Minutes after we come downstairs to eat, I play with the cereal in my bowl, spinning the colourful brunch before raising a spoonful of it to my lips. Brandon chuckles at my sulking, I frown, how can he be so cool with leaving me here? He will be gone for a week. The thought makes my stomach knot, I stab the cereal and nearly chew the spoon off.

Brandon pries the spoon off my hand, I don’t realise my cheeks are wet with tears until he swipes at them. I sigh, it must be my period, I am being unusually emotional and over stupid things. He pulls me to his laps, I tuck my head into the crook of his neck and bawl my eyes out while he strokes my back until my cries quiet to sobs. I want him to stay.

The massaging of my scalp causes me to moan. “If you didn’t have school, we would have gone together, you know that, right? But your studies come first,” he murmurs.

My voice comes out muffled when I say, “I hate school.”

He chuckles. “No, you don’t.”

A giggle escapes me, I sit up and he wipes the residue tears on my cheeks with the back of his hand. “No, I don’t. But I wish I was done so I could go with you everywhere.”

His thumb caresses my lips, he smiles at me and twirls the strand of hair I left out on the sides from my double cornrows. “In less than a year, you will be done and we can tour the world together.” He chuckles as if in on a private joke. “Well, not tour the world but we can travel together. It’s business related so you will be of much help. Cheer up.”

Scattering kisses on his neck, I nod in his embrace, I will be done in less than a year and I can do whatever I want. The thought makes me happy and sad at the same time, I have built relationships with some of the best people on earth in that school, it will be odd knowing I won’t see them as much anymore. I let out a soft sigh, but it’s all for the best, life is always about growth, I am ready for the next stage. If I am not, I will be by then.

“You won’t stay more than a week,” I command.

Things are going on fine for him, while his inventions have taken a backseat for the extension of his hotel in Paris, he has gotten new investors to work with. I am excited about his achievements but it’s taking my husband far away from home, from me. I don’t know how to deal with that. Sinking my teeth into my lower lip, I wonder if I am not becoming dependent on him, not financially but emotionally. I have been called cold and a bit closed off but none of those people know how hard it is trying to live my life.

Emotions are not always helpful when trying to achieve goals, it’s why I stayed away from them. It was also hard to find a man who loved the idea of celibacy like I did. With Brandon, my emotions are all over the place and I am yet to decide if that’s a good sign.

Brandon pulls my lower lip between his teeth, his fingers linger on the waistband of my jean. “If it was up to me,” he murmurs into my lips, “ I won’t stay more than a day.”

Pecking him on the lips, I wiggle on his laps and manage to whisper, “I know.”

“Are you seeing Clarissa today?”

Thankful for the change of subject, I nod, she doesn’t know I’m coming into the café she works at yet. That way, she can’t slam the door in my face, she is more dramatic than I am. My heart constricts as memories wash over me, I giggle, I miss that tiny, Asian lady. I would have gotten a smack on the head for using tiny in the same sentence with her.

“Do you want to meet her?” I ask him.

His brows furrow, seconds pass and his head sways as if he is considering it. “I have to get to the office first, once that’s done, I will come. Is four good? My flight is by five.” He spares a look at his wristwatch and helps me to my feet. “I have to get to the office now.”

“I have to go anyways,” I mutter and get off his laps as if unaffected by his abrupt need to leave. Left to me, I would have loved for us to spend the remaining hours until his travel together. Maybe I am too clingy. I turn to him and ask, “Do you think I am clingy?”

The hand smoothening his button-up shirt freezes, he raises his head and a brow arches, making me feel stupid for voicing out that question. “Who put that notion in your head?”

Picking my handbag takes longer than it should have, my hand closes over the handle, I sink my teeth into my lips and sigh, I need to check my period calendar. “Nobody.”

“Good, because you are not. Banish that thought. I don’t like your mood.” He takes my hand in his, I nod and he lets go to slide his thumb over my lips. “I love the way you are.”

My heart squeezes, I know I promised to wait for him to tell me what he feels for me at his time but hearing him use that word has me in my feelings. He loves the way I am but doesn’t love me. I offer him a weak smile which he reciprocates with a face splitting grin and I peck his lips, there’s no way any sane woman will not fall in love with this man.

“You can drive, right?” Brandon asks as we step out through the front doors. I nod. “Will you be okay driving me to the office?” My head jerks in his direction, I purse my lips. “From there, you can go see Clarissa, I’ll join you guys and we will come home together.” I don’t know when I burst into an uneasy laugh, he frowns. “I’ll drive on our way back.”

He chuckles when my head bobs of its accord and I stand on tiptoes to peck the top of his head while his arms go around my waist to steady me. I don’t think he understands how much I appreciate the efforts he puts into our relationship. We both put in so much work and it’s satisfying to have both parties involved. If only he can say those words.

As per his instructions, I wait for him by the giant fountain at the front of our mini-mansion. My hand dips in and out of the water, I giggle at the freezing temperature as I make a mental note of the things I will do in his absence. There are a lot of things here I am yet to explore, I am getting a hang of the inside but the outside remains a maze.

Water splashes on me when I beat my palm against the surface of the fountain, I smile and inhale the fresh air. At night, all the lights in the compound will come on, including that of the fountain, casting a surreal glow on the water. As picturesque as it might be, I have never gotten a chance to pose in front it and maybe I will do that in his absence.

The purring of a car forces my attention back to reality and my jaw drops at the sight of the vehicle parked in front of me. My feet carry me to the driver’s seat, my eyes roam the black car. I blink twice, cover my mouth and let out a muffled scream, “Brandon.”

Without waiting for him to close the car or declare me the owner, I rush into his arms and we almost collapse to the ground from the surprise impact of my jump. Tears well in my eyes, I don’t care, I let them fall as I blindly pepper kisses all over his face. I place a hand over my heart which threatens to burst out of my chest due to happiness, he smiles.

“I take it to mean you like my little surprise,” he murmurs, amusement laced in his voice as his arms steady me and my legs tighten around his waist as our foreheads touch.

“Like it?” I scoff. “I love it.” I palm his face and start another round of kisses. “I love it.” Struggling in his arms until he sets me on my feet, I cover my mouth. “I love you.”

His chest puffs as I take a step back to inspect the car, he got me a freaking car. My baby got me my baby. I shriek and thump my feet on the ground, he chuckles as I circle the car, almost afraid to blink for fear of this being a dream. This is a physical manifestation of the car I saw in his tab when we were picking Danielle’s. I touch the Audi and beam.

Excitement blooms in my heart, I can’t wait to drive Ma and Pa around town with this. I am sure Clary won’t stay mad at me for much longer if she’s allowed to drive this baby.

The beep sound as the door opens causes me to jump, Brandon steps behind me to massage my shoulders. I turn to face him, my arms wrap tight around his waist in a warm embrace. I love this man, too much. He deserves all the best things in life.

“How did you know?” I ask, my voice comes out muffled. “I never said anything.”

“You didn’t but your eyes did the talking.”

Immediately, my hands reach out to cover my eyes and he bursts out laughing as he pries them off my face. “I love you,” I tell him but he stops me from looking away to rub his nose against mine. We stay that way with a gentle breeze blowing around us, content to be in the arms of each other. “I love you,” I reiterate, “nothing will ever change that.”

“I cherish you,” he starts and I place a hand over my chest. My heart nearly melts from hearing that and I can’t stop the smile that crawls to my lips. Tears rush up to my eyes but I manage to keep them at bay, I can’t ruin this moment. “I’m glad you are in my life.”

Vibrations from his pocket cause us to jump apart, we chuckle and he gestures for me to get into my car. I shake my head and shudder, this is real, I have a car. Mine. My teeth sink into my teeth and my back is ramrod straight as I insert the key into the ignition.

“Relax,” Brandon says with his hand resting on the small of my back, “I believe in you. Relax.” I chuckle and nod. That line seems to have become our motto, I love it. I grow shy when he takes out his phone to record me, doing my best to hide my face as I drive out the gigantic gate which slides open as we near it. “Wifey, I need something for Paris.”

“No distractions when driving,” I remind him, he sighs but doesn’t disturb me anymore. His hand crawls up my thigh, I place mine above his with my eyes focused on the road. “I love my gift. For everything you do, for trying to be a better version of you, thank you.”

“Thank you too.”

The traffic eases up with each turn I take, the sizes of the buildings changes. Humongous buildings decorate each side of the road, my gaze wanders to Brandon whose eyes are closed, the map says we are a few minutes away from his workplace and I don’t want to disturb him. On paper or in theory, I know the place but in practice, I am not so sure. Putting my faith in the female electronic voice, I take some more turns until I end up in front of a skyscraper that causes my jaw to slack. I blink twice and mutter a small wow.

An emblazoned letter which on closer inspection turns out to be the letter, S, adorns the centre of the fancy building, I stare in awe at the giant beauty, straining my neck in a bid to see the top of the skyscraper. I sigh, I want this too, for my business but I will have a cursive E attached to it instead and fewer floors. Brandon is still asleep when I find the perfect parking spot, I take a few pictures of him, then I gently shake him awake.

“We’re here,” I say when his amber eyes land on me. He blinks, his lips pucker and I indulge him with a kiss. He takes advantage of the fact I am already out of my seat and pulls me onto his lap to straddle him. His hand snakes inside my chiffon blouse, I moan as he gives my breasts a small squeeze. They are unusually sensitive to his touch.

“If you keep doing this, we won’t get any work done,” I say while grabbing his wrists.

Brandon’s expression crumbles, I pull his lower lip between my teeth and peck him. He nods, attempts to open the door while I am still seated on his laps and I almost chew his ears off. I don’t share in his humour when he starts laughing, I frown and move back to the driver’s seat. He leans in for a final kiss, I peck the top of his head and he chuckles.

“Why do you keep doing that?” His hand hovers above the lock, I swallow and shrug. I have no idea why the top of his head is my new favourite kissing spot. “I like it,” he says with a nod and I smile. Palming his face, I place another kiss on that spot, I don’t get to pull away before he takes my face to reciprocate the gesture. “Do you want to come in?”

I shake my head, we have the rest of our lives to explore his office except today. I need to see my best friend, to grovel at her feet. Besides, we will be seeing in a few hours.

From the side mirror, I catch a glimpse of him watching me with his hands shoved into his pockets and I scream, “I love you.” He blows a kiss my way, I giggle and drive out.

The store I make a quick stop at has nothing Clarissa likes but I don’t know how to leave without ticking off the pale cashier behind the register so I pick the brown fedora hat from the top shelf and a box of dark chocolates for Brandon. Clarissa loves shopping, we can do that together, bills on me. I smile at her as I drop the items on the counter, I have always known life will get easier for us but I didn’t think it will be this soon.

Her features soften when I slide my black card on the desk, my heart swells with pride and I can’t help feeling like what I truly am, the wife of a billionaire. It feels good. She puts the chocolate into a paper bag, I don the hat and slip a few paper bills from my purse into her hands, rushing out before she has a chance to fully process what just happened.

I chuckle when I settle into the car seat, mumbling the lyrics of Lil Nas song as I resume my journey to Clarissa’s place of work. Taking in a deep breath, I make the turn leading to the front of the diner and park between other cars. I don’t get out immediately, I stay and rehearse our conversations, think out the best response for whatever she will say.

Once I step out, I pat my pockets and head for the entrance, Clarissa here I come.