CHAPTER FOUR

Rachel POV

With trembling hands and voice, "Can I sit with you" I almost choked on my saliva as I whispered, afraid of rejection. I guess he heard my voice as he raised his head and looked at me. I saw his eye color for the first time, it was almost brown and that color made me remember my grandma's petticoat.

He's the most handsome guy I had ever seen. He has the most brownish pupils I have ever seen because that color is almost rare.

"Do you still want to sit or do you want to continue staring at me like I am a god?" Without breaking eye contact, I sat down in front of him

"How may I help you?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Ehmm, I saw what happened" I said, careful with my words because I know that any wrong word will send me away from this table

"So?" he asked without even making eye contact with me. I knew he was angry, at least it's normal to be angry after being embarrassed in the presence of many, but does he have to take it out on me?

"Sorry, but I'm being friendly here and I don't think I did anything wrong, seeing you get slapped in front of everyone here is just too much..." I paused and continued "...but I think she loves you"

He looked around the restaurant as if he was scanning the area for either reporters or bouncers to bounce me out of here but I think he saw some of the people looking at him then he looked back at me.

"Really? You think the girl I brought with me from Germany for a holiday in Nigeria, who thought I'm cheating on her and slapped me because of that, love me? He asked looking like he's been stained in the dirt instead of being slapped.

I thought of what to say in my head. Oh shit, why did I mention she loves him? The truth is, what I said was just an excuse to gain his attention, I didn't want the girl to love him but I had to say that because I needed to talk to him, I needed him to look at me and I needed him to forget her for a while and I don't think that's too much to ask for.

I reprimanded myself in my head. "Yes, she loves you. A girl who loves you will get jealous and angry with you even without any reason sometimes" I paused and continued "But why did you cheat?" he has never struck me like an unfaithful guy, especially a guy that will jeopardize his beautiful date for some cheap girl. He should know better.

"Of course not, I didn't cheat, I was about proposing to her because I love her" he said, bringing out the coral box from his pocket. I can't believe I felt sorry for him.

I thought of what to say but couldn't find one until...

"Marry me" I told him, unblinking with the courage I could summon.

"Excuse me? Are you crazy? Do you mean to marry a stranger?, wait how will that help me or make her know I love her" he answered me like I was a fool and he was the smart one like I have just grown a horn.

"Well, you know girls can't stop being jealous especially if she sees the guy she loves with someone else" I explained.

"So how will marriage do the deed" I'm even surprised he's considering my option because I thought he would have thrown me out of the restaurant or call security.

"We can just stay married for 6months and if you see she's still serious or in love with you we can break up without tarnishing your image as a footballer and as ladies' man" I muttered, raising my head to face him, I was shivering inside of me. My palms are sweaty because I was scared of what he would say next but guess what? When I looked at him, He was smiling, I mean a real and handsome smile that almost took my breath away and I couldn't help but notice the dimple on his left cheek.

"Why are you smiling" I've never been this dazed

"Ladies man you say? If that will make her come back then that's fine, but I don't know you?"

"You will know me when we start communicating and we can get to know each other well but for starters, I'm Rachel Jones, a 400level nursing student of Lagos State University" I told him

"You are a nurse?" he asked surprised.

"You seem surprised" I asked, too

"I am"

"Well, Should I say a Registered Nurse in view" I replied and he smiled.

Never in a million years would I have thought I could help someone with a piece of my thoughtless advice. How he got to agree to my advice still baffles me because I didn't seem to understand

We talked for hours and it wasn't boring at all even though we just met but me telling him he's something I have been looking up to, did the trick.

I didn't even know it was late already "Oops I forgot my friends are at the other table, I have to go" It's sad biding someone you found interesting a goodbye because I didn't want to leave him.     

"Hmmm, no problem we can meet in 2day's time, right? Since you said you guys are on break or should I say a holiday" he asked.

"I can't call that a holiday and sure we can meet, but where?"

"We can meet here or somewhere else, or is there a problem with getting to know my wife to be?"

"Well no"

"So till then?"

"See you soon hubby-to-be" I said.

"Rachel?" he called. Did he just call my name? Or did I have an auditory hallucination?

"Yes?" I answered

"What about your contact number?" He asked and I gave it to him and left him at the table. I just couldn't contain my joy, I wanted to shout as loud as I could but I didn't want to be a nuisance in a restaurant as elegant. I left quickly to meet my friend and tell her how my little discussion went but when I saw the look on her face, I kept my mouth shut.

"Rach are you okay? You left us here for God-seems-to-know hours and the funniest part is my brother left when he saw that you were not coming back soon. He wanted to come to that table but I had to hold him back and thank God Femi is here I would have left you here" she said angrily. I know that anger won't last because she would want to know about all that happened but it was best to apologize, at least to Femi.

"I'm so sorry, I was so caught up in the discussion" I said.

"No problem dear, we were having some interesting discussions too" surprisingly Femi said

"Thanks so much for understanding. So can we go now?"

"Of course, I will take you guys home since Tom had somewhere to go" Femi said

"Okay" Mary and I said in unison.

I looked at Mary full of apologies but she wasn't looking at me. Though I wasn't happy about her not talking to me, my moment with Aderemi had a sad feeling flushed off my mind....it is so crazy and daring that I'm planning to do what my dad and mum will reject me for, getting married at 21? I guess I didn't think it through well enough.