me hone my skills and set it on the right path. She saw to it that I brought out the very best version of myself, that I become the book myself and she did a mother-fucking good job! Babes, take your crown, you have earned it and on G, I love you so much and you have my immense respect!♥️
I am still trying to wrap my head around everything. I am going to have a busy day tomorrow and I don't want to hoard the update.🌚 There's going to be a dramatic spin of one of our lead babies' emotions.
The song for the chapter- Nakupenda by Chike.
LEGGO!
_________________𖧷_______________
"𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑
ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑚𝑦
𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡."
_________________𖧷_______________
~𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙵𝙰𝙽 𝙱𝙸𝙱𝙸𝚃𝙰𝚈𝙾 𝙾𝙻𝚄𝚈𝙸𝙳𝙴~
I knew I was fast, but not this fast.
My entire movement from the entrance of Allan's house, back to bustling poolside was roughly thirty seconds.
In a way, I felt like if I ventured into a contest on the basis of speed with a few of the fastest vampires in the Vampire Diaries, I would beat more than half of them. My legs were quick in the air and my heart kept racing with each breezy moment I made. My palms were sweaty and the grin on my face widened by the second.
I wasn't feeling this surge of overwhelming emotions because I was sad. No, it was because I was eager to get back to the house as quickly as I could. To get back to her...
Majority of the food stands by the pool were nearly empty, even though a few others were still stacked to the brim with snacks. Well, I could work with those. I just had to be fast. I made my way over to one of the stands that had a bunch of baskets and trays beside it but lush burgundy wine curls that were tucked in a messy bun caught my attention. I probably wouldn't have paid more attention to it if it wasn't how familiar the frame looked.
Chizaram.
The petite, light-skinned girl was sitting on an empty food stand that could also pass as a table with her boyfriend's hands supporting her by the waist. She had one of her legs thrown around his hips, her fingers threading through his frizzy hair.
And my friend? The smittened motherfucker had his head buried deep in her chest. With the way his shoulders were quaking heavily, I knew he was laughing his ass out. Chizaram had a light grin on her face and I knew she was happy about the effect she currently had on him.
At a glance, I knew there was no way in hell she dyed her hair. It had to be a weave. A frontal weave. I would know because I had seen it on my mom a couple of times and she told me what it was. Not to mention the cute baby hairs that was splayed around her edges, laid to perfection.
The lush wine curls were tamed at the middle of her head in a bun that was so messy. A few strands were sticking out and dropping on her face. But I guess that was the beauty in it because my friend rocked the crap out of that hair.
"Oh, hey, Stef!"
She chirped when her eyes landed on me. That earned a reaction from her boyfriend. He detached his head away from her chest and I couldn't help but notice that her bikini was just the same as Reina's. Except Chizaram's was black and it complemented the bold red lipstick that enhanced her lips.
How was Jeremy staying sane right now? No, no, no, this guy has to hook me up with his Jazz plug.
There was no denying that Zee looked stunning. The light-skinned girl was very fond of making a statement but the thought of my girl rocking that outfit even better brought a smile to my face.
"Did you find your girl?" He queried in a teasing tone, sporting a knowing look on his face. I bobbed my head vigorously in response.
"You can tell by the silly grin on his face, babe." Chizaram subtly chided her boyfriend with a mocking chuckle exiting her lips afterwards. The duo shared a giggle and I rolled my eyes, grabbing a basket.
"Where's my friend, Stef?" She arched a brow at me in question, her tone growing stern.
"She's inside. I am getting snacks and drinks for us." I stuck out my tongue at her and she giggled. I dumped two packs of orange juice, which I had grabbed from the nearest food stands, alongside some other snacks. The basket was filled up in no time.
"Alright, we'll leave you two to it."
Chizaram's tone was suggestive, judging by the smirk on her face but she didn't get a chance to dwell on my brewing come back because she diverted her attention to her boyfriend, who looked like he had been waiting to kiss her all day. Okay, I take it back. He was no where near being sane.
E sane pass you o. No dey try compare madness.
Shut up.
I huffed at the duo and flipped them off out of my pettiness. With a cheeky grin on my face, I patted myself mentally for a job well done, given how heavy my basket was. And with that, I left the screaming crowd of people and made my way into the building.
My feet doubled up on in speed as I approached the porch. I adjusted the basket in my hands and pushed the door open, humming to the lyrics of Ruger's Snapchat that just cued in.
I shut the door behind me and spun around.
My whole world that was spinning around in three sixty degrees, full circle, came to a full halt. My heart seized functioning and dropped to the pit of my stomach. My mouth went dry, void of any ounce of liquid. And my eyes? They were the size of saucers.
Howly...
SHIT!
I could have expected everything else the moment I pushed this door open. Heck, if I were to guess where she would be or what she would be doing, I would have easily answered that she would be sprawled on one of the couches, tapping away on her phone.
But never, never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that she would be leaning lazily on the bar counter…with her back turned to me…moving to the sensual music that blared from the speakers outside.
She was humming the song, word for word, her sonorous voice enhancing the raw, sexual lyrics of the music. She had her phone perfectly balanced on one hand, the other resting on the brown wooden surface, where she tapped those red, manicured fingers on, producing a beat to the music she was humming.
She was twerking.
Her waist did all the work.
Seamlessly.
She swayed it wickedly like a professional, each move rhyming perfectly with every lyric. Up, right, left and centre. Each movement was more erotic than the last one. It was with an unnerving precision that made it look as easy as breathing for her.
She was so flexible and from where I stood, every movement made me feel like I was induced into a form of hypnosis and called out to me. They sank their claws into me and drew me in with an allure that I found so bewitching.
Her back, the brown, glistening chocolatey surface that was subtly glossed with the effect of a sunscreen looked no different from the knots of the brown material that held her bikini bra together.
It was the only damn thing holding that flimsy material together. The only, damn thing!
I don die...
It was no news that Snapchat was a very sensual song but watching her dance to it pushed my buttons and threw me over the edge. The self-control I had been clinging to all day long was ripped away from me and torn to shreds.
Fuck, I have never seen a scene that was doused with a such heavy eroticism. She delivered her movements so well like they were a piece of cake!
Boy, my skin prickled with goosebumps. A fiery sensation shot through my veins and awoke every cell that made up the entirety of my body. My heartbeat quickened in pace, pummelling wildly against my chest.
I have held her countless times in my arms but the thought of her being in my arms and moving with such flexibility and grinding against me was something I looked forward to! The rush of anticipation that consumed me was insane. It legit ran me mad on the spot.
It was a pure form of torture at its peak, having to watch her move like an enchantress and being unable to touch her. Pure, undiluted and utter agony.
At this point, I was so sure of one thing. Shakira Niniola Malik was after my life. And having that thought in mind only allowed my mind to wander to the incident that happened at my place. The last time that I was around her, I had gone completely over the edge and grabbed her. I palmed her ass and God the sound she made legit made me lose it to bits and pieces. I knew how hard it was for me to get it out of my head. I tried and failed miserably at it for days.
Would I do it again if I were given the chance? I'll be damned. In truth, I looked forward to doing it again.
No cap, being around her brings out a raw, unruly and very reckless side of me that I thought I had managed to toss into a jar and would never allow it see the light of the day again. But that jar was surrounded by cracks now and I was very terrified of having it break.
She made losing control so scary and exciting at the same time.
And on G, I didn't know how long I could repress it. I didn't know. The lines were blurring, so badly.
The thick, rock-hard object that was poking me around my thigh was like a hot iron being plunged into my thoughts. A rude awakening that snapped every bone in my body back to reality. I was going to ignore it at first while struggling with my conscious and semi-conscious mind but the poking only got more uncomfortable.
I released a frustrated sigh and my eyes darted to my shorts. My eyes widened in shock at the sight of my bulge. Whoa, whoa, chill out, little guy!
I drew in a breath that was overly shaky, trying to think of the fastest way to render it flaccid. I didn't know how or why but the image of a certain girl with artificial blonde hair was a dead-ass turn off. I breathed out a sigh of relief, willing myself to move forward once I saw that I was comfortable enough to move.
"I didn't know you had moves, Reina…"
My thick, husky and breathless voice was like a clown sticking out it's tongue in my face, showing me how little the control I had over the situation was. It sounded like I had just woken up from a deep sleep.
She was so startled and nearly jumped out of her skin. That alone clarified that I didn't have to rub it in her face, how long I had been standing here and have her mess with my sanity in a way I couldn't understand.
She spun around to face me, unable to hide how flushed she was and that automatically brought a satisfied smirk to my face. Seeing her so rattled was so cute. She chuckled nervously and moved her hand over the surface of the bar counter, sending the bottle of whiskey that was placed on it, onto the floor. It landed on the tiled floor with a loud crash.
Crash!
My heart lurched to my thtoat. One minute, I was standing a few feet away from her and the next one, the basket in my hands was dropping to the floor with a thud and I bolted over to where she was standing.
"Are you okay?!" I cried out, alarmed. Her not saying anything only spiked my anxiety, pushing me to act a little irrationally.
I swept her off her feet in no time, earning a child-like squeal from her as I hoisted her on the surface of the bar counter.
My eyes were fixed on her face, searching thoroughly for any ounce of discomfort but she was too fixated on maintaining eye contact with me that she barely displayed any emotion on her face. It had me concluding that she was just in shock and didn't know how to react to what had just happened.
My eyes left hers for a fleeting moment and drifted to the shards of broken glasses on the floor, catching the cute brown slides on her feet, alongside a dazzling golden anklet. I didn't get a chance to savour how beautiful the golden object looked on her ankle when it hit me that she was wearing her slides the whole time.
I was so quick to freak out.
I didn't mean to. It's just that when it comes to her, I ended up acting without stopping to weigh my options. I don't think. I don't get a chance to. She had that much effect on me. Her hold over me practically influenced my decisions, every damn time.
Heavily.
I couldn't help the truckload of embarrassment that descended on me in waves and she must have sensed it too.
"Come here,"
The effect of her silk, velvet-like tone completely overshadowed how domineering she sounded. And I didn't get a chance to reel from how sexy she sounded whenever she was so bossy when she grabbed me by my shirt with subtlety, tugging me to stand between her legs. One of her legs were instinctively thrown around me, aiding her need to have me much more closer to her.
Ei, God…
"Look at me, Stefan." Her voice was thick with a compelling authority that instantly puppeted me to heed to her request. I met her waiting eyes. The softness that was engraved in those chocolatey essence was so pronounced, reaching out to my soul in a way that earned an unconscious sigh from me.
Was this some sort of mind control? She didn't even have to speak. All she had to do was breathe and my body automatically succumbs. It felt like my body was programmed that way.
God, she was so beautiful…
The poise and elegance that radiated off her in waves extracted a coy smile from me, causing heat to crawl up to my cheeks.
"You don't have to be embarrassed," She stated matter-of-factly. "For what's worth, you didn't know that I was wearing my slides. You are not a mind reader, abeg." She dismissed my concerns, rolling her eyes.
"But it was cute having you swoop in like my knight," She grinned, her eyes glowing with every word she uttered. Her expression mirrored mine and I was beginning to fear my lips would soon stretch to the back of my head.
"I am not…" I was eating my words in no time as I watched her cock her head to the side, waiting for me to debunk what she had just said. "Fine," I grumbled and she giggled. "I was embarrassed." I added quietly.
"Awww, Stefan." She threw her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. My body was dented with sprouts of an unnerving ache in anticipation of the brewing body contact. She drew me in with every glance, her eyes darting around every inch of my face, so carefully, like she was trying to soak up every detail to her heart's content.
I inched forward, reaching for her waist and it earned me a seemingly shaky sigh from her. Her scent lured me in, filling up nostrils and dissolving my senses. Like I was hypnotised, I leaned in, pressing a kiss dangerously close to her upper chest. Her fingers crawled up to the back of my head, palming it softly. Her manicured fingers grazed my scalp and I groaned, taking it up a notch by dropping a soft, lingering kiss to her cleavage
"Stefan," She let out a breathy moan.
Her pronouncing my name has always had a nice ring to it but hearing her moan it sent a jolt of vibration through my body and I grunted, increasing my hold on her waist. My lips worked their way around her chest, travelling up to her neck, which I had come to realise was a very sensitive spot. I smiled against her neck, dropping a soft kiss to the surface that was bare and accessible to my touch.
The loud moan it extracted from her made me know that I was doing something right. Her thigh tightened around my hips and I chuckled softly, breathing on her neck. My hands travelled upward, giving her waist a soft squeeze and sucking on the skin of her neck at the same time.
"Fuck!" A breathless sound escaped her, tugging dangerously at the strings that kept me in loop.
"You drive me crazy, Reina."
I professed huskily, running my fingers ever so lightly on the skin of her exposed waist. My breathing was starting to come out in ragged, uneven knots. It indicated my waning restraint and was staring back at me, blinking a fine shade of red. I knew I had to halt. I was at my breaking point and any further action from me…all hell would break loose.
I squeezed her waist gently, detaching my face from the crook of her neck so reluctantly. My eyes drifted to hers and I couldn't stop the twitching of my lips at the look in her eyes. She looked like she was just coming down from a high point. Her emotions were thrown across her orbs. So raw. So unrefined. In their natural state and I loved what I was seeing.
It gave her this sexy, effortless glow.
"Sorry you had to see me like that. Ruger's songs has a way of making me let loose." She explained with a light smile on her face, crossing her arms that were hanging around my neck.
"I love seeing you like that," I admitted, unabashedly. I didn't look away from her. I wanted her to see that I meant what I was saying and I didn't miss the look of surprise that flashed across her face.
"Yeah?" She inquired, so as to be sure she heard well.
"Yeah," I affirmed, leaning in to drop a soft kiss on her forehead. She giggled like a child when I hoisted her off the counter and she wrapped her thighs around my midsection. The child-like grin on her face was perfect. She was perfect, watching me with that blooming smile that twinkled with glee.
This girl had me all propped around her pinkie and I wasn't going anywhere. I couldn't.
I balanced her properly in my arms, snatching her phone off the counter and leading us to a couch.
"It's still baffling how you effortlessly carry me. I know I am not that slim." She huffed like a little girl, pouting.
Reina had curves in the right places but she was as light as a feather. Super easy to carry, not to mention the fact that I loved carrying her.
"You have a light weight," I grinned, dropping her on the couch and handed her her phone. She watched me with a funny expression and I spun on my heels, heading to the spot where I had dropped the basket earlier. I made my way back to the couch and plopped on it, proceeding to take out the snacks and pour her a drink.
I could feel her eyes on me the whole thing.
"She's not as subtle as she thinks she is..." Jeremy's voice echoed in my head and I blinked, blocking it out.
"So, whom do you like?" She inquired as I handed her a solo cup filled with orange juice, watching her in confusion as she tore a pack of chips open. She munched on it and waited for my response. She threw me a funny look and it clicked, eliciting a chuckle from me.
"Oh, you mean music artistes?"
"I love Chike." I answered her my voice thick with adoration that was always evident in my voice, whenever I spoke about him. Her eyes widened in surprise as she munched on her chips.
"His songs are soothing and he has a knack for enthralling lyrics. Now, don't get me wrong, there are other artists that I like too. I like Burna Boy and Kizz Daniel but Chike takes it all for me." I added, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ears.
She looked so amused. She couldn't even hide it.
"Wow! I would have thought WizKid or Davido." She divulged, earning a chortle from me as I shook my head, wordlessly countering her.
"They are cool but I am just not a fan."
"Wait," She dropped her cup. "Chike?" She mused with a pondering look on her face, "I might know him! Play me one of his songs," She demanded, unable to conceal the excitement in her voice.
Her eyes were glittering under the lights, sparkling with utmost glee and undiluted happiness that struck the perfect chords in me. It fuelled my heart with a vibrance that fired me up thoroughly, consuming me.
I looked at this girl and I realised how much trouble I was in. I didn't even have to search further, my mumu button was grinning right back at me.
My weakness…
My blind spot.
"Of course," I whispered.
I whipped out my phone and went straight to my playlist, playing the first song I could find. The compelling lyrics of Chike's Nakupenda soon filled the air.
🎶I know you looking at me, you watching me like TV,
You look at me three times in a row, if you want to say hello, just say hello🎶
"He sounds so much like Johnny Drille!" She remarked, not concealing the fact that he had every inch of her attention. I nodded in affirmation, a smile playing on my lips.
She squealed softly and leaned into me, immediately. I slipped my arm around her waist, drawing her closet and she snuggled into me, curling like a ball. The sigh that eluded her had satisfaction seeping from it in waves. She was all warped up around me like a yarn, embedding herself into me like there was a cosmic thread binding our souls together.
Every inch of our current position screamed perfection and brought me so much comfort than I could ever imagine. She fitted in my arms like a missing piece of me. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful evening.
A sharp ringtone pierced the comfortable silence that filled the room and I immediately knew that it wasn't from my phone because the music was still playing. Worse, it was on repeat. It always has been. She groaned in frustration, not because of the interruption but because she had to get her head off my chest to pick up her phone. Her body language made it so easy for me to read her and I have known her well enough to a point that she hated any form of disturbance whenever she was in a position like this with me.
She begrudgingly lifted her head off my chest and reached for the phone. The position she was in made it so hard not to take a peek at her phone screen when she brought it to her face. If I didn't know any better, I would say she had her mind set on destroying her phone because of the way her grip tightened around her phone.
The caller's ID that was on display was Mom🖤 but her stiffness and the coldness of her body against mine was enough indication that she didn't want to pick up the call. I opened my mouth to speak but she beat me to it.
She practically threw the phone on the table.
"It's no one important."
The coldness that dripped off those four words was a harsh reminder of the girl that walked into the class on the first day of resumption, whose face was devoid of emotions. Her tone was so detached and she was downright dismissive. That was the cue I needed to not push it. It was obvious from her reaction that she wasn't exactly on par with her mom even though I wanted her to open up to me about it, I was willing to move at her pace.
I had to trust her that she would speak with me about it whenever she wanted to, so with that thought in mind, I refrained from saying anything triggering.
The only thing I did was tug her to myself by her waist and allowed her to snuggle into me, cocooning me with her addictive essence.
"Thank you, Stefan." She whispered against my chest. I quirked my brows inquisitively as though she could see me.
"For?"
"I haven't had such a fun-filled evening in such a long time," She appreciated me and my lips curved in a smile.
"Thank you for being an amazing friend." She added and the last three words wiped off every ounce of smile on my face, shattering me into a million pieces. My heart felt as though a scorching knife had just been driven into it. My guts were punctured by thousands of needles and my lungs began tightening up, with splinters of ice hanging in my airway.
Reina had a way of making me feel whole and at the same thing, she had the power to break me into a gazillion, unpiecable pieces and now was one of those times.
She slowly slipped her fingers into mine, entwining them. A single action that knocked my breath out of me at how something so simple could look so beautiful. It was the most breathtaking sight I had ever seen. It felt like a piece of art.
It was art itself.
My mouth dropped lower, connecting with her hair. I pressed a soft kiss against it as my eyes burned with unshed tears that eventually dropped rapidly like a waterfall, the moment I shut my eyes, relishing in the satisfaction that came with it.
Right there, the very truth I had chosen to be blind to, chose that specific moment to pop up, waving itself in my face like a dollar bill.
I needed no soothsayer.
I was in love with Shakira Niniola Malik.
With every fibre of my being…
A/N
Inhale, exhale. Do it with me. Inhale, Exhale!
Baby boy finally said it! He finally admitted it! Haew, Jesus! E con remain make Shakira admit her own too!😂 Y'all should better by a comfortable stool.😂🤝 I am not going to say more than that.
As per how I wrote this chapter, It wasn't working at first because I am a very shy person. At some point, I realised I had to do away with one thing. SHAME. Yes, I had to throw it outta the window and it worked! Cheeee!😂
I wan go frame this chapter because Stefan don finally agree that he is in love with her.🌚
Oya, oya, commentsssssss! Let it rainnnnnnn! I want to hear every one of your thoughts!
Adiós✨
Love, Didi.♥️