So sorry I have not been able to update. I've been busy. Too busy🙄.
Well, I want to extend my gratitude to all my wattpad friends who took their time to read and vote and comment.
And to you reading this now, it really means a lot to me😜.
Enjoy the rest of the ride and I hope you enjoy this.💕
~°•°~
Melanie's POV💓
I hadn't seen them for days since that housewarming party at Jenna's. In fact the mere thought of her right now is giving me the chills and does chills are certainly not good.
I could still play the words over and over again in my head.
"Stay away from us. Else you will be sorry."
The words still sounded the same. With the same authority and threatening voice. I cringed and sighed again.
For the umpteenth time since this week, I have been sighing and cringing. I didn't feel good about telling AJ about it as I didn't know what relationship she has with Jenna and can't be the reason why a family has to be torn.
But I did tell Lala. And she simply frowned and threatened to beat the lady to an awful pulp! Well, that was helpful. It certainly didn't make me cringe the more and want to cry and regret why I told her.
Don't mind me. I'm being sarcastic again.
I said to myself, I will stay away and steer clear off her and her brothers. I said to myself, I will try to avoid her. I said to myself, she isn't even my type. But did I do it?
No!
Just when AJ came back yesterday pleading with me to tutor her privately as I'm the only one she can go so close to for academic help. I simply and so blindly agreed like an idiot!
Now, I'm standing in a large mall, staring at a sanitary pad which I am so familiar with, and thinking of how stupid I was to accept that offer. And I'm not the kind to go back and break a precious heart by saying I can't tutor her again. Not after she was jumping and giving me generational blessings.
I shook my head and threw the sanitary pad into the cart and moved forward to the next aisle.
I stared again as my mind strayed to the list of things my aunt had sent me to buy.
Jenna wasn't like this. When i met her, she had been so sweet to me and we flowed like we had known for ages. She was the first person i seemed to flow so well with in just the first day.
But i didn't expect her to say those things to me..
Stay away from them? Why would i even be a threat to them in the first place?
I sighed and looked around when my eyes caught the tinted windows of the store. I blinked.
You're thinking about them so much, Melanie. A voice in my head told me. I shrugged and nodded.
But I looked outside the glass of the store again and he grinned at me. He saw me!
My eyes grew wide when he waved at me.
Okay, what was Kendrick doing here?
I thought and simply waved back. I went back to my list, but jumped out of my skin when I saw someone standing beside me.
"Shit!"
I cursed when I saw whim it was.
"You scared me."
I said, holding a hand to my chest to calm my beating heart.
Jamal grinned. "Sorry. Hi."
"H-Hi. Uh...Hello."
I stuttered.
He laughed. "Sorry for the big fright. We came to see someone."
"Okay? Who?"
He only smiled and then grinned again.
"Your son seems like a very smart kid. I love smart kids."
I frowned. "Where did you meet..."
Wait. I came with TJ. I looked around and Gosh! He wasn't with me. I immediately forgot about Jamal and walked around the aisle, didn't care to ask him where he last saw my son because honestly, if you ask me, that boy has a curiosity as large as a watermelon that he always wants to explore. And only God knows where he explored to this time.
"TJ?"
I said and walked around the aisle. Jamal followed. Quietly.
There he was, to my relief, at the games section.
He wasn't alone. He was smiling at something Derrick must have said as they both turned around to look at me. And I must say, that they had the same move.
I walked to them and Derrick who was kneeling on one knee talking to the boy, stood up as Mayor, who also was standing behind my son, smiled at me.
"Hey. It's been a while."
He said, smiling.
"Hey. AJ said you travelled."
"True. Your son is very smart. And he has a wonderful name."
"Mum, can you believe that he invited me to see his house? And he loves art too. Isn't that so awesome?"
TJ said, like the person he was referring to wasn't standing there too.
Okay that's one thing with TJ. He talks so openly. And that only reminds me of one person.
"Really?"
I said with my eyes on Derrick.
He shared a look with Mayor who then turned to TJ with a smile.
"Come on, TJ. Let's see what you like around here."
Mayor said and TJ turned to me with pleading and hopeful eyes like that of a puppy.
Oh, this boy! He does that whenever he knows he really wants to do it and he wants me to accept against my will. Which he knows always works for him. I sighed and nodded. He scrambled off with Mayor.
"Its so good to see you again, Melanie. How are you?"
Derrick said.
I shrugged. "Good. How was your trip?"
"It was lovely."
I simply nodded and when his stare was becoming so intense and uncomfortable, my cart suddenly looked an interesting sight to me.
"Uh...Jamal here said you came for something. Did you find it?"
"Yes." He said and smiled. "You are not that hard to find."
I blinked. Wait...What?!
"Me? Have you been stalking me?"
He laughed. "Relax, babe. I've not."
Now why was that babe word giving my the awkward feeling?
"I just wanted to see you and you weren't so easy to find until today. And I don't have your number. I wanted to invite you for a party at my place in two weeks. I will send a chauffeur to pick you up; you and TJ. I want you to come with him too. I like him."
Derrick said. I nodded.
"Is it a very mature party, because I can't let TJ see things he shouldn't be seeing."
I just had to ask.
He laughed. "Don't worry. It is a decent one. And if anything like that should happen, I will make sure he isn't there."
I frowned. Okay, we are still talking about the party, right.
"I wasn't talking about..."
My tongue got stuck in my mouth and I couldn't finish it.
He raised an eyebrow and Gosh, that was sexy as hell!
"You weren't talking about...?"
He asked.
I shook my head. He laughed and moved so close to me. So damn close, his Cologne wafted through my nose like the smell of Christmas usually goes into one's nose.
I felt soft lips touch the corner of my lips and I stood, perplexed and completely limp that I couldn't push him away.
"Wear something sexy. You looked really sexy that night."
He whispered and just like that, while I was still having my mouth hanging open and my eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, he was gone.
His brothers followed him and they walked with such majestic strides like the territorial owners of the universe.
Derrick gave her one last glance before Kendrick started the car and it zoomed off the premises.
TJ was already beside me, saying something about what Mayor had bought him.
I wasn't even listening.
~•°•~
I still wasn't listening even after lunch the next day and I was washing the dishes while TJ ranted about his school and friends and daily jokes around school and I on the other hand, stood frowning at the plates, like they were supposed to wash themselves instead of giving me the troubled of washing them.
TJ was suddenly silent and I didn't have to look behind to know that he was completing the paper house I had dragged him away from earlier, just so he could eat his lunch.
It was still very disturbing that I could still feel the light brush of his lips against mine and what was so embarrassing about it, apart from the fact that it happened in an enclosed part of the store where only a CCTV could see and that was beyond embarrassing!
"Mum."
TJ's voice blocked the rest of the thoughts flowing through my head. I glanced at him.
"Yeah, baby."
I went back to the dishes.
"I think I like him."
TJ said looking very thoughtful.
"Who are you talking about, love?"
"The guys from yesterday."
"Well, you said him so I don't know the one you like."
TJ shrugged and said, "I like all of them. But it is the huge one I like more."
I scoffed and glanced at him again. "Baby, they're all huge so which one of them?"
TJ looked like he was bored with the conversation and them rolled his eyes.
"Fine. I will say it. The one who kissed you."
He said it like it didn't mean anything to a kid of ten and half. I spun around sharply at him, with eyes as huge as saucers.
"What?"
He simply shrugged with a peaceful move at what he was doing?
"You wanted me to say it."
"Who told you that?"
"Oh, mum." He grinned mischievously. "I saw it happen."
"How would you know what a kiss is?"
I said, turning back to the sink just to hide my blush from the old man in a kid's body named TeeJani Okoye.
"He simply whispered to my ear."
"Do people whisper to the lips too, mum?"
I sighed. "TJ! Who would even tell you what a kiss is? You need to stop watching those movies. I think I'm letting you too much liberties."
TJ laughed. "Come one, mum. Who doesn't know what a kiss is? Even Temi knows it. He keeps telling me how he would kiss Sarah in his class."
My jaw dropped. Temi was the five year old next door who was still in nursery school!
"You are getting smarter than your age, TJ. I don't like it."
I said, shaking my head. I had my back to him, so hopefully, he won't see the blush still evident on my cheeks.
"You should be happy that I am getting smarter than my age. That way you won't cheat me when we eat."
I turned to face him, my hands in my hip and resting my weight on the other hip.
"I don't cheat!"
"You only take the meat and give me the fish and you know how o hate fish."
TJ said, frowning.
"That's a bad thing? Meat is...good for children. There is no way, I'm dropping that."
I said adamantly.
TJ frowned. "You always want to defend yourself all the time."
"Don't think I didn't hear you."
I said between my teeth.
TJ simply shrugged and continued what he was doing. "I think it is nice that he kissed you, nobody ever does that. And a lot of people keep saying how sexy you look."
"Who even taught you that word?!"
I said, throwing my hands in the air.
"Jeremy did. He said his uncle likes you and he said that word means that someone is beautiful."
I gave up on the plates. If I don't do something about this now, I don't know when. So I walked to my son and knelt beside his chair.
"TJ. You don't need to hang out with Jeremy. He is older than you by five years and you are too young to be with people like him. I'm not surprised Temi got the idea of kissing since his elder brother is Jeremy."
"But you're the one who said I can move with people older than me."
"Yes. People older and with a good behaviour. Not people who tell you who likes a lady and who doesn't."
I said. He stared at me, as if wheels were rolling in his head, then he smirked.
"You know I'm smarter than he is, mum."
He said.
I chuckled and nodded. "Right."
I said.
The doorbell rang and just in time, I rushed to open the door for AJ and Lala who walked in, with Lala giving TJ a kiss on the head and AJ lost herself in the stuff TJ was creating.
"This is TJ, huh?"
She asked. I grinned from the sink.
"He looks...very much like...Wow."
She said.
I turned to her.
"Like who?"
She smiled and ignored me. Turning to TJ she said, "Hi. I'm AJ. Do you love art?"
TJ beamed with pride and nodded.
"He just develops this image from somewhere and draws it or designs something using a card board or any carton he sees."
I said.
AJ nodded in understanding.
"That's odd. I'm sure Derrick will be thrilled to meet him. All my brothers love the art work. You should visit Jamal's art gallery one day."
She said, smiling at TJ.
"You mean Derrick Jacob?"
AJ nodded.
"I met him yesterday at the store where my mum and I went to buy some things."
"Oh! You met him. That makes it all easier."
I was going to ask her what she meant. AJ was good at half speeches and most times my curiosity gets piqued and she leaves me hanging.
"So, how did it go with Mr. Handsome that night?"
Lala asked me, wiggling her eyebrows. I hadn't told her what Derrick and I talked about the night he drove me home from the club.
"Who is Mr. Handsome."
TJ asked.
"TeeJani! How many times have I told you to stop interfering in adult talk? To your room, now!"
I said. He grumbled and packed his stuff.
"I hate being a kid."
He muttered on his way to his room.
"I heard that!"
"I know you did!"
He shouted from his bedroom.
I sighed and shook my head but when I turned to AJ and Lala, they were both smiling amusingly.
Hey.
I just wanted to give a glimpse of how Melanie relates with her son.
Aren't they adorable?🤗
Please vote and comment. Your votes mean so much to me and while you're at it, I think you would love to check out my other story, HEALER'S TOUCH.
Love,
Mireya💕