°°°°°•°°°°°

Trails made us understand Ethan was a major sponsor and supporter of our brands, and therefore, we'd be getting to see him a lot.

As if this shock wasn't enough, a week later, after finishing with the day's recording, I was about to head into my car when I noticed Ethan standing beside his vehicle, and surrounding him were his bodyguards – all dressed in black suits.

Seeing me, Ethan looked up from his phone and smiled.

"Keji," He called to me.

Hesitantly, I walked to him with a huge smile plastered on my face.

"Hey, Mr. McKenzie," I greeted him and eyed the men who stood by him. "Do they smile at all?"

He glanced at his men and laughed once. "They do when they get paid."

Unable to hold myself, I laughed.

"I think everyone smiles when the big fat check comes knocking at their bank accounts."

"However, for some, their smiles are too priceless to be bought with wads of money," Ethan said.

I eyed him.

"Whom are you speaking of, Mr. McKenzie?"

He smiled. "Could you stop referring to me as a Mr.?"

"Oh," My eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, please call me Ethan," He added.

I watched him for a while, wondering how comfortable he wanted me to get with him. But, I would never say no to being acquainted with a man of such honors as Ethan.

"Okay, Ethan," I said.

He reached for my hand, clasping it in his, and I snapped my eyes to our clasped hands, and then back to his face.

"Keji, may I invite you for dinner this Friday?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Dinner? You mean a date?"

"Um," He trailed off for a while, before nodding with a smile, "Yes, definitely a date."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So do you affirm?"

I looked up to him. "Uh?"

"I would be expecting your acceptance, and would be gladly and patiently waiting for you, Keji," Ethan said with a smile.

Absentmindedly, I nodded, and said, "Sure, I'd get back to you."

"Good," He answered, "I bid you a good day, Keji D."

"You too, Ethan."

With this, he got into his car and was followed by his bodyguards, and soon his motorcade drove out of the premises of Princess Melinda's House, while I stood rooted to the ground.

Did Ethan just ask me out on a date?

________

All through the night, I pondered over the last discussion I had with my girlfriends, and then, my mind wandered over to Ethan asking me out.

This was literally what I needed, my friends had said. But, I'm not really sure Ethan is the best man to try out my feelings with, and on a more complicated stand, I doubt that I am ready to switch away from the current phase of my life and become serious.

Suddenly, I recalled Enitan and my heart instantly stung. I reached for my cellphone on the table beside my bed, and I saw that it was 2:00 am in the morning.

Finding his number, I dialed, but just like the previous days, his line went straight into voicemail, and I sighed.

Ever since my arrival in London, I had not heard a thing from my best friend, even though I kept calling and texting him each day. It just felt as though Enitan was purposely ignoring me, and this hurt the more I considered it.

Yes, I had asked for a space, and for him to live his life, but I never asked that he leave me.

Deciding to give it one more try, I dropped a message on his voicemail, hoping and praying that he'll reply to me, because I've missed him, and there is no denying it.

"Enitan, it's been a while now, haven't you gotten your big-boy pants on? It's been several days, and I miss your witty voice and your strict rules. Life has been pretty great here, but it's not the same without you. I hope to hear from you soon, and I mean very soon. I love you, always remember that."

As I placed my phone back on the bed stand, I felt a tear drop down my cheeks, and I used the back of my palm to wipe it off.

No, I wasn't going to be weak. I told Enitan that I could take care of myself, and that is exactly what I would do. If he can ignore me and my calls, then I can definitely do better. I need to forget him and do everything possible to show him and the whole world that I can survive on my own.

Without another thought, I picked up the phone back and messaged Ethan.

'About the date, Ethan McKenzie, I've accepted to come with you.'

Not up to a minute later, a message popped into my phone, and I saw that he had replied.

'I knew you'd come around. My chauffeur would pick you up by eight.'

As soon as I read the words on the screen, my heart skipped a beat.

What did I just do?

I have never been on a date, so, I don't know the first thing to do. God, this would be a disaster if I don't figure out what to do.

Dialing another number, I waited as it rang a couple of times before it connected.

"Hey, Keji."

"Tina, I need your help."

"My help on what if I may ask?"

I took a pause before continuing.

"I'm going on a date with Ethan McKenzie."

I should have hesitated before saying this, as Tina screamed on the phone, almost damaging my eardrums in the process.

"YOU ARE GOING ON A DATE WITH ETHAN MCKENZIE AND YOU'RE JUST TELLING ME!!"

I had to get over the tingling sensation in my ears from her scream, before replying.

"You don't need to blow off my ears to make your point, Tina. I know Ethan is a big name; I know this is my first time going on a date, and I know that I don't know the first thing about being romantic. So, yes, this is going to be a disaster without your help."

A long pause accompanied it, and I had thought she had hung up when I heard her chirpy voice.

"I'll be there a.s.a.p.!"

On hanging up, I closed myself as I took in a deep breath.

I can do this, I kept telling myself. Ethan's a good guy, and I would definitely get along with him. This is the best thing for me right now.

Yes, this is my search for love.

🌻🌼🌻

🌻🌼🌻