Femi's POV.

The minute we got to the Wedding Reception, my eyes scanned through the garden-like view before me. The exquisite decorations, lovely outlines and the designs were all looking expensive and screamed attention and admiration.

"This place is on point!" Damola, was the first to exclaim. He wasn't wrong, the place was in fact, an amazing sight to behold. Ranging from the white and red roses that decorated the pathways, to the climbing pink roses, tulips and bluebells that decorated the walls of the place, down to the exotic water fountain at the middle of the place; it almost appeared to be like in a fairytale.

"This guy really spent good money on this place" Ade chimed in and I nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Chioma and Amanda were the other side of the large garden-like structure - discussing.

Again, I completely tuned off all Damola and Ade were saying, and immediately found myself staring. Amanda said something to her, and she laughed, her eyes dancing with excitement as she threw her head backwards and the sound of her melodious laughter filled the air.

I leaned on the car and crossed my arms, with my eyes still glued to her and a big smile on my face. I noticed a guy doing same, staring at her, with his eyes raking her entire body. A frown marred my face the minute I watched him approach her, hands dug into his pockets and a flirtatious smirk on his stupid face.

The douche!

I couldn't make out what he must've said that got her laughing, but that only made me angrier. And I knew I shouldn't be, but I was. I SO was.

"Femi! Femi!" I heard someone call, I presumed it'd be Ade, but I intentionally ignored him, my eyes: fixed on the insolent creature that kept trying, trying so hard to flirt with Chioma. And much to my dismay, she was flirting back... I suppose.

What did I expect her to do anyways? Ignore him?

Well, yes! I wanted her to ignore him, and I didn't want their conversation to go any further.

"Femi! Guy, what's up with you?!" Damola delivered a punch to my arm, and I turned to glare at him.

"What? What now?" I asked and he laughed, at something I couldn't even fathom.

"Chillax, why so serious?" he laughed again and I rolled my eyes, occasionally eyeballing the doff that now had an incredibly disgusting smile on his face.

The nerves of this guy!

"Nothing" I murmured and he shrugged.

"Then come with, let's go grab a drink" he suggested and I shook my head, no.

"No, thanks. I'll be right back" and without listening to whatever he had to say, I stalked off. I walked towards Chioma, hoping to distract her from that dude over there.

"Hey!" I hollered, a smile stretching through my face as I snaked a hand around Chioma's waist, from behind.

Amanda smiled at us both, before excusing herself. Meanwhile, the guy still stayed.

"Hey, man!" he said, stretching out his hand for a friendly shake. My eyes stared at his outstretched hand - with a hint of disdain - and I totally ignored him, not knowing why. I suddenly disliked him.

Noticing, my lack of acknowledgment towards his handshake, he withdrew his hand, with an awkward smile growing on his face.

"That's rude, Femi. Since when are you ever rude?" Chioma whispered to me, but I tried ignoring it.

"Chioms, I'll see you later then. Bye" he said, and finally excused himself.

Chioms?
See her later? This guy must be mad.

With him gone, Chioma smacked my arm - which was still around her waist.

"Ow!" I groaned as I let go of her. "What was that for?" I asked, although I already knew the answer to my own question.

"Why were you so rude to him? He was only trying to be nice" she snapped and I feigned confusion.
"Don't act dumb, you know what you did, Femi. And why exactly did you do it?" she asked and I shrugged.

"I wasn't rude to him" I denied.

"Really? Oh wait, lemme think about that for a sec. First: you ignored his greeting, and second: you totally disregarded his handshake. Really polite of you, don't you think?" sarcasm dripped from her voice as she said the last part.

I groaned as I ran a hand through my hair. I knew I was rude, and I was aware that that was totally unlike me, but I just couldn't help it.

"You make it sound like I committed a crime" I murmured, but she heard.

She stared at me: like I'd magically grown wings or something, and shook her head in disbelief, "You just insulted my friend, Femi. We're co-workers and he only came to say Hi" she explained and I mentally rolled my eyes.

Yeah, right. Came to say Hi, with his demonic eyes roaming around you. How sweet of him!

"Fine... I'll apologize" I said and she huffed and smiled.

"Good. I'll be with the rest. Oh, and please bring me some..."

"... Juice, I know" I finished her sentence for her, cutting her off in the process.

"Thank you" she smiled and walked away while I groaned. Now, I had to apologize to the doff, isn't that amazing?

Sarcasm, noted.

It took a while, before I spotted him sitting by himself, at the far end of the garden. With a final sigh, I walked towards him, with an apologetic smile on my face.

"Uh..." this was awfully awkward.

"What's up?" he replied and I nervously rubbed the back of my neck.

"Look, man. I'm really sorry for...erm, what I did back there. I really didn't mean any of that. I just kinda... The thing is, I didn't mean any of that" I said and he shrugged.

"No probs. But, why d'you act that way anyways?" He asked and I let out a sigh, I wasn't even sure how to put the right words out of my mouth.

I took a sit next to him and gave off yet another nervous grin.

"You see... Um, I thought you were trying to flirt with her. And... I... Really like her, so that kinda made me jealous... I guess. I don't know if you know what I mean" I said and he nodded his head in understanding.

"Yeah... I get you. Truth is, I wasn't exactly eyeing her. I was looking at her friend, the one with um... Huge curves and darker skin" he said and I laughed.

"Amanda?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's her name. Chioma is really way out of my league 'cause she's tough and really fierce and besides, I'm pretty sure she doesn't see me that way. But her friend seems pretty seems easy going and really nice... And plus, she's really beautiful. So yeah, Amanda" he said and I instantly felt a little bad for him. He doesn't have any idea that Amanda already has a boyfriend.

"Er... Amanda... She... She's not single. Her boyfriend is right over there" I explained, pointing to where Ade sat with Damola, drinking and basically chilling. I figured it'd be bad to raise his hopes up like that.

I saw a look of disappointment wash up on his face and he immediately groaned, "well, that's a huge bummer" he muttered and I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Cheer up, they're a good number of pretty girls out here. I'm sure you'll find someone that tickles your interest" I replied and he shrugged.

"Guess you're right" he said and I smiled.

Slowly, I got up from the chair. "I'll see you around...um..."

"... Gerald" he helped.

"Cool. I'm Femi, by the way" I said and he nodded his head in understanding.

"See you around, Femi" he hollered as I walked away. "And good luck with Chioma!" He quickly added, and I smiled.

"Thanks, man!" I hollered back, and walked away.

* * *

I got back with the juice Chioma had asked for, and had given it to her. This time around, I made sure to never let her out of my sight. I could see, through the crowd of pervy and slightly and already drunk guys, that a lot of them were ogling at her, and a lot were ready to make a move on her. And each time they'd try, I'd scare them away with warning glares.

"Let's dance" I said to her and she smiled, shaking her head, no.

She was still talking to Amanda, while Ade was busy with Damola; discussing. Again.

"Why?" I pressed on, and she shrugged.

"I'm a terrible dancer. I don't want to disgrace myself with own hands, you can go on and dance with all those girls flashing you green light" she said, as her face contoured into a frown.

Was she jealous?

"What girls?" I asked, an amused smile on my face.

"The ones over there. Don't pretend, I'm sure you sent them looks too" she said, a frown still marring her pretty face.

"Hey, don't frown. Why so serious? I didn't send them any looks" I replied.

"Liar" she muttered.

"I didn't, I swear!" I protested and she rolled her eyes.

"Stop lying and go and dance with them, Femi!" She half-yelled and I chuckled.

"Are you... Are you jealous? You sound jealous" I pointed out and she immediately looked flustered, turning her face to the side and muttering cusses under her breath.

"Jealous of what exactly?" She tried sounding nonchalant about it, but failed miserably.

"You are jealous!" I pressed on, a small grin on my face.

"I'm not!" She protested. "You've started again, Femi. How many times have I told you to stop making things up?" She said, still avoiding my gaze.

I cocked my head to the side, and framed her face in my hands, making sure she was staring into my eyes.
"You know?" I grinned at her, eyes racking her entire face. "I love it when you're jealous. That uptight wall of yours falls apart at that exact moment. And you know the best thing?" I got closer to her face. "It's cute when you do it" I whispered, just so only she could hear.

With that being said, I let go of her face and smiled. I didn't miss the flustered look on her face, and she blushed, looking anywhere else but my face.

"Why are you such a pain in the neck, this boy?" she groaned.

I laughed and replied, "Now, let's dance. I'll guide you, I'm a pretty mean dancer. My awesome dance moves will certainly... Erm... Overshadow you're horrible dance moves" I said to her and she muttered something which I didn't really catch.

"So...? You coming?" I asked and she  rolled her eyes.

"Like I have a choice" she murmured and finally got up.

On the dance floor, Ebuka and Jade were busy dancing while Chioma and I hailed them. Honestly, I won't deny the fact that they looked extremely good together, and that brought an involuntary smile on my face. Jade and I used to love each other too - at least I did, I'm not so sure about her - but now, I have my eyes on someone else.

Glancing at Chioma, she looked rather cool. She wasn't saying anything, and I wondered what must be going on in her mind.

I wrapped a hand around her small frame, taking her jasmine and rose scent in and watching as the smile on her face grew bigger. She'd said she was a terrible dancer, but that didn't seem so 'cause she danced perfectly well.

"You lied to me, you dance really well" I said into her ear and she shrugged.

"I don't like showing myself too much. Sometimes, I like to surprise people" she said, smiling at me. I stared into her once cold and arrogant eyes, which were now warm and welcoming. Pools of honey swarming me in, and I got lost in those eyes.

I groaned, muttering a few words incoherently, "Why are you doing this to me?" I said to her, and she stared at me in confusion, tilting her head to the side and giving off an innocent smile.

"What am I doing to you?" she asked, the innocence in her voice was mocking me.

Did she not know? Or was she simply messing with me?

"You know what you're doing" I said to her and she shrugged, leaning in to my chest.

"What am I doing? Tell me" she chuckled and I shut my eyes, fighting the urge to grab her and kiss her senseless.

"You're mean" I muttered, "you know that?" I immediately added and she laughed.

"You're not serious, are you?" she asked, eyes staring into mine. The look on her face, her lips... They were torture. Didn't she realize what she was doing? I'm sure this should've been pretty obvious. My behavior was pretty clear, she does know what she's doing. She's doing this to torture me.

"Chioma..." I drawled, and she mocked me by getting closer to my face.

"Yes?" she smiled, tilting her head to the side. Her face was just so close to mine. So close to my face, her eyes dancing around mine, lip curved up in a captivating smile and her hot breath: fanning my face.

Without thinking twice, I seized the moment, crashing my lips on hers... I pulled her closer, not caring about the looks we were getting from other people. She looked shocked at first, and she wasn't even kissing back, but I was determined to make her. Pulling her even closer, I deepened the kiss, and this time, she did kiss back. And I felt a smile stretch through my lips the minute she did, her tensed hands relaxed on my shoulders and her hot breath continually fanned my face.

Finally out of breath, I pulled away and I finally took notice of the amount of people that were staring, and some where filming the entire thing on their phones.

Nice, that means they liked it as much as I did.

Looking down at Chioma, who still had a slightly shocked and embarrassed look on her face, I grabbed her hand and we walked out of there. Still in shock, she followed me without saying anything, not even once.

And when we walked past Damola, Ade and Amanda, they gave us surprised looks, well - Ade and Amanda did - whereas, Damola simply had a smirk on your face.

"Romeo!" he hollered, patting my shoulder as I went by. I ignored him and finally left the premises and headed to the parking lot, where we had our cars parked. "I see what you're doing! I see your work oh!" he further hailed.

She wasn't saying anything, and her silence was killing me. Was she mad at me? Or was everything a bit too much?

I waited for her to say something, instead she just stared at me... Still speechless. I stared back, she did too, and her eyes seemed like they were begging me to say something first. So I did.

"Uh... Look, I'm really sorry" I said, nervously rubbing the back of my neck. I figured she was mad at me. And although that realization kinda hurt, I couldn't blame her. I mean, I just kissed the girl openly... Without any warning.

"I don't know what came over me... I shouldn't have, please forgive me" I added, my eyes still fixed on hers. She suddenly slowly shook her head and cleared her throat.

"No, I'm... I'm not angry - really. I'm just basically — I'm just... Shocked" she replied and I relaxed at the fact that she wasn't angry.

"So..." I drawled. "You're cool with everything?" I asked, my eyes searching hers. I could tell she was slightly embarrassed. And I knew she was still finding it hard to process everything.

" I'm not sure... This whole thing..." she chuckled nervously.
"... It kinda happened way too fast. I guess... Um, I guess I'll need some time to think about it. You get?" she said, her voice solemn. My eyes danced around hers for a while, and I nodded my head in understanding.

"Yeah" I said, almost in a whisper. Walking towards her, and brushing a stand of her hair extension away from her face, I lower my lips to her forehead, and placed a peck right there. "I'll wait" I made sure to say, and she smiled, eyes dancing around mine.

* * *

It was pretty late, when we returned from the Wedding Reception. Chioma and I had to ride home together, 'cause Amanda rode with Ade while Damola rode with a girl he met at the Wedding Reception. Typical of him, of course.

Things were a bit awkward between Chioma and I, but I was glad when she didn't try avoiding me and seemed to actually behave like we were, before the entire kiss thing happened.

I took my bath and changed into my pyjamas, and finally lay on my bed - feeling tired. My mind went back to her, I don't even know why. Everything that'd happened earlier, came flooding into to my mind, and I couldn't help but smile. I really wanted to see her, again. But I didn't want to stress her 'cause I figured she'd be tired and stressed out.

I tossed on my bed, my eyes fluttering close as sleep welcomed me into its comforting arms. I was just about dozing off when I heard my phone ringing.

I was reluctant towards picking it up and mumbled some words in annoyance as I finally got up to pick the phone. To my surprise, it was Kunmi's mom calling. I wondered why she'd be calling at this hour. I ran a hand through my hair, before answering the call.

"Hello ma. Good —"

"Femi... I'm sorry for calling at this hour. It's just that Kunmi has suddenly lost her senses and I don't know what to do. She's planning on heading back to India tomorrow morning, and I don't know what to do to stop her" she said, cutting me off sharply. My eyes grew as big as saucers and I immediately sprang out of bed.

All through the past month, Kunmi had totally cut off all communication with Damola and I... But now? Now she wants to leave the country? Did she really want to end our friendship that badly? Did she really want that?

"Hello? Hello, Femi?" her mom said, yet I chose to ignore.

"Femi, why aren't you saying anything?" she asked and I shut my eyes and heaved a sigh. At this point, I was so confused.

Was I to go over to her house to try stop her? Or was I to let her leave?

She did say that I should never come to her house again. She also warned me against calling her, had totally blocked me on WhatsApp and had unfollowed me on Instagram and other social media networks as well. But now? Would calling her be the wisest thing to do? Was it really the right thing to do?

I didn't even know.

"I... I... Ma, I'm afraid I can't do anything about that. Kunmi has made her thoughts and motives clear... And I have made mine" I heaved yet another sigh. "... And if she feels leaving the country is her best option, then... I think it's best you let her go ahead. I choose to respect her wishes, and those are to leave her alone. I'm really sorry, but my hands are tied. I can't do anything to help you, ma" I replied and I waited for her response, hoping she wouldn't get mad at me. After all, it wasn't my fault, I'd tried to get hold of Kunmi, I'd tried calling and texting, yest she totally ignored me. She literally sent me out of her house and never for once deemed it fit to call and apologize.

She literally severed all ties with Damola and I, and I see absolutely no way I can help in convincing her to stay. She has made her choice... And I have made mine.

_________________________________

Who else loved Femi's response? I don't know about you, but I loved it! 🤭

Sorry Kunmi, but you really messed up big time. Anyways, I really want to know what you're thinking. I'm dying to know what's going on in your mind.

Suggestions, please?

I hope this chapter wasn't boring... I was so unsure of this chapter and I wasn't sure if I should post it. To be honest, I'm confused at this point😅

But don't worry, please don't give up on me, I've still got ideas on how to make things really interesting. It'll interest you to know that this book is slowly coming to an end. A few chapters left!! Who's happy?? I know I am! 😊

PS: the photo up there 👆is of the shoe Chioma wore.

PPS: please don't forget to vote if you liked this chapter and also please leave a comment on your thoughts on this book so far.

As for that kissing scene... Egbami! I don't know oh! I have never written one before and this is literally my first time, so please forgive me if it came out awful and trashy. TBH, my friend even helped me out, and lord... If you see the original one I wrote, I'm sure you'll vomit all the food you've eaten since you were born😂😂😂 It was a disaster and an abomination!!! IT WAS SO AWFUL!!!

So yeah, a really big shout-out to a very good friend of mine mamus2005 Please check out her ongoing book: Artemis. It's a teenage spy book and I'm sure you'll love it.

Also, shout-out to these amazing souls that made my day yesterday:
Symp_licit_tee
Tris_Pryer
And Timilehin06

Thank you guys so much.

Alright then,

Till my next update,
Bye...