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.

CALEB

 If I don't beat that rubbish newbie today, I might live to regret it. The thought sat comfortably in my head, like a plan waiting for execution. I straightened my shirt in the mirror before leaving the house, adjusting my collar until it was perfect so I didn't look angry. I looked put together. Respectable. That mattered. Men like me didn't lose control in public. We managed situations. The drive to work was longer than usual. Traffic. Horns. Noise. Food sellers. Even the gala people had started running around this early morning. Everyone in Lagos moved like they had somewhere important to be. I was cramped up at the back sitting in between two fat women that smelled like they had not taken their bath in two days.... It was early morning for Christ sake, the least they could do was BATH, jaw tight,I started replaying the last couple of events that had happened in my head. My girl is laughing. Not with me. With him. That girl is beginning to lose respect for me. Abi is it because I don't have a car yet, and that small boy does? I quickly removed my mind from the whole event and noticed I had passed my normal bus stop "DRIVER"!!!!!!!!! I screamed  The bus came to a stop abruptly pushing a few people out of their seats. I couldn't even offer an apology because those two women suffocated life out of me. And now I have to trek back to my office. stepping into the office building, I greeted musa  the security man with a nod.  No one needed to know what was running through my mind. Then I saw him. Mike. He was already there. Of course he was.  Standing too straight. Too tall.very masculine. He has very broad shoulders too, compared to mine. I  looked like an SS3 senior.  Oh my God this man was built differently. like he belonged somewhere better than this office. Men like that always arrived early. They liked being seen. I watched from a distance. People noticed him. I noticed them noticing him. The glances. The whispers.  He soaked it in quietly, pretending he wasn't aware. That annoyed me more than confidence ever could. I quickly gathered myself, walked towards where he sat, gave him a very stern look and walked to my desk. Aida was yet to come. She has been quite different lately  I clenched my fist. No weapon fashioned against my relationship will prosper. She is mine and mine alone I picked up my phone to call her and just then I smelt her familiar perfume. She was smiling as she walked in, but not at me. AT HIM. She didn't smile at him the way she smiled at me before. It was smaller. Controlled. But it was there. That same softness she claimed she didn't have energy for anymore. I made it my life's mission to watch both of them like a hawk throughout the day. I watched her walk towards her cubicle. She has a higher position at the office which made her have her own cubicle while we with the lower positions shared a center table that has been divided into 6. I stood up and followed her to her office. " we need to talk" "And good morning to you too," she said sarcastically. Why the sudden change of attitude, wasn't she the one who was begging me the other day. But then she didn't actually return my texts on Sunday. Was she with him? "Babe," I said casually. She looked up. Just for a second. "What." No pet name. No warmth. I noticed Mike glanced up too through the glass. I held his gaze. He didn't look away. That was mistake number one. I smiled. Slow. Polite. The kind of smile that showed my intentions to kill very clearly. Men like him thought silence was strength. Though being calm made them untouchable. They always forget one thing. This was my territory. And nobody took what belonged to me and walked away clean. Not today. Not ever. I dragged out a chair and sat down opposite her.  I was just about to speak. When the door swung open. "Ah-Aida!" Mercy. Of course. She barged in like she owned the place, heels clicking sharply against the tiled floor, with half of her breasts pouring into our eyes, why didn't she just come naked. And yet Biodun allowed it. "I've been looking for you," she said briskly. "I need help with something ." I turned slowly, irritation flashing across my face. "Can't you not see we're in the middle of a conversation?" I asked, voice calm but edged.I was already pissed and I didn't need anyone to add to it. Mercy blinked once. Then laughed, short and dismissive. "Oh please," she said. "You people should stop bringing relationship issues into the office. This is not your living room." The words landed like a slap. Aida's shoulders stiffened. I could swear I heard her laugh.  Mercy didn't even look at me again. She turned fully to Aida. "Abeg, help me show Mike around properly," she continued. "Teach him the ropes. Mr. Biodun said you should handle it." "You and I both know that that is a lie, you this deceptive daughter of jezebel"  I watched them in silence while they bantered. My chest tightened. Mike. Mercy gestured toward the glass partition. I followed her hand without meaning to. Mike was standing there. Watching. Aida hesitated. She looked at me. Then at Mercy. Then back at Mike. "Okay," she said finally. "I'll do it, but you owe me one." That was it. Just like that. She walked past me, not meeting my eyes, grabbing her notepad as she went. Mike stepped aside to let her pass. As he did, his eyes met mine again. And this time, I didn't hold it, I looked away .  I waited in the office as I watched the both of them walk away.

This was getting out of hand.