Chapter 003

"Do you ever stop thinking?" Gazing at Yemi, who was standing by my window with his back to me, I questioned. His sharp features were rendered unreadable by the golden tone of the sunset sunshine that crept through the slats.

With the same calculating expression in his eyes, he turned slowly. He responded softly, "You’re not the first person to ask me that," yet there was something unnerving about the way his eyes met mine. "But no. I don't. Do you?

I took a deep breath, unsure of how to react. Nathan's face, Amelia's treachery, and the kiss between Yemi and me that had triggered something I wasn't ready to face were all jumbled in my mind. Since the rug had been pulled out from under me, trust had always been a delicate thing for me, a thin thread I was scared to pull on. But now that I was standing here with Yemi, I could feel his influence on every choice I made.

"Not really," I said as I glanced down at my hands. "Not when it comes to the people who matter."

Between us, there was a thick quiet that was tinged with something unsaid. Something hazardous.

At first, Yemi stood there and studied me without moving. He finally answered, "I get that," and stepped a few paces closer. But Lola, you need to come to terms with things. People will let you down. Again and again. Making the decision to continue allowing them is the difficult part.

His words pierced me as they floated in the air. I had heard them before, but not in this way—spoken with a low volume that gave the impression that they were specifically for me.

However, I wasn't prepared to hear it. Not quite yet.

I moved by him and headed for my apartment's little kitchen. Making coffee, a routine and familiar task, felt reassuring as if I had some control over it. In any case, I didn't need to become involved in this. Despite how alluring his presence was, Yemi was a hassle I didn't need.

Then he came after me, though.

He remarked, "You didn’t answer my question," with a little stronger tone. While I was busy with the coffee maker, he stood in the doorway, staring at me.

In an attempt to conceal how his closeness was making me unsteady, I rolled my eyes. "What do you want me to say?" I bounded back, my hands shaking a little as I pushed the coffee maker's button. "That I have faith in you? After all that I've endured?"

Something sparked in Yemi's eyes—was it annoyance or something more sinister? But he just watched me without saying anything. No words could have been more unsettling than his silence.

Finally, he said, "You don’t trust me," as though he were presenting a truth.

I kept my eyes off of him. I was unable to. "No," I whispered as I filled a mug with steaming coffee. "I don't. Furthermore, I doubt that I ever will.

Yemi answered, "Fair enough," in a calm voice that now had a hint of abrasiveness. However, I don't expect you to readily give me your trust. It is earned. You may not even be aware of how much you're pushing me away.

I didn't answer. How could I respond? He was correct. I was shoving him away. However, I was unable to stop myself.

As I took a sip of my coffee, the warmth of it grounding me, I could feel him watching me, yet the tension in the room increased with every second. Something about him was odd. Yemi was not a man who waited for events to occur. The more time I spent with him, the more I sensed that he took over.

I had no idea how to stop myself from being drawn in.

Suddenly irritated, I responded, "You think I don't get it." With a wave of emotion, I turned to face him. "You believe that I'm just a simpleton in need of someone to save her or make everything right. However, I'm not. I'm not that way."

Yemi's face was unreadable as he cocked his head slightly. "I never said you were," he remarked quietly in response. "I stated that trust must be earned; it cannot be given. Furthermore, I'm still awaiting your willingness to earn it."

The words were more painful than they needed to be. Because he was, in a sense, correct. I had long since run out of trust, and nobody was receiving any from me—not even Yemi.

However, why did it seem like he was attempting to tear down barriers that I didn't want to be torn down?

I was startled out of my reverie by the ring of the doorbell. My heart sank a little as I looked toward the door, wondering who it might be. I secretly hoped it wasn't Amelia or Nathan. Neither of them was someone I was prepared to confront. Never, ever.

I started to respond, but Yemi moved in front of me. "I’ll get it," he stated in a forceful voice.

Uncertain of how to interpret this odd change in the atmosphere between us, I paused and then took a step back. Was Yemi behaving as though he owned the area, or was I just dreaming?

I was surprised when he opened the door. Nathan stood on the opposite side. The sight of him made my stomach turn around in knots. His black eyes met mine, and I felt my fury boil at the half-defiant, half-apologetic look on his face.

"Lola," he murmured, regretting what he had said. "We need to talk."

Anger sprang in my breast, but Yemi's hand was on my shoulder in an instant, his hold firm yet soothing. Yemi answered, "Not now," in a chilly, almost defensive tone. "You’re not welcome here."

With a hint of bewilderment on his face, Nathan glanced at Yemi but refrained from pressing. Rather, his eyes returned to me. "Please, Lola. I—"

I interjected, "Leave," in a loud voice. "I don’t want to hear it."

For a minute, I allowed myself to lean into Yemi's shield-like presence behind me. He was standing there, and for some reason, I felt safer. Furthermore, the fact that Nathan was attempting to re-enter my life while standing at my door simply served to highlight how much I didn't want him there.

After a little pause, Nathan turned and left, leaving me standing in the doorway with my chest constricted.

I couldn't completely control my emotions as I turned back to face Yemi after closing the door. I felt a sense of relief that I hadn't anticipated. But Nathan wasn't the only one who made me uneasy. Yemi was the one.

"Why did you do that?" I inquired, experiencing a wave of appreciation and perplexity. "You didn’t have to—"

"Yes, I did," Yemi interrupted in a quiet voice. "Lola, he can't just walk back into your life. Not without repercussions.

At that moment, I sensed a tension that had not previously existed between us. Was this not merely an odd coincidence? Was there anything about this Yemi that I wasn't prepared for?

Yemi's phone buzzed before I could finish speaking, ending the conversation. His face hardened a little as he looked at it and then back at me.

He said, "I have to go," in a more formal tone. "But this isn’t over."

The door clicked shut behind him as I watched him go, but I had a feeling that this was only the beginning. The start of a mess I wasn't sure I could get out of.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to, though.