Intoxicated romance episode 21-30

 INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 21
Toni:
I hold myself from running back
into steven’s arms and walk away
on unsteady legs. I finally locate
my seat and as soon as I’m sitting,
i cover my face with my hands and cry. I don’t even remember to
be nervous during take-off. I just
cry.
“are you okay, miss?” i hear a
voice beside me and i turn to see a
French man sitting beside me looking uncomfortable.
“I’m fine sir” i say and the smell of
something great hits my nostrils. I
sniff the air to find the source of
the smell.
“what’s that smell?” i ask the Frenchman and notice the plate
he’s carrying.
“its lasagna. You want some?”
“umm no thanks.” i shake my
head and my stomach growls as if
to call me out for my lies. The Frenchman smiles then calls a
stewardess to get me a plate of
the lasagna. Few minutes later, I’m
stuffing myself with the lasagna.
“oh my God, its so good. What’s it
made of?” i ask the Frenchman. He goes to answer but i raise my
hand for him to stop.
“wait don’t tell me. Hmm. I taste
noodles, parsley, nut-meg and
maybe cheese?”
“wow, you knew that just from eating it?”
“i have a sixth sense when it
comes to food and i love cooking”
i say smiling
“well, you are good. You should
harness this talent.” he brings a pamphlet from his suit pocket and
hand it to me.
“I’m actually going to lagos to
recruit chefs for the catering
programme I’m organising. It’ll
take a year and half, then you’ll become a professional chef. Its in
Paris.”
wow. Is this the new beginning i
need?. I have always wanted to
be a chef. This is a big
opportunity. And I’ll be far away from Steven if i take the offer. I
take the pamphlet.
“I’ll think about it sir. Thanks for
the offer.”
“alright sugar. Just make sure to
get in touch with me before the end of two weeks. My number is
on that pamphlet” he says and i
nod.
The rest of the flight is quiet as the
French man makes multiple video
calls and i doze off with thoughts of my parents. Would they receive
me if i go home?. I send a silent
prayer to God that everything
would be alright. ************************ i get to warri the next morning
and i drag my jet-lagged body out
of the plane. I probably look like a
walking zombie right now, with
my swollen eyes but i don’t care. I
don’t have any luggage so i walk straight and board a taxi home.
Its fairly early so i don’t see
anybody in my compound after i
am dropped off. I knock on our
gate and wait with bated breathe.
Thankfully, my brother is the one who comes to open the gate.
“sister toni!” he screams and i
wince. He cant just be quiet for
once. I enter into the house and
see my parents rushing out of
their room. My mom gets to me first.
“oh lord thank you for bringing
her back, safely” she says looking
me all over.
“where have you been? You got
us all worried” my dad asks immediately my mom is done
fawning over me.
“toni, why do you look like
you’ve been crying?”my brother
chips in. I look at their worried
face and my lips tremble. I burst out in tears and my mother hugs
me
“oh my baby” she pats my baby”i-
i’m pregnant mom” i sputter out
and i feel my Mom’s body stiffen.
“what?!” my father yells and i wince again. All this shouting is
giving me an headache.
“is that why you wanted to get
married quickly?. Who’s the
father? Please tell me its not kacy”
my mother rambles. “am sorry mom. Am sorry for
leaving. Am sorry for not listening
to you and jumping into another
engagement. Everything is just so
complicated right now and worst
of all, am not sure if I’m still pregnant”
“i don’t understand. What do you
mean by ‘you’re not sure if you’re
still pregnant’?” my mom moves
back and look at my stomach.
“i had an accident in Paris and there was blood coming from my
crotch. I don’t really know
anything for sure”
“an accident? Oh my God. What
were you doing in Paris?”my
brother asks “we were supposed to get
married there”.
“was?”my dad inquires
“not anymore. Dad, mom, I’ll
explain everything to you later
but right now, what i need is sleep”
“yes yes. Go and sleep my child.
But once you wake up, we’ll go to
the hospital for an ultra sound”
my mom says and walk me to my
room. I look back at my father and he looks so worried. My
brother just stare blankly. ************************ At the hospital
My mom holds my hand as the
doctor raises my shirt and apply
some cool liquid on it. He places
the weird looking device on my
stomach and a blurry image fill the monitor screen beside me. The
doctor smiles and touches
something on the monitor and a
weird noise fill the room. My heart
beat speeds up as i hear the
sound. “that’s your babies’ heart beat”
the doctor says smiling down at
me.
“so, everything is okay?” i ask
“yes, they seem to be doing well”
my mom squeezes my hand and gives me a big smile.
“wait! Babies?. They?”
“yes, you’re having twins”
“wow” my mom exclaims
“are you sure doctor?” i ask. My
brain is having a hard time processing this. How did i go from
having one baby to none then to
two?!
“I’m sure. By the looks of it, you’re
about 6 weeks gone and i can see
two heartbeats.” the doctor explains. I lie there as tears of
happiness falls down my cheeks. I
hear my mom thank the doctor
and he leaves.
“are you ok?” my mom asks me
and i give her the biggest smile ever.
“i am more than okay mom. I am
so happy” i squeal.
“i am too. Twins! Wow.” my mom
squeezes my hand again and
smile at me. “we’ll help you through this baby
girl”. I know they will. Before
coming to the hospital, i told my
parents everything. From the day i
was drugged to this morning.
They were outraged that i kept them in the dark all this while but
they consoled me. I am so lucky
to have such a supportive family.
We leave the hospital after
collecting the ultra sound pictures
and i cant wipe the grin off my face. We board a taxi and my
smile is wiped off my face as soon
as i alight. Steven is standing in
front of me looking like he hasn’t
slept for days. I brace myself and
walk straight pass him. He tries to block my path but i bypass him
but my bag clash with him and its
content spill everywhere. I
abandon my bag and flee into the
house. Steven goes to follow me
but I hear my mom stop him. Thank goodness.
[12/1, 11:36 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 22
Steven:
“come on antonia. Listen to me!.
Please!” i yell as she walks inside
her house leaving her things
scattered on the floor. Something
among her things gets my attention and i pick it up. Its a
pamphlet on a chef internship
programme in Paris. Wait a
minute! According to antonia’s
mother, antonia had always
wanted to be a chef and this would be a great breakthrough
for her. Oh no! If she goes to Paris,
we will not be able to be together.
What do i do?. This is a big
opportunity for her but i cant let
go. What about our baby?. I have to talk to her. I make to follow
antonia inside the house but her
mother block my path.
“young man, you need to lea–”
her mother says but i cut her off.
“i cant leave ma. Cant you see i am going crazy because of your
daughter? I just need a chance to
explain myself. Can you please
beg her to meet me?. She cant go
to France.” i plead.
“why would i do that after what you did to her?. I cant believe i
welcomed you into our home just
for you to hurt my daughter.”
“am sorry ma. Please tell her i am
sorry and i love her and our
baby”i sob and antonia’s mother rub my shoulders awkwardly.
“come on, lets talk somewhere
else so you can explain yourself
to me. Maybe i can help you. You
look hungry so let’s talk at a
restaurant so you can eat” i nod my head then walk behind her. I
really am hungry. I cant even
remember the last time i ate
something. After antonia left me at
the airport yesterday, i rushed
back to the hotel to retrieve our things. In twenty minutes, i was
done and back at the airport
where i waited frustrated for
hours. I didn’t eat anything on the
plane and as soon as my plane
touched down, i boarded a taxi to antonia’s house. She wasn’t here
when i got here but her brother
and father were present.
Antonia’s brother who seemed
animated with me the last time we
met was furious when he saw me. He even punched me and for a
teenager, he packs a mean punch.
I had begged him to tell me where
i could find antonia but he
wouldn’t bulge. I had to stand by
the corridor screaming for antonia to talk to me before antonia’s
father told me she went to the
hospital. My mind had immediately
gone to our baby. I prayed that
they were both alright. That was
how antonia came to find me there. We get to the restaurant
and even though i tell antonia’s
mother that i wasn’t hungry, she
ordered alot of food. I look at all
the food on the table and my eyes
water. I blink my eyes rapidly to stop the tears. Why am i so close
to tears nowadays? Antonia is the
pregnant one but it seems i have
caught her emotional sickness. I
look at all the food before me and
wonder what why a woman would still offer food to someone
who hurt her daughter. No
wonder antonia is so nice. Her
mother is amazing. I devour all
the food on the table in minutes
then i explain myself to antonia’s mother. I tell her about
everything. my previous plan of
stealing their land and my change
of heart when i got to know
antonia better and fall in love with
her. “beliway. me ma’am, if i knew
who antonia really is, i wouldn’t
have planned it.I love her and our
child”antonia’s mother places her
hand on mine and squeeze it.
“i believe you.You shouldnt have plotted something like that in the
first place.Nobody deserve to be
deceived and duped no matter
how they live their lives.I’ll prefer
if you give her space to think but
if you insist, I’ll find a way to get her to meet you. I hope you can
convince her because i can see
that you really love my girl.I have
to go now.” she says and stand
up. I stand up with her.
“one more thing. If you hurt my baby again, I’ll cut off your egg-
rolls” she blushes at her words
and for a second she remind me
of antonia. My sweet antonia.
Antonia’s mom hugs me then we
bid each other goodbye. Talking with her has lifted my
spirit a bit. I feel that there is still
hope for me. I just have to prove
to antonia that i love her. I need to
prepare for our next meeting.
That may be my only chance to explain to her.
I board a taxi to my suite to catch
some sleep before i face my
father. I have to make everything
right. Once i get to my suite, i plug
my phone to charge it. It has been off for a day now. I switch it on to
check for any messages and that’s
when i see a video message from
an unknown number. I click on it
and my brother’s face appear on
my screen. I watch the video and listen to my brother talk about
killing kacy and his pregnant wife.
He also threatens to kill antonia
after he gets her land. I cant
believe it! Kacy must be antonia’s
dead fiance. So my brother is responsible for all this. I have to
stop him before he hurts antonia.
This video would serve as
evidence against him in court.
Who could have sent me the
video?. I dial the police and inform the of my brother’s involvement in
the death of two people. I am
asked to come to the police
station for my statement. I
abandon all thoughts of sleep and
head out to the police station. At the police station, i give my
statement and they assure me that
they would find my brother. I
hope they do. ************************ narrator:
The voices in James’ head was
getting louder.
‘we are going to get caught by the
police’
‘daddy would be so disappointed at us’
‘we couldn’t even beat your
b-----d brother’ the voices keep
repeating. The doctors promised
James that if he took his pills
religiously, the voices would all go away, so why are they back? He
wondered.
James walk to the bottle of
whiskey on the table and grab it.
He tosses the cover on the floor
and drains the bottle into his throat. Some of the contents fall
on the floor but he doesn’t even
notice.His eyes meet his reflection
in the mirror and he throws his
bottle at it.
“stop following me!.I wouldn’t get caught.I have to win Steven.” his
hands start shaking and he brings
a paper containing a white
substance from his pocket. He
lines some on the back of his palm
and inhale it.His eyes go foggy and he slumps on the bed with
thoughts of making his father pay
for making him this way
[12/1, 11:37 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 23
This episode is dedicated to all of
you who don’t fail to comment especially my bestie #NMASINACHI_STONE . I
love you guys. So Much!
Narrator: Jane stand in front of the door
contemplating whether she
should go in or not. The police had come to
her house to inquire about James. She had told them that she knew
nothing of his whereabout. Few
minutes after that, James had called her to
meet him here. She wondered
why he wanted to meet her here which
wasn’t his house and why the
police were looking for him. She didn’t want
to come here but she thought she should atleast tell him goodbye in
person. She took in a deep
breathe then knocked on the door. When
there was no answer, she decided
to just go home. As she turn in her
heel to leave, the door click open. “Jane, thank God you made it. I
have missed you” James says.
Jane and James had been a couple for
many years until James’
infatuation of winning his brother overcame his
reasoning. James had planted
Jane in the hotel to gain steven’s love and
trust so that he would knscream ut steven’s every move. Jane had
started to fall in love with Steven but she was so scared of James,
she couldn’t stop going back to
him. “come in, baby” James says and
open the door wider. All of jane’s danger alarms were blaring for
her not to go in but she knew that
now she was already here, leaving
would only make James angry
and when James gets angry, he hurts himself
and people. She takes in a deep breathe then walk into the house.
As soon as she enters the house,
she gasps. Scattered everywhere on
the floor were needles, empty
bottles of whiskey and cigarettes. She
looks to James and that’s when
she notice his glazed eyes. James
walks towards her and it takes everything in her not to run away. “I’ve missed you Jane, have you
missed me?” he asks while
caressing her face. When she doesn’t reply,
his eyes blazes with anger and his hands go to her neck. “i asked you a question!” he
scream in her face and wrap his
hand around her neck. Jane knew that
she had to leave now. “i h–ave t-o go James.” she
stammers and James’ face twist in
anger. His hand on her neck tightens and
Jane start to choke. “say you miss me” James instructs “i-mish kwou” she chokes out.
James’ eyes bulge and he releases
her neck. Jane falls to the floor
coughing. “oh my God baby, are you ok?
That wasn’t me, it was them.” he
says and kneels beside her. Jane flinches
when he raises his hand to touch
her cheek. She drag her oxygen
depleted body away from him
and James’ hands fall. James points at his
reflection in the mirror. “its his fault Jane. You know I’ll
never hurt you” Jane look to the mirror and then at James and he
burst out in tears. Why haven’t
she ever noticed this madness in
James? She wondered. James
hears her cry and he kneels beside her. “don’t cry baby, I’ll make
everything go away” he grabs the
nearest bottle and smashes it on the floor.
Jane moves back. “no baby, its not for you. It for
him” he says and starts using the broken pieces to cut himself. “don’t worry, I’ll get rid of him so
you can love me again” he
mumbles. “stop!” Jane scream”what has
gotten into you?” she sobs. James looks at her with
unfocused eyes. He looks at his
body arms and throws the broken
bottle away. “i don’t know. I don’t know. I
cant stop Jane. I cant.”he sobs
then stop. “this is their fault”he says “their you James” Jane reasons. “no, i meant Steven and my dad.
They made me this way. My dad
pushed me to it. He must pay” he says and
stands up. He picks his long
sleeve shirt from the arm of the only
chair in the room and put it on
without flinching in pain. “where are you going?” “i just have to speak with my
father.” he says and hurry out of
the house. Jane’s rushes after him to
see him enter her car and drive
off. Jane goes back inside the house
to pick her bag. She sees her car
keys inside and wonders how he’s
driving it. Her body is shaking
violently and her bag falls off her hand. She
sit on the floor and search her bag for her phone. She finally
finds it. She dials steven’s number
but he doesn’t pick up. She keep on
calling and when he still doesn’t answer, she text him. James is going crazy. He is headed
to your father’s office. You have to stop him. P.S. This is not for
attention. Its true. ************************ Toni: I feel numb. Its been almost a
week and i still cant stop thinking about Steven. Everything reminds
me of him. Even my morning
sickness reminds of our time at his suite
before we went to Paris.
Yesterday, my mom had sent me to the
market to get me out of the
house. I had agreed to go and i was fine until a
young boy hawking garden egg
asked me if i wanted to buy some. I just
burst out in tears right in the middle of the market. The poor
boy almost got beaten before i explained to people that he didn’t
hurt me. Pregnancy hormones
makes it worse. “antonia, why don’t you meet him
once?. You should hear from him
first before you judge”my mother says
beside me. She has been trying to
get me to meet Steven for a week
now. “i cant see him mom, it still hurts” “antonia, just meet him. It would
give you closure. Also, if you don’t meet him atleast once, you may
look back later in life and wonder
what would have happened if you met
him. You say you love him but
isn’t love trust?” “he betrayed that trust mom” “yes, i know but i still think you
should meet him and listen to his reasons. You have to take a leap
and trust him for your babies and
for yourself” my mom does have a
point but i don’t trust myself with
him. If i meet him, i know i won’t be
able to walk away again. He could still be using me. Nevertheless, i
have to meet him to see if i can savour our relationship so my
children wouldn’t live without a
father. “okay, mom. I’ll do it. Atleast for
my children” “good girl” my mom says and
smile at me. I dial steven’s number and i can
hear the happiness in his voice
when i agree to meet him. Fifty minutes later, i am still at the
restaurant we are supposed to meet and Steven is no where to be
seen.
[12/1, 11:38 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 24
James: i have to meet my father and end
this. I have to know how proud
he is of me now. I killed for him. Surely,
i would get a compliment from
him today. I concentrate my foggy
eyes on the road. The voices are
wrong. I wouldn’t be caught. My father
would be proud and Steven
would lose. I shake my head and take a bend
in the direction of my dad’s office location. Dad has never been
proud of me except that fateful
day when i was just eight years old. I can still
remember how it happened. Flashback: “daddy loves me. Daddy loves me
not, daddy loves me, daddy loves
me not” i recite while plucking the
leaves off a small stem and when
it ends at ‘daddy loves me not’ i
fling the empty stem in
annoyance. “stupid stem. You don’t know
anything” i scream as i step on the
stem furiously. “James!” i hear Diana, our house
maid yell my name and i hide
behind the sofa. “where is that little demon” she
says and i cant help but laugh. She hears my laugh then match
behind the sofa and drag me out
with my shirt collar. “why did you do it?” she sneer at
me “do what?” i ask innocently. “you know, you little s--t!. Why
did you shred my son’s
result?!”she yells. Diana’s son and i attend the same
school. We collected our results yesterday and i came out second
as always. Diana’s son always
comes out first and no matter how i read,
pray and cheat, i always come out second. Last term, my dad had
beaten me with a mop stick and
locked me up for a day without food. He
imbibed in me that i must be a
winner no matter the means i use to get it. So,
this term i read hard, prayed harder and cheated but still i came
out first. My dad wasn’t home yesterday and hasn’t seen the
result so i sneaked into the
servant’s quarters and destroyed the
evidence. I shrug my shoulders and feign
ignorance. “i know you’ll deny it. You always
do. The last time, you broke your father’s vase, you said it wasn’t
you either.” “that wasn’t me either, it was the
boy in the mirror. I saw him” i say “what boy in the mirror?.You are
just 8 years old but you are
already a menace. I am going to teach you
a lesson before your parents get back” she raises her hand to hit
me and i smile, ready for the pain.
I am so used to it now. Infact i
crave it. “what do you think you are
doing?!” my mom march toward
us with my father behind her. “i- I’m sor–ry ma. Your son tore
my s-o-n’s res-ult. I was just reprimanding him” Diana stammer
out. My mom land two slaps on
her cheeks and i smile. She’s not so
smug now. My dad sees my smile
and nods his head. “how dare you lay your poverty
infested hands on my child?.
Infact you are fired! I’ll make sure i fire your
whole family from their various jobs anywhere. Now, get out!” my
mother rants. I look to my dad but
he is just nodding his head. “you guys better get this child
help. He isn’t normal. His level of menace is bordering on madness”
she says and that’s the only time i see emotion on my father’s face.
His face distort in anger. “no child of mine is going to be
Admitted in a mental hospital!. My son is perfectly normal. So you
better leave before i calls the
guards to teach you a lesson!” he scream
then turn to me. “come with me” i walk behind
him, thinking of the kind of
beating i am surely going to receive. I am both
scared and happy. We enter my dad’s study and as
soon as i close the door, my father beams at me. This is the first time
i’ve seen him smile. “come closer, son. I am so proud
of you. You did the right thing by not admitting the truth. That
would have been worse than
coming second. I assume that’s the
reason why you tore his result.
Am i right?” “ye-s dad” “good. Now, I’ll only give you 12
strokes of the cane but you will be rewarded for today.” my dad
brings out the cane he keeps
under his desk and he flows me 12 times on
my back. I don’t even flinch. “and what are you supposed to
say?”he asks me after he is done “thank you sir” “you know i am doing this
because i love you. I am
preparing for the business world where it is eat or
be eaten. You must become like
me. I do anything and i mean anything
to be at the top. Do you
understand what i am saying” i nod “okay you can leave. Your mom
would take you shopping
tomorrow. You can buy whatever you want” i never went on that shopping
expenditure because that night, i couldn’t bear the yearning for
pain, i wasn’t feeling anything especially pain so i sneaked to the
kitchen, collected a small knife and cut myself once. I loved the
feeling and i did it numerous
times. Our gardener who came to the
kitchen for some milk saw me
bleeding out in the kitchen and i was rushed to
the hospital. My parents lied to the doctor that i had an accident
but the doctor suspected
something was wrong with me. He
suggested that i be checked into a
mental hospital for help before it got
worse but my father who didn’t
want the scandal refused. Present day: my hands start shaking on the
steering wheel. I pull over beside
the road and walk the remaining
distance to my father’s office. I get
some strange look as people stare at my
bloody clothes. I finally stagger into my dad’s
office. His secretary tries to stop me but i push pass her and barge
into my dad’s office. “what the hell! James, why are
you bleeding all over my office”
he asks as soon as he sees me. I
came here to confront him but
again i am reduced to that little boy who
wants his father’s compliment “d-ad, i’ll get the land for you by
tomorrow. I-i-killed them for you” my ears starts ringing and i clutch
them. “d-ad you are proud right? I am
just like you. Right dad?”i ask and
he sneers at me. “ofcourse not! That’s like saying
am crazy. Just like you. I don’t need you, Steven has already
gotten the land. Now leave my
office. You are staining the expensive
tiles”he says and continue
reading some papers on his desk. “he is not proud, i told you, Steven
won. You are still below”the voices chant. I stare at my father
and my blood boils. After everything he still isn’t satisfied. I
am no longer his puppet. “After all these years, you still
obey him. You are too weak” “I am not weak!” I scream. My father looks up at me
then shake his head. He reaches
for his phone,probably to call the
police but before he types the
number, I grab the phone from him and
bash it against his head. He
screams but I continue hitting his head with
the landline phone. The sound of
his brain crushing, thrills me and
even after he slumps on his desk,
I continue hitting him. “Who is on top now?”I sneer at
his lifeless body. “Your worthy son.is next”
[12/1, 11:39 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 25
Toni:
its been almost two hours and
there’s no sign of Steven.
Numerous times, i have stood up
to leave but couldn’t really do it. I
am really getting angry now and the only reason i am still waiting is
to give Steven a piece of my mind
for making me wait like this.
Another reason i am still here is i
want to see him. I miss him too
much. A waiter walks towards me just
like before.
“ma’am are you sure you don’t
want anything?”
“yea, thank you”
“okay ma” he says and gives me a fake smile. I’m sure he wants me
out so a patronizing customer and
take my seat. My phone starts
ringing in my bag and i retrieve it
fast thinking that it must be
Steven. I look at my screen and see that its my brother. I sigh in
disappointment and connect the
call.
“hello, brother of mine”i say
“toni, i did it!” he says excitedly.
“i am so giddy right now, it wasn’t easy and i have been trying for
almost a month , but then i said i
should try another method and
bam! It worked” my brother
ramble o and i have no idea of
what he’s rambling about. “slow down, what worked?”
“i repaired the phone i collected
from you last month or so. The
one you wanted to throw away.
Oh by the way, there’s a message
for you in the phone and its important”he says solemnly.
“there is?” why would they be?.
Wait a minute! That phone could
be angelica’s. Am about to ask my
brother about the message but i
am interrupted by the same waiter. I roll my eyes.
“ma’am are you sur–”
“i’m sure okay? When i need you,
I’ll call for you. So go wait on
someone else. My companion isn’t
here yet” i snap. “okay ma” he says but i don’t get
a smile this time. Atleast he won’t
be coming back anytime soon.
“so what’s the important
message?” i ask but there’s no
reply on the other side of the line. “hello” i say and look at my
phone screen. The call has been
disconnected. Oh well, I’ll just ask
him about it when i get home.
What could be the important
message though?. I check my watch and see that i
have already been waiting for
almost three hours. Ok, i cant do
this anymore. Atleast i made an
effort. I stand to leave and my
phone pings in my hand, signifying an incoming message. I
sit back down and click on the
message. Its from Cynthia. Please i need your help right now.
Come to my house. Please. What could she need help for?. I
have to go see her. I’ll deal with
Steven later. But for now, a friend
is in need. Cynthia and i haven’t
been in contact since the day i
visited her. Wow, i never even thought about her. Now that i
think about it, Steven has taken
up all my time this past weeks. I
pick my bag and rush out of the
restaurant. I board a taxi and give
him cynthia’s address. Twenty minutes later, i am at her doorstep
and i knock. The door opens on it
own and my danger alert rings.
Why would Cynthia leave her
door unlocked. Could she be in
trouble now?. I rush into her sitting room to find a guy sitting
on the couch.
“excuse me, who are you?” i ask
which makes him turn to face me
fully and i gasp. Its Steven’s
brother. He smiles at me and i shudder.
“what are you doing here? Where
is Cynthia?” i ask him while
moving back slowly. Something
isn’t right and i need to get out of
here. “oh Cynthia is probably in hell
right now” he answers then stand
up and start walking towards me.
My heart is already beating so fast.
I can feel my legs shaking. I keep
walking back as he walks towards me slowly.
“what do you mean, she’s in
hell?” i keep talking
“i killed her”he says and i gasp.
My legs almost give out under me
but i hold myself up. I cant fall now, i need to escape.
“honey, you should thank me.
She’s a lying friend. Did you know
that?”he stop walking and studies
me.
“she is?”i ask, still walking backwards.
“yea, just because of a guy, she
drugged her friend. That friend
being you. By the way, you are
one lucky girl. But i think luck cant
save you today” “please, just let me go. I won’t tell
the police about Cynthia.”
“ofcourse you won’t, cause you
would be too dead to talk”i feel
the door at my back and use my
right hand to find the handle without making it obvious.
“why are you doing this?”
“nothing much, i just need your
land” that stupid land again?. Wait
a minute! Is Steven a part of this
plan?. Was that why he didn’t show up today?. No, i don’t think
so. Even though i haven’t known
Steven for long, i am sure, he cant
plot such a thing. I hope I’m right.
“you can have my land. I don’t
need it. Just let me go” “i cant sweedy. I also need your
fiance and you are going to be the
bait” my hand touches the handle
and i immediately twist it. The
door flies open and i dash out. I
run with all the strength in my body. I can hear the thud of his
feet behind me but i don’t look
back. I keep running in hope of
finding a taxi. I don’t see any taxi
and i can tell he’s already gaining
on me by the close sound of his feet. I see an uncompleted
building by a bend and i run in to
hide. My breathing is out of
control and i can feel a panic
attack coming. Please, God help
me. I pray silently. I hear footsteps close by and i close my mouth to
keep from screaming in fear.
“come out, come out little one” i
hear him say. He must be close.
“i think i like this game of hide
and seek. Do you know, i never played it when i was a kid?. My
dad thinks, no thought its a game
for weak people. Well he isn’t here
now to reprimand me, because i
killed him. Just this afternoon” he
says. This time his voice is closer. My check heave up and down.
He’s going to catch me if i remain
here. I look around but there’s no
way of out except the way i came
which is impossible because he
would see me. I have to defend myself. I pick a plank beside me
and hold behind me
“you know i can see your feet
right?” he says and i drag my feet
backwards.He doesn’t know, i am
armed so I have an advantage of surprise. He walks in front of me
and grins. I raise the plank
quickly and hit the side of his
head. Blood gush out but he
doesn’t seem fazed.
“sorry babe, but pain is just for the weak”he says then punch my
stomach twice and I lose
consciousness.
[12/1, 11:41 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 26
Steven: i was so excited this afternoon
when antonia called me to meet
her. I thought of it as my chance to
mend things with her. I had
rehearsed what i intend to say before my
mirror several times. I was both nervous and excited. Nervous
that i may not say the right things
and excited about seeing her again. I
was already on my way when i
got jane’s message. She had tried
calling me but i ignored the calls
until i saw the message. I was quick to
doubt her but something in me
seemed so uneasy so i diverted to my
dad’s office just to check on him.
When i got to the office, it was complete
chaos. There were police cars scattered in the premises and an
ambulance and that’s when i
knew something was awfully wrong
and Jane was telling the truth. The
sight of my father on a stretcher with
his head crushed is ingrained in
my memory. I still cant stop thinking
that i would have been able to
save him if i had answered have’s call
sooner. My father was never
loving or affectionate but he’s still the
man that gave birth to me and i cant let his death go unpunished.
I have to stop James before he
harms someone else that i love. I cant
even bear to think about antonia
and our baby hurt. I give the police my
statement and I’m asked to follow them to the station for my written
statement. Antonia must be angry
at me by now. I need to call her. I
dial her number but her line’s
busy. She must be on another call. The
detective comes to tell me that
they are leaving and i abandon the call
to get this over with. I have to finish this police business so i can
get to antonia. I have to keep her safe. At the police station, i
write my statement and hurry out.
I enter my car and dial antonia’s
number. She doesn’t pick up. I call her again and it rings for awhile
before she picks up. “hello, antonia. Are you
okay?.you got me worried” “hello brother” my brother
speaks through the phone.
Shocked, i lose control of the steering wheel and
step on the break. The car stops suddenly and i am launched
forward. My head hits the steering
but i don’t care. “what are you doing with
antonia’s phone, you son of a
b---h! You better not hurt even a hair on her
head or I’ll kill you” i say and i hear the b-----d laugh. “calm down. I can assure you, i
didn’t harm her hair, i just
punched her a few times.” “you are going to pay for this
James. Just wait till i find you. I’ll make sure you rot in prison!”i
scream into the phone. “now listen you motherfucker.
Enough of these empty threats. I’ll
give you half an hour to meet me at the
address i will send you.Come with that incriminating video and Make
sure you come alone or else I’ll break her pretty neck”he says
and the line goes dead. No no no
no no! I scream and punch the steering
wheel multiple times. My knuckles
hurt but it doesn’t compare to the pain
m heart is feeling right now. I wipe my tear stained face and
reverse my car towards jane’s
house. I’ll do anything to make sure
antonia and my baby come out of
this safe. As soon as i get to the address, i
park my car and jump down. I see jane’s car also parked at the front
of the house. I pound on the door as soon as i get to it. The door flies
open and i see James. He is wearing only a trousers with his
belt unbuckled. My eyes flares and
i grab his neck. “what have you done?!” i scream
in his face and he laughs. He pulls
a gun out of his pocket and point it
at my temple. “get your hands off me” he grinds
out and i do. “good. Now, move to that corner”
he says pointing to the dining section. I move slowly with my
hands out. I search the whole
room with my eyes and i see a girl of about
19 lying by the corner, weeping.
Her clothes are torn. I move to stand
close to her. “kneel!” James commands and i
comply. “let the little girl go, James. This is
between the both of us. Where is antonia? Please let them go”
James studies me for a while then
nod. “alright, I’ll let her go” he says
then points the gun at her. “no James. Don’t do it” i beg but
he releases the trigger. blood splatters on the wall and the girl’s
convulses till the last breathe leave her. I turn my eyes away. “oops. That was a slip of the
fingers” he says and starts
laughing like a mad man. “okay now, to more important
business. Where is the video?”he
asks “where’s antonia” “she is just unconscious behind
that wall so i suggest you give me
the video before i put a hole in her
head” “here, take it” i stretch my phone
towards him and he snatches it
from my hands. I give him my
password and he successfully
deletes the video. “i have fulfilled my end of the
bargain so let us leave. I won’t tell the police about this. Please” i beg “i still need something from your
fiance” he says and goes behind
the wall. He comes back with antonia.
He’s dragging her by her hair. Antonia sobs beside him. He
pushes her toward me and i catch
her. She sobs on my shoulder and i pat her
back. James brings some
documents from the table and pushes it
towards antonia. “sign it” antonia pulls away from
me and collect the papers and a
pen. She goes to sign it but stops “i will sign this only if you let
Steven go”. James squats beside antonia and pull her hair
backwards. I try to move his hand
away but he points the gun at her. “sorry baby, but Steven isn’t
leaving here alive, so you better
sign that before i decide to kill you
too” “i’m not signing” antonia grinds
out. “well then you give me no choice” “stop! She’ll sign it” i tell James,
then turn to antonia. “you have to sign this. For me. I
won’t be able to live with myself if you and the baby die because of
me”i say and antonia shakes her
head fervently as she sobs “i cant lose you Steven” she sobs
out then She hug me tight. “wow wow wow. So very
touching. But this is a waste of
time. Now sign it”James says. I watch as antonia
signs all the documents with
shaky hands. “now, you die Steven”James
points the gun at me and i close
my eyes. I hear gunshots but i don’t feel any
pain. I open my eyes to see James holding tessy. Police swarm the
place. “come any closer and I’ll
blow her brains out”James says and
points the gun at antonia’s
temple. His right hand is bloody. “hold your fire!”one of the
gunned policemen orders. “good, now, i am going to walk
out of this place and you won’t
fire. Got it?” the police men nod and James
grab antonia, using her as a body
shield and he walks out of the room. I
run after them but a police man
hold me down. “stay still.”he whispers. I hear a
car engine purr outside. We wait for some seconds before the
police man beside me yells. “go go go! Get the cars.Don’t let
him get away” i rush outside with them. Antonia isn’t outside which
means, he tot her with him. The b-----d! I follow one of the police
men into his car and we zoom off after them. I can see jane’s car in
front of us and it isn’t moving in a straight path. Its just moving
haphazardly. I watch in horror as
a tricycle suddenly drives in front of
them and the car loses control. It goes off the road with immense
speed and runs through a fence
by the side of the road then stops.
We park our car and i run towards
the wrecked car. “antonia!” i yell. I get to the car
and try to open the passenger
door but its jammed. I look inside to
see antonia’s head bleeding. I
keep hitting the door as if it would
magically open. I am pried away
from the car by some police men. I
push them off me. I am so mad
right now. James better be dead or he will
die by my hands. The driver’s
door suddenly open and James comes
out. He is bloody. “Steven, i am sorry. it wasn’t me. It
was them. The voices. They did it. Don’t worry I’ll get rid of them”
he rants like a mad man. “you are crazy! I am going to kill
you today” i shout and rush at
him. But before i get to where he is, he
shoots himself. I get to him in time to catch his body. “the voices a gone,now I can rest
“he says while coughing out
blood and goes limp in my hands. His
eyes wide open.
[12/1, 11:42 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 27
Steven: Even though i had threatened to
kill James numerous times, his
death still shakes me. I use my palm and
cover his eyes close. Few minutes later, an ambulance comes to
carry his body away. Some tools
were also brought with which antonia was
cut out of the car. Antonia’s still body is carried in another
ambulance and thankfully, she’s
alive. I hold her hands all through the
journey to the hospital while whispering that i love her and our
baby. She cant hear me though as she is still unconscious. We arrive
at the hospital fast and antonia is carried quickly into the hospital.
I run beside them still holding her hands like its an assurance
that she won’t let go and leave
me. Antonia is carried into the
operation room and i am stopped
by the door. “please let me go in with you. She
needs me. I have to be there for her and our baby” i protest. “sir, you cant help her in here and
what you are doing right now is delaying the surgery. Now, go
and fill out the necessary form.
Your wife will be out in no time. Also
get her family here.”a nurse tells me and i nod my head. The nurse
gives me a re-assuring smile and rushes into the O.R. After i finish filing all the necessary
documents, i inform antonia’s parents about her accident. I
didn’t have any of their contacts
except Mr Solomon and he was so mad at
me on the phone for putting his daughter in harm’s way. It doesn’t
take long before i see him rush into the hospital with his wife and
son in tow. “Mr Solomo-“i get punched in the
face before i get the name out of
my mouth. I grab my nose which
feels broken and look to pastor
solomon’s who is grabbing his sore
knuckles. His wife and son look
stun. “am so sorry sir, this is all my
fault”i say “you’ve hurt my daughter too
much. I don’t want you to see her
ever again. Now leave!” he says “Mr Solomon, please. I need to be
here, i have to know if she and
our baby is ok” i plead. “babies” antonia’s mother
whisper beside her husband. I
look at her with wide eyes and she nods to
confirm my suspicion. Antonia is
having twins. I am going to be a father of
two in no distant future. This is a mind-f--k. I cant believe three
people i love so much are
currently between life and death right now.
God please save them. I have lost too much already. “please sir let me stay here” i
plead but he shakes his head. “cant you see we are having a
hard time, now stop making it
worse and leave.” i look to antonia’s mom
and she just sighs. Antonia’s
brother doesn’t even spare me a glance. I
shake my head solemnly and
walk to the farthest wall of the waiting
room from them. Mr Solomon still
eyes me but i cant leave antonia and
our babies right now. I pace around trying to calm my
nerves. Its been hours since she
was taken in and we haven’t gotten
any news. The nurse who came
out of the O.R some minutes ago didn’t give
us any information. Its Another thirty minutes before i see the
doctor walk out. I rush over to
him together with antonia’s family. “doctor how are they?” Mr
Solomon asks. “the babies are fine but the
mother suffered a trauma to the
head. We were able to stop the internal
bleeding but she entered into a
coma some minutes ago. We cant do
anything now but pray and wait.
The rest depends on her will to live.”the
doctor says. “can we see her doctor?”i ask “you cant for now but when she
is transferred to the ICU, you can
see her but not too many people at a
time” he says then walk away. Its an hour later before we are
allowed to see antonia. I don’t
want to anger Mr Solomon so i let them
go in alone. When i see them
leave, i go in. Antonia is lying there
hooked to so many machines and
the sight nearly cripples me. I walk to
her side and hold her hand. “i am so sorry for putting you
through this, love. Please come
back to us. Your family is really devastated
and i cant seem to breathe without your presence. I love you
so much, it hurts” i sob into her hand. I hold her hand for hours
until a nurse tells me that i have to leave. I kiss antonia’s fore head
and her tummy before i leave. The next morning, i am back at the
hospital before 5am. Antonia’s
parents come back by 8am and thankfully
Mrs Solomon helped me persuade
her husband to let me sit by antonia’s
side. Its been almost two months and
antonia is still comatose. Alot has happened though. I was able to
find my mother. I was able to get
her location from my father’s
documents. She didn’t recognise
me and her sickness had gotten worse. I
admitted her into a better
institution and she has gotten better. I took
over my father’s company and i
have been working from the hospital. I
was always here. Reading antonia
and our babies stories. Cleaning her
and talking to her. I was able to
get forgiveness from antonia’s family.
Antonia’s brother and are
buddies now. “so, antonia you have to wake up.
We all miss you” i say while massaging her hands. “our babies need you” i place my
hands on her tummy which has
gotten bigger and i feel movement. “oh my God antonia. Our babies
just moved!. Did you feel that?”i
cry out. Antonia’s finger moves a little
as if to say yes i do and my heart soar. Her eyes blink open
and she calls my name. My name! Antonia has been transferred out
of the ICU. She’s out of her coma now and her parents are here but
she’s currently sleeping. She
hasn’t regain complete control of all her
body parts but i am so happy that she is alive and back to me. When
she opened her eyes earlier, she didn’t talk to me. She just ignored
me. I stand by her bed with a big grin on my face. Antonia stirs
awake. “antonia, can you hear me?” i ask
while clutching her hand in mine. “ofcourse i can, i am not deaf” she
says and retrieve her hands from
mine. Antonia gives me the silent
treatment for the one week she
stays in the hospital. She’s going to be
discharged today and she’s going
home with me. The doctor put her on
two more weeks of bed rest and i
am the only available one to monitor her
as her parents are going on a compulsory missionary trip. I am
going to make her love me again
in the two weeks that she is going to
live with me.
[12/1, 11:43 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATEE ROMANCE.
Episode 28
Toni: Waking up from my coma has
opened my eyes to how naive i
have been before now. So naive that i fell in
love with two people who just wanted to use me. So naive that
my best friend for many years was lying to my face and i didn’t
suspect a thing. Well, no more. I
would take this new chance at life to
make myself stronger. Steven
probably thinks he can fool me again, well
he is sorely mistaken. I don’t want to live with him during my two
weeks bed rest but my conniving
mother decided to drag my poor father to
a missionary travel which they
never planned to attend before. I know
my mother wants us to get
married but i am determined to make it on my
own. I will look for work or
maybe i will take up the French man’s offer
and go to Paris for that chef internship programme. I want to
be able to provide for my babies
when they are due. I already cleared it
with the French man and he has agreed to let me on the
programme with my pregnancy.
According to him, i have alot of potential and he
would take me on the programme
with or without child. The only reason i
agreed to live with him is because
i didn’t want to disobey my mom.
He will be under my mercy for the
next two weeks and i would frustrate
him with many pregnancy
tantrums that he’ll beg me to leave. This is going
to be so much fun. I hear my hospital room door open and i
feign sleep. I am supposed to be discharged today and its probably
Steven coming to take me home.
Well, plan activated. I hear footsteps
walking towards me and i brace
myself for what i have in mind. Steven
taps my shoulder to wake me and
i groan as if asleep and push my
legs back to hurt him. “ow!”someone screams and that
person is definitely not Steven.
This voice is deeper. I turn slowly and
see that i just kicked my doctor’s balls. Oops. I see Steven with his
hands to his mouth and i know
he’s holding back his laugh. “i am sorry, doctor”i bend my
head in shame and the doctor
who is a middle aged man groans
something which i don’t catch as
he walks hurriedly away from the room. “do you want to kill the
oldman?”Steven tease and i just
hiss at him. “someone is grumpy this early
morning. Just chill, i am here to
take you home. Home being my house.
Are you ready?” “i don’t think i have the strength
to pack my things. Can you help
me pack my bags. Please”i ask and
give him my most innocent face. “sure, anything for you” he says
and he walks to the table beside
my bed. He arranges and puts every
of my belongings in a bag my
mom brought me yesterday before she
left with my dad. I smile at the
image of Steven folding and arranging
my clothes. My smile falls when he raises a piece of clothing up. Its
my panties. Steven turns to me
and raises his eyebrows at me
teasingly. I jump off the bed and
try to retrieve it from him. He’s taller
than me so i cant reach it as he raises it higher. I stretch on my
toes trying to get it from him and i lose my balance. I almost fall
backwards but Steven catches me
with one hand firmly around my hip
and the other on my left b----t. I
look from his hand grabbing my b----t
and his face. He’s grinning at me. “they’ve grown bigger”he says
and i gasp. I push him away from
me and lose my balance again. And
Steven catches me yet again. This
time, he secures me firmly to him with my
b----t pressed to his chest. I look into his eyes and i have an insane
urge to kiss him. His head starts coming closer and i know he’s
going to kiss me but i don’t move.
My brain is shouting at me to stop
him but my body wants it
desperately. Our face is so close now and he
diverts to my neck and kiss it. “you smell so good”he says and
his hot breathe on my neck
causes a shudder to run through me.
Steven cups my face in his hands
and caress it. He’s about to kiss me on the lips
this time when the door flies open and jump away from Steven. “be careful, baby”Steven chastise
me. “don’t call me that” i say and walk
out of the room. I hear the nurse who just walked in on us, telling
Steven to go to the doctor’s office before we leave. Twenty minutes later, we are on
our way to steven’s hotel. I have
to remember that i shouldnt fall for
steven’s lies and seduction again. ‘Who was seducing who a while
ago’ my inner voice asks me and i
just shut her down.
[12/1, 11:44 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 29
Steven: With antonia sitting beside me, i
have the biggest grin on my face.
I feel like holding her hands while i
drive like we did before in Paris but i know I’ll certainly be
rebuked. Antonia probably thinks
i am trying to deceive her again. I must
get her to trust me before these two weeks are over. Speating of
my plan, i already have a welcome
back brunch ready at my house. Chris,
antonia’s brother who is in cohort with me called me at the hospital
to inform me that everything is
set. I drive into the hotel then park my
car carefully. I rush out of the car and open the door for antonia
but she just sit there frowning, making no move to exit the car. “what’s wrong?” i ask her. “i think i sprained my ankle in the
hospital awhile ago. I don’t think i can walk on it”she pout at me. “okay, that’s fine. I’ll just carry
you” “you don’t have to, but i won’t
stop you”she says and i pick her
up from the car. Wow, she has added
weight since the last time i carried her. I walk faster so i can get to
the elevator quickly. I breathe a sigh of relief when i get to the
elevator. I am about to go in
when antonia taps my shoulder. “what are you doing?” she asks “taking you upstairs” i answer.
Isn’t it obvious? “you cant use the elevator?” “and why is that?” “i read on the net that it isn’t good
for a pregnant woman to go on elevators. It affects the babies’
lungs”she says and smile
innocently at me. “so, you are saying i should take
the stairs?” she nods “to the seventh floor?”she nods
again “carrying you?” “yes Steven. Or you could just take
the elevator and I’ll walk up the stairs myself, with my injured
ankle, which hurts”she says but
she makes no move to get down. Ok
Steven, you can do this. She
doesn’t weigh that much. “no. I was just asking to be sure. I
can even carry you up 10 floors. Its no problem” i say and head to
the stairwell. I endure and carry antonia up to my suite on the
seventh floor. She doesn’t even
come down when i reach the door so i
have to maneuver my key card
out of my pocket while trying not to drop
her. I manage to get the door
open. I hear antonia gasp and that when i
remember my surprise brunch. “surprise”i whisper then carry her
to the couch and place her on it gently. Our faces are so close with
her hands around my neck. I
know kissing her would attract a slap so
i just slip her hands off my neck and stand up straight. “so what do you want to start
with?. There are some toast, eggs,
apples, stra-” “I’m not hungry” antonia says
cutting me off and my face falls. “oh, i was going to say strawberry
ice-cream but since you are not hungry, I’ll just throw it away” i
say and i see her eyes light up. She stand up from the couch and
smile at me. “on second thoughts, its a sin to
waste food so I’ll just help you un-waste the ice-cream. Where is
it?” she starts walking to the table Chris set in the middle of the
sitting room and i stare at her
back. Isn’t she supposed to be limping?.
Antonia must feel my eyes on her because she turns back “Steven,
come on. Where is the ice-
cream?”she sees my eyes on her leg and she
blushes. “antonia, how is your ankle?” i
ask “umm. It still hurts a bit but i can
manage” “the thought of ice-cream must
have magically healed it huh?” “yes. Umm so where is the ice-
cream” she says trying to change
the topic and i chuckle. The little devil
must have deceived me so i would carry her. Anyways,
thankfully, the brunch wouldn’t
be wasted. I knew she wouldn’t be able to
resist the ice-cream seeing as she
had woken me up to buy it for her
when we were in Paris. I bring the
big bowl of ice-cream i told Chris to
buy and set it on the table.
Without wasting time, Antonia opens the
bowl and dip her index finger
inside. She puts her ice-cream covered
finger into her mouth and suck on
it. I watch as her eyes close in pure
pleasure as she moans. “its delicious, Steven. Try some”
she says, her finger back in the bowl and before i know it, she’s
shoving her finger in my mouth. I suck on her hand and close my
eyes just like she did. “hmm”i murmur “delicious right?” she asks and i
nod still swirling my tongue
around her finger in my mouth. She
removes her finger slowly out of
my mouth while staring at it. “your finger tastes delicious. I
want more” i say rubbing my
stomach and wink at her. She burst out
laughing and my heart leap. This
is the first time i have heard her laugh
since the accident. We smile at
each other for awhile but the spell is
broken by a knock on the door. Antonia divert her eyes
everywhere but at me. I sigh. Who
could be knocking on my door?. I am not
expecting anybody. I walk to the
door then open it to see Jane. My smile
falls instantly. “don’t get mad at me please. I am
just here to apologise” “you cant be here.” i say glancing
behind me to make sure antonia
is not there. “i have been trying to work up
the nerves to ask for your
forgiveness for awhile now. Don’t send me
back, just hear me out” she
pleads. “maybe sometime else, now is not
a good time” i whisper. “why is this not a good time?” i
hear antonia say behind me and i
stiffen. S--t! “Jane, you have to leave now” i
say “Jane?”antonia asks. I turn to her
but she runs back into the room. What was i thinking, saying jane’s
name. Ofcourse she knows i have
a fiance named Jane. “Steven, who’s th–” Jane tries to
ask but i shut the door in her face and run inside in search of
antonia. I am surprise by what i
see when i see antonia. She is just sitting on
the couch in front of my plasma stuffing her face with ice-cream
while laughing hysterically at whatever Mr ibu is saying on the
tv set. She notice my presence and turn to me “where’s Jane?. Isn’t she joining
us for brunch?”she asks while looking behind me in search of
Jane. I walk to the couch sit
beside her. “she left”i tell her then pick the
little spoon on the table and
scoop some ice-cream into my mouth. “oh that’s a shame. I would have
loved to have a little chat with the love of your life”she says without
looking at me. I am about to tell her she is a only of my life but she
shuts me up with her hand. “Stop talking. I can’t hear the
movie”she says and I sigh.
[12/1, 11:44 PM] ‪+234 706 712 6964‬: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 30
Toni: “shut up, i cant hear the movie” i
say to shut Steven up. I don’t
want to hear him talk about his ex
fiance. He probably loved her
sincerely. Maybe he still loves her. Unlike me,
who he wants just for selfish reasons. I am trying to hide my
jealousy and if he talks about Jane right now, i know I’ll burst out in
tears. His closeness is already playing tricks with my senses. We
watch the movie in silence for almost an hour before Steven
breaks it. “so how’s your ankle?”he asks
and i turn to him. “its fine. No need to worry” but
before i finish my statement, i find my legs on Stevens lap. “we should massage it to prevent
it from getting swollen” he says. “don’t!”i scream because my feet
are really ticklish. My shout turns into giggles as soon as he places
his hands on my right foot. “sto-p i-t. It tic-kles”i laugh out
and Steven grins. “hmm, so you are ticklish on your
feet. Where else are you ticklish. Wait, let me find out myself”he
says then starts tickling my sides. I laugh so hard i almost pee my
pants and memories of this same
thing happening just few weeks ago
bombard me. Alot has happened
ever since. I missed this and i want it again
but not at the expense of a
broken heart. I don’t think i can take it
this time. Steven keeps tickling me and i laugh crazily. His hand
moves upward on his way to
tickle my armpits and it brushes my b----t.
He freezes and look into my eyes. Our eyes lock but i break the
speed as i look away. ‘You cant
get s----d into his life. He is a liar’ i
repeat continuously to remind myself. “antonia, please-“Steven says but
i stand up quickly from the couch and run into the room. ‘don’t get
s----d into his life. He is a liar” i murmur to myself as i throw
myself on his bed. The bed smells
like him and i take comfort in one of
his pillows. I remain like this, with my face pressed to the Steven-
scented pillow for a long while
before i hear Steven walk in. I close my
eyes and pretend to be asleep. “antonia, are you awake?” he
asks cautiously. “i just wanted to tell you the food
is in the kitchen if you get hungry. I have to go out. I’ll be
back soon.” he continues but i
don’t stir. I remain silent. His footsteps
starts getting closer and i feel his weight on the bed. It takes
everything in me to not open my
eyes to see what he’s doing. I don’t
wonder for long as i feel one of
his hand caress my cheek. “you look so peaceful right now. I
am sorry for all the stress and pain you had to go through
because of me. If i could take all
your pains i would. Am so sorry and i
love you. I love you with every breathe in me. I need you and our
babies. Please open your heart to me” he says then chuckles. “i should be saying this when
you’re awake.” i hear him sigh
after saying this then feel his lips on my
forehead. Something wet falls on my face. Is he crying?. “now i am crying like a girl.”he
says then stand. I want to kiss
him, hug him and console him but i
also don’t want to. I am so
confused right now. Is this acting or real?.
Steven walks out of the room and
i let my tears fall.I sob into the
pillow. I am so confuse right
now.I don’t want to make the wrong
decision because i know I’ll regret
it for life. What do i choose now? A
career in Paris or a family in Nigeria. Well, i cant make a
decision right now. My head hurts
and i am so hungry. Steven did say the
food was in the kitchen. “let’s go get some food” i say
while rubbing my round tummy. I
walk to the kitchen/dining and find food
lined on the table. I quickly sit on one of the chair and rub my
hands together. The thought of
food has cheered me up considerably. “i bless this food and sanctify it in
Jesus name.”i pray then grin at the food. A paper under one of
the plates catches my eyes and i
pick it up. Its a message addressed to
me. Going out for a while. Will be back
before you know it. I know you couldn’t resist the food.*winks* i smile at the paper. He actually
wrote *winks*. How old is he?. I roll my eyes at the paper then
place it carefully on the table
before i dig into the meal. After eating, i
move to the sitting room and watch ‘blank panther’ on mbc2. The delicious smell of stew
permeates the air and i open my
eyes. Everywhere has gotten dark. I
must have fallen asleep during the movie. I sit up and notice a small
blanket covering my legs. It
wasn’t here before i dozed off. The smell
of stew meets my nose again and i stand up and follow the aroma to
the kitchen. I see Steven filtering spaghetti. He doesn’t see me as
am behind him so i just watch him
as he moves around the kitchen with
ease. “like what you see?”he asks then
turn to face me. “ho-w did you know?” “oh, i can feel you. Whenever you
are close, my blood just fizz in excitement”he says and i blush. “hope you guys are hungry,
because daddy just finished
cooking spaghetti”he says while looking
at my baby bump. I smile at him
and he looks stun. “did you just smile at me?.
Halleluyah. Its a miracle”he says
and i laugh.Steven serves some
spaghetti and stew on a small
plate and pass it to me. “appetizer”he says and wink.I
laugh as he turns back and put
finishing touches to the meal.Once in a
while, he’ll turn back and open his mouth for me to feed him.I was
hesitant the first time but its too fun, i continue.A knock at the
door stops us and i get up to go
check since Steven is a bit pre-occupied.I
open the door to see a very beautiful woman.She’s carrying a
baby in her arms.I look from the woman to the sleeping baby. “you must be steven’s fiance.He
told me so much about you when
we talked after our dad’s funeral.
Wow, its true, you are beautiful.I hope you are using your
pregnancy to get whatever you
want from him”she says and i frown. “no sweetheart.I meant,
pregnancy is an opportunity for
us women to control our man”she says and i
laugh. “oh forgive my manners, come
in”i say and direct her in. Steven is already walking towards us. “sis. Nelly, what are you doing
here?” “just wanted to see my sister-in-
law or cant i?”she winks at me
and i smile.Steven looks at me but i just
shrug.