Chapter 5 Five

MIKE

I woke up to the sound of my dad's car driving out, so I went downstairs to see what was happening, but they were already gone before I got there. Turns out it was the whole family that had left.

"GRACE!" I yelled.

I heard her faint footsteps from upstairs, getting louder until she appeared in front of me.

"Good morning, small Oga," she said. It looked like she'd been cleaning my dad's room.

"Where did they go?"

"They went to church."

"Ooohhhhh."

I ran a hand through my hair. Today is Sundayyyy, I had completely forgotten.

But why didn't they wake me?

I kept thinking as I headed back to my room.

I grabbed my phone, ready to play music and start my workout for the day, when I saw that Charles had already called me three times.

I dialed his number back.

"If someone sees the way you're calling me early this morning, they'll think we're dating," I said, putting the phone on speaker and starting my push-ups.

"Abeg shut up," Charles said immediately, his voice thick with sleep.

"You wey dey do push-ups by this time? Who annoyed you?"

I laughed

"I'm not a lazy motherf***er like you, how do you think I got this body? I have to maintain it, don't you think?"

I grunted, hitting the fifth push-up. The burn was satisfying, but I was out of steam. I sat down on the floor, breathing hard. "Why were you calling me?"

"Guyyyy..."A long dramatic sigh entered the phone.

"You won't believe what happened yesterday."

I already knew where this was going.

"Danielle, right?"

"YES!" His excitement nearly burst the speaker.

"Guy, that girl wants to kill me. She texted me this morning.

He went on and on about the date they had, practically vibrating with excitement , turns out they had another date after the first one.

"She said she enjoyed the date. She said she wants to see me again. ME! CHARLES!"

I rolled my eyes and sat up, wiping sweat from my chest.

"So you called me three times because a girl texted you?"

"My brother, you don't understand," Charles said. "This one is different. She fine, she soft, she get sense... and she no stress me,Guyyyy I've seen my wife"

"Oh?" I cut in. "So you're ready to marry her now?"

Seems like i need to start preparing for a wedding

He hissed so loudly I laughed.

"I didn't call you to chop insult this morning . I called because..." He paused. "Mike, have you been talking to anyone lately?."

"Nopee, I've told you this thing before, I don't think I'm ready for any woman's Wahala this time around" I sighed

"Okayyyy, that's not a problem, i want us to go on a double date" I could hear him grinning and probably smiling sheepishly

"God forbid." The thought of it didn't sit well with me, plus didn't he hear what I just said.

"Ah-ahn na! Don't be wicked."

"I'm not going."

"But Dani said she's bringing her friend o."

"Charles, I don't need a girlfriend."

"You do! You've been thinking too much lately, you need distraction. Come out with me, abeg."

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped.

Aida's face flashed through my mind for a brief moment, which left me wondering why?. Of all people

I exhaled slowly.

"You're not going to let me rest, are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine. I'll go. But if her friend is weird-"

"You'll manage!"

I shook my head, ending the call.

Charles always found a way to drag me into his nonsense.

I stood, stretched, and headed toward the bathroom.

As the warm water hit my skin, my mind returned to Aida.Her sad eyes.Her tired smile.Her voice when she said she was okay.

She didn't look okay.

Why did I care this much?

I leaned my head under the water, trying to wash the thoughts away.

The day carried on like any normal Sunday, until it was 4pm. I hated the idea of spending my Sunday evening pretending to be interested in a random woman, but Charles had some power over me somehow.

I had to prepare for the date. I couldn't figure out why I felt tense, but I put it aside and got ready.

Moments later, after a quick shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stared at myself in the mirror. Muscles tense from push-ups, hair still damp, mind replaying Aida's tired eyes.

I shook my head. Focus, Mike. Double date. Not her. Not now.

I threw on a crisp white shirt and dark jeans, keeping it simple. Charles might have been expecting some "show-off rich guy" stunt, but I wasn't about that life. Subtlety was underrated.

As I checked my reflection one last time, my phone buzzed. A message from Charles:

"Don't forget, meet Dani at 7. Be there sharp. And don't chicken out."

I smirked. Sharp. Like I had a choice.

The drive to the restaurant was uneventful. I let Charles do most of the talking, nodding occasionally, mentally noting everything. The restaurant was one of those trendy spots on the Island: low lights, exposed brick, and music just loud enough to prevent any truly meaningful conversation.

The waiter led us to a quieter section, and we took our seats, waiting for our dates. That's when I saw her, Aida. sitting near the entrance, laughing softly with a friend.

My chest tightened. She looked... lighter somehow, like the fight with Caleb hadn't happened. Maybe it was the evening glow, maybe I was just noticing.

I shook my head. Focus. Not her. Not tonight.

A very tall, dark-skinned beauty walked in with another girl, hand in hand. I realized it was Daniella. The girl next to her was beautiful too, Tolu. They both waved at our table and sat down, exchanging pleasantries.

Charles, meanwhile, looked like he'd swallowed a permanent beam of sunlight, hanging on Danielle's every word.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Aida glance up. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second. She quickly looked away, pretending she hadn't noticed. Interesting, I thought.

The table was a cozy mix of chatter, laughter, and clinking cutlery. Dani and her friend steered the conversation toward funny work stories, while Charles laughed a little too loudly at his own jokes. I sat across from Dani's friend, keeping my responses polite, dry, and measured.

"So," Dani's friend began, leaning slightly forward, "what do you do for work?"

"Finance," I said simply. "Mostly spreadsheets and meetings. Exciting stuff," I added with a smirk.

She laughed. "Wow, exciting indeed. Sounds... thrilling."

Charles jumped in. "Mike here actually does a lot more than just spreadsheets. He's like... a gym rat, part-time chef, full-time philosopher..." He grinned at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Full-time philosopher? Abeg o."

Aida, sitting nearby with Paula, glanced up at us and giggled softly. She whispered something to Paula, who raised her eyebrows, looking amused.

My mind drifted from our table to theirs. I watched her lips move as she chewed her food, smiled at the sound of her laughter, and wondered what they were talking about.

"Mike."

"Mike?"

"Hello."

"Oh, I'm sooo sorry, I got a little carried away," I replied, noticing the disappointment in her face.

"Do you like her?"

"Who?" I was shocked, did she notice?

"Nooo, she's from work," I said calmly, trying my best to hide my feelings.

"Okayyyy," she murmured, sliding her legs lightly against mine under the table.

I jerked slightly, my heart skipping a beat.

This is how it's going for me...