Three

I spent the next two weeks visiting my family members in Lagos and have Ayo drive us around town. I stayed 3 days over at my uncle’s house and played PlayStation and GTA with my cousins all day and lived off pizza and greasy food. I also took some of their clothes when I was leaving and they called to playfully yell at me after I had left that I emptied their wardrobes and I just laughed. 

I visited my favourite places in town like the ice cream store, an amusement park, the haunted house, the cinemas and lots and lots of street food restaurants because I couldn’t eat some of my favourite dishes when I was away at school.

We had also visited the Lekki Conservation Centre. The monkeys were really naughty and tried to swipe at my water when I was drinking it. I took lots of pictures of the birds and the vegetation and I had another monkey that tried to snatch my camera from my neck. Ayo chuckled and laughed loudly while I scowled. He claimed that the monkeys were attracted to my pretty face and would stop at nothing to get my attention. Just like men, I muttered and he laughed again. We also played the games that were at the family park and sat at the Koi fish pond till they closed and we headed home.

I did a little bit of cloth shopping at Eko market also. I bought dresses and jeans and skirts, and lots and lots of shirts and Ayo trailed along with me and helped me carry some bags. I also bought some nice traditional print material to sew Ankara wears with. It was a very rowdy place to be and business owners kept hollering at me to get the best deals and had people almost push me to the ground. Ayo laughed throughout, and glared at men that intentionally pushed at me.

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I spent the rest of the days at home watching movies and having Ayo pester me all the time to hang out. It seemed like he missed me as much as I did but I tried to steer a bit away from him to get my head in check and he was upset when he found out I was avoiding him.

“Why?” He asked when he confronted me about it.

“I’m not avoiding you Ay, what makes you think so?” I crossed my arms across my chest.

“Oh,” he tilted his head and looked at me. “When last did you call me for us to hang out, except when I had to literally drag you out?”

I pursed my lips.

“I thought as much. Is it something I did?” He frowned. 

“No no, it’s all my fault.” I shook my head.

“Is it your time of the month and you’re too upset to not want to hang out?” 

I couldn’t even take offence to that because I was the worst to be around with when I had my period. “No, it’s not. I just didn’t want to bother you.”

I figured not telling the exact truth would do me well. Too soon.

“I never did not want to hang out with you, in fact I always want to be with you.”

“What?” I sputtered. “Don’t you have friends to hang out with?”

“Not exactly. I kind of pushed everyone away after you left.” He smiled sheepishly.

“Oh Ayo, why?” I moved a bit towards him.

He laughed. “It’s not like I had any other friends other than you, and then you just left after primary school.”

“It seemed like you actually wanted me to go. You wouldn’t stop talking about the friends and places I’d meet in the capital territory.”

“I couldn’t not tell you to go. What best friend wouldn’t want to see their friend getting the most out of life, and even an education at that?”

I patted his arm. “You could have said you didn’t want me to go and I’d have stayed. After all, we could have gone to Chrisland together. I only really went because you kept on talking so much about it.”

“Aww, come here.” He pulled me towards him in a hug.

“I’m hungry.” I stepped out from the hug. Chicken.

“Let’s have jollof rice.” Ayo suggested and we got to it.

“Here, cute onion.” I threw him a large onion, and pointed at the knife holder.

“Thanks” He drawled and rolled his eyes before heading over to the holder and pulling out a long knife.

“You’re welcome.” I gave a toothy smile and headed to the garden to get some fresh tomatoes and pepper.

It took us one hour to get the food ready and when it was, I kept the rest in a cooler for our parents to eat and dished Ayo and I’s food in the same plate. I placed the plate on a tray and Ayo got glasses of water and forks. He suggested using the same glass but I told him that’s disgusting and we weren’t a couple. He said that we could have been if we had hung out every day and I turned away from him.

We sat in the dining area and started eating after saying grace. 

“You are quite the cook.” I told Ayo when I bit into a large onion slice.

“Onions and I don’t get along, I told you. They’re either too cute to cut or they just roll away from me, like you do.” His eyes twinkled in amusement and heat crawled up my cheeks.

“I DO NOT!” I huffed.

“Obviously. I mean it’s not like we’ve not hung out in a while right?” He took a sip of water.

“Omigod I’m so sorry Ayo, I just didn’t want to bother you.” 

“That’s a lie. Your eyebrow is twitching.” He pointed out and moved his seat closer to mine. 

“Tell me why Fey.” The temperature in the room dropped and I looked over at him.

“Y-you just don’t bother about it.” I stuttered and wringed my hands in my lap.

“Tell. Me.” He breathed, his face coming closer to mine again like that day at Miniso.

“Because I-I” I kept moving away and he followed me till I was almost leaning over my chair.

“Because what?” His gaze roamed my face and my stomach clenched.

“Because you know you’ve become a different person?”

His face fell and he moved away. “I have changed?” He tensed up.

“I didn’t mean that you’ve become a bad person…” I let out a breath and he visibly relaxed.

“Oh.” He looked flustered and I had an idea to rile him up.

I got up from my seat and went to sit in his lap facing him. He tensed again and looked at me in astonishment.

“What are you doing?” 

“Explaining to you that you’re not a bad person.” I locked my arms behind his neck and moved myself closer to him.

His brows rose to his hairline. “Explaining?” He rasped. “You call this explaining?”

“Why not?” I grinned and moved my face closer to his.

“Tea,” he warned, his voice coming out in low breaths. “You don’t want to play this game, trust me.”

I touched our noses together and breathed out through my mouth. “What are you talking about? What game?”

“That’s it.” He stood up and when I was about to wrap my legs around his waist, he dropped me to the ground. 

“Not today Fey, not yet.” He smirked.