After the storm Read online

  "That's the house over there, by the blue Hyundai," Yemi said, pointing to one of the houses in the street. "You can park anywhere around here."

  Akeem helped her carry her bags to the front door and asked for her phone number. They exchanged numbers, and she waited for him to drive off before she went inside. Yemi felt strangely light and happy and could not keep the silly smile off her face. She started to put her shopping away into her suitcases but changed her mind. She knew that Tola would want to see what she had bought. She set the bags at the foot of the bed, flopped on the bed, and then rolled over.

  No use getting your head up in the clouds. He may not even call again. But she could not stop the warm, fuzzy thoughts flitting through her mind.

  She must have dozed off because the next thing she felt was Tola tapping her gently on her foot.

  "Wake up, sleeping beauty," her cousin said, tugging the duvet away from her. "How on earth are you still going to be able to sleep tonight?"

  Yemi smiled sleepily as she stretched herself on the bed. "Wow, I feel so refreshed!"

  "How did the shopping go?"

  "Let me show you." Yemi stretched herself again before getting out of the bed and reaching for the shopping bags.

  "Cool choices!" Tola said as she inspected the clothes. "But then you've always had an eye for good stuff." Her eyes caught a particular top. "Whoa! Look at that!" She held it up against her body, and her eyes widened as she saw the price tag. "No way! The price can't be that low!"

  Yemi smirked. "Seventy percent discount, my girl. I snatched it up immediately; it was the only one left."

  "It's gorgeous! You're going to blow everyone away when you go back to uni."

  Yemi put the shopping bags away and then lay back on the bed. "I met someone today."

  Tola jumped on the bed beside her. "Hey, what have you been up to, girl?"

  "Mind my leg, will you?" Yemi shifted away from Tola and then sat up in bed. She failed miserably in trying to keep the smile off her face as she recounted her afternoon to Tola.

  Tola eyed her. "I can see you like him."

  Yemi smiled coyly. "Not really sure…"

  Tola swatted at her playfully. "Don't deceive yourself. When is he going to call?"

  "He may not even call again." She pouted, "He called me a little girl!"

  "But he spent the whole afternoon with you. That's got to mean something; he is definitely going to call."

  "That's up to him, but I'm certainly not going to call him."

  "Loosen up, girl! What have you got to lose?"

  Her heart to a handsome stranger on a business trip? She didn't like the picture that came up in her mind. Maybe it would be just as well if Akeem didn't call again. She didn't need any man messing with her emotions.

  ∞∞∞

  Yemi and Tola watched a movie after dinner that evening and, much later, they trudged upstairs to the bedroom they shared. Tola's parents had already retired to bed, and the girls were the only ones awake in the house.

  As they settled into bed, Yemi's phone rang. She fished her handset out of her bag, and her eyes widened as she saw Akeem's number. Tola's eyes gleamed, catching on to who it was. She smiled and inched closer to Yemi. Yemi put a finger across her lips, motioning her not to speak.

  "Hello, Akeem," Yemi said, answering the call. "Aren't old men supposed to be in bed by now?"

  He chuckled. "Little girls too. It's way past your bedtime."

  "I'm already in bed." She settled herself more comfortably against the pillows. "What have you been up to?"

  "Thinking of you, hoping you were not just a daydream. I had to call you to make sure."

  Yemi laughed. "I can assure you that I'm very much flesh and blood."

  Akeem pretended to exhale deeply. "I feel very relieved to hear that. So is our date on for tomorrow?"

  Yemi paused before answering, "I believe so."

  "Great. I'll definitely sleep better now that I know I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

  "Do you always call ladies this late at night?" She smiled as she saw Tola inching closer still, trying to hear Akeem's voice through the phone.

  "Only beautiful ones who keep flitting around in my mind." Yemi could hear the smile in his voice. "What are you doing during the day tomorrow?"

  "Not going anywhere. Just going to laze around with my cousin, I guess."

  "I wish I could spend the whole day with you," he said softly.

  Yemi felt her heart flutter at his tone. "Well, that's obviously not going to happen."

  They talked for a few more minutes and then Yemi glanced at Tola, who had given up trying to follow the conversation and was lying on her back on the bed. "I've got to go now, Akeem."

  "Do you?" He sounded as if he didn't want to end the conversation. "All right, tomorrow is almost here anyway."

  "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 c
an 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.

  "I can't believe I'm going back home in two days," Yemi said, as she worked the seatbelt around her waist. "The days have simply flown."

  "They certainly have," Akeem said as he backed out of the car park and headed towards the main road.

  Yemi chatted on, but she noticed that Akeem was in a rather quiet mood as he drove through the fairly busy streets. She put it down to his hectic schedule and was glad she had insisted on taking the train to his place. About fifteen minutes later, he pulled up to a nice-looking block of apartments, and they took the lifts to the sixth floor where his apartment was.

  "Mmmm, this is really nice," Yemi said when they got into his apartment. She moved slowly around the room, taking in the simple yet very elegant décor. There was a masculine feel to the apartment, and it was done up majorly in chocolate and magnolia, but there were also light touches of turquoise here and there. She particularly liked the unusually shaped art deco furniture. It gave the otherwise very modern apartment a somewhat retro look. "Did you decorate yourself?" she asked as she came to a stop by the oak-finished dining table.

  He smiled. "I wish I could lay claim to that but no, I hired an interior decorator."