After the storm (3 page)

"Yeah…so
have a good night."

"You
too, little girl," Akeem replied softly. "Have a lovely
night."

∞∞∞

A few
minutes before seven o'clock the next evening, the doorbell
rang.

"Looks
like your guy has arrived," Tola said, peeping through their
bedroom window. "I can't see his face clearly, but there
is someone at the door. I'll just go and check."

Yemi
quickly checked on her appearance in the mirror. She was wearing
one of the new dresses she had bought the day before. It was a
knee-length, mauve-coloured dress, and the simple cut flattered her
figure. It had thin straps, flared out just after the hips and
ended in soft folds around her knees. The evening looked like it
might be a little cool, so Tola had lent her a wrap in almost the
same shade as the dress.

Tola
could barely contain her excitement when she came back upstairs.
"The guy is gorgeous! And he drives an Aston Martin! Peeped at it
from the study. That's the only strange car out there, and I know
it's got to be his!"

"So
that's what it is. Thought it looked nice."

"Nice?"
Tola rolled her eyes, as if in despair at Yemi's ignorance. "I
don't know what I'm going to do with you!"

Yemi
made a face as she slipped on her shoes and took one final glance
in the mirror.

"Go on,
girl," Tola said, giving her a gentle push. "You look
fab!"

Akeem
stood up when they entered the sitting room. "Hey." His eyes swept
over Yemi. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," she said, hoping that she did not sound as
breathless as she felt. Just one look from those eyes and she found
herself melting like butter. He looked even more attractive than
the day before, in his cream chino trousers, sky-blue, checked
button-down shirt, and fitted navy-blue blazer.

She
introduced Tola to him.

"Hello
again…Tola," Akeem said with a smile at Tola.

Yemi was
amazed to see her brash cousin shy, but it felt good to know that
Akeem had that effect on others too, and not just her.

On the
way, he wanted to know about her day, and she filled him in. He
drove confidently and appeared very used to the road networks. Yemi
glanced subtly at his hands on the steering wheel. He had nice
fingers, long and neatly manicured. She also liked the way his
blazer moulded his broad shoulders as if it was tailor made for
him.

Akeem
glanced at her at and caught her eyes on him. She looked away,
feeling a little embarrassed.

He
turned off the motorway onto a side road and about ten minutes
later pulled into the parking lot of a hotel.

"Nice-looking place," Yemi said as they walked into the
hotel's restaurant.

"I've
been here before and really liked their service. I didn't want to
drive into London, so I won't keep you out too late."

A waiter
approached them. Akeem gave him the reservation number, and they
were immediately led to their table. A few minutes later, another
waiter approached their table to take their orders for drinks and
left them with the menu.

"So when
will you be done with uni?" Akeem asked Yemi after their drinks
arrived.

"About
four months from now. Can hardly wait!" Yemi said, taking a sip of
her fruit punch.

"Maybe
you can come work for me," Akeem said, and Yemi laughed. "I'm
serious," he maintained.

Yemi
smiled cheekily at him. "Are you sure you can afford to pay
me?"

He
smiled back at her. "I should be able to pay a little girl like
you. Just name your price, and it's a done deal."

"Don't
tempt me; I may just ask to be paid in pounds."

"I like
people who place value on themselves, even inexperienced ones my
company has to train first." He chuckled at the indignant look on
her face.

"Inexperienced or not, I'll definitely add value to any
company I work for!"

"That's
the confidence I like so much about you." He picked up the menu,
still looking amused. "Are you ready to order now?" She nodded, and
he beckoned over to the hovering waiter.

The food
was delicious, but she enjoyed his company more. Akeem was easy to
talk to, and she felt very relaxed with him. He was a good listener
and seemed interested in hearing all about her life on the
university campus. He sounded genuinely impressed when he learnt
her dad was a professor. She felt his life had to be a lot more
colourful than hers, but he just kept listening to her and asking
her more questions about herself.

"Do you
come to England that often?" she asked when she learnt that he
owned the apartment he was staying in.

"A few
times a year, but this is about the longest time I'm spending in a
single trip." His eyes met and held hers. "Glad though, as it will
give me some time with you before we go back home."

Yemi
felt her heart race at the look in his eyes, but she tried to keep
her tone light. "And then the businessman goes back to the
boardroom and the student to the lecture theatre."

"Really?" he asked with an amused frown. "So you mean I'm
just going to be some sort of entertainment for you while you're on
holidays?"

"Glad
you've caught on." Yemi said, playing along. "This is a special
hobby of mine. I meet old men, amuse myself, dump them, and move
on."

"Whoa,
I'm in trouble then. A serial heartbreaker!"

She
laughed at his mock expression of fear. "Better start praying so
you don't fall prey."

"Too
late," Akeem said softly. "I was hooked the moment I saw you, and I
don't intend to get dumped."

"You
can't prevent it," Yemi boasted. "That's just the way it
is."

He
smiled and shook his head slightly. "I'm not letting that happen to
me. Baby, where you go…I'll go too."

Yemi
felt her heart fluttering again at the look in his eyes. She had
told herself that she needed to be on her guard around him, but
doing so was proving quite difficult. He was such a nice guy.
Confident without being arrogant. In fact, if she wanted to be
truthful to herself, she already liked him a lot.

∞∞∞

The
following day, Tola walked in on Yemi, who was going through her
phone with a smile on her face. "What are you smiling and staring
at?" Tola asked. "Oh, let me guess, it's another text message from
Prince Charming. Are you seeing him again tonight?"

"No. He
asked, but I declined. I think I need time to clear my head and put
things in the right perspective."

"Has he
asked you out formally?"

"Well,
sort of. He says he wants us to get to know each other better. Same
thing, isn't it?"

"Yep,"
Tola nodded. "And if I were you, I'd say yes to him. He appears
very nice." She winked at Yemi. "Super hot too."

Yemi
chewed on her lower lip. From what she had seen of Akeem, she knew
he definitely would not be lacking in female companionship and she
had no intention of being a casual fling for a travelling
businessman. "I don't want to let go of my feelings and then find
out that he's only been playing me all along."

"Girl,
just relax and go with the flow!"

Yemi
scowled. "Be serious, Tola."

Tola's
eyes widened. "But I am! Or do you know any other way to find
out?"

Yemi
didn't. She already liked Akeem, and she knew it would take very
little to like him a whole lot more. It took just one look from
those gorgeous dark eyes of his and all her defences appeared to
crumble. Why would a guy have eyes like that, anyway? Smouldering,
dark eyes with thick lashes. They were a positive hazard to any
girl.

"I guess
every girl goes through this," Tola said, interrupting Yemi's
thoughts. "One is never really sure how things will go."

"But you
know I'm not really an experimenting kind of girl."

Tola
made a face. "Don't we all know it? You've never even had a proper
relationship."

"Yeah,
and I've not missed a lot either," Yemi said drily. "Just by
watching your relationships: the giddy beginnings and then the
inevitable phone call from you telling me that it was fun while it
lasted, but that it's all over." She made a face at Tola. "That's
enough to turn anyone off."

"Maybe…but I've got all that experience!" Tola said airily.
"And I've learnt lessons from every single one of them, and one day
I'll meet my 'perfect one.'"

Yemi
sniffed at the dreamy expression on Tola's face "That's the trouble
with you. Take things a bit slower and don't even start a
relationship until you're really sure you want to be with the
person."

"Yes,
Grandma," Tola said, throwing a pillow at her. "But where would the
fun be if I don't experiment?"

Yemi
ducked the pillow and threw another one back at Tola. "You need
help."

Chapter
2

"Delivery for you, Yemi," Tola said, coming into the room the
next day with a parcel.

"What
delivery?" Yemi sat up in bed, tearing her eyes away from the
London fashion show she had been watching on TV. She hit the record
button on the remote control and looked at the parcel in Tola's
hands with raised eyebrows. "But I didn't order
anything."

"Well,
it's definitely got your name on it." Tola handed the large parcel
over to her. "Open it, let's see what's inside."

Yemi
unwrapped the parcel, her eyes widening in disbelief as she saw
what was inside. "Oh my goodness!" It was the Mulberry bag she had
admired at the shop with Akeem.

"Wow!" Tola exclaimed, admiring the bag. "No guessing where
that came from. There's a card attached." Tola ripped open the card
and read the words out loud:
For my little
girl, from your old man
. "What on earth
are you guys talking about?"

"Remember I said he calls me a little girl?" Yemi cupped her
cheeks with both hands. She was still feeling so dazed by the gift.
"This guy is so sweet!" Her brows creased together in a worried
frown. "Do you think I should accept it?"

"No,
don't," Tola said sarcastically. "Or you can accept it and give it
to me. What kind of question is that?"

"But I
don't want him to think that I took him to the shop to make him buy
it for me!"

"What
are you on about?" Tola asked in an exasperated tone. "Did you beg
or ask him for it?"

"Of
course not! You know I'd never do that!"

"So
gracefully text him a nice 'thank you' and tell him you have a
cousin who also loves Mulberry bags."

Yemi
made a face. "Go and tell that to your Andy—or is it Mike? Not even
sure anymore. I've lost count."

"Whatever!" Tola retorted. "I'm going to ditch him right
away, anyway. Andy's never thought of buying me a Mulberry bag. He
just keeps taking me from McDonalds to KFC and then occasionally
throws in some Chinese in the evenings. What am I going to get from
that?"

"Calories!" Yemi laughed. "But c'mon, it's not about the
value of the gift or the outings, but the thought behind
it."

"Same
thing, girl," Tola replied unrepentantly. "The thought
behind it should make a guy give one valuable gifts."

"You're
impossible!" Yemi picked her phone up from the bedside table. "I
need to text my thanks to my Prince Charming, as you call
him."

"Don't
forget the bit about your so-very-nice cousin who also loves
Mulberry bags."

"Not happening." Yemi would have preferred to call Akeem, but
she knew he was going to be busy all day. She glanced at the lovely
tan-coloured bag again and shook her head slightly.
That guy was really so sweet
.

∞∞∞

Yemi
continued to see Akeem almost daily for the rest of her stay in the
UK. She found herself liking him a little bit more each
time.

Two days
before her return to Nigeria, they agreed to meet at his apartment
in Canary Wharf. Akeem had wanted to come over to pick her up from
Kent, but she declined. She was aware that the day before had been
particularly stressful for him. He had flown to Scotland to attend
a series of meetings connected with the oil and gas sector of his
company and had gotten back to London quite late.

She
spotted Akeem as she was going through the barriers at the train
station and waved at him. He waved back.

"You
look very pretty," he said to her, hugging her lightly. He looked
admiringly at her knee-length blue denim skirt and orange tank top.
"Very summery, or is it springy?"

"I think
I like 'springy' better," Yemi giggled as they made their way out
of the train station towards the car park.

She
savoured the clean, fresh air as they walked along. The weather was
really nice, just the way she liked it: mildly warm with a light
breeze. They got to his car, and Akeem opened the door for
her.