#JUST_BEST_FRIENDS

Author: Sam Freddy

CHAPTER 24: WELCOME TO LAGOS, BABY.

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Completely naked under a fluffy duvet with her wealthy side-lover Mr. Titus by her side, Candice heard her phone ringing and sluggishly grabbed it from the bedstead to know who the caller was.

Having seen the caller's name, Candice quickly jumped out of bed like an athlete and then excused herself as she hurried to Titus' bathroom to answer her call.

“Hey, baby.”

“My darling.” Yomi's voice was crystal clear, despite the fact that there was some noise coming from his end. “What's up na?”

“I'm all good o.” Candice replied sweetly. “Besides, what's all that noise coming from your background?”

“Oh.” Yomi chuckled. “It's my car radio. Hold on, let me turn it off.”

“'Kay.”

“All right, I'm done.” Yomi announced. “So how was work today, babe?”

“Work was fantabulous jare.” Candice replied, sitting on the neat toilet seat. “I'd rather not bore you with the details, but I really, really had a swell time. Believe me.”

“Oh, really? That's good to know.” Yomi's tone sounded quite sarcastic. “At least you're not the one suffering for something you didn't even commit.”

“Oh God.” Candice heaved an exasperated sigh. “But babe I already said I'm sorry na. Why do you keep rubbing it in my face every time?”

“Relax jor. I was just joking with you.”

“Honestly, I don't like it o.” Candice revealed in a low-pitched, babyish voice. “Haven't I begged you enough?”

“Well, you actually have.” Yomi admitted genuinely. “But it's not me you should be begging, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I need to tender an apology to Idara, blah blah blah.” Candice rolled her eyes, absently rubbing her smooth, sexy thigh. “Can we just forget this for now, please? I'm too tired for this ish.”

“Okay. If you insist.”

Scarcely had Candice opened her mouth to respond when Titus suddenly barged into the bathroom like a common thief.

“Baby, what's taking you so long na?” Titus' voice was as unwelcoming as the thick frown on his face. “I've been waiting way too long for you.”

“Shush! Go, go, go back.” Candice mouthed to him, pointing at the bathroom door. “I'm coming soon.”

“But I can no longer wait.” Titus whispered, fondling Candice's soft boob. “I need you right now!”

“I'm coming, Obim.” Candice whispered back, impatiently pushing him away. “Just go first na. Ah.”

Grumpily, Titus stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

“Hello, babe?”

“Yeah, hello.” Yomi answered, sounding a little upset. “Who was that?”

“Is it not Mike and his mumu friend that have been disturbing my life since I got back from work, all because I decided to crash in Mike's apartment for tonight.” Candice complained in a calm and collected manner. “For real, man, God knows that I can't wait to furnish the crib you rented for me and move in ASAP. I'm so tired of all this nonsense.”

Yomi started laughing, much to Candice's delight. She was very glad and relieved to know that he easily bought her lies without any suspicions.

“Well, I already have the furnishing planned. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I do. I just don't know how long it'll take, that's all.”

“Just chill.” Yomi confidently reassured her. “You'll move in two days from now. I promise.”

“Aww.” Candice cooed with glee. “I can't wait!”

“Neither can I, shugar.”

Candice bit her lower lip, chuckling softly. “But wait o, where exactly are you sef?”

“I already mentioned before that I'm in my car, didn't I?”

“Yep, you kinda did. But, like, are you driving right now?”

“Yup.”

“Oh, my God.” Candice exclaimed, pretending to care. “So you are driving and calling at the same time? That's not proper!”

“Calm down jor.” Candice heard Yomi giggling. “I'm using my hands-free. There's no cause for alarm.”

“Oh, okey-dokey, then.” Candice said. “So where are you coming from, or going to rather?” She inquired after a very short pause. “I thought you and Idara were supposed to be together.”

“Yeah. Well, we were together until she decided to go see her mom alone. And I couldn't just wait in my car doing nothing.” Yomi's excitement was highly obvious to Candice, due to the energetic tone of his voice. “So I swung into a bar to have a drink or two. Hehe. Now I'm driving back to the restaurant, all juiced up and agile.”

“I've noticed.” Candice groaned, apparently tired of the conversation. “Well, um, babe, can we talk tomorrow?” She feigned a weak yawn. “I'm feeling sleepy already.”

Considerately, Yomi said, “All right, babe. But don't forget what I told you about the apology you owe my bestie sha. Okay?”

“Yeah, I got you. Don't worry.”

“That's my shugar.” Yomi cooed, obviously impressed with Candice's "mature" decision. “Anyhoo, goodnight, babe. I love you.”

Candice yawned again, acting tired and sleepy. “I love you, too. Goodnight.”

“Aww. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Can't wait. Drive safely.”

“Yeah. Sleep tight.”

“You, too. Byeee!”

As Yomi ended the call, Candice hissed under her breath and muttered heavy obscenities while hurrying back to Titus' matrimonial bedroom.

__________

Out here in the parking lot, Idara paced about with anger and worry, wondering where Yomi could possibly be. She'd dialled Yomi's number twice in a row, but her network provider had reported Yomi's line as "currently busy with another call" when she attempted phoning him.

Now, despite the chilly climate and the slight but rising drizzle, Idara had to wait out in the open for Yomi's return since she had no other choice at the moment.

If she went back into the restaurant for shelter, chances were that she'd come across her mother again, and that, in fact, was what Idara didn't want at all, especially after what transpired between them back there.

“Isabelle.”

That, of course, was Janet's voice that came from behind Idara.

Sharply turning around, Idara heaved a frustrated sigh and warned her mother with all seriousness: “Leave me alone, Janet!”

“Isabelle, I'm sorry.” Janet apologized amid tears, completely discarding her pride and ego, despite being in a public space. “Please find a place in your heart to forgive me. I believe we can resolve this issue tonight.”

“That is what you think,” Idara sneered, “but not me. It'll take more than just a dinner treat for you to make up for all the time you've lost in my life. So don't even give yourself false hopes.”

“But Isabelle,” Janet stepped forward, carefully grasping Idara's wrist, “remember I'm still your mother, and I love you with all of my heart. Can't you see how sorry I am?”

“I said, leave me alone!” Idara snapped, yanking her hand away from Janet's grasp. “Get away from me!”

Thankfully, Yomi arrived at the parking lot, just in time before both women could create an unnecessary scene. In truth, Idara had never been more glad to see Yomi at that particular point in time.

He was like her timely superhero, her reliable Superman, her lord and personal saviour. Even words could scarcely express the massive relief Idara felt on sighting Yomi's car.

So, seizing the moment, Idara quickly hopped into the car and said aloud to Yomi, “Drive, now!”

Yomi instantly noticed Idara's distress. “Geez. Who's chasing you?”

“Yomi, just drive! Fast!”

Scared that something unpleasant might happen, Yomi zoomed off after hastily telling Idara to wear her seat belt.

Barely one minute into the drive, Yomi had already continuously glanced back up to a million times, clearly afraid that someone evil might be following them.

“What's going on, Dara?” He asked, confused. “You scared the crap outta me.”

“Just drive.” Idara muttered, looking out the car window. “It's nothing important.”

“Wait, wait. Wait a second.” Yomi exclaimed as something suddenly occurred to him. “That woman I saw with you back there, was she the one? Your mother?”

“Don't call her my mother.” Idara scolded him somewhat politely. “Besides, where were you when I called? Your number was busy.”

“Mmm.” Yomi frowned, surprised at Idara's unlikely outburst. “Well, I was actually driving back from a bar, and I was on a call with Candy at the same time. Sorry.”

Idara simply acknowledged Yomi's apology with a nod, purposely avoiding eye contact with him.

“You could've at least allowed me say hello to your mom.”

Idara ignored Yomi's statement, keeping her eyes to the cloudy sky.

“You're behaving so weird,” Yomi said. “What exactly happened between you two?”

“I'd rather not talk about it.”

Yomi effortlessly grasped the pain behind Idara's response. It was obvious that she'd had a rough time with her mother, and that she absolutely wasn't willing to share the details with him. At least just for tonight, he hoped.

Meanwhile, the loud sounds of thunder and the ever constant lightning weren't helping matters at all. The wind itself was so strong outside that it was already blowing trash and sand about like a deadly tornado. Not to mention the rain which had already fully begun, and was gradually becoming heavier like a destructive tsunami.

To make matters worse, despite being on the expressway, Yomi could hardly see any other moving vehicle around, and that was actually because of two major reasons: the current time and the sudden torrential downpour. Even his windscreen wipers did little to nothing to clear the rain off of his windscreen so that he could see the road clearly.

Plus, most importantly, the entire atmosphere of Yomi's car was that of gloom and tension. But he wasn't going to let all these distract him from the moody woman sitting next to him, no matter what.

“Idara.” Yomi called softly, patting Idara's shoulder with genuine concern. “You can always talk to me whenever you need company. I'm always here for you. You know that, right?”

Idara slowly nodded in response, her eyes still fixated on the distant, dark sky.

If anything, she felt good to be loved, to be so sincerely wanted by someone who wasn't even biologically related to her in any way at all. Someone who knew her worth more than her so-called mother ever could.

Truly, Idara felt special, and blessed. So very blessed.

“Are you crying?” Yomi mumbled, watching how Idara speedily wiped her face with the back of her hand.

“No.”

“That's a pure white lie!” Yomi objected, carefully squeezing Idara's upper arm, causing her to promptly look at him. “Idara, you're crying!”

For some reason, Yomi's awareness of her crying state caused Idara to fully break down in tears. It was as if all the emotions she'd been holding back since she met her mother tonight had completely overwhelmed her, rendered her powerless.

So, covering her face with both hands, Idara rested her head against the closed car window and cried heartily, letting it all out like a water fountain.

In truth, dicey situations like this were the ones Yomi seriously hated to find himself in. He couldn't even stand the mere sight of a little child crying in his presence, let alone a full-grown woman—his best friend for that matter.

How the heck was he supposed to console her while driving? He had no idea what to do, but he had to at least try something regardless.

“I should've never taken you to her in the first place.” Yomi regretted his actions with pure honesty. “It's all my fault.”

Funnily enough, Yomi actually said that without looking at Idara, but his hand still remained on her arm, serving as some sort of physical consolation.

“I am to blame for this mess,” he went on, rubbing Idara's bare skin with great fondness. “I'm so sorry.”

“Stop.” Idara said quietly, as she uncovered her face. “It's not your fault. I alone deserve the blame.”

“I disagree.” Yomi fondly looked at Idara as he placed his hand on her cheek, wiping her tears with great care. “The blame is all mine.”

Idara chuckled amid tears. “Why are you so stubborn?” She sniffed, shooting Yomi a puzzled look. “I've already said that something is mine and you are still dragging it with me. Are you all right?”

Much to Yomi's surprise, there was a whole ton of humor present in Idara's remark, and he, in fact, loved it so much. He hadn't even expected her to cheer up so fast, so much so that even Idara herself detected the look of astonishment on his face.

“You should see the look on your face, man.” She wiped her face and sniffed loudly. “It's epic!”

“Umph!” Yomi scoffed, keeping his hand back on the steering wheel, and his eyes back on the road. “Tell me about it.”

Suddenly, Idara's phone started ringing, but she declined the call immediately she saw it.

“Who called?”

“You already know who it is,” Idara said dryly, putting her phone on airplane mode. “That woman just doesn't take no for an answer. She's so stubborn.”

“Really?” Yomi commented, not knowing whether to scold Idara for her rash action, or just simply overlook it. “That kind of explains where you got your personality trait from,” he eventually settled for the latter, in order not to ruin Idara's mood again.

“What do you mean?” Idara pouted. “I'm not stubborn!”

“Oh, believe me, you have no idea!”

Idara scoffed. “Whatever you say, big head.” She then shrugged, adding, “I just want to go home.”

No sooner had Yomi attempted to speak than one of his car's headlights gone off.

Disconcerted, he said, “That's weird.”

“What's weird?”

“Look outside—my car's headlight just went off.” He explained, looking at Idara with sheer discomfort.

Glancing outside, Idara allowed herself a wry smile. “Then turn it back on.”

Yomi instantly shook his head, perturbed. “Don't you understand? I didn't do it!”

“Oh. Okay, just calm down, and simply turn it off and on again. I'm pretty sure it'll work just fine.”

Despite having followed Idara's suggestion to the letter, Yomi's effort yielded no positive result. “It's still not working.”

“Yomee, chill. It's just one headlight, after all.” Idara motivated him very calmly. “What's the worst that could happen?”

Hardly had Idara completed that statement when a very loud bang came from the back of Yomi's car—so much so that Idara herself and Yomi were shook to the core.

“What on Earth was that?!”

“I don't know!” Yomi exclaimed, wide-eyed. “It sounded like a gunshot to me.”

“A gunshot?” Idara emphasized, her eyes widening dramatically as well. “Oh, my God. Oh, God!”

Fearfully, Yomi looked behind his car with just one glance, but he didn't even see anything or anyone behind it. “That's weird,” he said again to Idara. “There's nothing behind us.”

Idara impulsively looked back for confirmation. “You're right. Then what could have caused that noise?”

As an answer to her question, Yomi's car started slowing down and swerving in another direction.

“Oh, no, no, no. God, no!” Yomi exclaimed, as reality suddenly struck him in the face. “Not again!”

Terrified, Idara asked, “What's wrong? What's happening?”

“A blowout.” Yomi hurriedly answered, struggling to control his car. “Goddamn it!”

Yomi's reply only fuelled Idara's fear even more. “Yomi, I don't understand you!” she cried out. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“I mean that the sound we heard before must've been caused by a blowout!” Yomi yelled out in annoyance, his heartbeat faster than a NASCAR race car. “Which basically means that we've got a flat tyre!”

“A flat what?” Idara almost passed out at the mention of that, but thankfully she was strong enough to stomach it. “Oh, God. No, no!”

She didn't even know when she shut her eyes and started to pray with immense fear.

But, somehow, Yomi finally managed to steer his car to safety by the side of the road. And, in all honesty, Idara's joy knew no bounds when she discovered that they were already safely off the road.

“Oh, thank God. Thank God!” She hollered, having some sense of salvation from God Himself. “Father, I thank You. May Your name be praised.”

Yomi said nothing, all because he was seriously trying to relax.

“That was a lot scarier back then,” Idara added with a sigh of relief. “Right?”

“You don't say.”

The lack of enthusiasm in Yomi's voice was apparent to both himself and Idara, and, of course, Idara knew exactly why he was all gloom and doom. But she just wasn't sure if she was supposed to dwell on that for a little while or just simply ignore Yomi's foul mood.

“Look, I know you're scared and angry, all right?” Idara started threading on the right path, after making the right decision. “But it's just a car, you know? You can fix it anytime. I'd be more grateful for life if I were you.”

“It's not even the car I'm concerned about.” Yomi confessed, holding Idara's gaze. “I'm angry because I just put your life in danger. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if anything had happened to you.”

On a very normal day, Idara would've blushed scarlet at Yomi's endearing confession, but there was time for everything, and this just wasn't the right time to get all loved up.

“Hey, come off it. It's not your fault, all right?” She said, playfully rubbing the dark brown stubble on Yomi's chin. “We are safe and sound, and that is all that matters, dear.”

Yomi couldn't help but smile. “True.”

“That's the spirit!” Idara smiled too, keeping her hand down. “So, now, what's the way forward?”

Yomi's smile instantly faded at that. “Well, um, I'm afraid we have to continue our journey on a commercial bus, Dara.”

“On a commercial bus?” Idara scoffed. “Why don't you just fix another tyre instead? I'm sure you have a spare tyre in your boot.”

“Sure thing. But in this heavy rain? Come on.” Yomi frowned. “Besides, do I look like a mechanic to you?”

Idara giggled. “I was kidding, big head.”

“I know jor.” Yomi chuckled, playfully tapping Idara's shoulder. “Okay, let's grab the umbrella in the boot and move ASAP.”

With that, Yomi and Idara left the car and went far ahead to stand under a bright streetlight together in the rain. They'd chosen that particular spot so that anyone who was driving by could easily see them without them having to shout or wave too much at the driver. And even though Yomi was the one holding the umbrella, it covered more of Idara's body than his, but he didn't mind at all—not even a bit. In fact, it was a sacrifice he was willing to pay a thousand times, if necessary.

But the longer they waited right there, the harder the rain became. They were getting wet, cold, and tired, and there was nothing they could really do about it than to persevere further.

Unfortunately, the first and second buses that sped past them were both filled to capacity.

Yomi and Idara had almost called it quits when a small car that they didn't even expect stopped before them and started honking aloud, conveying the driver's message for them to hop in. And, without hesitating, they actually did so.

Being the last person to crash in the back seat, Yomi swiftly closed his umbrella, shut the car door, and then finally sighed heavily with so much relief. Even Idara was relieved as well, but the fact that there were three other guys sitting in the car bugged her just a little bit.

One man sat in the driver's seat, while another man sat in the front seat beside him, and then the last guy sat right beside Idara in the back seat. Although they all looked intimidating, Idara preferred not to judge them by their looks, but rather by the content of their characters, and also by the kindness which they'd just shown to both herself and Yomi.

“Thank you.” Idara said to no one in particular. “You guys are a real Godsend.”

Yomi nodded in agreement, uttering nothing.

“I don't think so,” said the driver. “Cobra, commence!” He added, nodding at the man beside Idara.

Before Yomi or Idara could grasp what the driver meant, the man called Cobra pulled out an axe to Idara's head.

Yomi wasn't left out either. The other man beside the driver pointed a knife at Yomi's face, offering him a death stare.

“Give us your phones and money!” Cobra ordered with authority. “Now!”

Trembling, Idara swiftly handed him her purse, trying so hard not to scream. Yomi, on the other hand, gave his smartphone and wallet to the other man sitting before him.

The angry man then checked Yomi's wallet and found some money and a credit card inside.

“Whoa. Today is our lucky day, boys!” The man said, raising Yomi's credit card as though it were a trophy. “Good thing we have a POS here with us. Ha, ha, ha.”

Happily, the driver brought out a POS gadget from his car's glove compartment, and then snatched the credit card from his colleague, before asking Yomi, “What's your pin number?”

“Please don't do this!” Yomi begged, deeply heartbroken. “We've already given you all we have!”

“Shut up your mouth!” The driver commanded. “And tell me your pin number right now. Don't delay me!”

Trapped, Yomi slowly confessed, saying, “It's three five six zero.”

“Good boy.”

Having said that, the driver hurriedly transferred almost everything in Yomi's account to his own, and then he broke Yomi's credit card shortly afterwards.

“It's a pleasure doing business with you,” said the driver. “Now, the both of you, leave my car immediately!” He ordered, his voice extremely authoritative.

Cobra violently kicked Idara and Yomi out of the car, snatching their only umbrella without any atom of pity.

“Welcome to Lagos, baby!”

Immediately he completed that statement, Cobra shut the car door and then the vehicle sped off from Yomi and Idara's presence, leaving them back in square one.