Asa
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"You make me speechless...
Just kill me silently."
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By the time I reached the front gates of the DeAngeles mansion, I was breathless and winded, the harsh harmattan air, stinging my nostrils and scratching my lungs.
It had a deadlock, so I was able to let myself in.
I had already pressed the doorbell button twice before I had time to think.
What am I doing?
What the hell am I doing?
The door flung open and I was greeted by the amused look plastered on the face of Kam's mum.
"Why are you dressed like a prostitute?" She inquired, after taking in my... Um... Outfit.
Which was just a tiny tube top. Tight leather mini skirt. Denim jacket and trainers.
I had wanted to leave for Kam's place immediately after Tasha's pep talk, but she had vehemently disagreed, pushing me into the shower and squeezing me in one of her tightest, shortest, stylish outfit, coupled with three inch heels and a bangin' makeup.
I shrinked into the tiny little handkerchief of an outfit that really didn't look that bad when I stared at myself in the mirror back at home.
"Good evening," I stammered with chattering teeth. "I came to see Kam."
Her gaze softened as she opened the door wider for me. "Come in, Asachi."
"I've not been able to get my son to leave his room for five hours now and I can't waste my time begging him. When he's hungry, he'll come downstairs and make his own food."
I nodded absentmindedly at what she was saying, hugging myself, wishing I had brought a hoodie along.
"But I can't let you go upstairs now. You're freezing cold. Come and have some chicken soup then you can explain to me what all this is about."
I wanted to go up to Kam's room right now, but I couldn't refuse her.
She placed a steaming bowl of chicken soup and my mouth watered at the aroma as I suddenly realized how hungry I was.
She placed a glass of orange juice beside my bowl and sat across from me. "Start from the beginning, Asachi. What happened?"
And so, I told her everything, leaving out the details from my horrible past and just focusing on my mother, wanting me to move abroad with her.
"You're young, Asa." She started wisely. "You have your own life to live. If this is what you want, you shouldn't throw away your dreams, your future, just because your lover is afraid of losing you. You don't owe anybody your life or your happiness. You're yours before you're anyone else's." She squinted at me now, inspecting me curiously. "This is what you want, right? A relationship with your mother. A fresh start."
I bit my lip. "For a while, yes. I thought that this was what I wanted. To get the hell out of here. To start things on a clean slate, where nobody knows my name..."
Or what I've done, I completed, internally.
To run away from the stares... The rumours... Him.
I shivered, remembering why I had thought of leaving with my mum in the first place. To create more distance between myself and my step brother.
"How about now?"
I was silent for a while, avoiding her questioning gaze. "I don't know." I shook my head. "I have to leave... But I want to be with Kam. He... He's saved me in ways I don't even understand. And I don't want to give him up. I'm selfish and it's him I want to be with. I want Kam."
I love Kam, I realized, and the self revelation came slamming into me like a cheetah on crack.
"I love him."
I tasted those words in my mouth, waiting for the discomfort. The denial. The fear. Nothing... Instead, I felt peace.
She was smiling at me.
"Then go get him."
-
Raising a trembling hand to his mahogany wooden door, I knocked softly.
No response.
"Kam?" I called.
Nothing.
"Kam, please, open up. I need to talk to you... We need to talk."
My heart was beating wildly against my chest, deafening my ears and I felt my lungs constrict inside me as if my ribcage was shrinking.
When I stayed like that for fifteen minutes, coaxing, begging, pleading with him to let me in, I realized he probably wasn't going to ever listen to me again.
"Please, Kam." I persisted desperately. "I love you." I whispered.
Nothing.
I pushed the tears back into the recesses of my eyes as I turned around, resting my back to the wall and sliding down until I was sitting on the tasteful Arabian carpet.
I don't know how long I stayed like that, but I heard his voice and my eyes flew open.
"Asa!"
He sounded incredulous. Like he couldn't believe I was here, in front of him.
I looked at him, standing up slowly, drinking in the sight of his beautiful presence.
He looked like he had been working out, sweat, glistening on his bronze body, matting his chocolate hair. He wasn't wearing any shirt and for the first time, I was able to appreciate how toned and muscular he really was. Sinewy hard muscles of his chest and arms, tough skin, everywhere. He was only wearing black loose pants, a towel, swung over his shoulders, gripping the ends tight over his shoulder, as he took in my appearance.
His eyes travelled from my carefully made hair, styled by Tasha herself, to my lips that were painted a dark red colour. His eyes lingered on my chest, my hips, my legs, before travelling back up to meet my eyes again.
He incinerated me with that gaze. It felt like I had been lighted on fire.
"What are you doing here?"
His voice was hard. Restrained.
I bit my lip, wanting to come closer to him but he radiated hostility.
Almost like he was piling up defences...
Against me.
"That dress." He muttered, his eyes, caressing every curve if my body.
"Did you come to seduce me? Because it's working, Asa." I noticed the way he swallowed heavily, his eyes, not leaving mine as his grip on the towel tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"Are you going to tell me why you're here or you want me to lose every shred of self control I have and take you right here on the floor?"
I gulped, not knowing whether to take him seriously or not.
I mean, his mum was right downstairs... He wouldn't do anything rash, would he?
...
Um... Would he?
"I..." I swallowed. "I came to see you?"
An amused eyebrow disappeared into his hair. "You came to see me and you were talking to my door."
"I thought you were inside and you didn't want to let me in."
"I'll always let you in, Asa."
His voice was a soft whisper. A gentle caress.
"Come in," he said, walking into the room.
I followed and waited beside him, while he closed the door.
Locked it twice.
And walked... Away from me.
I squirmed, suddenly feeling restless. I wanted him to come to me, to hold me... Look at me.
He stood by the window.
"Tell me everything, Asa."
I swallowed, twisting my charm bracelet awkwardly.
"I... My mum... She came to see me on Saturday..."
He kept quiet and the silence in the room threatened to squash me.
"She told me that my grandparents left me a lot of money in my trust account. That I could spend the money any way I want... Or, I could come with her."
He turned to look at me and I shook at how expressionless his usual bright honey orbs were. I missed his boundless energy. His unique spirit... His light.
I looked away from him, wringing my fingers together. "I... I thought she wanted me to go back to Abuja with her, but she told me that she had been saving some money since I left... And with my trust fund, we can finally start over."
He didn't say anything and I lost it. Walking over to him, desperately. "Don't you get it, Kam?!" I searched his eyes, standing so close, I could sink into the honey-ness of them. "I wanted to get away from here. I had nothing left, except the constant reminder of what I've done... I wanted to put as much distance between myself and the stares, the rumours, my past... My step brother."
His eyes suddenly widened in realization but he shook his head and held my arms, his warmth, seeping into my skin. "You still don't get it."
I blinked at him.
"You don't get why I'm offended, Asa. I'd never want you to choose me over your dreams... Over what you really wanted in life. Heck, I want to support you. As fucked up as it's going to be, in the end, I just want you to be happy, whether I'm by your side or not. What I don't get, is why you couldn't give me closure. Why you wanted to leave without at least, giving me a heads up."
I bowed my head. "I'm sorry, Kam. I was going to tell you... I just..." I dropped my hard in frustration. "It was so hard to... I just couldn't."
He looked away from me, disappointment, tinging his irises. "You've told me what you want." I could hear the heartbreak in his words and it twisted my gut into an awful mess. "You can leave now, Asa."
My heart panged painfully within me and those treacherous tears threatened to spill out.
I clenched my teeth, willing myself to stay calm. To not cry, even though my throat was itching and wouldn't close up. Even though a massive sob was racking my ribs.
"Please, don't tell me to leave." I cried desperately. "I can't. I'm so sorry, Kam but I can't leave you."
"But you're going to."
"I know. I know." I whispered, closing my eyes, an action that made the tears slip out uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry, Kam... I can't leave you."
He was walking further away from me, slipping away from my grasp.
I opened my mouth to say something, but whatever I wanted to say died in my throat when Aurora blared from my pockets.
Whipping out my phone in annoyance, I glared at the screen. Kosi flashed on the screen and I immediately grew worried. She rarely makes calls late at night unless it's really really important.
I picked the call, cringing immediately, at Kosi's incoherent blubbering, talking and sobbing and shrieking at the same time. But I heard the words, 'Jemi, Jemi' and 'deep shit' together in every sentence.
"Asa. Asa, Jesus! I don't know what to do! I don't know what to fucking do!"
"Kosi, what are you saying? Can you calm down and talk to me?"
"It's Jemi. They took him away. He got arrested!"
THE END!
Sike!😋
Haha! But seriously, this is the end of the first part of the book. I've mentioned in a couple of my Authors notes that the book is going to be divided into three parts, depending on how long it gets. Bad way to end a story part, I know but bear with me, okay?
If you reached this part and decided to stick with me and with my story, just believe that you're dope as hell in my head.
*
The sequel of this book should answer the following questions:
*What the hell happened to Jemi?
*And, speaking of Jemi, will we get to glimpse the #Jesi (Jemi + Kosi) ship take sail or sink?
*Is Amir going to confirm our suspicions all along? Does he like Asa? And even if he does, is he willing to risk his friendship with Kam, for her?
*Will #Kasa stand the test of time and when storms come, will their love shine through?
*What the hell has Haliya been up to?
*What's up with Ariel? Will she mess everything up for Kasa?
*Will Asa's disgusting step brother make an appearance in the book?
*Is Asa hiding any more secrets about her traumatizing past? Secrets she hasn't shared, even with Kam? The rumours going about her father's death, are they true? Did she have a hand in his death?
The second part of this book promises to be drama filled and action packed and if you haven't already fallen in love with this book, well, you sure as hell will in the sequel.
I love you all, so much!!!!💖
Tata, for now!❤