When I heard a steady knocking at the door, I got out of bed and wore the dressing robe to cover my nakedness. Dave stepped past me as I opened the door, I walked behind him and shook my hair with my fingers.

"Morning," he said.

I rubbed my eyes and covered my mouth as I yawned.

"You left the party so early, I wanted to introdu..." Dave trailed as he noticed Chike's sleeping form on the bed. "Oh."

"Can you leave? I'll call you later," I said going back to the door.

"Absolutely. I didn't mean to intrude." Dave got my discarded dress before walking towards the door. "I'll see you on Monday."

I smiled when he perked me. "Alright."

I shut the door and went back to bed. I checked the time as I got in and realized it was past five. Was Dave just leaving the party?

Chike tangled his legs with mine as I settled closer to him. "Who was that?" he asked, not opening his eyes.

"It was Dave. Go back to sleep, he's gone."

I ran my fingers through his thick hair as I felt him relax. I fell asleep while at it, and when I awoke, I heard Chike talking to someone on the phone. He paced across the room and sighed as he listened.

"Mom, please. I'm not a bastard. Okay, I'll come," Chike kept repeating those words in no particular order as he talked. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he said when he got off the phone.

"What is it?" I asked as I watched him hit his fist hard on his palm.

Chike got back into bed and kissed me. "Go back to sleep, it's nothing," he said.

"It's noon, I've slept enough. What's the problem?"

He left the bed and went to the window. "I need your help." He looked at me and looked through the open window.

I sat up straighter in bed. "I'll do it if it's bothering you so much."

"You don't even know what it is and you're already committing yourself to it."

"Do you want me to say no?"

"Actually, I need you to say yes." Chike came back to the bed and took my hands. "I need you to go with me to see my parents."

"No."

"But you said yes few minutes ago."

"That's because I thought it was something different. Why do I come in this at all? Can't you go see your parents alone?" I asked with my hands flailing in the air as I spoke.

"I assume you still want this dick, which means my mental health concerns you, and my parents are a threat to my very existence. I need your help to deal with them, I just need you to say you're my boss and we won't be able to stay for the night when they offer."

"That was very well done. My answer is still no."

"Please, this is the only time I'm asking for your help. After this, you can get me the ugliest chinos pants or those crappy tops. I swear, I won't mind."

"It can't be that bad, no parent is a threat to their child's existence."

"Just do it for me, please."

"Okay. I hate this, but I'll do it." I hated people asking for my help, I always felt obligated to do something no matter how unfavorable it was.

"Thanks." He kissed me lightly on the mouth.

"No mushy stuff in front of your parents, I'm your boss." I looked at him for affirmation.

"That's no problem, we need to stick to the lie."

"I need to get home then. I don't have anything presentable to wear here."

"That can be arranged."

"Where do they live?"

"Somewhere, I'll drive us there."

"Why are you so mysterious all of a sudden? Your answers are always so vague. Where is somewhere?"

"Don't push it," Chike said.

He entered the bathroom and that was the end of the discussion. I went to my carry on and dumped all my properties scattered around the hotel room into it.

"Couldn't you have worn something else?" I asked as he drove to his parents' house.

Chike was wearing another of his ripped jeans with a tight top. He met my question with silence.

"Are we lost?" I asked hours later as we came to the end of a street. I saw him concentrating hard on the steering wheel and the car had come to a stop.

"No."

He drove closer to a wrought, iron gate and I turned to look at him. "That's your parents' house?" My eyes were threatening to pop out.

"Yes."

"Are you shitting me?" I asked, borrowing his swear word.

The gold gate swung open automatically and Chike drove in, going round the large driveway before parking the car. I opened the door and used my left hand to protect my eyes from the sun as I stared at the building.

"Wow." I couldn't say more.

The mansion was flanked by rows of trees and it stood proudly in all its brick tilled glory. I had never seen such gorgeousness in an inanimate thing.

"Can we go in?" Chike asked as he came to my side and waited.

"You're a fucking hypocrite," I said and turned to him. "Isn't it funny to know you're what you mocked?"

"I'm not rich, my parents are."

"I can't tell the difference. Are you doing some sort of crazy social experiment by living in that god forsaken apartment?"

"No." Chike turned to look at me. "Why would you think that? I don't want their money. All they ever do with it is oppress people and I don't want to be associated with that."

"Very comical."

"What's wrong with you?" Chike rubbed his face and sighed.

"You fucking lied. As if that wasn't bad enough, you constantly picked on me for having one tenth of what you have." I could see his jaw throbbing. "You don't get to be annoyed. Who would have thought?"

"Can we go in? My parents know I'm around."

"And you're such a prick too."

I had to constantly shrink myself whenever I was with him so as not to appear extravagant, and he was the son of some very rich folks.

"It's not my money," Chike said again like that made a difference.

He took my hand and I was tempted to leave, just to show him how hypocritical I found him.

"Don't touch me, I'm your boss," I said instead.

I walked beside him and entered the house as someone I didn't see opened it. The interior was also as grand as the exterior, and I seethed as my eyes picked up on the glamorous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Perhaps, we were in the wrong house. This couldn't belong to the Chike that served ice cream and called rich folks 'my kind'.

I heard clattering of heels, we were definitely in the right house, because the woman whose face I saw coming down the spiral stairs was the older, female version of Chike. Chike became ramrod straight as she got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Mom," he said plainly, not moving in for an embrace.

"You've decided to come home. For how long will you continue to do this to yourself? What is wrong with you, didn't we give you the best?" his mom launched into verbal attacks.

I shrunk by Chike's side, I didn't want to be there to witness the tongue lashing. It took a while before she noticed me. I was short but I wasn't so short as not to be noticed at first glance.

"Who is this?" Chike's mom asked.

I stepped forward.

"I'm his boss, Jade. We were on our way back to the office when your call came in."

"And what do you both do?"

"I'm a celebrity stylish and a designer. Chike is one of my models."

"That's wonderful. Does he talk about his parents to you?"

"That's all I hear him talk about," I said.

I couldn't have said I'd never heard anything about her or the remaining members of the family until few hours ago. She gave me a side hug and I beamed.

"Show your boss around the house while the house keeper tidies your wing," Chike's mom said.

"There won't be any reason for that, mom, we are not spending the night here."

"Doesn't matter, you can relax there before dinner. You're staying for dinner, aren't you?"

Chike itched his scalp. "Yes."

"That's all I want to hear." She moved away from us and glided to another room in her flowing, burgundy Kaftan.

"Let me show you around," Chike said.

I rolled my eyes and followed him. Chike showed me the west wing and I mentally doffed my hat to his parents as I took in the antique and art placed on the walls and tables. The furniture was on another level, the whole place looked like a museum.

"I hate you!" I said as Chike took my hand when we entered a private room.

"I admit, I was a little harsh with you," he said.

"A little harsh? You accused me of looking down on others, and you talked about money like it's a deadly epidemic."

"I'm sorry."

"I had to constantly pretend around you so you don't become uncomfortable, but you were a fucking millionaire."

"You can stop ranting, I just said I'm sorry," Chike hissed out.

I went ballistic and I slapped him hard on his cheek. "That's for saying I'm ranting."

I walked towards the door and found it locked.

"Open the fucking door."

I glanced back and saw Chike walking menacingly towards me.

He stopped few inches from me and spoke clearly, "Don't ever hit me again, I don't like it."

"Alright," I said when I saw his nostrils flared.

He reached behind me to turn the knob and I walked out of the room when the door opened.