𝓛𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓼

“You are homely; that’s one attribute I look forward to seeing in my woman.” Wale compliments, spreading himself comfortably on the couch.

 
And instead of being happy, I only get more confused. “Your woman!” I repeat quite ridiculously.

 
As he adjusts himself to face me completely, a magnetic tension envelops the space, an unspoken connection palpable in the air. Our eyes meet, and the atmosphere becomes charged with a delicate anticipation.
 

His eyes lowers, matching the desires written on his face. “You still haven’t given me an answer to my question.” Wale says. He lifts his hooded eyes at me again, locking me strongly in my position.
 

“What question?" I ask, pretending not to recall. But I remember vividly the night in his car, in front of my house, when he asked me if he was my type of man. But the question I failed to ask him was, if he wasn't my type, would he be willing to change for me?
 

I know that's a stupid question, and I'm glad I never asked him that. True love comes with acceptance, but can I accept him? No, the real question is, can he accept me when he eventually knows about
 

He exhales deeply. “Eno, I know you know what I mean. Is that why you ignore my calls?” I hear this question come out with an air of depression.
 

“You are getting me more confused here.” I tell him instead, hoping to continue the facade.
 

“The last time you said you were not my type of woman, but then, and even now I’m asking, am I your type of man?” He gives me this soulful look.
 

A gentle spark of light shimmers in his eye, gradually unavailing his true emotions, forcing me to rethink what on earth I saw in Chidi or any other guy in my past that made me fall for them in the first place. They were nothing compared to this beautiful man sitting in front of me.
 

Exhaling slowly "Wale, is that why you came here?” I ask, trying to ignore the question.
 

“Yes, I need to know. After that night, I thought I would forget about you just like every other woman, but I couldn’t. I tried and failed successfully. You invade my dreams; I can’t say two sentences without your name popping up; my head keeps projecting you like really, Eno, no woman, I promise you, has ever made me so crazy the way you do." He pauses to catch his breath, then drops his gaze on the floor.
 

I sense the authenticity in his words, but then I try my best to still my flustered heart. "Wale, please," I coo.
 

“You don’t know how miserable I felt when you ignored my calls.” He adds. He taps his palm on his chest, and I feel the hurt reflect in his voice.
 

“There are many things going on with me right now, and I’m not planning on adding more complications to them." I speak quickly and regret saying the words as soon as they leave my mouth.
 

I find the courage to look at him, and what I witness is the damage my words have done to him.
 

“Is that what I am to you? A complication.” He asked heatedly in a surprising low tone.
 

My mouth swings open with nothing but air puffing out. I don’t know what to say. I realize I have upset him with my careless words; how can I remedy that?
 

“No, no. Wale, please, I'm sorry.” Finally, I apologize sincerely.
 

“Eno, tell me, what is going on with you? I need to know; I desperately want to know. I want to be part of your life; I want to make you laugh; I want to hold you when you cry; I want to do anything for you; I want to give you everything; I want to love you and kiss you; I want to show you how crazy I am for you; please, Eno; I have never hungered for a woman like this before.”
 

There are so many things he wants. Don't I want those too?
 

The weight in his voice makes my heart ache, and just seeing him this way breaks me even more. But what am I supposed to do? I need to weigh my options. It’s not just me involved here. But can I tell him who else is involved? I feel the burn on my cheek reaching up to my eyes, warming up the tears to pour at any moment.
 

“I’ll ask again." He says with a husky finish to his voice, leaving his sitting position over to mine and squatting in front of me. “Have you ever considered me your type of guy?”
 

I have the answer to that question already in my heart, and looking closely into my eyes prevents it from coming out.
 

He’s close—again, too close. I can feel my heart racing, like I have been running. True, I have been running from this feeling. With each moment he stays close to me, the allure grows, and the subtle chemistry between us transforms into an irresistible force, drawing me closer.

 
But I promised myself not to go down this road again, and here it is, right in front of me. What can go wrong?
 

“Everything.” I blurt out the answer to my heart's question instead of his.
 

“What?” His eyes dilate.
 

I realize and quickly reply, “You are everything a woman wants. Everything I desire in my man, you exhibit. Yes, I consider you my type of man.” I can feel him relax as I speak. “You have managed to cloud my head and barge into my dreams uninvited, but—”
 

Before I know what is happening, he steals my last words, knowing exactly what I want to say next and preventing me from saying them.
 

I shiver from the touch of his lips on mine, and exactly as I imagined, his lips are soft and juicy. Gently, he stroked my bottom lip with his tongue, massaging them slowly and as if carefully. He is a master of the art in the kissing department; I never realized a kiss could do so much to me.
 

I respond easily and freely, not holding myself back. I can feel one of his hands wrapping around my waist and another on my bare thigh, caressing it.
 

He slides his lips to my chin and the side of my neck to my bare shoulders. He whispers, “Your skin is seductively soft; I don’t want to stop. Please, love, be mine."

 
I instantly open my eyes as if awakened from a dream, and instinctively, I put a little space between us.

 
“We won’t last.” I sadly comment, standing on my feet and moving towards the window, then slightly opening the cotton.
 

“Don’t you want us to last?” He asks, walking in my direction.
 

“I do; I wish we could, but circumstances may not permit it.” I try to explain.

 
“I don’t care about what circumstances have to offer; all I need is you. I’m at my lowest point, asking for the hardest thing. I know, but you don’t have to be scared. Give me your heart, and I will cherish it forever.” He professes, stealing my heart and my common sense away with his words.
 

“Wale, forever is a long time.” I remark.
 

“I know, that’s why I said it.” He whispers, “I love you; I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I truly love you. I might seem like a playboy to you, but no girl has ever earned my confession. Honey, I love you deeply.” He confesses further, with one hand brushing the side of my face.

 
Standing close to him gives me a clear view of his masculinity, and I can clearly see how tall he really is.

 
Every living cell in me wants to scream out, “I love you too."

 
Wait, Did I say that out loud?

 
I gasp, realizing my mouth has betrayed me too.

 
I swiftly turn away from him, biting my lower lip and feeling embarrassed.
 

I can hear his laughter as it rumbles in his chest. He turns me slowly to face him, cups my chin in his hand, and stares at me, looking deep into my soul. Then, without saying any words, he bends his head over and kisses me again.

1404 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖘

______________________________________

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓? 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆
______________________________________