Intoxicated romance episode 31-34
INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 31
Toni: “umm, ofcourse you can. its just
that we were not expecting any company” Steven replies while
rubbing his neck awkwardly. “but you said we should meet
often to mend the rift our dad tore between us. I’ll just leave then”
nelly says and pout. I just keep quiet and watch their exchange. “its just i want-” Steven says and
nelly cut him off. “yea, i totally understand. What
was i thinking? You guys
probably want me gone so you can
continue that thing you were
doing.” she winks at us and i start
coughing. “no, w-e were just cooking”
I sputter out still coughing. Steven
runs to my side and starts patting my
back. “antonia, are you okay?” i raise
my hand to signify that I’m okay. I turn to look at nelly who is
making kissing gestures with her
hands. My cough starts again and she
giggles. Steven glare at his sister
and she stops immediately then bring
me a glass of water. Her baby
starts crying and Steven takes her from
nelly. “thank you” “no need to thank me. I caused it.
You guys are just so adorable. I cant believe Steven actually
blushed.” she whispers. “you know i can hear you right?”
Steven says while rocking the
infant in his arms. Nelly grin at him while
Steven shakes his head and leave. “i like this new Steven.”she says
which pique my curiosity. “what do you mean, new?” “he’s normally so serious and
distant. Can you believe, we lived
in the same house for years but i can
count the number of times he
smiles with just one of my finger. That
once being the last day he left the house”. “really? So he wasn’t close to his
family?” i ask “yea. So i am happy that he has
found someone he could love.” “i don’t think what he feels for me
is love” “look girl. He has been grinning
like an idiot ever since i walked in. That smile is for you. I can see that
you’re holding back on my brother. Please, let go and love
him. This is going to be the first real family he’ll have.” “umm-“i say but she continues “our father had never let him get
close to his family. He always set up things that would drive a
wedge between us. The last
competition killed my brother.” she says and
close her eyes at the painful
thought. I pat her shoulder to console her
even when i know that brother
almost killed me and Steven. “am sorry for my outburst its just
that i cant believe my brother died because of a stupid land and
Steven almost got killed too.
Thank God its over and that curse land isn’t
needed anymore” she says and
my hand stop moving. “its not?” i ask “no, my dad was the one after
that land so now that he is dead,
its not needed. It was not even
necessary. My dad knows the land
owner won’t sell so he used it as a
challenge for his sons. God, i am
so happy that i am not a boy.”she
says and wipe her tear eyes. She doesn’t even notice my stun
expression. How could a father be
so cruel?. I really pity Steven.
Growing up in that kind of a
family wouldn’t be easy. I look at where
he is sitting on the couch and sigh in approval at the sight of Steven
with nelly’s baby on his chest. I imagine nelly’s daughter as ours
and the image is so perfect in my mind. If only he loves me
sincerely, everything would be
perfect. Wait a minute. Nelly just said Steven
doesn’t need the land. That means
he wants me for me. Not for my land.
Could this be real. Does Steven sincerely want me and our
children?. I am so lost in thoughts
that i forget nelly until she snaps her
fingers in my face. “girl! Where’s your mind?” “oh am sorry. Did you say Steven
doesn’t need that land anymore?” “yes. Why?” “nothing. So what were you
saying?” i ask. I feel so excited
right now. My hope is high. Steven might
sincerely love me and the thought
is making me giddy. Why did i even
doubt him when he has been so
sweet and caring to me?. Mom told me,
he never left the hospital except
for some minutes every day for the
two months i was in a coma. She
said he brought his work to the hospital. “the actual reason i am here is to
invite you and Steven to Jessica’s birthday party tomorrow. Here is
your invite” she hands me an
invitation card then sashay out of the
kitchen and I walk behind her
with a big grin on my face. She takes her
baby from Steven who burst into
wails. “shh. Jessica, its mommy” she coo
to the baby and the baby falls
back asleep “what did you give my daughter
that she does not want to leave
you” she scold steven playfully. “what can i say, i am a chick
magnet” Steven says and smile at
me. I cant help but smile back. “hey, love birds. Let me leave
before you start giving each other
love stares.”she says then drag me
with her. “antonia, walk me out. You Stay”
she says to Steven and he pout. “antonia shouldnt be out of the
house, she’s supposed to be on bedrest” he yells after us but nelly
ignore him. We take the elevator and we are out in the street in no
time. “i just have one advice for you, let
yourself fall in love with Steven he loves you. I know it”she says
and i sigh. “I’ll give you one expo. Serve
your dinner in the same plate and
if he leaves the last spoon of food for
you, that’s true love sweedy. Men don’t joke about their food
except the one they love.
Goodbye antonia. See you at the party” she hug me
then hop into a taxi which just stopped at our front. I stare at the
taxi as it carry her away. I start walking back into the hotel
when a drop of rain hit me. Before
i take another step, it starts raining
heavily. I shriek at the coldness of the rain then start walking
faster. Before i reach the hotel
gate, i see Steven running towards me
with an umbrella and i smile.
[12/1, 11:45 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 32
Steven: i was already waiting for antonia
in the reception room when i saw the rain start.I had to bribe a
security guard before he lent me
his umbrella. I rush outside to save
her from the rain. I see antonia walking fast toward me and i run
to her. I get to where she is and
she launches her self into my arms. I
catch her and she hugs me tight. I open the umbrella and cover the
both of us. The rain fall around us and we just hug for awhile. I hold
antonia and rest my chin on her hair. She smells so good. After
awhile i pull her away from me. “hey, what’s with the hug?” i ask. “what?. You hugged me, not the
other way around.” she says and
starts walking away. I run after her
covering her with the umbrella. “stop walking away from me.
you’ll get sick.” i say and she
stops. “okay, i guess I’ll just have to
endure walking with you” she
says then move to my side. I put my hands
around her waist and tuck her
closer to me. She lean on me and we
walk into the hotel. When we get
to the elevator, i stop and raise my eye
brow at antonia. She roll her eyes then press the button for the
elevator. It opens and she stroll in without meeting my eyes. I laugh
then hop in too. The ride is silent as antonia tries to avoid my eyes. “you know, you never told me the
name of the website where you learnt that elevators
are not good for pregnant
women” i say as soon as we get off. “shut up”she grinds out and i
laugh. “you should have just told me you
wanted to be carried. By me.” “whatever” she says and walk
faster to our suite. The smell of food reminds us of
the dinner we were going to have before nelly’s visit and i move to
the kitchen to dish out our food but antonia stops me. “why don’t you go in and change
your clothes. You were mostly out
of the umbrella our entire walk and i
don’t want you to catch a cold”
she says smiling sweetly and i cant
help but get suspicious. “umm alright. I’ll just change my
clothes. I’ll be back in five to set the table for us” “don’t worry. Leave the setting for
me. Take a long as you want” she says. I shrug my shoulder and
walk to the room to change. I
make a quick work of changing and rush
back to the living room to help antonia. I notice that she is
serving only a plate of food and i
help her retrieve another plate to serve
mine. “no!. Stop!” she shouts at me. “what?. I just want to help” “don’t help.”she takes the plate
from me and push me out of the
kitchen. “watch a movie or something. I’ll
bring the food here when I’m
done”she says “here? what’s wrong with the
dining?” “stop questioning me and do
what i say!” she snap and i raise
my hand in surrender. I obediently park my
butt on the couch and surf
through channels. I settle on a sport
channel still wondering what
antonia is up to. About five minutes later,
antonia appears with a plate of spaghetti. No scratch that. A bowl
of spaghetti. I rush and help her with it. “woah. Who’s gonna eat this?” i
ask after placing it on the table. “what? Its too much?” she asks. “well, yea.look at it””its not too
much for four people” she says pointing to her stomach and i
laugh. “oh sorry. I totally forgot we have
company. Come on, sit. You must
be hungry” i say and sit her beside
me on the couch. “i don’t normally eat much” she
says in her defence and i give her
a thumbs up. She prays on the meal
and we commence eating. Its
silent for awhile until antonia speaks. “nelly told me about the conflict
between you and your brother.
Am so sorry, my land made it worse and
drove him insane”she says. “this isn’t your fault sweets. You
should never think that. I should be the one apologizing for getting
you almost killed. I really hope you can forgive me”i say and she
just gives me a sad smile. I don’t want to push her. If she isn’t
ready to have this talk, i won’t
force it. “okay enough of the sad talk. Let
finish this meal and get some rest”
i say and take the last spoon of
food. I see antonia staring at me
and i stop with the food halfway to my
mouth. “what?” i ask “umm you are going to eat that?”
she asks “ofcourse. Is anything wrong
with that?” “not really” she says. Why is she
acting so strange over a spoon of food?. I shrug and am about to
put the food in my mouth when
antonia stomps off to the room. “hey, baby. What have i done
again?.” i ask as i run after her. “leave me alone” she slams the
door and i hear the door click
lock. “hey, come on. Open the door”i
knock but she does not reply.
After knocking for some minutes
without any success, i relent and
walk back to the living room. What could i
have done wrong now?.
Pregnancy hormones is so frustrating to live
with oh. I rub my neck in frustration and lie on the couch. A
sudden lightning lights the sky and a violent thunder strikes. I
hear antonia scream and she
comes running towards me. She jumps
on the couch with me and hide
her face in my neck. She presses her body
to mine and mind you, i am not complaining. “babe, its just thunder” i say
soothingly. “its scary” she says and i laugh. “are you laughing at me?” she
raise her face and glare at me. I
raise my hands up in surrender again. “no! Me? Godforbid. You know i
will never do that na” she smile a
bit and yawns. “you did! So as punishment, you
have to sing me to sleep”she says
and snuggle into me again. I sing her
numerous songs and we lie on
the couch snuggled together for
almost an hour before she finally
fall asleep and I carry her to our bed.
[12/1, 11:46 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
(Semi_Final)
Episode 33
Toni: i wake up to an empty bed
wondering how i got here. I
remember getting angry at Steven, regretting
it and using the thunder as an excuse to cuddle with him. I also
remember Steven singing
different lullaby for me but that’s where i
draw a blank. I must have fallen asleep and Steven must have
carried me to bed. Did he sleep
beside me last night?.Where is he then?. I get
off the bed to look for him and that’s when i notice a tray on the
bed side table. The tray contains a cup of green tea, some biscuits
and a written note. Make sure you drink this for your
morning sickness. Both the tea
and the biscuit are made of ginger. I
hear it helps. P.S. Will be back in an hour. Don’t
miss me too much. *winks* i cant help it. I burst into laughter.
Maybe he failed the food test but its so clear that he cares about
me. I drink the tea and eat a few of the biscuits. My stomach seems
settle as i perform my early
morning routine. I order some bread from the
kitchen downstairs and eat it with
my ice-cream while waiting for
Steven. Am almost done with
breakfast when Steven works in. “Steven!” i yell excitedly and run
to embrace him. “wow. Someone is happy to see
me this morning”he says and i
laugh. “well you deserve that hug for the
biscuits and tea. I feel fine” “wow. That’s good. I think you
are also going to like what i have planned today”he says “really? What is it?” “okay, my sis texted me this
morning about jessica’s birthday
and i know you don’t have anything
here to wear that is appropriate
for the party. So–” “you bought me clothes?!” i ask
excited “no”he says and my face falls. “what i was going to say before
you interrupted is, i got you a private clothes stylist and she will
be here soon”. We hear a knock
at the door and Steven smiles. “that must be her. Tell me you are
excited because i am. I get to see you try different clothes till we
find something perfect for tomorrow”he ramble on as he
goes to the door to let the stylist
in. I am excited just like him because
duh, what girl wouldn’t love to do dress up in front of her man?. Not
this girl. I walk to the living room to see a guy day in a rack of
dresses. A stunning lady dressed fully in designer everything walks
in. “hi Mr Steven, I’m zoe. The stylist
you hired”she says and smile longingly at Steven. I know that
look because I always have that
look. I walk in between them and smile
brightly. “and am toni, his pregnant fiance” “toni, isn’t that like a guy’s
name?”she whispers and i gasp.
Why are all the stylist I’ve met so
obnoxious. Steven must probably
sense my boiling state because he drag me
behind him. “zoe. Thanks for coming on such
short notice. This is antonia, my babies’ mama and i want you to
find a dress she can wear to a
child’s birthday party. Some not too
formal”he says “leave that to me. I know just the
perfect dress for her” she says
and move to the rack. Steven moves to
sit on the couch as he watch zoe dress me. All the dresses i have
tried so far are either too tight for tummy or have too much
cleavage. Steven is obviously
amused by this. He finally stands up and walk to
the rack. He moves through
hangers and brings a dress out. Its a red
lacy trapeze dress with an asymmetric hem. The neckline is
high so there won’t be cleavage problem. “i love red, i love lace and i think
you will look fabulous in this. Go try”he says and pushes me to
the bathroom. I try it on and
check my reflection on the mirror. Wow. It
feels so soft. I walk out of the bathroom and Steven stands and
walks to me. “you look amazing”he says and
peck me lips. Yes! Take that zoe.
Zoe clears her throat and Steven turns
to her. “she’ll have this dress. Get her
shoes that will go with it and whatever else she’ll need. Just no
necklace. I got that”he says. It doesn’t take long to find the
perfect shoe. I choose silver peep-toe pumps with ankle
straps. They are just gorgeous
and not too high. I am already so excited
about tomorrow. For accessories,
zoe chooses ornami open twist
fishhook sterling silver drop
earrings. Who knew a earring could have a long
name?. After about two hours, i
have all I’ll need for tomorrow’s party
and We bid zoe goodbye. We
relax with the television set the rest of
the day. We are currently sitting on the couch after having dinner. “someone is going to look
gorgeous tomorrow.”Steven says “well thank you”i stand up and
curtsey. “i don’t think nelly would like you
stealing her spotlight”he says and we laugh. I stare longingly at the
shoes. So beautiful. They look like they sparkle in the light. “oh no!”i
say “what’s wrong?” “i chose peep-toe shoes.” “so?” “i have to have my nails done!” “i don’t think we can find
someone to do it for you now. Its
already late. Cant you do it yourself?” “well i can. But i don’t think my
hands can reach my toes
anymore”i say pointing to my protruding
stomach. “oh. I think i can do it for you.
Nothing a few tutorials on
YouTube cant solve”he says and brings his
phone out. We watch some nails tutorial videos online. Steven goes
out for some minutes and comes back with red nail polish. I
wonder where he got it. “so are you ready?”he asks and i
nod. “good, now lie back and place
your feet on my lap”he says and i
do it obediently. “are you sure, you can do this?”i
ask timidly “trust me”he says then left my left
feet up. Its ticklish and i squirm. “babe, you have to stay still so i
won’t make a mistake.” “but its ticklish”i giggle and he
shake his head. We battle for
almost an hour before Steven finish both
my feet and it actually looks great. He volunteers to do my fingernails
but i thank him. He’s done so
much already. I can handle my fingers
on my own. “thank God. My neck is killing me.
I have to sleep now. Don’t stay up too late” he says and walks to the
bedroom. Wow, he is
presumptuous. What makes him think i want to
sleep on the same bed with him?.
I shake my head and paint my
fingers. By the time, i am done, i
am so sleepy. I drag myself to bed to see
Steven sleeping and an idea hits me. I g the nail polis from the
living room and paint all Steven toenails. He is going to flip when
he sees this tomorrow.
[12/1, 11:46 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
(Final_ Episode 34)
Toni: “what the hell!”Steven scream and
i jump off the bed with a start. I turn to him and frown. “what’s going on?”i ask and he
just keep mumbling while
gesturing to his feet. My brain kicks awake at
the sight of the red nail polish and i stiffle a laugh. “this isn’t funny antonia!”he yells
and i burst into fake tears. “a-m sorry. I thought maybe
you’ll like it.”i sob out and his face
softens. “awwn. Don’t cry baby. Ofcourse i
love it. Its beautiful. A work of art. Thanks.”he says and i wipe
my tears. “since you love it so much, why
don’t i paint your fingernails too?” “we are going to be late. Go get
ready”Steven says to change the subject and i let him. Yea, nelly
was right. Throwing pregnancy tantrums can used to one’s
advantage. I take myself to the bathroom
where i laugh. In two hours, we are done
preparing. I look at the mirror and
nod my head in approval of my looks. I
really do love my outfit. “wow antonia, you look
amazing”Steven says and i twirl
around laughing. Steven walks to me. “oh no. Something’s missing.”he
says and caress my neck. “what’s missing?” i ask and touch
my neck. My hand touches a chain
and Steven grin. I rush to the toilet
mirror. Wow, its beautiful. I go back to Steven in the living room. “so, do you like it?”he asks “i love it. Especially the locket.” i
caress the silver bottle locket attached to the chain. “it represents our beginning
seeing as i was drunk when i met
you. I designed it and sent the picture to
a jeweler in Paris to have it made.”Steven says. “wow, that’s so romantic”i laugh
and Steven smiles. “okay, enough of the chit chat.
Lets move it”Steven says and grab
my hand, leading me downstairs to
the car. He opens the passenger
door for me and bows. “your highness”he says and i
giggle. I hop into the car then pat
his head. “thank you good and faithful
palace guard”i say and Steven
burst into laughter. He shakes his head at
me and moves to his side of the
car. We drive to the party in
companionable silence.
Throughout our drive, my hands are on my locket. Wow,
i cant believe he made me a
necklace. We arrive at the party before it
starts and i help nelly who is ecstatic to see me again arrange
things. By 11:00am the party
kicks off and its the most fun I’ve had in
a long time as i watch the kids dance and compete at different
games. The parents’ games are
mostly hilarious. Nelly force Steven and i
to participate in one of them. Its a game in which five couples
dance around four chairs and
when the music stop, we sit carrying our
partner. The couple without a
chair loses. Steven is really competitive
and we make it to the last level with aother couple comprising of
a fat woman and her skinny wife.
The fat woman who has been carrying
her husband each time they sit, is also o determine to win. “you are going down”she sneer
at me and Steven sticks his tongue
out to her. “not gonna happen”Steven says. “come on, Steven. Lets just let
them win. Its just a game”i plead
but Steven isn’t listening. He’s
currently Participating in a stare
off with the woman. I look to the
woman’s husband and he eyes
me. Ok, lets do this. “Steven, permission to crush
them”i say and he grins. The
music starts and we dance around the only
chair available. The music stops
and Steven and i are directly in front of
the chair. Steven goes to sit but stops when he sees the
woman diving towards us. Oh no.
She’s gonna run into me and it would hurt. I
want to move but shock is
pinning me to the spot. I close my eyes
waiting for the impact but i only
feel hands drag me away. I open my
eyes to see Steven behind me with
his hand over my tummy in a
protective manner. I look beside
me to see the woman on the chair with her
husband. “am sorry we lost the game
because of me” i tell Steven as we
walk to our seat “you mean more to me than a
stupid game. Infact there is no comparison”he says and my heart
swoons. Nelly comes to us to
apologise and we just laugh it off. Nelly
looks agitated. “hey, are you okay”i ask her “actually, today is kindof my
anniversary. Its the day i met my husband and i hired a musician to
surprise my husband with the
song from our first movie date. But he’s
not here yet”she says biting her nails “oh, umm Steven can help you
with that. He’s a really good
singer” i say and her face brightens. “would he agree to do it?” she
asks. “I’ll convince him” “thanks. You’re a love saver”she
giggles and i shake my head as
she walks away. Turns out Steven is
shy of crowd. But after much persuasion and some bribing, i
finally got him to agree.
Thankfully he knows the song. “so next up, my brother Steven
singing ’till i met you'”nelly says
and everybody applauds. Steven
walks to the Mic and clears his
throat. “so um this song is for my sis and
her husband. Its actually their anniversary today so um hahaha,
here’s the song.”i stiffle my laugh where i stand. He’s so nervous. I never dream cause i always though that
dreaming was for kids. Just a childish thing. And i could swear love is just a game that children
play and no more than a game. Till i met you i never knew what love was Till i met you This feeling seems to grow more
everyday I love you more each day Now i could swear love is not a game that children
play So tell me that you stay you and i should be together cant you see cant you see Till i met you Till i met you The whole room erupts in
applauds and i cant breathe. It
was like that song was meant for me. I see
Steven walking towards me and i
rush to hug him. “you were amazing”i say and
sniffle “hey baby, don’t cry”he says and
catches a tear with his thumb. “come on, lets get out of here”he
says and drag me to the car. I feel so overwhelm. I cant keep my
feelings inside anymore. I have to
tell him, i still love him. I place my
hand on his right hand and he smiles. I cant wait to get home so i
could confess my feelings. Steven: i poured my heart into that song.
It said everything that i want to tell antonia. She seemed to love
the song. I feel her warm palm on
my my hand and i entwine them
together. She doesn’t protest and
my heart swells. We hold hands while i
drive until antonia receives a call. I can only hear her side of the
conversation but the mention of
monseiur Charles is enough to scatter my
hopes. She doesn’t talk much. She keeps glancing while taking the
call. She promises to call them
later. I totally forgot about Paris. She
going to leave me soon. The rest
of the ride is silent. I open the door
for her when we get to the hotel but do not follow when i get a call.
My mom just committed suicide.
As if the night couldn’t get any
worse. I walk nimbly to the
elevator. As soon as i enter my suite, antonia
walks to me. Her smile falls when she notices my expression. “are you okay, Steven”she asks
and i just burst out in tears. She
hugs me and pat my back. “my mom is dead”i sob out and
she tells me everything would be
okay but i know it wouldn’t. She will be
leaving soon. Suddenly, i am desperate. I start kissing her neck.
She moans and my lips move all over her face then to her lips. She
doesn’t stop me and i keep
kissing her. Soon, my shirt is off and i am
pushing her backwards to our
room without breaking our kiss. Still,
she doesn’t stop me. We fall into bed our hands everywhere. “Steven”she whisper my name
and i freeze. What am i doing?. I
cant do this just to lose her. I pull away
from her and she moans her disapproval “stop”i say “what’s wrong?” “i cant do this. It isn’t right. I cant
take that you will be leaving to Paris soon”she looks surprise “yes, i know about your chef
internship programme in Paris. I
won’t stop you antonia. I want you to
be happy and i know that has
always been your dream. I don’t want to
get hurt when you leave so i cant bear to lose another person i love.
I am sorry. You should leave tomorrow. I won’t hold you back
anymore.” i say and walk out of
the room. I grab my shirt from the
floor and put it on. I lie on the
couch for hours without falling asleep. The sun rises without sleep thing
me. I wait some hours before walking into the room and
antonia is all packed and ready. I
cant seem to help the hurt i feel. ‘You told her
to leave and she’s doing just that’ i chastise myself. The drive to
the airport is silent and so is our walk to boarding room. Turns
out antonia already bought a
ticket. I hold myself from breaking down
as she walks away with my heart.
As soon as she board the plane. I
slump on the floor and let the
tears fall. “hey, a grown man should be
sitting on the floor”someone says
and i raise my head to see antonia
smiling down at me. “what?. The plane. You. Your
dream. Paris”i mumble. “Steven, i could never leave you.
You are my dream. I love you so
so much. Which brings me to the
question; will you marry us?”she
says and goes down on one kneel. I rub
my eyes to make sure i am not
dreaming this. “I’m real baby and i need your
answer so i can get off the
floor”she laughs “ofcourse I’ll marry you” i raise
her up gently and kiss the air out
of her. **************
Wow! Thanks so much for
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Episode 31
Toni: “umm, ofcourse you can. its just
that we were not expecting any company” Steven replies while
rubbing his neck awkwardly. “but you said we should meet
often to mend the rift our dad tore between us. I’ll just leave then”
nelly says and pout. I just keep quiet and watch their exchange. “its just i want-” Steven says and
nelly cut him off. “yea, i totally understand. What
was i thinking? You guys
probably want me gone so you can
continue that thing you were
doing.” she winks at us and i start
coughing. “no, w-e were just cooking”
I sputter out still coughing. Steven
runs to my side and starts patting my
back. “antonia, are you okay?” i raise
my hand to signify that I’m okay. I turn to look at nelly who is
making kissing gestures with her
hands. My cough starts again and she
giggles. Steven glare at his sister
and she stops immediately then bring
me a glass of water. Her baby
starts crying and Steven takes her from
nelly. “thank you” “no need to thank me. I caused it.
You guys are just so adorable. I cant believe Steven actually
blushed.” she whispers. “you know i can hear you right?”
Steven says while rocking the
infant in his arms. Nelly grin at him while
Steven shakes his head and leave. “i like this new Steven.”she says
which pique my curiosity. “what do you mean, new?” “he’s normally so serious and
distant. Can you believe, we lived
in the same house for years but i can
count the number of times he
smiles with just one of my finger. That
once being the last day he left the house”. “really? So he wasn’t close to his
family?” i ask “yea. So i am happy that he has
found someone he could love.” “i don’t think what he feels for me
is love” “look girl. He has been grinning
like an idiot ever since i walked in. That smile is for you. I can see that
you’re holding back on my brother. Please, let go and love
him. This is going to be the first real family he’ll have.” “umm-“i say but she continues “our father had never let him get
close to his family. He always set up things that would drive a
wedge between us. The last
competition killed my brother.” she says and
close her eyes at the painful
thought. I pat her shoulder to console her
even when i know that brother
almost killed me and Steven. “am sorry for my outburst its just
that i cant believe my brother died because of a stupid land and
Steven almost got killed too.
Thank God its over and that curse land isn’t
needed anymore” she says and
my hand stop moving. “its not?” i ask “no, my dad was the one after
that land so now that he is dead,
its not needed. It was not even
necessary. My dad knows the land
owner won’t sell so he used it as a
challenge for his sons. God, i am
so happy that i am not a boy.”she
says and wipe her tear eyes. She doesn’t even notice my stun
expression. How could a father be
so cruel?. I really pity Steven.
Growing up in that kind of a
family wouldn’t be easy. I look at where
he is sitting on the couch and sigh in approval at the sight of Steven
with nelly’s baby on his chest. I imagine nelly’s daughter as ours
and the image is so perfect in my mind. If only he loves me
sincerely, everything would be
perfect. Wait a minute. Nelly just said Steven
doesn’t need the land. That means
he wants me for me. Not for my land.
Could this be real. Does Steven sincerely want me and our
children?. I am so lost in thoughts
that i forget nelly until she snaps her
fingers in my face. “girl! Where’s your mind?” “oh am sorry. Did you say Steven
doesn’t need that land anymore?” “yes. Why?” “nothing. So what were you
saying?” i ask. I feel so excited
right now. My hope is high. Steven might
sincerely love me and the thought
is making me giddy. Why did i even
doubt him when he has been so
sweet and caring to me?. Mom told me,
he never left the hospital except
for some minutes every day for the
two months i was in a coma. She
said he brought his work to the hospital. “the actual reason i am here is to
invite you and Steven to Jessica’s birthday party tomorrow. Here is
your invite” she hands me an
invitation card then sashay out of the
kitchen and I walk behind her
with a big grin on my face. She takes her
baby from Steven who burst into
wails. “shh. Jessica, its mommy” she coo
to the baby and the baby falls
back asleep “what did you give my daughter
that she does not want to leave
you” she scold steven playfully. “what can i say, i am a chick
magnet” Steven says and smile at
me. I cant help but smile back. “hey, love birds. Let me leave
before you start giving each other
love stares.”she says then drag me
with her. “antonia, walk me out. You Stay”
she says to Steven and he pout. “antonia shouldnt be out of the
house, she’s supposed to be on bedrest” he yells after us but nelly
ignore him. We take the elevator and we are out in the street in no
time. “i just have one advice for you, let
yourself fall in love with Steven he loves you. I know it”she says
and i sigh. “I’ll give you one expo. Serve
your dinner in the same plate and
if he leaves the last spoon of food for
you, that’s true love sweedy. Men don’t joke about their food
except the one they love.
Goodbye antonia. See you at the party” she hug me
then hop into a taxi which just stopped at our front. I stare at the
taxi as it carry her away. I start walking back into the hotel
when a drop of rain hit me. Before
i take another step, it starts raining
heavily. I shriek at the coldness of the rain then start walking
faster. Before i reach the hotel
gate, i see Steven running towards me
with an umbrella and i smile.
[12/1, 11:45 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
Episode 32
Steven: i was already waiting for antonia
in the reception room when i saw the rain start.I had to bribe a
security guard before he lent me
his umbrella. I rush outside to save
her from the rain. I see antonia walking fast toward me and i run
to her. I get to where she is and
she launches her self into my arms. I
catch her and she hugs me tight. I open the umbrella and cover the
both of us. The rain fall around us and we just hug for awhile. I hold
antonia and rest my chin on her hair. She smells so good. After
awhile i pull her away from me. “hey, what’s with the hug?” i ask. “what?. You hugged me, not the
other way around.” she says and
starts walking away. I run after her
covering her with the umbrella. “stop walking away from me.
you’ll get sick.” i say and she
stops. “okay, i guess I’ll just have to
endure walking with you” she
says then move to my side. I put my hands
around her waist and tuck her
closer to me. She lean on me and we
walk into the hotel. When we get
to the elevator, i stop and raise my eye
brow at antonia. She roll her eyes then press the button for the
elevator. It opens and she stroll in without meeting my eyes. I laugh
then hop in too. The ride is silent as antonia tries to avoid my eyes. “you know, you never told me the
name of the website where you learnt that elevators
are not good for pregnant
women” i say as soon as we get off. “shut up”she grinds out and i
laugh. “you should have just told me you
wanted to be carried. By me.” “whatever” she says and walk
faster to our suite. The smell of food reminds us of
the dinner we were going to have before nelly’s visit and i move to
the kitchen to dish out our food but antonia stops me. “why don’t you go in and change
your clothes. You were mostly out
of the umbrella our entire walk and i
don’t want you to catch a cold”
she says smiling sweetly and i cant
help but get suspicious. “umm alright. I’ll just change my
clothes. I’ll be back in five to set the table for us” “don’t worry. Leave the setting for
me. Take a long as you want” she says. I shrug my shoulder and
walk to the room to change. I
make a quick work of changing and rush
back to the living room to help antonia. I notice that she is
serving only a plate of food and i
help her retrieve another plate to serve
mine. “no!. Stop!” she shouts at me. “what?. I just want to help” “don’t help.”she takes the plate
from me and push me out of the
kitchen. “watch a movie or something. I’ll
bring the food here when I’m
done”she says “here? what’s wrong with the
dining?” “stop questioning me and do
what i say!” she snap and i raise
my hand in surrender. I obediently park my
butt on the couch and surf
through channels. I settle on a sport
channel still wondering what
antonia is up to. About five minutes later,
antonia appears with a plate of spaghetti. No scratch that. A bowl
of spaghetti. I rush and help her with it. “woah. Who’s gonna eat this?” i
ask after placing it on the table. “what? Its too much?” she asks. “well, yea.look at it””its not too
much for four people” she says pointing to her stomach and i
laugh. “oh sorry. I totally forgot we have
company. Come on, sit. You must
be hungry” i say and sit her beside
me on the couch. “i don’t normally eat much” she
says in her defence and i give her
a thumbs up. She prays on the meal
and we commence eating. Its
silent for awhile until antonia speaks. “nelly told me about the conflict
between you and your brother.
Am so sorry, my land made it worse and
drove him insane”she says. “this isn’t your fault sweets. You
should never think that. I should be the one apologizing for getting
you almost killed. I really hope you can forgive me”i say and she
just gives me a sad smile. I don’t want to push her. If she isn’t
ready to have this talk, i won’t
force it. “okay enough of the sad talk. Let
finish this meal and get some rest”
i say and take the last spoon of
food. I see antonia staring at me
and i stop with the food halfway to my
mouth. “what?” i ask “umm you are going to eat that?”
she asks “ofcourse. Is anything wrong
with that?” “not really” she says. Why is she
acting so strange over a spoon of food?. I shrug and am about to
put the food in my mouth when
antonia stomps off to the room. “hey, baby. What have i done
again?.” i ask as i run after her. “leave me alone” she slams the
door and i hear the door click
lock. “hey, come on. Open the door”i
knock but she does not reply.
After knocking for some minutes
without any success, i relent and
walk back to the living room. What could i
have done wrong now?.
Pregnancy hormones is so frustrating to live
with oh. I rub my neck in frustration and lie on the couch. A
sudden lightning lights the sky and a violent thunder strikes. I
hear antonia scream and she
comes running towards me. She jumps
on the couch with me and hide
her face in my neck. She presses her body
to mine and mind you, i am not complaining. “babe, its just thunder” i say
soothingly. “its scary” she says and i laugh. “are you laughing at me?” she
raise her face and glare at me. I
raise my hands up in surrender again. “no! Me? Godforbid. You know i
will never do that na” she smile a
bit and yawns. “you did! So as punishment, you
have to sing me to sleep”she says
and snuggle into me again. I sing her
numerous songs and we lie on
the couch snuggled together for
almost an hour before she finally
fall asleep and I carry her to our bed.
[12/1, 11:46 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
(Semi_Final)
Episode 33
Toni: i wake up to an empty bed
wondering how i got here. I
remember getting angry at Steven, regretting
it and using the thunder as an excuse to cuddle with him. I also
remember Steven singing
different lullaby for me but that’s where i
draw a blank. I must have fallen asleep and Steven must have
carried me to bed. Did he sleep
beside me last night?.Where is he then?. I get
off the bed to look for him and that’s when i notice a tray on the
bed side table. The tray contains a cup of green tea, some biscuits
and a written note. Make sure you drink this for your
morning sickness. Both the tea
and the biscuit are made of ginger. I
hear it helps. P.S. Will be back in an hour. Don’t
miss me too much. *winks* i cant help it. I burst into laughter.
Maybe he failed the food test but its so clear that he cares about
me. I drink the tea and eat a few of the biscuits. My stomach seems
settle as i perform my early
morning routine. I order some bread from the
kitchen downstairs and eat it with
my ice-cream while waiting for
Steven. Am almost done with
breakfast when Steven works in. “Steven!” i yell excitedly and run
to embrace him. “wow. Someone is happy to see
me this morning”he says and i
laugh. “well you deserve that hug for the
biscuits and tea. I feel fine” “wow. That’s good. I think you
are also going to like what i have planned today”he says “really? What is it?” “okay, my sis texted me this
morning about jessica’s birthday
and i know you don’t have anything
here to wear that is appropriate
for the party. So–” “you bought me clothes?!” i ask
excited “no”he says and my face falls. “what i was going to say before
you interrupted is, i got you a private clothes stylist and she will
be here soon”. We hear a knock
at the door and Steven smiles. “that must be her. Tell me you are
excited because i am. I get to see you try different clothes till we
find something perfect for tomorrow”he ramble on as he
goes to the door to let the stylist
in. I am excited just like him because
duh, what girl wouldn’t love to do dress up in front of her man?. Not
this girl. I walk to the living room to see a guy day in a rack of
dresses. A stunning lady dressed fully in designer everything walks
in. “hi Mr Steven, I’m zoe. The stylist
you hired”she says and smile longingly at Steven. I know that
look because I always have that
look. I walk in between them and smile
brightly. “and am toni, his pregnant fiance” “toni, isn’t that like a guy’s
name?”she whispers and i gasp.
Why are all the stylist I’ve met so
obnoxious. Steven must probably
sense my boiling state because he drag me
behind him. “zoe. Thanks for coming on such
short notice. This is antonia, my babies’ mama and i want you to
find a dress she can wear to a
child’s birthday party. Some not too
formal”he says “leave that to me. I know just the
perfect dress for her” she says
and move to the rack. Steven moves to
sit on the couch as he watch zoe dress me. All the dresses i have
tried so far are either too tight for tummy or have too much
cleavage. Steven is obviously
amused by this. He finally stands up and walk to
the rack. He moves through
hangers and brings a dress out. Its a red
lacy trapeze dress with an asymmetric hem. The neckline is
high so there won’t be cleavage problem. “i love red, i love lace and i think
you will look fabulous in this. Go try”he says and pushes me to
the bathroom. I try it on and
check my reflection on the mirror. Wow. It
feels so soft. I walk out of the bathroom and Steven stands and
walks to me. “you look amazing”he says and
peck me lips. Yes! Take that zoe.
Zoe clears her throat and Steven turns
to her. “she’ll have this dress. Get her
shoes that will go with it and whatever else she’ll need. Just no
necklace. I got that”he says. It doesn’t take long to find the
perfect shoe. I choose silver peep-toe pumps with ankle
straps. They are just gorgeous
and not too high. I am already so excited
about tomorrow. For accessories,
zoe chooses ornami open twist
fishhook sterling silver drop
earrings. Who knew a earring could have a long
name?. After about two hours, i
have all I’ll need for tomorrow’s party
and We bid zoe goodbye. We
relax with the television set the rest of
the day. We are currently sitting on the couch after having dinner. “someone is going to look
gorgeous tomorrow.”Steven says “well thank you”i stand up and
curtsey. “i don’t think nelly would like you
stealing her spotlight”he says and we laugh. I stare longingly at the
shoes. So beautiful. They look like they sparkle in the light. “oh no!”i
say “what’s wrong?” “i chose peep-toe shoes.” “so?” “i have to have my nails done!” “i don’t think we can find
someone to do it for you now. Its
already late. Cant you do it yourself?” “well i can. But i don’t think my
hands can reach my toes
anymore”i say pointing to my protruding
stomach. “oh. I think i can do it for you.
Nothing a few tutorials on
YouTube cant solve”he says and brings his
phone out. We watch some nails tutorial videos online. Steven goes
out for some minutes and comes back with red nail polish. I
wonder where he got it. “so are you ready?”he asks and i
nod. “good, now lie back and place
your feet on my lap”he says and i
do it obediently. “are you sure, you can do this?”i
ask timidly “trust me”he says then left my left
feet up. Its ticklish and i squirm. “babe, you have to stay still so i
won’t make a mistake.” “but its ticklish”i giggle and he
shake his head. We battle for
almost an hour before Steven finish both
my feet and it actually looks great. He volunteers to do my fingernails
but i thank him. He’s done so
much already. I can handle my fingers
on my own. “thank God. My neck is killing me.
I have to sleep now. Don’t stay up too late” he says and walks to the
bedroom. Wow, he is
presumptuous. What makes him think i want to
sleep on the same bed with him?.
I shake my head and paint my
fingers. By the time, i am done, i
am so sleepy. I drag myself to bed to see
Steven sleeping and an idea hits me. I g the nail polis from the
living room and paint all Steven toenails. He is going to flip when
he sees this tomorrow.
[12/1, 11:46 PM] +234 706 712 6964: INTOXICATED ROMANCE.
(Final_ Episode 34)
Toni: “what the hell!”Steven scream and
i jump off the bed with a start. I turn to him and frown. “what’s going on?”i ask and he
just keep mumbling while
gesturing to his feet. My brain kicks awake at
the sight of the red nail polish and i stiffle a laugh. “this isn’t funny antonia!”he yells
and i burst into fake tears. “a-m sorry. I thought maybe
you’ll like it.”i sob out and his face
softens. “awwn. Don’t cry baby. Ofcourse i
love it. Its beautiful. A work of art. Thanks.”he says and i wipe
my tears. “since you love it so much, why
don’t i paint your fingernails too?” “we are going to be late. Go get
ready”Steven says to change the subject and i let him. Yea, nelly
was right. Throwing pregnancy tantrums can used to one’s
advantage. I take myself to the bathroom
where i laugh. In two hours, we are done
preparing. I look at the mirror and
nod my head in approval of my looks. I
really do love my outfit. “wow antonia, you look
amazing”Steven says and i twirl
around laughing. Steven walks to me. “oh no. Something’s missing.”he
says and caress my neck. “what’s missing?” i ask and touch
my neck. My hand touches a chain
and Steven grin. I rush to the toilet
mirror. Wow, its beautiful. I go back to Steven in the living room. “so, do you like it?”he asks “i love it. Especially the locket.” i
caress the silver bottle locket attached to the chain. “it represents our beginning
seeing as i was drunk when i met
you. I designed it and sent the picture to
a jeweler in Paris to have it made.”Steven says. “wow, that’s so romantic”i laugh
and Steven smiles. “okay, enough of the chit chat.
Lets move it”Steven says and grab
my hand, leading me downstairs to
the car. He opens the passenger
door for me and bows. “your highness”he says and i
giggle. I hop into the car then pat
his head. “thank you good and faithful
palace guard”i say and Steven
burst into laughter. He shakes his head at
me and moves to his side of the
car. We drive to the party in
companionable silence.
Throughout our drive, my hands are on my locket. Wow,
i cant believe he made me a
necklace. We arrive at the party before it
starts and i help nelly who is ecstatic to see me again arrange
things. By 11:00am the party
kicks off and its the most fun I’ve had in
a long time as i watch the kids dance and compete at different
games. The parents’ games are
mostly hilarious. Nelly force Steven and i
to participate in one of them. Its a game in which five couples
dance around four chairs and
when the music stop, we sit carrying our
partner. The couple without a
chair loses. Steven is really competitive
and we make it to the last level with aother couple comprising of
a fat woman and her skinny wife.
The fat woman who has been carrying
her husband each time they sit, is also o determine to win. “you are going down”she sneer
at me and Steven sticks his tongue
out to her. “not gonna happen”Steven says. “come on, Steven. Lets just let
them win. Its just a game”i plead
but Steven isn’t listening. He’s
currently Participating in a stare
off with the woman. I look to the
woman’s husband and he eyes
me. Ok, lets do this. “Steven, permission to crush
them”i say and he grins. The
music starts and we dance around the only
chair available. The music stops
and Steven and i are directly in front of
the chair. Steven goes to sit but stops when he sees the
woman diving towards us. Oh no.
She’s gonna run into me and it would hurt. I
want to move but shock is
pinning me to the spot. I close my eyes
waiting for the impact but i only
feel hands drag me away. I open my
eyes to see Steven behind me with
his hand over my tummy in a
protective manner. I look beside
me to see the woman on the chair with her
husband. “am sorry we lost the game
because of me” i tell Steven as we
walk to our seat “you mean more to me than a
stupid game. Infact there is no comparison”he says and my heart
swoons. Nelly comes to us to
apologise and we just laugh it off. Nelly
looks agitated. “hey, are you okay”i ask her “actually, today is kindof my
anniversary. Its the day i met my husband and i hired a musician to
surprise my husband with the
song from our first movie date. But he’s
not here yet”she says biting her nails “oh, umm Steven can help you
with that. He’s a really good
singer” i say and her face brightens. “would he agree to do it?” she
asks. “I’ll convince him” “thanks. You’re a love saver”she
giggles and i shake my head as
she walks away. Turns out Steven is
shy of crowd. But after much persuasion and some bribing, i
finally got him to agree.
Thankfully he knows the song. “so next up, my brother Steven
singing ’till i met you'”nelly says
and everybody applauds. Steven
walks to the Mic and clears his
throat. “so um this song is for my sis and
her husband. Its actually their anniversary today so um hahaha,
here’s the song.”i stiffle my laugh where i stand. He’s so nervous. I never dream cause i always though that
dreaming was for kids. Just a childish thing. And i could swear love is just a game that children
play and no more than a game. Till i met you i never knew what love was Till i met you This feeling seems to grow more
everyday I love you more each day Now i could swear love is not a game that children
play So tell me that you stay you and i should be together cant you see cant you see Till i met you Till i met you The whole room erupts in
applauds and i cant breathe. It
was like that song was meant for me. I see
Steven walking towards me and i
rush to hug him. “you were amazing”i say and
sniffle “hey baby, don’t cry”he says and
catches a tear with his thumb. “come on, lets get out of here”he
says and drag me to the car. I feel so overwhelm. I cant keep my
feelings inside anymore. I have to
tell him, i still love him. I place my
hand on his right hand and he smiles. I cant wait to get home so i
could confess my feelings. Steven: i poured my heart into that song.
It said everything that i want to tell antonia. She seemed to love
the song. I feel her warm palm on
my my hand and i entwine them
together. She doesn’t protest and
my heart swells. We hold hands while i
drive until antonia receives a call. I can only hear her side of the
conversation but the mention of
monseiur Charles is enough to scatter my
hopes. She doesn’t talk much. She keeps glancing while taking the
call. She promises to call them
later. I totally forgot about Paris. She
going to leave me soon. The rest
of the ride is silent. I open the door
for her when we get to the hotel but do not follow when i get a call.
My mom just committed suicide.
As if the night couldn’t get any
worse. I walk nimbly to the
elevator. As soon as i enter my suite, antonia
walks to me. Her smile falls when she notices my expression. “are you okay, Steven”she asks
and i just burst out in tears. She
hugs me and pat my back. “my mom is dead”i sob out and
she tells me everything would be
okay but i know it wouldn’t. She will be
leaving soon. Suddenly, i am desperate. I start kissing her neck.
She moans and my lips move all over her face then to her lips. She
doesn’t stop me and i keep
kissing her. Soon, my shirt is off and i am
pushing her backwards to our
room without breaking our kiss. Still,
she doesn’t stop me. We fall into bed our hands everywhere. “Steven”she whisper my name
and i freeze. What am i doing?. I
cant do this just to lose her. I pull away
from her and she moans her disapproval “stop”i say “what’s wrong?” “i cant do this. It isn’t right. I cant
take that you will be leaving to Paris soon”she looks surprise “yes, i know about your chef
internship programme in Paris. I
won’t stop you antonia. I want you to
be happy and i know that has
always been your dream. I don’t want to
get hurt when you leave so i cant bear to lose another person i love.
I am sorry. You should leave tomorrow. I won’t hold you back
anymore.” i say and walk out of
the room. I grab my shirt from the
floor and put it on. I lie on the
couch for hours without falling asleep. The sun rises without sleep thing
me. I wait some hours before walking into the room and
antonia is all packed and ready. I
cant seem to help the hurt i feel. ‘You told her
to leave and she’s doing just that’ i chastise myself. The drive to
the airport is silent and so is our walk to boarding room. Turns
out antonia already bought a
ticket. I hold myself from breaking down
as she walks away with my heart.
As soon as she board the plane. I
slump on the floor and let the
tears fall. “hey, a grown man should be
sitting on the floor”someone says
and i raise my head to see antonia
smiling down at me. “what?. The plane. You. Your
dream. Paris”i mumble. “Steven, i could never leave you.
You are my dream. I love you so
so much. Which brings me to the
question; will you marry us?”she
says and goes down on one kneel. I rub
my eyes to make sure i am not
dreaming this. “I’m real baby and i need your
answer so i can get off the
floor”she laughs “ofcourse I’ll marry you” i raise
her up gently and kiss the air out
of her. **************
Wow! Thanks so much for
reading and also for the
amazing comments it really
encouraged me. Love you all.. Pls keep the comment coming..
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