C H A P T E R  T W E N T Y ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬  

Normani reached for the setting spray on her vanity just as the next song on her music library started playing.

It was the last thing she needed to do until she was officially dressed and ready.

She and Keith were set to go out for a late lunch. They'd planned for 17:00 and the time on her lock screen read 16:34.

Two weeks had passed since that dinner with the Ladipos and true to his word, Keith had made up for the time they'd missed out on by treating her to a romantic weekend to Lagos the day after.

She'd enjoyed a vast array of luxuries: manipedi's, room service, new clothes from an American boutique (whose simplest items cost more than two months worth of her wages) and new makeup products.

They'd spent the night at an exclusive club accompanied by buckets of champagne, Hennessey and Ciroc. They'd danced to music that was so reminiscent of the first night they'd met. The nostalgia alone had made their lovemaking hours a

She appreciated the lengths Keith had gone through to spoil her but she was still bothered by the fact that Keith hadn't brought up what had happened during that dinner.

She tried not to dwell on it because she hadn't seen or heard from the Ladipos since then and Keith had made an effort to be home by early evenings.

That alone was a feat in itself because the Ikande men worked long, hard hours. Normani had come to understand the nature of Keith's relationship with his father – he had a standard he had to reach and maintain and he had to answer to the patriarch of the family.

Even in the United States, Keith had tended to overwork and at first, Normani had assumed that Keith liked to put in long hours.

She later came to realise that the long hours were what was required of him, but he was glad to do whatever was needed to see the company flourish. Now she knew that Keith had no choice. He had to do whatever was required of him by his father.

Keith had never opened up to her about any of this, it had revealed itself in the small moments.

Normani had always been able and allowed to keep an open communication with her parents.

They'd given her the choice to do whatever it was that she wanted with her life and they supported her in all that she did. She knew that she had their unconditional love. She wasn't sure Keith had his parents'.

She's dressed into a pair of white faux leather high waist pants, accompanied by a thin white button up and silver open-toed heels. To accessorise, she wore two gold bracelets – one Keith had gotten her for Valentine's Day and the other she'd gotten it two weeks ago in Lagos.

Her make up was done – a simple foundation, concealer, eye-liner and mascara with a shimmery golden brown highlight lathered onto her cheeks and nose.

Once the setting spray was on, she stood up from the vanity and took her phone with her. She took her purse and went downstairs.

She found Ayoola in the kitchen, drinking a glass of concentrated juice with a lot of ice cubes in it. She looked exhausted as usual but she perked up when she saw Normani.

"Miss, you look so beautiful. Are you and Keith going anywhere?"

"Yeah, we're going to Jabi Lake Mall for lunch."

"It's a very nice place. I've only been there a few times to help Madam Ikande with groceries but you'll like it very much."

Matilda materialised at the door, carrying her plate of half-eaten snacks.

"Hey Matilda," Normani said.

"Hey, Mani," she said cheerfully.

She was dressed in her leotard, a pair of loose pants and sneakers. Her dance bag hung off of her shoulder. Her hair was gelled into a tight almost oppressive bun. Her make up was impeccable.

She left the tray on the island, "you look really nice," she said.

"Thanks," Normani replied. "You have dance class?"

Matilda nodded, "yup, Zechariah's going to drive me to my ballet school in town now."

"Keith's coming home to take me on a date," Normani replied.

Matilda pouted, "you guys are so cute. I hope I one day meet someone who'll make me as happy as Keith makes you. Ayoola, aren't they so cute? Remember the flowers he got her the other night?"

"Of course I do. They were so many of them, I couldn't even count them when I put them in the vase! They were so pretty and yellow. To be honest, I never thought he had it in him."

"Me too, you know how much of a lemon he is sometimes."

"That's why I'm so proud of him. Look at the beautiful girl he got and she loves him."

"I want that," Matilda said.

"You're a little too young to worry about that, just focus on your ballet. I promise you, it's totally better than any dumb boy you find at this age."

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Matilda said with a nod, "fifteen-year-old boys are so immature," she said and rolled her eyes.

Ayoola only smiled at the interaction between the two girls.

Normani's phone dinged with a notification and she checked her lock screen. Her heart pummelled to the ground.

Baby❤️: Awelewa... we're gonna have to cancel today. I've gotten held up at work with something for my father. I'm so sorry.

Awelewa Mi❤️: It's okay baby, I understand, some other time then. What time will you be home?

Baby❤️: Late. I'm so sorry.

Awelewa Mi❤️: Don't be, baby. I love you.

Baby❤️: I love you too Ododo Mi

"That was Keith, he can't make tonight," Normani said. She couldn't keep the dejection out of her voice this time.

"Aww, that sucks. Is he working?" Matilda asked.

Normani nodded.

"He was so sure he'd make it back on time, he even gave me his debit card to hold on to," Normani said.

She let her eyes wander to Ayoola, who was, without a doubt, done with all of her house chores.

"I'd hate to let this outfit go to waste though."

"You're still gonna go to the mall?" Matilda asked.

"Yeah," Normani said, "actually, Ayoola, I want you to come with me."

"I'm sorry, I can't," she said.

"Yes you can. Lets go out to lunch together, we'll use Keith's card."

"That actually sounds like a great idea," Matilda said, "and since Zechariah is driving me into town, he could drop you off too!"

"Don't you have to leave soon?" Normani asked because, by the looks of things, the young teen looked like she was ready to go.

"No, I like to be ready at least an hour to forty-five minutes earlier than I'm set to leave and I like to get to practice twenty to thirty minutes early. It's just a thing of mine," she said with a shrug.

"It's very nice of you to offer to do this for me, Miss, but I don't even have anything to wear." Ayoola looked embarrassed and uncomfortable. 

Normani shook her head, "that's okay, I'll lend you something from my closet."

"That settles it," Matilda said and clapped her hands together, "I will see you two ladies in a bit," she said and headed back upstairs. Her room was a level above Keith's, where she, Joseph shared a floor with all of the empty guest rooms.

"Come on, let's go," Normani said and it took a lot of self-control to not grab Ayoola by her hand and drag her up the stairs.

Ayoola trailed after her like a dejected puppy and climbed the stairs as if they were a new territory.

Inside of the bedroom, Normani left Ayoola standing near the bed to go and hunt for the pair of black skinny jeans that she remembered packing. That pair, in particular, was a little tight at the hip area but she had a feeling they'd fit Ayoola like a glove.

She hunted also, for the orange tank top that would suit Ayoola's thin chest and small-sized breasts far better than it had ever suited her and at last, she fished for a pair of black sandals.

She came back into the bedroom carrying the clothes in a semi-folded bundle. She dropped it onto the bed in front of the other girl.

"Here you go, you can wash up before you dress if you like?" and she motioned to the bathroom.

"Oh no, that's okay. I bathed a little over half an hour ago. I always bath after I finish my chores."

"Okay, but I have perfume if you'd like to use some, it's jasmine scented."

Ayoola nodded and quickly disappeared into the bathroom to change from her ordinary ratty work clothes. She emerged less than five minutes later and for a moment, Normani's breath left her throat.

Ayoola looked absolutely stunning. It was as if she'd invented the colour orange – because the way it went with her gorgeous skin tone, it made Normani dizzy with admiration.

The jeans fit her perfectly and hugged her slim hips with love and her thin, delicate feet looked to be at their rightful place in those sandals.

"Wow, you look so amazing," Normani said.

Ayoola smiled bashfully.

"I have just the right thing that will finish off this outfit," Normani said and reached over the bedside table to retrieve a pair of flower-shaped silver studs and a deep red lipstick.

Ayoola took the earrings and fastened them on. She went back into the bathroom and re-emerged with the lipstick on her lips. With the studs shaping her small ears and the sunlight bathing her little freckles in its light and the red on her lips, she looked mesmerising.

Normani had always known that Ayoola was unreasonably pretty but now that it was laid bare to her in the broad daylight, she couldn't understand how someone could be so beautiful in every fragile way.

"You look perfect,"

"Really?" Ayoola asked. This time, the smile spread itself from her curved lips and reached the dark pool of her eyes.

"Yeah. Come on, let's go."

"Okay. Oh and Miss?"

"Yes?"

"Can I still use the perfume?"

Normani laughed and passed the girl the small bottle of jasmine scented fragrance.

XO

Normani and Ayoola had lunch at a little café that served Mexican cuisine – simply because Normani had mentioned how nice it was and Ayoola admitted she'd never had it.

Now they were seated inside the cosy place, menus in hands while waiters bustled around them. It was fairly un-busy and was located in the quieter places of the mall.

Normani scanned over the menu for her favourite dessert – she always preferred to start with dessert in all Spanish eateries – and smiled when she saw that the café served arroz con leche 

"Yes, they have it," she said. She looked up from her menu and saw that Ayoola was looking at the menu with a perplexed look on her face. She was obviously overwhelmed.

"Do you want me to recommend anything for you?" Normani asked.

Ayoola nodded.

"The quesadillas are really nice."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. You said you eat Mexican food a lot, right?"

"Yeah, especially back home. Texas has a lot of Hispanic people living there so, naturally, there are a lot of Mexican restaurants. I can even speak a little bit of Spanish."

"You had Mexican friends? Did they teach you Spanish?"

"No, my ex-girlfriend did."

Ayoola's eyes widened. Before she could express her thoughts, the waiter came to take their orders. Normani ordered their food and a pitcher of Sangria wine for the both of them to share.

She seemed to regain her composure, "and now you speak Yoruba for Keith."

Normani nodded.

"So you like to learn the language of your lovers."

"I try to, I think other cultures are interesting."

"Your Yoruba is really good for someone who isn't Nigerian," Ayoola said, "Keith is a lucky man," she said with a nod.

"Do you have a lucky man?" Normani asked and wiggled her eyebrows.

Ayoola faltered for a moment before her face broke out into a bashful smile.

"Yes... his name is Ifeka,  he stays back home."

Ayoola smiled as she fiddled with the lint of the tablecloth before them.

"Yeah? Tell me more about him" Normani said.

"His father is Igbo and his mother is Yoruba. He's twenty-five, only six months younger than me. We've been together for three years."

"You love him?"

"Yes, I want to marry him," Ayoola said.

"I only get to see him when I visit home. I only go twice a year, sometimes three. Sometimes he comes here when he has a far work trip."

"What does he work as?"

"He drives a motorcycle and transports people around. Once in a while, the customers go far and he drops by here to see me."

"Does Mrs Ikande know?"

"Goodness, no."

"Where does he stay?"

"Sometimes he waits for me at the market and sends an SMS asking me to come to meet him and I go – we meet for a few minutes at best. Sometimes he gets me mangoes from the stalls, he knows I love them best."

"He never sleeps over?" Normani asked.

"He did once... he came to see me for the weekend. I still thank God that Madam Ikande – or anyone never found out."

"How'd you keep anyone from finding out?"

"I kept him in my room all weekend. Only Kalu knew because we share the compound together. His room is just a few hundred metres from mine. He didn't tell on me because, with the number of women that come to entertain him in his room, he has committed many great sins! They're close to the kitchen. The family never comes to our compound. I would sneak him food and go and lie with him when I wasn't busy and he'd hold me at night until I fell asleep. It was bliss."

Normani had never seen Ayoola that happy and she realised, with a sort of bittersweet melancholy, that Ayoola was so beautiful when she was unburdened. It was a shame that that smile never saw the light of day in the Ikande household.

XO

The girls had a wonderful lunch. Ayoola loved the quesadillas and Sangria so much that Normani ordered a second round for her to take as takeaways. They spent the rest of the afternoon window shopping looking more like best friends than a house girl and her master's girlfriend. Somewhere along the day, Ayoola let her guard down and she laughed along with Normani and told her little stories about her and Ifeka and some of the good memories she'd shared with the Ikande children over the years.

"You're quite close with them, yeah?" Normani asked while they were seated outside of an ice-cream parlour. The heat had tempted the girls and they'd given in without much of a second thought.

Ayoola nodded, "even Joseph. I played a lot with them when we were younger. But I know Keith best."

She pressed a hand to her chest, "Matilda is like the little sister that came late into my life. I adored looking after her when she was a baby, it felt like having my own life-size doll."

"She's very fond of you."

"Because I take care of her."

×

The girls had gotten so carried away that they found themselves entering the Ikande household at 21:00. The day had been nothing short of perfect and Normani was so glad she'd persuaded Ayoola to accompany her.

Their growing friendship was something she felt was precious beyond words. There was something about Ayoola's aura that drew her close.

The house was silent and dark – there was no doubt Matilda and Mrs Ikande had returned.

"Good night, Ayoola," Normani said.

"Good night Normani, thank you for today," Ayoola said, "I will return your clothes to you soon," she said.

"No, keep everything, it looks so much better on you."

"Really?" Ayoola replied a touch of awe glittered in her deep brown eyes and Normani nodded.

"Thank you so much, God bless you, goodnight," Ayoola said and waited for Normani to ascend the flight of stairs before she headed for the kitchen and ultimately, to her room just outside it.

Ayoola was still smiling.  

guys, is Ayoola not the purest character ever omg. anyway, as always leave me your thoughts and if you're feeling really nice, give me your stars too.

thank you for the support

-dzangie💕