"Wow, that's nice," Niyi mustered.

There was nothing nice and her going on a date with another man. He could imagine her in a lovely dress laughing at some stupid joke this mystery man would tell her. All he could do about this imaginary man was beat him to pulp. In his head, of course. How could there be someone out there who could get the chance to go on a blind date with a lovely woman like Sewa? What good deed did such man do in his past life to deserve this?

He listened to them talk, only adding a bit to the conversation. Niyi wanted to all but end his night there but when she laughed at a joke he unintentionally made, he designed excuses in his head to stay.

"Have you tried talking some sense into your friend?"

Niyi looked up from his glass to Funmi who watched him expectantly. "What do you mean?"

"He's leaving."

His gaze flitted to Sewa. A frown framed her beautiful face as she took a sip of her wine.

"Elijah exaggerates a lot sometimes. I'm sure my father called him to the States for work."

"That's good to hear. Hey, you have to make sure he comes to the end of the year party this year."

"I can't promise anything. He's leaving on Sunday sha."

"Oh okay."

Niyi did not know what to do or what to think. It seemed she liked Elijah more than she claimed. Perhaps she really was not looking into being in a relationship. It was quite understandable but the thought saddened him.

He should probably tell Elijah about the blind date. Maybe his friend would rescue her from an unpleasant experience. How could he decide if it was going to be unpleasant? What if she actually ended up liking?

This was becoming too much for him. It hurt to even think about it. He had better finish his drink and leave. There was nothing here for him anyway.

"What about Niyi?"

He perked up at his name. "What about me? What did I do this time?"

"Go on a fake date with Sewa."

"That is one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard," Niyi found himself saying, darting a glance at Sewa. She appeared as appalled as Niyi felt at the idea. "Why do I need to go on a fake date with her when I could be her boyfriend?"

The table fell silent as the two women stared at him. Niyi fought the urge to bury himself alive and never see the light of day again. What had he been thinking? Why did he have to say such a thing?

"That is a tremendous idea. You could crash my blind date as my fake boyfriend!" Sewa suddenly exclaimed.

That was not what he was angling for but okay. He nodded with false enthusiasm.

"That sounds like something out of a terrible Hollywood movie. It just might work though," Funmi mused, tapping the rim of her glass.

"You're the one who brings up ridiculous ideas every time."

Funmi scowled at his comment, jabbing her forefinger at him. "You better help her."

"Why are you threatening me? I will help."

"I'm beginning to think this is ridiculous."

"No!" Niyi shot to his feet, surprising himself, the girls and everyone around them. "It's not a ridiculous idea, Sewa." He cleared his throat, his face warm with embarrassment.

Her lips parted and her eyes sparkled with amused wonder. "Uh okay. Thank you for your help, Niyi."

"You're welcome," he said. He was deeply afraid of opening his mouth and saying anything else.

Niyi let Funmi and Sewa take over the conversation, making his drink the center of his attention. He was beginning to feel hungry and wondered if he should buy takeout for dinner.

"Niyi and I will be going now."

Niyi looked up at Funmi who hoisted her purse strap over shoulder. Why was she dragging him along with her when he felt peaceful in Sewa's presence? When he tried to argue, she gave him a sharp look that cut through his tongue like an invisible knife. The only other person who scared him more than his father or an angry Sewa was Funmi.

Damn, he seemed to be meeting a lot of this type of woman.

"I'm sorry we can't see you off tonight," Niyi grimaced, standing up.  "Good night, Sewa."

"Good night, guys. I'll text you later tonight, Niyi."

"You need to stop using me as your designated driver, Funmi," Niyi growled once they were in the car with their seatbelts on.

"You had better shut up and listen to me, young man."

"Young man? I'm older than you." He rolled his eyes and emphasized, "By a whole year."

"You like Sewa, don't you?"

Niyi was sure he swallowed his own tongue when he found himself unable to reply. The cars ahead were only a blur of dark colours and red lights. Did he like her? He could not say. Sewa was an attractive young woman. It would be hard not to like her.

"What do you mean?" He said, his voice hoarse.

"What do you mean what do I mean? I see the way you look at her. I'm not a dummy."

"No one said you were. I admire her. She is intelligent and pretty. Besides, you should not be asking me of such things. It's Elijah that likes her."

"I can't believe this. It's not like those two are going to get married just because Elijah likes her. If he is giving up, it doesn't mean you can't like her."

"I don't like her!"

His lie burned his tongue and stomach. He was sure he had become constipated from it.

Fine, he did like her.

But he would not be caught dead confessing that out loud. Funmi would hold that over him for as long as he lived. If someone as mindless as  Funmi could easily see his affections for Sewa, could Sewa have known? She must not. If she did, she would not let him anywhere around here.

"I'm here anytime you need a listening ear, just let me know." Funmi had told him before getting off when he pulled up in front of her house.

He rested his head on his steering wheel, mind blank but heavy. Niyi thought of Sewa's pretty smile, her slender yet curvy body and the graceful way she walked.

Groaning, Niyi decided his attraction to her was something to be tamed. He could make it disappear completely. How was he supposed to confess his feelings to her after just mending their relationship to an acquaintance status?

After helping her with her blind date, he would reduce the number of time he spent with her.