Welcome back, my children 😊❤️    
                       

                                     ~Giwa~                           

"Madam, we af reach oo" Bolanke's voice bellowed as soon as the car headed towards the open spaced parking lot of a huge building.

I looked to my phone screen to check the time.

                                 6:17pm..

It was almost starting to get dark already and I was seventeen minutes late to my date with Ivandor.

"Madam, I should wait here for you?" Bolanke asked, as he parked the car where other cars were lined in a row.

He called me Madam again. I had told him a million times to stop but he never took correction.

I guess I had to overlook it tonight. I needed absolutely nothing spoiling my mood.

"Yes.. you'll wait here" I replied, and he adjusted the car properly in place before replying "yes ma" and turning off the ignition.

I left the car right away, after getting a good view of the name of the big, fancy building. Lights radiated over each letter of the word "Gomery" at the top of the building, like the letters were assorted light bulbs - beautiful lights though; blending shades of blue, purple, and red.

I felt light headed as I walked - so nervous that I couldn't feel my own weight. Each step I took felt like gravity was suddenly reduced.

By the time I was close to the transparent slider doors, I could already hear "Best Part" playing from inside. A warm feeling enveloped me. I loved that song.

As I got to it, the door man in uniform, standing by it smiled a warming smile at me before sliding the door open for me to walk in.

Then, I got it in.

That exact moment, Beautiful by Bazzi suddenly came on. I was standing there in the bowling arena and looking around the place.

It sure was beautiful.

I mean, I thought the lights from outside were nice, but, it was an understatement compared to what the inside looked like.

It was basically purple and blue illuminating the entire place, making me feel like an extra in Ariana Grande's 7 rings video. The lights reflected upon the squeaky clean stoned floors and I couldn't help but look around and smile unendlessly as the song, Beautiful by Bazzi blasted everywhere. This felt like Heaven. I just wanted to_

"Giwa?"

I jumped, slightly surprised as I heard my name. I literally spun around immediately to see Ivandor there, infront of me.

He looked really good, in the smoothest and most natural way possible. His full hair in a man bun, a key chain around his neck and Christ, who knew a guy rock a turtle neck so well and kill it!

His eyes lingered on me for a few seconds and my mind paced all over as I reminded myself how nervous I was supposed to be.

"Y-you look amazing" he almost stuttered, and my lips curved into a shy smile.

"Thanks.." I heard myself reply, so inaudibly that I wasn't sure he heard me.

As he stood there looking at me, I knew he was thinking something. I got more nervous. My hands travelled to the back of my neck and rubbed on it to ease off the nervousness.

"We should get going. I already reserved a seat for us at the diner" he said, extending his hands to me.

I was a tad bit confused for about two seconds, before placing my hands in his'. Together, we walked. No matter how much I tried, that shy part of me was in control tonight.

He took me to where I guess was the diner. It was by the left end of the building, having a metal protector seperating it from the bowling alley. That, and the short row of stairs at the entrance of the diner.

As we walked into the cute decorated diner, we passed a few rows, before landing on a table I guess was ours. I giggled softly as Ivandor took out my seat for me in a polite manly gesture and couldn't help but tease him a little after he went onn about him driving at 15.

Soon, it was just him staring at me again. This, he had done a lot of times already. His eyes lingered on my facial features for a while and the look in his eyes screamed massive approval. I flustered.

Then, his eyes troded down from my face. I noticed a tiny smirk trying to appear on his lips and_

Jesus Christ!

I immediately knew what he was looking at.

I started to cover my chest area with my kimono jacket and looked away from him as akwardness filled the air. I kept telling Hassana this was a bad idea, didn't I? But she still insisted I show a little cleavage.

"Your order?"

I ignored the voice I heard. I was still trying to cover up myself properly - what I should have rightfully done feom the beginning.

When I did look up, I saw a waitress in uniform looking at me - her face completely impassive.

I smiled at her, a forced one, before looking away from her and grabbing the menu on the table.

As I schemed through it, I heard Ivandor's voice say to the waitress, "Let my date have a look at the menu first".

The menu looked quite expensive. I wasn't surprised having how dope this Gomery place was. But something was telling me Ivandor already had in mind to pay. I felt a bit wierd. I didn't want to stress him too much with the bills.

"I'll pay for mine" I involuntarily said. Ofcourse, I had enough money in my purse to cater my own bills.

His eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened as he looked at me.

"You're joking right?" came his reply.

"Not really" I answered him, earning a soft laugh from him.

"Something tells me you're new to this" he said.

Well, heck yeah.

"Order anything" he told me. "I'll pay, Giwa"

Umm, okay?

I looked back to the menu and scanned through it once again. My eyes landed on the most reasonably priced thing on the list.

White rice and Chicken marsala(with sauce) --11k

I ordered whatever that was and dropped the menu back on the table. Ivandor smiled at me before looking to the waitress.

"Same" he told her.

"How many portions?" the waitress asked.

"One" Ivandor answered, before adding, "and the drinks.."

My eyes widened. Was he aware he was about to spend 22k on just dinner and he was still ordering drinks?

"I'll pass on the drinks" I cut in. His eyes darted to me and he sort of squinted.

"Are you sure?" he asked me.

"Either that or I pay for mine myself" That reply slipped out of my mouth, once again, involuntarily.

Ivandor laughed at my response. God, I'm sure he was already wondering what kind of girl he brought to a date!

"Two Chapman drinks" he told the waitress.

"and I'll need an account number to transfer too. I'm paying for both of us" he added.

He completely ignored what I said.

The waitress left us without saying another word.

My eyes just landed on our table, waiting nervously. I felt Ivandor's eyes on me all the way.

"I should be the one being nervous and not you, Giwa" I heard his voice. When I looked up to him, he had on a very warming smile. My heart flustered.

"I know but.." I barely breathed my reply, smiling sheepishly. "I've just never really done this before.."

I could barely even make eye contact. What was going on with me?

"That's quite obvious" I heard his reply. "But, what if i tell you, you aren't the only one?"

I looked sharply to him.

"You've never been on a date before!?" I exclaimed. His shy smile answered my question. That was a yes.

"That's not possible!" I said.

It couldn't be. A whole Ivandor Fejaun? Castron High's heart throb? Let me hear word abeg!

"Mention one girl I've dated in Castron High" Ivandor said.

"Well_" My voice came immediately. "Well- you_"

He looked at me with humor in his eyes waiting for an answer.

And to be honest, I couldn't think of one. The truth became crystal clear. Ivandor had so many girls dying for him, but he had never given a single one a chance before.

"I'm so shocked" I told him.

"Don't be" he laughed. "Atleast, now you know I'm also a novice, you can - well - loosen up a little, I guess"

"Well, I guess" I replied, a cute laugh following my response. He nodded.

"So..wait..what then do you think people do on dates?" I asked.

Ivandor laughed heartily. I just watched him and wondered what he was laughing at. I was asking a serious question and he was turning me into a comedy show.

"C'mon Giwa" he said in between laughs. "Don't tell me you don't also watch movies too?"

"Movies aren't real life!" I said, defending myself.

"Well, they're a close representation of it" he countered.

Just immediately, I got distracted by a hearty feminine laugh coming from a few tables away. Both Ivandor and I turned to view the happy couple, tables close to us. The girl had an unending blush on her face, and the guy talked with a lovers smile on his face.

"They seem to be having fun" I said, referring to the couple.

Ivandor scuffed.

"Well, the guy's having fun" he said, before glancing at the girl on that table and adding, "the girl rather looks sort of uncomfortable"

My face contorted into a small frown and I looked to the girl once again. She was smiling, not a single trace of discomfort was on her face.

"She looks like she's having a pretty good time to me" I said.

"Look closer, Giwa" Ivandor said.

My eyes were on her. Nothing changed. She simply looked like a girl having the time of her life with her man.

"Watch her smile. It's incomplete" Ivandor said. "You'd know it's a real smile if she has bunched skin underneath and wrinkles in the eyes.."

How was I supposed to note all of that? She still looked perfectly normal.

"Her eyes keep darting back and forth and she keeps touching her face" Ivandor went on. "And she's blinking way too quickly. A normal person blinks at the speed of 100-400  milliseconds, if anyone blinks faster than that, it's a clear defense mechanism.."

Ehh? Am I now blind or something?

Just then, I noted something slight in her. Not anything particular to what Ivandor said, but at the corner of her lips, her smile sort of twitched for half a second. It's ever so slight. Was that really a fake smile? And if it was, how was Ivandor able to detect that so easily in just one single glance?

Before I could even think on it, I got distracted by the waitress who was holding up a tray, some plates of food and two cups of Chapman placed on it. She served Ivandor first, before sluggishly serving me. I stared at the chapman drinks that had tiny umbrellas decorating it and the chicken marsala dish that cost more than Hassana's nails - a plate of white rice and another plate filled with a different looking kind of chicken sauce.

"Everything is 25k" she stated for Ivandor.

"Account number, please" he replied, tapping on his phone screen. She called out a zenith account number and he went on with the transfer. Although, one question was on my mind as he did so.

"You have an active bank account?" I asked him, as soon as he was done paying and the waitress left.

"Why wouldn't I? I'm 18" he scuffed.

"You're 18!?" I exclaimed. "As in turning 19 or you turned 18?

"I turned 18 on the 9th of July" he answered me.

"Oh wow" I said. "I'm learning so much about you already. You're 18. You haven't been on a date before and you're a wizard"

"I'm a wizard?" He laughed.

"That's why you can look at people and tell what they feel" I said, adressing the issue of the couple I earlier assumed were happy.

"It's a gift" he tells me, laughing.

I playfully roll my eyes and dig into my dinner from there. He hadn't touched his yet.

"Well, its just something I've always been able to do but there's nothing magical about it, it's basic psychology." he told me.

I chewed slowly on my food as I looked at him. When I was swallowed, I looked at him for a while and said, "wizard".

There sure was a lot about Ivandor that made him somewhat unique. A bit wierd, also if you ask me, but a sexy kind of wierd if you know what I mean.

As we talked and ate, I got to find out even more about him. Like when I asked him his favorite genre of music, he said "Electro" and it sounded a bit off, but after forcing me to listen to "Trampoline" by Zayn and Shaed and  "More than okay" by Frank Walker and Clara Mae, I started seeing his point of view.

I wanted to know even the most random things about him. I asked him, "One wierd fact about you?"

He answered, "I can make my own dreams"

Crazy cool, right?

I asked even the most unuseful questions like "Eyeliner or lipgloss" just to go into his world of preference. Ofcourse, he chose lipgloss - as every guy would.

I told him about myself as well because he insisted. I opened up about my guilty pleasure of singing in the bathroom, my love for pandas and my wierd crush on the Jonas Brothers. To be honest, I felt like I could tell him absolutely anything. I had never felt that way before.

"One last question though.." I said to him. By then both of us had long been finished with our food.

"Like I said, I'm an open book" he replied, awaiting my question with open arms.

"Why haven't you dated any girl in Castron High?" I popped the question.

His lips formed a pout like he was looking for a subtle way to put his answer. He tested his arms on the table.

"Well.." he started. "Maybe because I hadn't found my spec yet" he stressed the 'hadn't' as per making it clear that was in the past and I couldn't help but blush.

"But why? They're like a lot of pretty girls in our school" I said.

"Yeah, but do they have sense?" he answered and that got me laughing so hard.

"Not trying to sound rude or anything but majority of the girls in our school would only date a guy if there were one of these things. Fine, popular, or rich" he counted these qualities using his fingers.

Funny though. Ivandor was all three.

"I have too much to worry about to get myself into a relationship that will not benefit my future" he deadpanned.

"But I'm a Castron High girl and I'm not like that so your theory isn't true" I countered.

"You're part of the grounded minority. Congratulations" he said, smiling at me.

"Let me hear" I laughed. "You're just scared of getting played" I joked around.

"I can't get played" he replied, his tone so serious.

I looked at him in shock at the cocky proud attitude he just exhibited.

I can't get played. Hia!

He broke down laughing immediately.

"I'm the most misunderstood person in the world" he laughed.

"I didn't mean it the way you're thinking" he started. "I mean I can't get played because I would know when I'm getting played"

"Oh right, I forgot you were wizard" I recalled.

"Maybe I am" he joked as well.

"Yeah, you're like an alien or something" I went on.

My constant jokes aside, our swift connection moved me. He had a thing with observing people closely. I, rather, had an obsession with getting every detail of my surroundings. Maybe we both were wizards after all.

"Wanna bowl with me?" He asked.

"Hell yeah" I replied.

We moved to the bowling arena. I had little to no knowledge about bowling so he guided me. At first, I felt wierd about a guy being so close to my body and holding me the way he did, but for some reason, I let him.

Like I do by Fireboy blasted everywhere. The song gave me a warming feeling as I goofed around the bowling arena with Ivandor, not even giving a damn about the people around looking at us. He never missed a single shot on his own though. I was too scared to try alone. Nontheless, doing this with him felt so good.

"There's one last thing I wanted to ask you, Giwa" he said, swiftly turning back to face me after making a shot.

"Go onn" I said.

"Why haven't you ever given any guy in Castron High a chance before?" He asked.

I smiled a weak smile and sort of shrugged.

"They don't come to me" I admit. "Who knows? Maybe because I scare them away?" I giggled slightly as I said that.

"You're not scary" he said to me, a corner of his lips lifting into smile.

"Thanks.." I said. "That's not exactly what I'm going for but still thanks"

His eyebrows furrowed and his arms folded inquisitively.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I laughed.

Ofcourse, I wanted to open up to him about Primary one, and why I was the way I am, but in all honesty, we were running out of time. It was already getting so late. I knew I should be going back home anytime soon.

"Would you mind sitting with me?" He asked me.

Sure thing. I followed him to the patterned seats by the alley. Just a few people hanged around. We found a perfect spot.

I was about to open up to Ivandor the one story in my life I had locked up for years now.

That's a wrap, you guysss!!
We'll soon be hearing Giwa's back story and getting to know why she's so ..well..Giwa-ish.

How was this chapter?? What do you think about their date?

And your thoughts on Ivandor?? I used this chapter to shed more light on his character. He's a babe❤️

I'm looking forward to yout comments ❤️❤️