Dedicated to veeky123 ❤

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Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. --2 Corinthians 3:18 (MSG)

What are friends for?

That single statement Posi made had been echoing in his mind for days. As much as he knew he should be glad that he had worked things out with his parents, the fact that Posi referred to them as friends still left a sour taste in his mouth.

Friends. He didn't even know where she got the idea that he wanted to be friends with her. He had even thought he was coming on too strong.

Alas! I seem not to be doing enough. Operation Get Out of the Friendzone is a go.

Tayo moved towards his walk-in closet to prepare for his day and it was like he was walking through the emotions that had flowed through him when he told his parents that he loved them and was glad to be called their son.

He had travelled home after his elder brother left. Although things were a bit strained at first because his parents hadn't known how to address him. They later informed him that it was because they had been expecting the worst. Thankfully, everything had been resolved.

He still didn't know who his birth father was and he was okay with not knowing or trying to find out. He was also informed that his maternal aunt had passed a few years after his birth mum died. As much as he would have loved to meet her, he was just thankful that everything had worked out well.

******

Posi was sure she hadn't imagined the change in Tayo's demeanour the day she had ambushed him at work. She had called him friend. And he was her friend, wasn't he?

However, the surprised-slash-disappointed look he had on display made her think otherwise. It wasn't like he had made a move, right? Or maybe he had and she had missed it? Or she wasn't ready to recognize and accept that he had been making moves?

Sighing, she absentmindedly moved things around on her table.

"Hello o."

Startled, she looked up to see the object of her thoughts and musings. "Tee, hey."

He moved towards her and peered into her face like she had something on her face.

With a forced giggle, she asked, "What's it? Is something on my face?" She patted her face as she searched blindly for what could be the problem.

"Well, there's something that isn't on your face," Tayo replied with a serious expression. He straightened to his full height and tucked his hands in his pockets.

Alarmed, she tried to push herself off the chair to pick her mirror. He looks too serious. What is it that I don't have on my face bayii?

"A I-am-so-excited-to-see-Tee smile."

Posi scrunched up her nose and turned back to him. "A what?"

"I'm pretty sure it's only a pair of spectacles that you use though."

She gasped as she lounged for him and smacked him on the arm. "Are you trying to imply that I need hearing aids too?"

"I said nothing of the sort." He sounded contrite but the tell-tale smirk on his face gave him away.

"Yeah, right." She adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and went to sit on the sofa.

"Is that a new pair? It's cute."

She scoffed before asking, "So, what are you doing here? It's lunch time."

"Exactly. I thought we could have lunch together." He raised his hand up in a stop fashion like a traffic warden would. "And before you murder me with the glare that is peculiar to you, I called to ask Toyin if you'd be free."

Posi shook her head. "Why do I feel like you're returning the favour? This is too similar to my visit to your office last time."

With a look of feigned innocence, he said, "Really? I don't think so."

She just rolled her eyes at him before looking around him. She raised his arms and held the lapels of his suit to check for what he bought.

"Why are you inspecting me?" He had a quizzical look on his face.

"Ah ah. Where is the lunch?"

"That's what you were looking for inside my suit? Would I hide food in my suit?"

"It's you na. You can do anything. So, where's the food?"

"We are going out for it, if you don't mind."

She stared at him for a moment before she spoke. "Where are we going for this lunch?"

"The Kerrington Towers."

"Where we first met?"

"Yep."

Something in his reply caught her attention and she looked at him. He had a goofy smile on and his brown eyes were pregnant with many things she didn't want to dissect at the moment.

Something she had guessed but refused to acknowledge. He wanted more than friendship. That much was obvious but was she ready for it? She wanted more than friendship too but could she handle it if another man walked away from her without looking back?

She was okay, ecstatic infact, to let God do what He wanted with her. He was God and what she felt with Him wasn't humanly possible. Besides, she had the assurance that come what may, the Lover of her soul would never ever leave nor forsake her. But that didn't mean that His creatures had the capacity to stay.

If anything, their emotions were fickle; here today and gone tomorrow. So, what he may be feeling may not even be love. It could be gratitude, momentary love, infatuation or anything like it.

For someone who had discovered that praying to her Father was the best solution, she sure was worrying her heart out.

********

Tayo watched as the being of his affection displayed a variety of emotions. It was almost like watching a ballerina glide through a stage in different poses. He didn't know what she was thinking but he wasn't sure he wanted her to say it aloud, so he jumped in.

"I made the reservation already o. Just two buddies going for lunch."

Her expression relaxed and he knew he had said the right thing.

"Alright. Let's go."

Whatever made her comfortable was fine with him. But she had to at least know he was interested in more than friendship.

All the more for you to tread carefully.

Yes. That was true.

******

They had fun as always at lunch and Tayo's actions prove Posi's suspicions to be true. She remembered all the pointers as he drove her back to her studio. He was more attentive than usual, gazing at her like she was the one who discovered that the earth was round, laughing ecstatically to all her dry jokes, and most of all, there was sincerity shinning in his eyes throughout their lunch.

Posi definitely didn't want to hurt him and to lose his friendship was purely out of the question for her. But what could she do about it?

Talk to Me first and hear what I have to say, hmm.

Okay, Abba.

"And what are you thinking about so deeply?" His voice interrupted her thoughts.

She sucked in a breath. "Just some stuff happening."

"Want to talk about it?"

Definitely not. I'll just tell him something else.

"Well, you know my mum and I just mended fences a few months ago, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well," she continued, "my dad has been hounding her to speak to me so we can meet up too. But I'm just not inclined to want to hear what he has to say or forgive him either."

"Hmm." Tayo stayed silent for some seconds before he spoke again. "But you forgave your mum? Why is forgiving your dad different?"

"I don't know." She sighed. "Okay, maybe I do know."

She looked around to see that Tayo had driven to a stop in front of her studio. She watched as he removed his seat belt and turned towards her, giving his full attention.

Posi entwined her fingers and loosed them severally before she spoke. "I had always had a relationship with my mum, even if it was mostly verbally abusive. But with my dad, there was never any. It was like he was a lord in the house and we all just ran to do his bidding. Only decrees, no discussions or anything of the sort. I was more than glad that he at least was at home. But when he left without a word, it felt like I was never worth his attention or time. I felt like I was just taking up space in his perfect life and he found a way to cut me out like I was an organ that had shrivelled up, especially when I needed him the most," she paused.

"Now that he wants a relationship, I feel, I don't know, like he wants me when he wants and doesn't want me when he doesn't. Like he gets to choose what, when and how our relationship or lack of it will be like. And maybe, just maybe I'm scared that he will walk away again. Just like he did the last time."

She exhaled in a loud breath and played with her fingernails. She didn't look up, couldn't look up. She wasn't sure she wanted to see what was on Tayo's face because she wasn't even sure how anything she had said made any sense. Besides, although he was adopted, he had had a loving family to always run back to. Even till now. He had told her how they had worked out the issue. It was so loving and it had brought tears to her eyes when he told her.

So she was sure he wouldn't understand. In fact, he couldn't understand why she was making a fuss now. But that was how she felt.

She was in her thirties, for crying out loud, and she was still feeling the sense of abandonment she had felt when she was just a teen. Shouldn't she have gotten over it by now? How could someone else's actions or inaction have so much impact on who she was and how she viewed her own relationships?

Was it that she was so weak that another person's mistakes became her fault? Or was it not enough that she had had to go through all that as a child? Did she have to carry the consequences of her parent's actions for the rest of her life?

She had so many questions and no answer yet in sight.

Posi stayed quiet in her seat and allowed herself to drown in the silence that had engulfed the car. Tayo hadn't said a word.

How could he? He obviously cannot comprehend this.

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't know when Tayo turned on the ignition and drove away from her office again.

********

Tayo had never seen the look of despondency on Posi's face. She looked like she was lost and he didn't know what to do. The only thought that had occurred to him was to drive away from her office and take her to a quiet place. And the only place he could think of was the beach.

It was a weekday so the beach was deserted except for the vendors who were lounging around looking for customers. They had descended on his car like vultures to a carcass as soon as he pulled into the area and he had had to wave them all off. Most of them left but some still stood at some distance with a stance like an armed robber waiting to mug an unsuspecting victim.

He had been parked at the beach for almost 10 minutes before Posi shifted in her seat.

"Where are we?" She asked in her hoarse voice as she looked around. "The beach?"

He smiled at her. "Don't look at me like I kidnapped you."

"Didn't you? One moment, we are at my studio. The next, I find myself at the beach. How do you plead, Mister?"

"Not guilty," he replied cheekily. "Let's take a walk."

She nodded and they both alighted. As soon as they did, the vendors made to move towards them but Tayo's glare seemed to work magic as they turned and went about their business.

"Ah-ha! I have taught you well."

"What?" He looked at her quizzically.

"The glare you just gave them. That was definitely my handiwork."

Tayo scoffed in reply.

"But you need to work on the arch of your brows though. They aren't sharp enough."

He turned to her with a look of incredulity. He shook his head and they continued on their walk.

After some minutes of silence, Tayo spoke up. "Posi?"

"Mmm."

"I may never understand how you're feeling exactly but I'll say what you told me. We are Christ's. Our parents are conduits to bring us to the earth and we need to remember that they are human. They are bound to make mistakes, huge and infinitesimal. In fact, every human is. But it doesn't mean we should continue to let their actions or inactions weigh down on us. That is on them."

"Now, that we are Christ's, we take who we are from Him, not our earthly parents. They can only do so much. If we keep letting ourselves carry around the unnecessary weight of their mistakes, we will never be who God wants us to be or meet people who will change our orientation on how relationships ought to be. Rather, we may end up making the same mistakes they have made because our gaze is on not being like them and not on being who God wants to be."

"Remember that scripture in 2nd Corinthians 3:18? It said we behold the glory of God and are changed into that same image. It means we will become what we fix our gazes on, whether consciously or unconsciously. Fixing our gaze on what we don't want to become only makes us be that particular thing. And when we fix our gazes on God and who He wants us to be, we will see that He loves, forgives, gives and so on, so that we may be and do the same. So, it's all about what our gazes are fixed on."

Tayo paused. He already felt like he was preaching at her but he really just wanted to help.

"I guess all I'm saying in essence is that-"

She interrupted. "I forgive him."

"Yes. Or at least, try to. God wants us to do things and He also gives us the strength and ability to."

"Hmmmm. Thank you."

And that was all she said. They walked on for some ten minutes more before she said she was ready to go.

Tayo kept stealing glances at her because he felt he had offended her with his mini-sermon. She didn't say anything, she didn't smile neither did she look at him till they got to her studio.

"Thank you, Tee. I'll pray and think on what you said. I'll talk to you later." She smiled.

At least, I have a smile.

"Okay. Later."

He watched as she walked into her building before he turned to go. He could only try to help.

Father, please send Your help to Your daughter.

He turned the ignition and drove to his office. All thoughts of winning her heart placed in the back seat, he knew that Posi needed to work out her differences with her dad before she'd allow herself go into a relationship with him. Or sadly, with anyone else.

He wasn't being chivalrous. He was just wise enough to know that he had to wait patiently. For now, he would adopt the name Patience.

Patience is my name.

"I'm so happy to see you again, Kiitan. Thank you for being my son," Olori Aderonke said with a teary smile on her face.

After Kiitan's arrival the night before, they had talked and wept. But most of all, Olori Aderonke was glad that her son had forgiven them for not telling him about him being adopted. He was her son and will remain her son.

Oba Aderopo squeezed her hands again in reassurance while Olori Ariyike smacked Kiitan on the shoulder. He winced but that wasn't enough to deter her from smacking him once more.

"That's for causing my sister to cry. Dinner last night was her first full meal since you left weeks ago," she said.

"I'm sorry, mummy," he said to her but she only frowned the more as she folded her arms and looked in the other direction, away from him.

Oba Aderopo and Olori Aderonke snickered because they knew what was happening. Olori Ariyike had been attached to Kiitan ever since the moment they brought him home. So, as much as she tried to hide it, she had also been scared when Kiitan left.

"Oya, I'm sorry now. It won't happen again," Tayo spoke in a gentle tone. He seemed to understand what was happening too.

"It had better not. Or else I will come after you and drag you back home."

"Yes, ma."

Then, Olori Ariyike stretched open her arms to hug him. Olori Aderonke smiled. Things hadn't always been this peaceful. Infact, if anyone had told her that she and Ariyike will get along, she'd have scoffed in their face. But here they were, sitting and smiling so peacefully.

There was nothing God couldn't do.