FLIRTATIOUS ; ( Part 17 & 18 ) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE

PART 17 ” FLIRTATIOUS”
Opeyemi Akintunde

The next three weeks that followed was probably the most awkward and yet interesting time of our lives. We put in the efforts to seeing each other as a potential couple, we tried kissing a few times and we would laugh at each other.

It was really awkwardly fun.

However, we crossed the line one sunday night.

We got so engrossed in our affection showing that we made love. Something kept telling me to stop , but I resisted.

After we were done, it was clear whatever we thought was going to work between us was a farce. Leni’s love died in my heart. I think for a minute, she became unappealing to me, but I Knocked out the thought.

It had happened late at night in her room, while Roland was sl33ping in my room. I had crept into her room caressing her hair and telling her how much I was happy with our decisions. One kiss turned into two, two turned into long thrusting kisses and before we knew we were down to our Pants alone.

” Are you sure you want to do this?” Leni had asked

” Yes, I want to do this and more with you” I said as adrenaline was rushing through my veins.

” When we do this, we can’t undo it” Leni reminded me…

” Leni I love you and this will only cement the Love I have for you” I said and she finally gave in…

After the show was over, Leni hung on to me like her life depended on me, I could tell she had given me her all, but at that point as she was about loving me more, I was about loving her less.

*****

The next morning, Leni was on Clouds nine, she made very nice breakfast for me and packed it for me like she packed Roland’s lunch pack… That was the first of its kind.

“ I don’t need this” I said forcing a smile

“ I don’t want my husband starving at work”

” Husbandddddd” I screamed in my heart.

“ I won’t starve, there is the Hotel free lunch” I said rejecting her breakfast

“ This is breakfast not lunch” She insisted

“ Ok, if you insist.” I said hoping to trash the breakfast.

“ Won’t you give me a peck? Husbands give their wives pecks“ Leni said and for the first time, her words were very irritating in my ears…

“ Arhhg” I thought within… I was not enjoying the Husband thing , it was sounding cringey..

I walked towards her to plant a kiss on her cheek, but she made me put it on her lips.

” This is not it” I told myself disapprovingly

*****
Work through out that day was hell, I kept hissing at any slight mistake from anyone…

“ Is everything alright?” Reuben had asked

“ Yeah!’ I replied

“ So why the constant hissing?” He asked

“ I am just Not in a good mood today” I replied

“ My ears are quite idle now, I could lend it to you” Reuben said

One look at him and I knew there was no escaping it… I sat on my chair defeated

“ I think I just made a big mistake?” I Opened up

“ Let’s hear it… To you it might be a mistake, but if someone else hears it , it might be a right step”

“ It’s about my sister.”

“ Leni? What’s wrong with her?”

Festus knew about Leni being my sister, but not the full story of being raised together at the orphanage.

“ I slept with her…” I blurted out

“ You slept with your sister?’ Reuben’s expression was worse than Shock

“ Leni is not my blood sister…” I confessed

It took another ten minutes of explaining all about us to Reuben and how in the past three weeks we had started living as a couple…

“ F.D, did you listen to me the other time, when I explained to you about attraction and marriage. The fact that you are attracted to a person does not mean you are to marry them. Guy, you have lost a great friend. Things are never going to be the same between you both again” Reuben said

“ That’s my fear and the annoying thing is I feel very distant to her after the s3x, but she looks like she is totally into me and Leni doesn’t do well with heartbreak”

“ It’s better you kill the fire now, before she starts talking about you both getting married” Reuben advised

*****
It was either Reuben was a prophet or he was a good guesser, because the moment I stepped into the house, the words that hit me in the face was exactly this…

“ F.D, I have made the enquiry about the court wedding, I was told the Federal Registry is the best.” Leni had said

My world came crashing.

Indeed, It was better I killed the fire.

“Slow Down Leni, Please we need to talk” I said and I could see fear immediately in Leni’s eyes. I knew that look.

“ What’s wrong?’ She asked as I bowed my head in shame and guilt. I had betrayed my friend and sister. I had given her my word to love her and not hurt her, but there I was about to hurt her…

The puppy eye look staring at me couldn’t bring me to saying what I needed to say, instead I said;

“I was thinking we should wait for Shalewa to return , we shouldn’t get married alone, and also receive Aunty Yemi’s Blessings” I said

I saw the relief in her eyes and immediately her eyes lit up again…

“ Oh! That’s true…Shalewa would be my Chief’s bride Maid, but who is going to be your best man? To think I was hoping to be your best man at your wedding… Truly God work wonders” Leni said excitedly

My heart became heavy; I needed to bury my head in shame in my room. I moved past her and headed for the room, but what met my eyes was beyond me. I honestly didn’t see it coming.

Leni had rearranged my room. She had moved some of her things to my room making it look like a matrimonial room.

PART 18 “FLIRTATIOUS”
Opeyemi Akintunde

“ Why did you move your things into my room?” I asked trying so hard to control my irritation.

“ I thought we should let Roland have my room so he will stop disturbing us” Leni said Laughing, with her eyes glowing in the night.

“ No, Leni, don’t let us lose our individuality because we want to get married, you have to stay in your room..” I said

“ From the movies we watch, Couples stay in one room” Leni said

“ This is not the movies, this is real life!” I said firmly

Leni got the drift. She could tell I was pissed.

“ I will pack up” She said curtly

Leni got into the room and started picking up her stuff, I saw her tears dropping from her eyes.

“ Leave it!” I said

I could not watch her cry and stay normal.

Leni didn’t obey my ‘leave it” call. She kept packing her stuff and returning it to her room. She had gone to her room twice before I gathered enough strength to stand up and stand in her way..

“ I said leave it” I said grabbing her and all she did was break down in tears…

“ Why do people reject me and treat me like I am a burden, first my birth parents, Marcus and now you are treating me like I am a burden” Leni said to me

“ You know you can never be a burden to me, it’s just that it’s beginning to feel weird, like I am committing a sin. Reality is beginning to dawn on me and I am beginning to see that you are better as a sister to me than a wife.”

Leni stepped back from my embrace and looked at me like I had just stabbed her heart…

“ What are you saying?” She asked

“ This is not about you, it’s about me, I am beginning to see myself as inadequate, I feel you deserve someone richer than me” I said trying to find my way out of the whole mess

“ Richer ?” She didn’t understand

“ Yeah! As a brother, I want you to have a good life, have a wealthy husband who will take care of you and Roland.
I don’t want to be selfish,because the truth is, I don’t fit that description.” I said pleadingly

“ Stop It F,D, I am not after Riches, I am after Love” Leni said

“ And I don’t think I can love you as I should, I think you should go back to Segun.“ I said and with that statement, I moved away from her and walked to the living room. I really wanted to leave the house, but I knew Leni could not be trusted to stay in the house alone. She could try suicide. She had tried suicide twice when Marcus turned his back on her.

She followed me…

“ F,D, you used me… You just needed someone to sl33p with, and I stupidly fell for it” Leni said as a matter of facr

“ You know that’s not it Leni” I denied.

“If that’s not it, what is it? Say it, say the truth?” Leni confronted me

“ I thought I could give you the life you deserved, but…” I started to say,but Leni cut in

“ But you sudddenly realized I am the single mother who doesn’t fit to be the wife, let me guess, you will prefer a girl like Shalewa?” Leni said in a rush

If a pin had dropped in the room, we would have heard it…

She was right, I would have prefered Shalewa as a wife than Leni, not because Leni was a Single mother , but I saw her as a sister, there was nothing more to know about her. There was nothing interesting about her…

“ This has nothing to do with you being a single mother, the truth is I can’t see you more than or other than my sister” I said

“ It’s okay, another disappointment. I will survive this too” Leni said raising her hands up as if to surrender

That broke my heart and I cried…

‘ I am sorry” I said

“It’s Okay, guess this is my life, just like name, ENITIOLENIYAN SUGBON ONIOLORUN” { A person who has no one, but has God)…

Leni went into her room and I could literally hear her wailing. She had locked herself in again…

*****
Over the next two weeks, Leni made sure we never saw, she was always in her room locked in when I got back, and before I woke up, she was out of the house. I tried reaching her over the phone for the two weeks but she never picked my call.

******
Finally, Shalewa returned and She looked breathtaking.

I had returned from work and from outside I could hear Leni’s loud & happy laughter, a laughter I had missed. I walked in to meet She and Shalewa seated. Shalewa on seeing me rushed to give me a hug.

“ My brother who only checks on me once every two months”

“ Shalewaaaa… Oh My Goodness, My Doctor in the building. Won’t you put me in your suitcase when you are leaving, I need my skin to glow like yours”

“ It’s the Lord’s doing” Shalewa said happily

“And it’s marvelous in our sight” I said

“ You guys are looking good too, although Leni
looks lean, Are you part of the fitfam” Shalewa joked

“ You could say that!” Leni replied

We all laughed and chatted about everything and anything…

*****
However, we couldn’t hide the truth from Shalewa that long, because she said…

“ God told me you guys have done what you ought not to do!” she said out of the blues

“ I don’t know what it is, but from the look of things, you guys are not as close as before, Did you have a fight”
She asked

None of us said a word…

“ Don’t tell me you guys…?” Shalewa said and without her completing her statement, Leni burst into tears and I couldn’t stop mine…

“ Why?” Shalewa said and somehow I noticed a look of disappointment in Shalewa eyes towards me. She stared at me and I could read a lot of unspoken words of an expectation cut short.

Was her disappointment as a result of what happened between Leni and I, or was there more to the look in her eyes?