"No. I'm sorry, am I supposed to know you?" I ask Paul and his face contorts as if he is battling his emotions. Maintaining a straight face when all I want to do is hold him and weep into his arms is hard but he caused it.
I let myself relax when he leaves the room, a sigh escapes me as my shoulders deflate, I will let him know I was feigning dumb once he gets back. We have spent too long apart for me to ruin this moment with my antics. Life is too short and I don't want to spend the rest of it being angry with him when all I want is be in his embrace, to be kissed and loved by him. I rub my stitch through the shirt and sigh, I have missed him, too much.
Someone knocks on the door which opens without a reply from me and Chi walks in with a tray containing toast bread and oat. I reach for the bottled water on the tray and down it in few gulps, quenching the eternal thirst that seems to plague me since I woke.
Chi's nervous glances threaten to suffocate me, I bite down hard on my tongue to keep from spitting the truth and pretend she's not here. That blood hasn't rushed up to her palms from the number of times she wrung her hands. That she's not worried about my supposed selective memory loss. I have to tell Paul first, he bore the brunt of my callous joke the most, I owe him an apology.
His face, I sigh and a small smile tugs on the corners of my lips, Lord knows the last time he shaved. Those beards look like they haven't seen a shaving stick in weeks but the new look fits him, everything always does, a modern-day caveman. My caveman.
Warm hands rest on top of mine, forcing my head up. Chi offers me a careful smile. "My brother, you don't remember him at all?"
"You have a brother?" I ask and the fear that flashes across her face has me shaking my head. "Is he the guy that left?" She nods and I place my hands on my knees, she lied to me so everyone will get punished. "I don't remember him." To seem more believable, I let out a sigh and ask, "Am I supposed to? He sounded hurt when he left but I can't," I sniff, "for the life of me remember anything about him." She frowns. "I know you cos we work together. We are friends, right?"
Her head bobs, I have to fight back the urge to throw my head back and laugh. Paul has always been better at masking his feelings but Chi, she's an open book and she looks horrified by what I just said. The tip of her nose turns red, she withdraws her hands from my laps, sighs and adjusts on the bed.
She clears her throat. "Do you want me to tell you about him?" Her voice is a whisper, I reply with a nod. "He is your boyfriend," she smiles, "I played wing woman." Unsure what to answer to that, I offer her a small smile and a yawn escapes me. I need to sleep. She nods as if understanding her presence is no longer required and rises to her feet after smoothing her gown. "I hope you remember soon, I will bring some pictures."
Another knock sounds on the door, Paul steps in with a frown I want to kiss away etched on his face. He doesn't come forward and my eyes refuse to leave his body. Water glistens on his forehead, my eyes follow the droplets which cascade down to his bare chest, an indication he has taken his bath. It brings to mind Chi's comment, I sniff the air around me and assure myself I don't stink.
With his eyes trained on me, his tongue darts out to lick his lower lip and I forget how to breathe properly. When his muscle flexes as he runs his hand through his face, I wonder if he is teasing me or trying to jog my memory since I have mentioned loving how muscular he is. He finally comes to sit on the bed, caging me between him and Chi, his scent overwhelms me and I am tempted to hug him so I can breathe him in.
"You shaved," I comment, my fingers run through his trimmed jaw, he looks more familiar without the extra hairs. I hear the faint opening and closing of the door, I hope it is Chi because we need privacy right now.
He beams, the wide grin that takes over his lips has my eyes lowering to my knees to avoid latching onto him. "Yes," he hooks a finger under my jaw, bringing my attention back to his face, "do you like it?" I nod, his hand hangs mid-air and I place my palm over it to lace our fingers. "You remember?"
Excitement laces his voice, he is cautious but still hopeful as he stares down at me and I reach up to peck a corner of his lips.
"Your abs aided my memory."
His tone is accusatory when he says, "You never forgot." I shrug but his frown and his crumbled expression have the subdued guilt coming back to taunt me. "Don't do it again."
"I won't," I mutter and kneel between his legs to kiss the tears leaking to his cheeks. His body grows stiff. "I promise. I'm sorry."
He pulls me up for a hug, I wound my arms around his neck and straddle him. "I was scared," he mutters, his eyes moisten with unshed tears, "I thought you forgot me."
"How can I forget you?" I shake my head and touch his cheek. "I can't. Who will make me shawarma with double sausages?" I ask with a nervous laugh which soon turns into sobs. My shoulders tremble, I sniff and he draws circles on my back until my cries quiet down. Our foreheads touch, I blink back tears. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
We have spent the worse times of our lives together, I can never forget him. His thumb caresses my chin, I pull back and he places a chaste kiss on my lips. My heart resumes its usual rhythm, I peck his forehead.
"I know," he swipes at my cheeks, "I'm sorry too." I nod. "I missed you, so fucking much."
"I missed you more," I giggle, "too much."
We stay in each other's embrace, content to be reconciled until I look down at myself, my new shirt. "Who dressed me up?"
"Me," he says. "Chi volunteered her clothes. But you have to tell her you were joking."
On cue, my eyes dart to where Chi was once seated. "I will, I think she knows already." I cast Paul a glance, take his hand to place above my breasts. "Touch me," the alarm in his eyes has me chuckling, "we don't have to do anything, just touch me everywhere."
He lifts me in one swift motion, I giggle at the tenderness in his eyes as he lowers me to the bed to nuzzle my neck. I love him.
"What of your food? It will get cold."
"I know, I'll eat it later. Touch me, please."
His hands crawl under my shirt, I nod when he hesitates, urging him to continue. I want to forget, I want him to touch me everywhere so I forget what it was like to be carried around by those men. I want to only remember his touch. A moan slips past my lips when he cups my breasts, he winks and I giggle. That wasn't my intention when I asked him to touch me but I am more than willing to make it a part of the package.
Our eyes meet as his palms cover my chest, he squeezes my nipples, I suck my lips and my eyelids flutter. "Is this okay?" I nod, unable to reply as his hands move down to palm my stomach. "Let me know when to stop, the doctor said you need rest."
The urge to roll my eyes or offer the perfect comeback dies down when he circles the stitch on my stomach. His fingertips brush the delicate surface, I sink my teeth into my lower lip and throw my head back as my nails dig into the bed. Tingles cover every inch of my skin his hand connects with, I pull his head down for a kiss which never happens at the clearing of throat behind us.
Our annoyance is palpable as we turn in the direction of the voice, to a smiling Chi who has her arms crossed. I sigh. She needs to be locked up, couldn't she have slipped out without interrupting us? Paul tries to straighten up, I pull his head back and smash my lips on his. My tongue slips into his mouth, I alternate between sucking and nibbling his lips until we pull apart for air.
Chi clears her throat again, I flash her a wicked grin and peck Paul on the forehead before he pulls me up to sit on his laps. One of my arms go around his neck, my fingers weave into his beards and I peck his lips.
"What is it?" Paul asks Chi who takes a seat at the foot of the bed. He props the tray on the bed and I cast Chi a glance. She has changed into something simpler, a shift dress that accentuates her complexion.
Laughter spills from my lips at her look of betrayal, she claps her hand in a mocking fashion and scowls. I stick my tongue out, she will have to deal with our moments.
"Because you have your girlfriend back, you are talking to me like that, okay. Don't worry, I'm still here." She directs her gaze to me, the scowl on her face turning into a frown. "Winch. So you remembered?"
I avoid the question by letting Paul feed me some of the cold oats which I complement with the toasted bread and her face grows red from being ignored. To further annoy her, I kiss Paul and offer him one of the peppered beef on my tray which he refuses and points it to my lips. My mouth closes over it, I moan at the crispiness and ask if he made it, he replies in the affirmative, I elicit a promise from him to make me more when we get back. To that, he nods with enthusiasm that can light up a powerhouse.
Our moment is short-lived when Chi stands to place some clothes where she was sitting, her eyes dart between me and my boyfriend with her lips moving too fast for me to decipher what she's saying. I smile at her, she flips me the middle finger and I roll my eyes. She shouldn't be so jealous of the little time I am spending with her brother, he will always be her brother and my boyfriend, of course. I have missed him.
She sashays to the door without a single word to us until her hand is on the knob. "Smelly girl, you stink," she says, then the door closes behind her with a bang.
Paul tilts my face to place a kiss on my lips, I palm his cheeks to ask, "Do you think we were too harsh on her?" I sigh, we barely acknowledged her. "We ignored her."
"We did good, next time she will knock."
His reply reassures me, a typical response expected from a sibling. "Where are we?"
"Mr Adams's house."
That explains it. This room is huge, twice the size of mine or Paul's and lacking the personality, warmth and familiar scents that linger in the air. I sigh, I want to go back there, to Paul's house. Letting my eyes wander, I take notes of the things I failed to notice before: the cream curtains parted open to reveal the floor to ceiling windows, the AC attached to the wall and the mirror across the room that shows my pale skin.
My fingertips caress my cheek, I stare at the haggard creature in the mirror mimicking my moves and stiffen. Who is that horrid woman? Her usually thick and shiny hair has shrunken to a tangled mess, pressed so close to her scalp she looks to be on low cut.
Sunken eyes watch my fingers brush the top of my collarbone and poke the hollow spaces between them. I giggle and it soon turns into a sadistic chuckle, maybe I do stink like Chi said. I make to pull away but Paul tightens his hold on my waist.
His brows furrow when I dodge his kiss, my breath probably stinks too but he won't say it. He cups my butt and frowns. "What is it?"
"I look horrible," slips from my lips, "why didn't you say something?" I raise my hand to sniff my armpit. "Don't lie, do I stink?"
"No, you don't. You look and smell perfect."
A scowl takes over my feature, I mimic him and his lips cover mine to swallow the rest of my protests. My hand relocates to the back of his head, I moan into his lips and my worries evaporate as I grind my pelvis against his groin. I groan when he tears his addicting lips from mine, slap his arm to show my displeasure. His fingers come to rest on my stomach, I roll my eyes and pull my shirt up to allow him a peek at my belly.
"Does it hurt?" His fingers hover above the small, pink mark on my stomach as if asking permission to touch it. "It looks..."
"Not really. You can touch it if you want," I tell him and the pad of his thumb brushes the surface. His carefulness has me rolling my eyes, I sigh. "It doesn't hurt, touch it."
At that, his eyes lift to mine, I nod and bring his hand back to my stomach. I giggle at the tickling sensation coursing through me at his touch, he pulls away to stare at me and I encourage him to continue. No sooner does he resume do I burst into a fit of giggles, I wheeze, it is too ticklish and he stops.
Tired of begging him to carry on, I pull down the shirt and remove his hands from my waist. "Was there even a baby?"
His voice comes out strangled. "No."
"That's good to hear." I try to picture myself with a swollen stomach or mini replicas of me running around the house but I come up blank. Knowing the possible babydaddy might have affected my imagination, I don't want to have kids with that man. Or, maybe, I am simply not ready for children right now. If I ever want to start a family, I want it to be with Paul and not outside wedlock.
Moving to the clothes Chi dropped for me, I place them against my body and frown, I want Paul's clothes, not hers. "Speaking hypothetically, what if I was pregnant?"
Coming to stand in front of me, he asks, "With another man's child?" He cups my face, his fingers caress my cheek. "Let's be thankful you are not. Let's not talk about it."
I try to protest but he silences me with a kiss and when we come up for air, he gently shoves me in the direction of the bathroom.
* * *
Paul is fast asleep when I saunter into the room while trying to finger detangle my hair. I give up soon and tiptoe to stand by the side of the bed, staring at his motionless figure with a small smile on my lips. His chest rises and falls, my heart thumps as I run my fingers through his sideburn.
We have been through hell for a couple who just got into the dating world. As my finger trails his upper arm, I can only hope the kidnap is the worst obstacle we will face in our relationship. I love him but I cannot handle any more surprises, for both of our sakes, I hope he has none up his sleeves.
Squatting to get a better view of his face, I try to smoothen the lines on his forehead, my fingers move up and down his bareback. I love his body, I love how much attention he puts into staying and keeping fit. Placing a kiss at the nape of his neck, I join him on the bed, put his arm on my waist and give in to that voice in my head asking me to claim my boyfriend's lips.
An innocent kiss soon turns hungry, his arm on my waist tightens, pulling me impossibly closer to him. Our lips tango, doing the talks we missed out on. My fingers splay on his chest, I manage to break away to look at his face but his eyes are still closed. His hand moves to my chest, I moan when he kneads my nipples through the shirt, grateful I discarded the camisole Chi put in the gown.
"Paul," I call out, half-expecting his eyes to open as his hand migrates to the hem of my gown. He bunches it to my waist, cups my butt and a moan slips from my lips. "Babe."
His lips curl into a smile, he sticks his tongue out with his eyes closed. I slap the back of his head and turn away from him, if he won't open his eyes, then he can't touch me. He groans, pulling me close so my back is pressed against his chest, his arm comes under my breasts and I place mine over it.
"Asshole," I mutter and he chuckles.
"Your asshole," he states, his breath tickles my ear, "Ifunaya's favourite asshole."
My eyelids grow heavy, he grunts when my elbow ram into his side and I smile. I pull the duvet up to my chin and snuggle in his arm. This feels like home, I have missed it.
"Sleep well, love," he says and places a kiss below my ear, "I'm so glad to have you back." I nod and rub his arm, me too, I am glad to be back home with him. A yawn escapes my lips, I blink and when my eyes finally open, I am alone on the big bed.
The time on the wall clock shows it's a few minutes until six, I rub the back of my hand against my eyes, hug myself, then smoothen the wrinkles on the bed. Paul's side of the bed still feels warm, I tiptoe out of the room to avoid drawing attention to myself.
On my way to God knows where, the sound of muffled argument reaches my ears, I retrace my steps, hand on the bannister as I find my way in that direction. The voices become clearer as I approach a door which is slightly ajar, I stand there, listening to them argue about where or who I will stay with. I cross my arms on my chest, kick the door open and glare at both of them when they turn to me, I have had enough of them making decisions on my behalf.
"I'm going home. To my house," I state.
As if in practised unison, they say, "No."
"Watch me," I reply, spin on my heels and make a race for the stairs, hoping I can remember the way to my room. "Rubbish."
Paul catches up with me before I can go far, his arm around my waist stops me from taking another step. "Babe, no, you can't."
"Why not?" I pry his hands from my waist and turn to face him. Since I'm a step above him, it gives me the height advantage and I cross my arms to glare at him. "Why do I have to stay with you or him? Why can't I go home? You said I don't have to worry about Aaron anymore or did you lie about that?"
A look crosses his face, he rakes his fingers through his hair and sighs. Mr Adams joins us, eyes narrowed at me as he silently reprimands me like I am a child again and I let out a hiss. Paul's head turns to see who I am glaring at, his hand circles my wrist and my frown fades. I sigh, I am tired of fighting.
"Ifunaya, it's for your safety." My lips part open but he beats me to it, "Aaron will not be bothering you anymore, yes, but we can't afford to be too relaxed." Mr Adams stops as if giving me a chance to counter him and I scowl, what am I supposed to say to that? If I manage to come up with a good argument they will still find a way to make me stay.
"You should stay with Udoka," he adds as he presses his phone to his ear to give an order. "Your bodyguards will be here soon."
"Bodyguards?" I scoff. "I... We don't need a bodyguard," I scream at Mr Adams's retreating figure and turn to Paul, "tell him we don't need a bodyguard. I'm going to your house, not a warzone." My lips tremble when Paul remains mute, I take a step away from him. "You two planned this," I sniff, "and you didn't care to ask for my opinions."
Paul reaches for me but I move away from him. "Babe, I was going to run it by you later, I didn't want to disturb your sleep."
"Yeah," I mutter, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I tap his shoulder. "Of course you didn't want to disturb me. I believe you."
"Ify. Ifunaya," he calls out to me as I resume my climb up the stairs. I don't know what else he wants from me, I have agreed, we are going to his place. "Babe. I'm sorry."
"Are we going or not?" I snap without taking a glance at him, "I don't have anything to pack so you are the one delaying us."
Our heads jerk behind us at the sound of approaching footsteps, two men in all black come to stand at the foot of the stairs, they introduce themselves and I nod. Paul closes the distance between us to lace our fingers together, I frown and stay put even when he hugs me minutes after the guards leave.
"I was really going to tell you as soon as you woke up," he says as he breaks away from the hug. My chest falls, I nod and he hooks a finger under my jaw. "Please smile for me."
**********
When Chi interrupted their kiss, I started laughing out loud, muttering, "I'm evil".
It was so fun seeing people discuss about her supposed amnesia. 😂😂
Thank you all for reading, voting and commenting so far 💕💕, don't forget to do that now too 😉😉