King

Rain pattered on the roof and window, the rhythmic sound interrupted by a loud clap of thunder which illuminated the grey sky. The AC was off, windows were closed but the cold that had settled in the dining room had us putting on an extra layer of clothing.

There was silence for a while, then another clap of thunder in the distance followed by the sound of the rain as it hit the roof with more intensity. Emma flinched, his eyes moved from my laptop screen to the window and he stuck out his bottom lip.

Tears welled in Emma's eyes as lightning struck, his lips trembled and I rubbed his head to soothe him. Esther spared us a look, unaffected by the weather and I stood to close the curtains, blocking our view of the outside world. It was raining cats and dogs.

This was Uti's favourite weather, minus the thunder and lightning. I didn't have any favourites, any one was fine by me so long I remained safe and dry. I took a deep breath then returned to the dining table to occupy the empty seat beside Emma.

A peek at my laptop showed how much time had passed since Uti chased me out of the kitchen for breaking a plate. She didn't only chase me out, she banned me from coming into her kitchen. Me, the greatest of all time and the best cooking companion.

It was an accident but she didn't want to hear it. She was the cause, those soft lips that I couldn't get enough of. Did she expect me to ignore her sexy self in my shirt? I shook my head and smirked. No way, what she needed was more of my shirts with no bras underneath and more kisses.

In a way, I was glad she didn't listen to me, I couldn't fry plantain, I couldn't do anything that closely resembled cooking except eat. I could eat her out too. I groaned and shifted in my seat, the thoughts of what I could do to her was already making me hard.

"Do you like that one?" I asked Emma in a bid to distract myself, he was my new shopping assistant. He shook his head, then I pointed to another set of rings that were displayed on my laptop screen. "This one?"

Emma responded in the negative, his tongue darted out of his lips and he shook his head. I nodded, pointed to the next ring and repeated my question only to get the same response. I pinched the bridge of my nose, realising how difficult it might be to get a ring that all three of them would love.

"Do you want to see?" I asked Esther who was sitting opposite Emma and me with my iPad in her hand. We were waiting for food.

She dropped the iPad on the table, glared at me before coming to sit on my left. I fought back a smile, keeping a straight face as she angled the laptop in her direction. Baby steps, we were getting somewhere. She has to dislike me less with those hits to my face.

Sparing a look at her, I scoffed and crossed my legs under the table. Her slim frame betrayed the strength she truly possessed, just like her mother. There was so much energy packed into each shot she fired at me. I couldn't wait for us to get along.

Fantastic five would love her, Junior would take her under his wing. Since he already loved hitting me, she would be a great addition to his team. I smiled. It was only a matter of time, I would have her in my corner, the same way I had Emma and Uti.

Since Uti already told me, I knew the angry shots fired were as a result of all the time I was spending with her mother. But she was getting it all wrong. I wasn't taking Uti from them, I wanted to share her with them, be a part of their small family, possibly enlarge it too. If only Uti would agree to move in with me so we could start making babies.

Perhaps this proposal would convince her.

"This one," Esther murmured, "it's pretty."

I followed her finger to the screen where a diamond stone ring was displayed. It was simple and pretty, exactly the type of ring Uti would pick out for herself. I smiled at Esther's choice and nodded in approval but Emma shook his head then pouted.

"I don't like it," he said and faced me. "Uncle Kiki, do you like it? I don't like it."

The hopeful look in his eyes stopped me from voicing out my honest opinion. The ring was fine and it would suit Uti perfectly, all I needed to do was get the correct size of her finger, hers and Esther. It was perfect.

"I like it," Esther stated. "It's fine."

"It's not fine," Emma cried out. "It's not fine."

Esther looked at me for help and I offered her a toothless smile, I couldn't pick a side. I didn't even dare interfere in an argument between the guys, I usually let them have at it till they were tired but I was not sure if the same rules applied to children.

"Emma," Esther started, "you cannot see it because you are still small but it's fine."

A hand went over my mouth to stop me from laughing at big Esther's statement and I nodded. As a child, I didn't have anyone to argue with, the maids always agreed to whatever I said so this was fun to watch.

"You too you are small," he said and turned to me, "Uncle Kiki, is Esther not small?"

My eyes widened like that of a deer caught in the headlights, I grimaced, unsure what I was supposed to say to that. If I answered in his favour, it might put a strain on my growing friendship with Esther. I couldn't afford that; she was hard to placate. What would Uti have said or done in this case?

"I'm bigger than you," Esther fired back before I got a chance to respond and I heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm your senior."

Scratching the back of my head, my eyes darted between the two of them. In a few years, Emma would be taller and bigger than Esther but I was certain she didn't need to hear that piece of information now.

"It's still ugly. It's not fine," Emma replied and sniffed with his eyes glossed over like he was about to cry. "I don't like it."

Okay, time to step in. I cleared my throat and two pairs of eyes turned to me. I smiled like a man who had no fucking idea what he was doing and pointed at the screen.

"Which one do you want?" I asked Emma, feeling stupid for not asking this sooner.

He was silent for a while, his eyes searching as we moved from page to page until they found a gold band with tiny diamonds lining the centre. Underneath the picture of the ring was the name. Emma raised his head and offered me a smile, nodding in happiness to his choice. I nodded. They both had great tastes, I had to give them that.

"Okay," I said. He would need a necklace to go with the ring so he didn't lose it but I could get that later, without their help.

We turned to Esther as if seeking her approval and Emma's smile grew from ear to ear when she nodded. "It's fine."

Now we had the rings settled, all I needed was the perfect venue but that could wait, at least until after tomorrow's surprise.

Emma began tapping the table and Esther returned to her former position. I trusted her to stick to the plan but Emma, I could only hope the promises I made to him would keep his lips sealed for a few more hours. Sunday was almost upon us.

Uti walked into the dining room at that moment and I slapped the laptop close without shutting it down. I straightened up when she looked at me, expecting her to say something but she didn't.

She eyed me for a moment then scoffed, a strange smile flitted across her lips as she dropped the cooler at the centre of the table. I volunteered to help but she turned me down and left, returning shortly with another cooler, that same smile on her face.

I was not in the wrong but her smile made me wary and I almost told her what we had been doing to avoid her jumping into unholy conclusions. Avoiding her gaze, I watched as she laid out plates in front of all of us, going on to fill it with our dinner.

To my disappointment, she took a seat beside Esther, leaving me to stare wistfully at her. The happiness that radiated on my face earlier at the sight of the fried rice, chicken and salad dimmed a little, I would have preferred her by my side.

The smile soon returned to my face when my gaze lowered to the plate set in front of me, mildly surprised she still cooked it.

"What were you people watching?" slipped out of her mouth the moment I dug into my food and my spoon lowered to the plate.

Emma's lips parted but he never got a chance to speak because I placed a hand over his lips. I didn't trust him to keep the ring or tomorrow's surprise a secret. Uti's intense gaze on me caused my hand to drop from his mouth and I cleared my throat.

"Emma," she started, her eyes rested briefly on mine, "what were you people watching?"

Esther and I shared a look which I was sure she noticed, my heart picked up speed and my fingers dug into my palms. If I didn't need him on board, I wouldn't have told him my plans. I tensed, waiting for his response.

"We were not watching anything."

My shoulders would have sagged in relief at his response if Uti didn't redirect her gaze to me, eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring slightly. I had some serious explaining to do.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked and flexed my socked feet. Every one of us was wearing socks but she had padded in barefooted.

My hands found their way to the pockets of my grey cardigan to keep them warm and my eyes darted between Emma and Esther. They had pulled the hoods of their cardigans over their foreheads, covering most of their faces. I was alone in this.

"I'm coming from the kitchen," Uti replied.

"Yeah," I said and nodded with a smile like I understood the reference. "That's true."

Uti placed her hands on the table and smiled sweetly at me. The switch in her mood made me lean back into my seat, I didn't trust that smile one bit and the words that left her lips showed I was right not to.

"Prayer before meal," Uti started, her eyes roamed the dining until they settled on me. "Uncle Kiki, do you want to lead us?"

"Yes, Uncle Kiki, lead us," Emma supported.

This was a setup.

My hands balled into a fist inside my cardigan and I nodded. I didn't even know there was a particular prayer before meal. Would the Lord's prayer suffice? It had better. Or I could make something up.

Smiling at Uti, I leaned across the table then stretched out my hands to her and Emma, urging Esther to do the same with the people at her sides. I smirked at the frown on Uti's face when I laced our fingers, if she thought she could get away from my touch by sitting there, she was in for a shock. There was no getting away from me.

With our fingers intertwined, I cleared my throat and murmured, "Bless this food through Christ, our Lord, Amen."

Their responses didn't come until I said, "Amen?" Then a series of Amen filled the dinning followed by eyes opening to peek at me and our hands returning to our sides.

I shrugged and dug into the meal, the others followed suit, everyone except Uti. Her gaze was trained on my laptop. I squeezed my lips, biting down on the tip of my fork.

"You are not eating?" I queried.

"I'm eating," she murmured, stabbed a slice of plantain, eyes set on mine as she chewed.

The children were quiet as we ate, as if they could tell their mother was in a bad mood. I didn't dare raise my head in her direction again, not with that heated gaze threatening to drill a hole into my forehead. I wasn't her favourite person right now, it was obvious.

When they were done eating, which was sooner than I would have liked, they said their thanks and left us two alone to sort ourselves out. If the dining was quiet before, it was graveyard silent now.

"Uncle Kiki, what's your password?" Uti's question drew me out of my thoughts and I blinked at the sight of my laptop in her grip.

My expression of calm was ruined by the scowl that crossed my face, I eyed the laptop and said, "Don't call me Uncle Kiki."

"Okay. What's the password?"

The dining grew quiet again. I had no trouble giving her my password but if I did, the first thing she would see was the ring page. I couldn't let that happen, not yet.

"The food was delicious," I said instead.

That was the truth, it was delicious. I didn't know much about cooking but I knew just enough about tasting and it tasted good.

Uti pushed my laptop to the side, stood and walked off to the kitchen with me trailing behind. She didn't reprimand me, neither did she say a word but the glare she sent my way when I made to help with the dishes kept me glued to that spot, staring at the floor like a petulant child who had been denied his favourite toy.

Waiting for her to finish, I watched as she towel-dried each plate before setting them in the cabinets like it was something she did often. When she finished, she leaned on the counter, arms crossed under her breast with no traces of a smile. I sighed and groaned, this was harder than I thought.

"So you are teaching Emma how to lie?"

"We were not watching anything," I said like we had rehearsed that line. "He's not lying."

"What are you hiding?"

Closing the distance between us, I didn't reply until I had a finger under her chin and her gaze was resting on me. "Nothing."

"I don't like secrets," she whispered.

"We are not doing anything. No secrets."

"Then what is your laptop password?"

"Uti," I drawled, "I don't want to lie to you." With a finger still hooked under her chin, I tilted her head up. After that delicious meal she prepared, we shouldn't be doing much talking. "Thank you for the food."

"What's your laptop password?"

This woman. I sighed and she looked away after swatting my finger from her jaw. The only way out of this was to tell her.

"Okay. I'll tell you tomorrow," I said.

She was already shaking her head before I could even finish my statement. "I don't want it tomorrow; I want it now."

"No."

"Okay, Uncle Kiki," she murmured and left.

I groaned at the saltiness in her voice. With Emma and Samia there was a certain innocence that came with the nickname but with Uti, there was none of that except for mockery. I groaned again, already headed in the direction she took off to. Women.

*****

BOTC: May by love_richie is a story about a woman named after the title, how she navigates life after being chased from home. The read is most definitely worth your time and the author is friendly too.

adesewa_x, thank you for the cover 🤗

Who was as surprised as I was when Emma didn't snitch on Uncle Kiki? The vibe is gradually coming back. I have been trying to draft the remaining chapters of the story offline, so far, it's going okay but I still don't know how many more chapters we have left.

Also, is there anything you guys want to see? If I don't already have it in mind to add, I just might since the inspiration is pouring in. Someone asked for a double date, Kuti and Thor, I'm still considering it. So hit me, with the ideas.

Don't forget to make that star button glow. 🙃🙃

Q: Uti or King's POV, which do you prefer? And why? I like both of them sha, I don't think I can pick. On some days, one is easier to write than the other.