MIKE After rinsing my mouth, fixing my hair a little, and throwing on something decent, I headed downstairs. The first thing I noticed was the faint scent of my mother's perfume. She's back? I walked into the main parlour, and there she was comfortably settled on the couch like she never left. My parents were in the middle of a light conversation. "Look who finally made it out of the shower," she teased. "Come give mommy a hug. Or are you too big for hugs now?" I laughed and rushed into her arms. "How was your trip back?" I asked  "The weather there is not nice these days, I said lemme come back home to the warmth here Biko" she seemed really happy to be back "So it wasn't because of me" I turned away from her playfully.  "At your age you're still acting like a child. If you're behaving like this, what will Amaka now do?" She paused, then relented, pulling him back: "Oya, I missed you." "It's fineeee" I laughed out loud. It was nice playing with her again. I left her and sat on the single-seater across from them, Her perfume still floating in the air and now on my body, the distant clinking of plates from the kitchen as Grace wrapped up for the night. My dad leaned back slightly in his chair, arms crossed, calm, but clearly prepared for me tonight, But I'll shock him. My mom, on the other hand, just looked proud to have both her Men in the same room. "So," my dad began, locking eyes with me, "how's the job treating you so far?" "It's only my first day but so far it's been good." He smirked. "That's part of the training." Mom rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you insist on stressing my baby like this" He ignored her, and turned fully to face me. "Listen, Mike. I know you're used to getting things handed to you, nice cars, a good life, opportunities. And I'm not blaming you. That's on us. We worked hard so you wouldn't have to start like we did." I stayed quiet. I knew this talk was coming. It was always about how he starved, trekked to school barefooted, fought lions on his way to school, killed a bear on his way back, licked palm oil for dinner. How did he survive all that? "But in this company," he continued, voice firm but not cold, "you don't get to waltz in and sit in a leather chair just because your surname matches mine. If you want that CEO title one day, you're going to earn it." I nodded again. "I understand sir." Mom raised a brow. "Do you really?" I smiled faintly. "Yeah. I do. That's why I'm okay with starting from the bottom. I want to learn every part of the business, how it runs, who keeps it running. I want the staff to see me and respect the work, not the name." My dad leaned back and gave a surprised look then a satisfied nod. "Good. You're already a step ahead. But don't expect it to be easy, no one knows who you are there, so you'll be treated like other staffs equally" "That's fair," I said. He reached out and placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "I'm proud of you, son and I believe you can do it." Mom beamed. "Now that's out of the way, will you finally bring your girlfriend home? I really hope you're taking your relationship matter seriously." I laughed, tension easing. "Mom, but you know I'm single and please don't try to hook me up again, the last one didn't go well" Just then, my little sister Amaka poked her head in from the hallway. "Did someone say girlfriend ?" Then she looked at me "I think we all should brace ourselves for the worst . He might die single" We all turned to look at her. "You're back too" I was pleasantly surprised  "Oh, look at you," Mom said, half-standing.  "I'm back now, so yes," she grinned. "Mike, I've missed you so much, I saw a brand new wrist watch on your desk, do you still wear it?, cause I already took it" Everyone laughed. I couldn't get angry at her, she can take whatever she wants. And for a moment, the world outside office chaos, secret relationships, ego battles faded into the background. Here, in this room, everything felt whole again. AIDA "BARRRRRRT!!!!!!!!!" My alarm clock jolted me from sleep God will punish the person that told me to get an alarm clock Even though I hate the sound of it in the morning, it's literally the only thing that keeps me alive each morning   It's a beautiful Saturday morning, Caleb was still lying down, knocked out. But me? I was wide awake and Pissed. I still couldn't get the outburst he had yesterday. All because of Mike. It all started when Mike drove off...  We flagged down a keke and eventually got to his place. I decided to sleep over at his place in a bid to make him forgive me for what happened at work. I didn't really notice how quiet he was on our way because I was too busy soaking in the chaos of the street,The noise, the music, sellers hawking all kinds of things on the road, and the warm evening breeze hitting my face as we sped down the road. It was almost perfect. So when we got to his apartment, ALL HELL LET LOOSE  At least I really appreciated the fact that he doesn't touch or hit a woman when he's angry , if not, i for don chop like three slaps as he was ranting. Turns out he's really really angry today. "You were smiling too much at him!" "You didn't even respect me enough to walk away!" "You're making me look like a fool!" He didn't even allow me to talk. "Babe, I'm sorry na," I finally cut in, exhausted. He was supposed to be my peace of mind. "Babe calm down,come and sit down let's talk" I gently dragged him to the room, made him sit down and then sat on his laps  "You know we've really come a long way" I paused, making sure he was listening "you can't keep getting jealous or angry anytime I talk to another guy, it doesn't work like that, by now you're supposed to trust me, have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"  "That's because I don't give you the chance to think about it," he said, pushing me onto the bed. "Try anything funny with that guy, and you won't like what I'll become." Then he walked into the bathroom, like nothing happened. Conversation over. Again. He still didn't talk while we sat and ate dinner. Even after bathing and putting on his favorite lingerie hoping he'd want some, he didn't budge.  I went to my own side of the bed. Turned off the light, said a little prayer and slept off. I'll call Paula tomorrow. I need someone to tell me I'm not crazy.

MIKE

I woke up to the sound of my dad's car driving out, so I went downstairs to see what was happening, but they were already gone before I got there. Turns out it was the whole family that had left.

"GRACE!" I yelled.

I heard her faint footsteps from upstairs, getting louder until she appeared in front of me.

"Good morning, small Oga," she said. It looked like she'd been cleaning my dad's room.

"Where did they go?"

"They went to church."

"Ooohhhhh."

I ran a hand through my hair. Today is Sundayyyy,  I had completely forgotten.

But why didn't they wake me?

I kept thinking as I headed back to my room.

I grabbed my phone, ready to play music and start my workout for the day, when I saw that Charles had already called me three times.

I dialed his number back.

"If someone sees the way you're calling me early this morning, they'll think we're dating," I said, putting the phone on speaker and starting my push-ups.

"Abeg shut up," Charles said immediately, his voice thick with sleep.

"You wey dey do push-ups by this time? Who annoyed you?"

I laughed

"I'm not a lazy  motherf***er like you, how do you think I got this body? I have to maintain it, don't you think?"

I grunted, hitting the fifth push-up. The burn was satisfying, but I was out of steam. I sat down on the floor, breathing hard. "Why were you calling me?"

"Guyyyy..."A long dramatic sigh entered the phone.

"You won't believe what happened yesterday."

I already knew where this was going.

"Danielle, right?"

"YES!" His excitement nearly burst the speaker.

"Guy, that girl wants to kill me. She texted me this morning. 

He went on and on about the date they had, practically vibrating with excitement , turns out they had another date after the first one.

"She said she enjoyed the date. She said she wants to see me again. ME! CHARLES!"

I rolled my eyes and sat up, wiping sweat from my chest.

"So you called me three times because a girl texted you?"

"My brother, you don't understand," Charles said. "This one is different. She fine, she soft, she get sense... and she no stress me,Guyyyy I've seen my wife"

"Oh?" I cut in. "So you're ready to marry her now?"

Seems like i need to start preparing for a wedding

He hissed so loudly I laughed.

"I didn't call you to chop insult this morning . I called because..." He paused. "Mike, have you been talking to anyone lately?."

"Nopee, I've told you this thing before, I don't think I'm ready for any woman's Wahala this time around" I sighed 

"Okayyyy, that's not a problem, i want us to go on a double date" I could hear him grinning and probably smiling sheepishly 

"God forbid." The thought of it didn't sit well with me, plus didn't he hear what I just said.

"Ah-ahn na! Don't be wicked."

"I'm not going."

"But Dani said she's bringing her friend o."

"Charles, I don't need a girlfriend."

"You do! You've been thinking too much lately, you need distraction. Come out with me, abeg."

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped.

Aida's face flashed through my mind for a brief moment, which left me wondering why?. Of all people 

I exhaled slowly.

"You're not going to let me rest, are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine. I'll go. But if her friend is weird-"

"You'll manage!"

I shook my head, ending the call.

Charles always found a way to drag me into his nonsense.

I stood, stretched, and headed toward the bathroom.

As the warm water hit my skin, my mind returned to Aida.Her sad eyes.Her tired smile.Her voice when she said she was okay.

She didn't look okay.

Why did I care this much?

I leaned my head under the water, trying to wash the thoughts away.

The day carried on like any normal Sunday, until it was 4pm. I hated the idea of spending my Sunday evening pretending to be interested in a random woman, but Charles had some power over me somehow.

I had to prepare for the date. I couldn't figure out why I felt tense, but I put it aside and got ready.

Moments later, after a quick shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stared at myself in the mirror. Muscles tense from push-ups, hair still damp, mind replaying Aida's tired eyes.

I shook my head. Focus, Mike. Double date. Not her. Not now.

I threw on a crisp white shirt and dark jeans, keeping it simple. Charles might have been expecting some "show-off rich guy" stunt, but I wasn't about that life. Subtlety was underrated.

As I checked my reflection one last time, my phone buzzed. A message from Charles:

"Don't forget, meet Dani at 7. Be there sharp. And don't chicken out."

I smirked. Sharp. Like I had a choice.

The drive to the restaurant was uneventful. I let Charles do most of the talking, nodding occasionally, mentally noting everything. The restaurant was one of those trendy spots on the Island: low lights, exposed brick, and music just loud enough to prevent any truly meaningful conversation.

The waiter led us to a quieter section, and we took our seats, waiting for our dates. That's when I saw her, Aida. sitting near the entrance, laughing softly with a friend.

My chest tightened. She looked... lighter somehow, like the fight with Caleb hadn't happened. Maybe it was the evening glow, maybe I was just noticing.

I shook my head. Focus. Not her. Not tonight.

A very tall, dark-skinned beauty walked in with another girl, hand in hand. I realized it was Daniella. The girl next to her was beautiful too, Tolu. They both waved at our table and sat down, exchanging pleasantries.

Charles, meanwhile, looked like he'd swallowed a permanent beam of sunlight, hanging on Danielle's every word.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Aida glance up. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second. She quickly looked away, pretending she hadn't noticed. Interesting, I thought.

The table was a cozy mix of chatter, laughter, and clinking cutlery. Dani and her friend steered the conversation toward funny work stories, while Charles laughed a little too loudly at his own jokes. I sat across from Dani's friend, keeping my responses polite, dry, and measured.

"So," Dani's friend began, leaning slightly forward, "what do you do for work?"

"Finance," I said simply. "Mostly spreadsheets and meetings. Exciting stuff," I added with a smirk.

She laughed. "Wow, exciting indeed. Sounds... thrilling."

Charles jumped in. "Mike here actually does a lot more than just spreadsheets. He's like... a gym rat, part-time chef, full-time philosopher..." He grinned at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Full-time philosopher? Abeg o."

Aida, sitting nearby with Paula, glanced up at us and giggled softly. She whispered something to Paula, who raised her eyebrows, looking amused.

My mind drifted from our table to theirs. I watched her lips move as she chewed her food, smiled at the sound of her laughter, and wondered what they were talking about.

"Mike."

"Mike?"

"Hello."

"Oh, I'm sooo sorry, I got a little carried away," I replied, noticing the disappointment in her face.

"Do you like her?"

"Who?" I was shocked, did she notice?

"Nooo, she's from work," I said calmly, trying my best to hide my feelings.

"Okayyyy," she murmured, sliding her legs lightly against mine under the table.

I jerked slightly, my heart skipping a beat.

This is how it's going for me...

AIDA'S POV

Sundays were supposed to be peaceful. Mine wasn't I woke up with a heavy chest, the kind that felt like someone had placed a wet blanket on my lungs. Caleb left at dawn. He didn't make a sound. He  just left He  had already texted me twice before 10 a.m. Caleb: "Morning. We need to talk. Don't ignore me". As if talking was ever optional with him. I dropped my phone face-down and exhaled. The energy to deal with him simply wasn't in my body. So I stayed in bed longer than usual, staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself that today would be better. It wasn't. I could feel the bed vibrating but I didn't want to move, I allowed it vibrate three more times, if he really wanted to talk he should come back. I lazied around some more, stood up, stretched every single bone in my body, nearly broke some but it was worth it. I grabbed my phone to put on some music before starting my day "JESUS", I screamed   OH MY GAWDD, this girl is going to kill mee Turns out it was Paula calling me and I ignored her "YOUR'E DEAD" her voice finally came through after dialing her 5 times I'm sure she did it on purpose . "Hi babes" i said nonchalantly  "Hi babes, ARE YOU SERIOUS, didn't you see my call" "Omo im really not in the mood for this thing right now" "What is it" I can sense her tone change, it's more calm now. "I don't know" "Is it your rubbish boyfriend " "Who else"? "Do I need to call people to beat him for you"? I laughed. "Nooo seriously, if you need me to gather boys for him, you know I will do it happily" she continued "One day i think I'll let you do it" i said, the thought of him being beat up actually made me smile some more "I'm coming over to your house let's discuss the whole thing" "Okay, bring food for me, I don't know what to cook" "I cooked beans, you want"? I love how she knows I hate beans yet asks me if I'd want to eat my worst food" "Girl NO"!! "I'm coming empty handed then" "Just come fast" I said, ending the call. Now I turned and looked at my scattered room and started arranging it  .............. By 1 p.m., Paula practically forced her way into my room. I don't know why she did that, she was never gentle with my things, my door, my plates , my house , basically anything I own were hers  Except Caleb. She despises him. After barging into my room She came straight to my bed. I lived in a one room, self-contained house in Lagos, it was basically what the poor masses could afford. Not saying I'm poor but it was what I could afford when I first moved here from Enugu and since then, it has been my home. "This Sunday cannot pass us by o" she shouted loudly, like as if I wasn't laying beside her on the bed  "What do you mean" I knew she'd want us to go out but I wasn't ready for it  "Let's go....." "NO"!!!!!! I shouted loudly before she could finish  "You're not even going to do this today" "I don't feel too good" that was a lie "Well we have to, you need to tell me every details about what happened yesterday" A creepy smile came on my face when I thought of Mike "Please stop whatever it is you're doing with your face" I burst out laughing "There's a new guy at work"  "Hmmmmmmmmm" "And he's cute" I was still smiling weirdly  "More reasons to go out". She went back and forth on reasons why I should go out while I was giving her reasons too why we shouldn't. In the end I gave up when she decided to pay for my food. You can actually kidnap me with a plate of rice . Well made rice. At around 3 we started preparing, till we finally left  By 4.00, we were seated at a small restaurant on the Island quiet, warm lighting, nothing too fancy. Paula was already talking, cracking jokes, trying to force laughter out of me. It worked... a little. I was able to smile. Even laugh. But my mind wandered. To work. To Caleb. To the way Mike had looked at me yesterday when he offered me a ride. I tried changing my mood by tell her about Mike, And it worked.  I was mid-story when she paused. "Wait-" she whispered, leaning closer to me. "Fine boys incoming." I turned slightly. My heart dropped. A tall handsome fair guy passed and behind him.... Mike  Fresh. Clean-shaven. Wearing a white shirt that did absolutely nothing to hide how good he looked. I instinctively sat up straighter, smoothing my dress, then immediately felt stupid for caring. He wasn't here for me. Obviously. People go on dates. Men go on dates. Especially men like him. Still, when his eyes lifted and found mine, my breath caught. Just for a second. And then I looked away. My pulse stuttered. What was he doing here? Paula's eyebrows shot up. "I know you and Caleb are having issues but the way you're looking at this guys, especially the dark one, do you want to eat him raw with your eyes?" I swallowed "That the Mike" I couldn't even hear my voice  "IT'S A LIE" she shouted it very loudly, drawing attention to our table. "Take it easy na, everytime you'll be acting like mgbeke" shame covered me like a shield I ignored her. Or tried to. But when the tall, pretty girls walked toward Mike and his friend's table, something twisted sharply in my chest. And when I felt Mike's gaze brush over me,  just for a second.  I pretended not to notice, pretended not to care. But the truth sat stubbornly in my throat: Why did seeing him with someone else bother me this much? I watched him sit down with Charles and two girls. One of them tall, dark, stunning clung to Charles like she'd already decided he was hers. The other sat directly across from Mike. Of course. "Babe, are you okay?" Paula asked, finally noticing my distraction. "I'm fine," I said quickly. Too quickly. She followed my line of sight and smirked. "So are we going to talk about your office trainee?" She glanced towards them " you didn't tell me he was this fine o, and I'm single too, maybe you could hook us up" she said very shamelessly. I shot her a look. "Paula." She held up her hands. "I'm just saying." I tried not to watch them. I really did. But my eyes betrayed me, how he listened more than he spoke, how he smiled politely, how his body leaned back instead of forward when the girl talked. He didn't look interested. Then I saw it , the girl's legs brushing his under the table, deliberate, confident. My stomach twisted. Ah. So this is how he is. When our eyes met again, I looked away first. Whatever this was, I told myself, it wasn't worth my peace.