Two

Her little encounter with the white guy hadn't passed unnoticed. Her friends had buzzed about it for like an hour, even forgotten about the birthday they were celebrating. Once the topic went low key, the girls began their celebration proper. But as much as she tried to enjoy the moment, his face, his body building, his amber brown eyes, his voice, his accent! Oh that accent! It all haunted her psyche.

It got worse when he came back and settled at the other end from where they were having their party. His nose looked red, he had a pair of dark shades on. He wore the same white shorts he had on the first time he came out but with now a white tank top that showcased his toned muscled arms. He laid on a beach stretcher and seemed to be in another planet.

Jasmine found the freedom to stare at him as much as she wanted. For she felt like he wasn't even one bit interested in looking their way. But this wasn't the case. As she stared at him so did he. She knew staring was perverse so she timed herself. Only he knew the chemistry that ent down between them as her eyes will drift to him once every two minutes to stare for at least thirty seconds. That was her timing. He couldn't help himself but look at her; only her. Like she was the only person there. The way the sun illuminated her honey brown skin in that white bikini top- he was hanging on the edge of a sexual Clift, holding on for dear control.

As she interacted with her friends, once in a while, she would erupt into laughter making her look ten times younger than she could actually be.

On the side of the party, the girls talked, laughed and seemed to be having a good time. Three of them were inside the pool while the other three where bronzing the skins under the sun. Cake came and the sang happy birthday to Micah. As they all settled down beside the pool, each with a glass in hand, the decided to play a thirty minutes session of 'truth or dare'. The first three turns making Micah, Rhoda and Lena to reveal super embarrassing stuff about themselves. The fourth turn falling on Jasmine.

"Please don't ask me about my last sexual encounter!!!" She pleaded, gaping at Ezinne with puppy eyes,

"Girl please! As if you've ever had a sexual encounter." And the all burst into thunders of laughter while she frowned then smiled nonetheless. "But seriously though girl, your truths are boring so you, are going to do a dare."

"Oh God!" Jasmine cried, "Guy please have mercy!"

"Mercy is not in my vocarb!" Ezinne took a bite off her piece of cake, glinting evil eyes in Marcelo's direction,"Go talk to him for at least five minutes."

If her legs had holes, her heart would be out as it she could feel its beating right under her soles.

"What? No! You know I can't do that nah!"

"OK oh ma! So you won't have any problem paying for all our drinks when we go clubbing tonight."

"I'm not even going with you guys." Jasmine grumbled glaring in her friend's direction.

"Then you go wire us the money." Ezinne answered ignoring completely her friends burning glance.

(Then you'll send us the money)

"Ahh- ah! Come on! Please nah! OK, What am I even going to say to him."

While all this happened, not even once did Marcelo's gaze leave the group, or the girl. He seemed to have been following their movements and knew at what the were playing. He saw when Ezinne looked his way and mouthed something to Jasmine and immediately knew it was about him. But he wasn't less than surprised when he saw her coming his way with a plate in her hand. From the way she moved and her numerous attempts to act it cool, he could already tell she was nervous.

She finally reach in front of him after what seemed to be an eternity. Her hands grabbing tight the edge of her shorts while the other held on the plate. She bit in her lower lip and inhaled deeply. Her friends watched. None of them still aware that behind those shades, he eyes were wide open and seeing everything.

"Uhm, excuse me!" Jasmine called his attention as gently as she could, still biting her lip and throwing a scared glance at her friends.

"What do you want chica?" His indifference, that deep husky tone brought her to the brink of loosing the little control she still held onto in his presence. He didn't move an inch.

"I- I wanted to say am sorry again for, for the little accident that happened earlier; so I brought a piece offering cake?" She could feel her hands starting to tremble on the plate. She needed to place down fast before it dropped. As she drew closer and lower to the little table by his sides to place the plate, he seemed to immediately take off his shades and take a normal sitting position, causing them both to coincide each other's gazes at a ridiculously thin distance. He was a man of control, keeping it cool, staring her down, intimidating her with his amber browns and broad shoulders. She was weak, her breathing hitched, her lower lip somehow always finding its way in between her teeth, her honey brown eyes selling away everything that his look was doing to her at that moment.

"Um!" She found her senses coming back in place when plate made a sharp noise on hitting the table, "It's my friends birthday so... Here."

Marcelo couldn't remember the last time he had something sweet, and that carried a lot of meaning. For the very first time, he sent her an honest, gentle and simple smile.

"Grazie Tesoro."

(Thank you sweetheart)

"What?" She asked unable to decipher what he had just called her. She recognized very well the 'grazie' word but the other was unknown to her.

He just laughed and took the plate of cake, shifting to one side of his stretcher for her to take the other side. First she looked at him, confused.

"Sit." He said, and she sat. She caught a glance of her friends childish behaviors behind and mentally kicked each of their asses. One of them harder than the rest.

"By the way," she spoke as he ate his cake, "my name is Jasmine."

He paused for a minute, contemplating. The insanely beautiful and seemingly harmless Cameroonian girl seated by him had just given him her name, a name as gorgeous as she was. He knew his stay in Cameroon was supposed to be monopolized, he knew he couldn't take the risk of trusting anyone enough to give them his name. But something about her, the aura she brought about was just to liberating. Him seated with her by his sides made him forget for a moment, that he was a wanted fugitive by the most powerful Russian Don and that anyone could be an enemy.

"Marcelo." He said then continued with his cake. He really had been missing a lot. The cake was delicious.

"Who made this?" He asked,

"I think it was from Y Complexe bakery,"

"Hmm! It is good. Maybe I should check it out."

"You should!" He noticed she was feeling uneasy seated so close to him.

"Tell me Chica, if your friends had not dared you to come over here, would you still have come," he took a sip from his bottle of water. Her eyes bulged out in shocked, then shut tight in embarrassment,

"How did you know?"

"Just because the shades are dark doesn't mean they are not see through." He said with mischievous grin,

"You were watching?" She questioned looking straight,

"All the time." He finished and posed back his plate on the table, "So I do not forgive you for breaking my nose. Your coming here wasn't voluntary. Your cake was delicious and I would like one of my own. So for my forgiveness chica, you're going to be my guide when I go exploring the city."

"Why do I have a feeling you're not asking?"

"Perché non chiedo mai a bella ..." Marcelo said as he tucked back on his shades,

(Because I never ask)

"What does that even mean?"

"It means I'll see you back here tomorrow at ten for the VIP tour." He picked up his bottle of water, his phone and a watch on the table and started walking away, smirking devilishly to himself.

"You're joking right?" She stood up, a look of confusion on her face. He just waved a hand,

"Ciao bella!" and disappeared behind the entrance doors of the hotel. She turned to look at her friends who seemed to be cooking a pot of stuff to ask her. Exasperated, and in attempt to escape their pestering, she jumped into the pool. She needed the exercise of swimming.

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