I was frowning over a terribly published magazine when I got a text from Chike that read, "You owe me a date." 

I smiled for the first time that day before closing the message without bothering with a response. He would have to wait until later, I needed to focus on the issue at hand. There was this blogger I suspected had it out for me and his latest scheme involved peddling lies against me. I've always known journalists to investigate the truth before sending words to print so imagine my disbelief when I read that I had styled a client that wasn't in my schedule for the past month and half. 

There was no way in hell I was going to outfit someone in three different animal prints, it was beyond outrageous. Seeing the pictures in the magazine gave me an eye ache, even amateurs knew you couldn't pair so many bold prints together. It upset me more that the celebrity involved was totally forgotten and I was being given unnecessary hell. The fashion world was really chaotic, it pampered you unexpectedly then smothered you intermittently to keep you second guessing your abilities. 

Granted she was my client, but it wasn't everyday celebs wanted to be styled. Some days, they checked their closets and picked whatever they felt comfortable in, sometimes it worked and other times it didn't. I sent a mail to Dave requesting for him to contact the blogger so the lies could be retracted, I couldn't rein in my anger when Dave got that the source had been the celeb herself. I immediately called her and got no denial, instead I was informed it had been done as a publicity stunt for an upcoming music single which further proved that there was no such thing as bad publicity.

Bad publicity was typically good publicity if one was into crude ironies. Creating buzz was the end goal and this was no different. Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do to reverse it especially as I wasn't consulted. This was bad for my business which relied mostly on hearsay and referrals so I contacted my lawyer and she got back to me with a fat check from my client for the inconveniences. I sighed when I realised I had been used as a pawn in this event.

As the sky turned black, I stretched the knots from my shoulders and called Chike. It was time to talk about how to settle my debt. I wasn't getting anything done by staring at the offending article except feeling more depressed by the minute. I wished for a retraction but I wasn't going to get it so I turned my attention towards Chike.

"Where are we going?" I asked Chike.

"It's a surprise, just get ready. I'm coming with a cab to pick you up."

"Great." I could have gone anywhere at that moment. I needed an escape and I got one. 

I said goodnight to Dave as I walked out of my office to join Chike who was waiting in a yellow cab.

"Hey, sweet face," Chike greeted.

"Hey, back," I replied without smiling.

"Are you okay? You look down." Chike gave me a glance over.

"Just another regular day in the fashion world. Where are we going?" I wasn't ready to tell him how crazy my day had been.

"The Fela Shrine."

"I've heard about it but never been there."

"I'm taking you today. Should improve your mood, don't you think?"

"Alcohol always does."

He smirked. "That's funny, Jade. Now come to daddy."

I rolled my eyes at the tittle he felt so confident using but went into his arms gladly and stayed that way. I smiled contently as he played with my hair. There was a large sign showing "AFRICAN SHRINE" on the building when we arrived and I waited for Chike to settle the cabbie. The inside was already lively and it was barely eight, girls wearing top bras and skimpy skirts in African prints were dancing wildly as the singer coined his words from the centre of the stage.

The colourful beads around the dancers bodies moved with every motion they made, bouncing wildly that you would presume that the strings holding them would groan out from the stress and break but that never happened. Everywhere was loud and my mood automatically shifted, you really couldn't watch so many beautiful girls shaking their butts and boobs without feeling better. Their energy was palpable and I wished I was that young and wild dancing my sorrows away. I remembered Chike was beside me when he took my arm.

"You already like this place," he said.

"Why have I never been here? I've been in Lagos all my life but I've never been here."

"I wasn't sure you were going to like it and that's the reason I made it a surprise."

"Are you kidding? I love it. I'm ready to experience everything this place has to offer."

"Do you want to get your face painted on like the girls on stage?"

"Can I?"

Chike laughed and took me to a corner where people were getting designs drawn on their faces. I joined the queue and when it eventually got to my turn, I sat on a stool and watched as a voluptuous woman dipped paint brush into a bowl of white paint before raising it to my face. The paint felt cool against my skin as she made motions with the brush. I assessed her handiwork when she handed me a mirror and we left to the VIP section after I nodded in contentment. 

"I love this place!" I exclaimed suddenly and he smiled.

Chike ordered several bottles of beer with a large bowl of pepper soup and we got to drinking.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked some minutes after.

"I want to take everything in first. Plus, watching these dancers is enough for now."

When I almost choked from sipping my soup, Chike passed me a chilled bottle of water.

"Gosh, that was hot." I wiped the tears away before they could fall, coughing and laughing at the same time.

"Eat the catfish, you don't have to sip the soup," he said.

"I love the soup, that's the whole point of getting this," I said.

"Be careful then, we can't have you choking out here."

I nodded and said, "The next editorial look I'm styling has to incorporate this whole vibe I'm honestly loving it."

"I'm happy you feel better, even happier that you're making money moves."

I punched his arm playfully. "Thanks." 

Some random guy came to our table to ask if we wanted Marijuana but Chike declined. I was pumped so hard that I couldn't sit still so I joined some girls at the table beside ours in dancing. We didn't have to introduce ourselves, it seemed laughter and dancing was the universal language here. I occasionally looked back at Chike who was regally sitting and sipping beer. He sometimes gave me a wave of encouragement as if to say, carry on. When my thighs started throbbing from dancing too much, I flopped down heavily beside him.

"It's good to see you turning up like that. You're having more fun than I predicted," Chike said.

"Just enjoying myself, getting loose." I shook my body as if demonstrating.

Chike nodded. I finished my beer and took another bottle. I watched the stage as a new artist took over, people got wilder and screamed his name as he performed. I was too tired to share in the crowd's euphoria. I leaned on Chike who had been somewhat quiet all through the night. He went back to playing with my hair as I took sips from my beer bottle. I was almost falling asleep to the motion of his fingers in my hair when an idea popped in my head. I sat up straighter and checked my pocket for my phone then gasped in alarm when I couldn't find it. I panicked and started checking the pockets of my jeans.

"What is it?" Chike asked beside me.

"I can't find my phone. It was right in my pocket."

"Fuck, I think you've been mugged."

"That's not possible," I said in disbelief. "It was right here, it's a skinny jean so no one could have touched me without my knowing."

"It think you're underestimating their skill."

"What skill?"

"Pick pocketing. Where did we go?"

"We came through the front, I got my face painted on and we came here. I also danced with those girls but they couldn't have taken my phone."

"Must have been when we were on the queue. Did anyone bump into you?"

"This place is parked. I've been bumped into all night."

"Check your bag, by some miracle it could be in there."

I checked my handbag, searching each pocket to be certain.

"Not here. This is awful, I've some important information on that phone. My clientele details, contact addresses..." I put my head in my hands.

"Don't you have a backup?"

"Dave should, but I don't know. I should call him."

"Let's get outside."

I left behind the music, dancing and excitement as we got outside the Shrine. I was trembling with rage and I didn't think my day could get any worse. Why would anyone do this to me?

"I know why I never came here, it was my intuition protecting me."

"We'll keep it in a safer place the next time."

"I doubt there is going to be a next time. No offense to you but I hate this place, I should never have come."

Chike rubbed his hand over his face. It was something I noticed he did whenever he was getting overwhelmed with emotions. 

"They probably needed it for their next meal," he said.

"You've got to be kidding me. My phone was just stolen and you're justifying it. Whose side are you on?" 

I typically hated transferring aggression but his comment set me off and I took in a deep breath to calm my frayed nerves.

"Yours, always yours. I was only putting things into perspective."

"I need to get to the office. My bank accounts could be hacked into, give me your phone."

He pressed his phone into my hand and I called Dave. He was still at the office, it was highly unusual but I was glad he was there.

"We need to leave now," I said impatiently.

Chike got a cab and I sat there waiting for his return as he went back in to settle the bill.

"This is really annoying," I said when he returned.

"I'm sorry. The night started so well."

"It's not your fault. I guess I should have been more careful of my environment, I never thought this sort of thing could happen."

"I'm holding your phone from now on whenever we are out."

"I'll keep it in my handbag."

"They can get it from there also."

"Then we'll never go to a place where people pick pockets so easily."

"Deal."

I got out of the taxi when we arrived at the office and Chike got out too. "You don't have to. I'll take care of things from here."

"Will you be safe on your own?"

"My assistant is still around, I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry this had to happen today of all days." Chike was rubbing his face again.

"Hey, it's okay. Goodnight."

I hugged him and he kissed me on the neck. I suppressed the little flutter of awareness that stirred in my gut when his breath fanned a sensitive spot. He waved as I walked despairingly into the elevator.