Chapter Eighteen

"You aren't gonna say anything" the presenter laughed after he went mute without saying anything for like three minutes. He dropped his head and chortled.

"That name actually belonged to my late father. That was his nickname though, and I don't know the meaning"

"Favourite color?"

"Black"

"Black?" The female presenter laughed.

"Yeah black"

Aminat left the kitchen out of anger to the living room. She couldn't just take it anymore. But she doesn't even know why! She received the news of their early departure with mixed feelings. Firstly, leaving home.. so disheartening. Secondly, she was simply unprepared.

But on the other side, she'd go with her husband back to his residence. Tlay's gorgeous wife. That'd be so heavenly to her. Then all her friends and family would bow and respect her. Excellent!!

"Thank you Tlay for hosting us. See you next year!"

Aminat could hear the presenter's voice as it drew nearer to where she was with Temmie and Ayoola. He saw them off and close the door after.

"Ayo" Ayoola called and he rose a brow up in response.

"Your friends have been calling my phone asking if you're okay because your phone is switched off" she complained and he chuckled, crashing on one of the arm chairs.

"I had no choice but to. I don't want any form of disturbance today. You know.."

"Ayo" Yemisi came in and cut their talk short.

"And you, come to my room now" she turned her head to Aminat and she followed her back to her room immediately while Ayo was still contemplating about standing up or not.

The two understood what she called them for. Without the need for a soothsayer, he knew she was going to spend the whole day preaching how a successful marriage should go.

He lazily dragged his leg to the room and crashed on his mum's bed.

"What's wrong with you?" Yemisi frowned in concern.

"I'm soo tired" he mumbled wearily.

"When are you leaving for Lagos?" She didn't deliberately changed the topic rather, she wanted to know what his problem was.

"Tomorrow" he replied and Yemisi understood his problem; he was bored.

"But have you.." she said, pointing to Aminat but he cut her short.

"Yes. We've discussed that this morning"

Aminat felt like shutting him up. They never concluded anything. The Vogue's interview interrupted them. She felt a bit nervous with his eagerness to go back to his residence.

After two good hours of Yemisi unending sermon, Ayo felt so hungry, exhausted and weary. Then she brought out a book titled Perfect Imperfection.

"This book, will enable you discover yourselves and prepare for life you've booked for ahead of you. The book is easy to comprehend. Or you need me to explain it better to you?"

Before Ayo could decline the offer, Aminat ran ahead of him and welcomed it.

"Yes. I don't think we can interpret ourselves"

Aminat regretted saying that after she felt a hard painful pinch on her fragile fair skin. She gritted her teeth together to contain the pain outburst.

"What can't you understand there, you no go school?" He scolded her and she nodded in agreement.

"Yes. I think he's right. We'll be able to do it alone" she changed her view immediately.

"You think I am or you're sure?" He glared at her with the corner of his eyes.

"Ayo!" His mother sent him a warning gesture and he rolled farther on the bed, keeping to himself like a baby.

"So... That's all. Any questions?" She asked and they both shook their head in negativity. Even if Aminat had questions, she dared not say yes.

"God will bless your marriage" she concluded prayer. But Aminat unconsciously waited for Ayo to say Amen before she'd do. She was ready, but she could never predict if he was ready or not.

After they've walked a bit from Yemisi's room, Ayo snatched the book from Aminat and smacked it on her head playfully.

"What the hell can't you understand in an English written book. You want me to spend the whole day listening to that duh duh sermon?!"

Aminat giggled and walked three steps further from him, she stared back and smiled at him. His face calm into a confusing frown. Aminat knew she was loosing it bit by bit with him. He was so close to her during the seminar and sometimes smelling her skin warmly since he was lying down beside her.

That was why she never wanted her mother in-law to stop. The thought of telling him made him to shy away from him. She knew he could tease by suspecting her to be a witch.

"This is not my stuff, come and have it" he stretched the book back to her.

"What's your stuff?" She asked, collecting the book from him. He patiently allowed her to stay a little longer and unveiled her hijab.

"You just made your hair, then why are you covering it?"

She felt her hair again and tried to smoothen it barely with her palms.

"I've gotten used to that. Besides the religious beliefs surrounding it, I love to wear it because it makes me more beautiful. Don't lie" she cautioned with a beautiful smile, pointing her fingers to him.

"No. It doesn't. You're more beautiful like this because I'm realizing you're beautiful now since morning" he corrected, ushering their walk from the passage.

"I disagree. Other people told me otherwise" she argued and earned a smirk from him.

He kept mute till he led her to their room. He made sure she ended on the bed with him else, she would have settled on a couch like visitor.

"The thing is that, you were dressing to please yourself or whoever. But now, you're dressing to please me. And I think we have a meaningful say and a respectful view on each other's style of dressing" he then explained fully and she shrugged.

She actually wanted to stop arguing because she already carried away by staring at him. His tattoos, his face and where she couldn't realize she was staring at so much; his waist down to his slim straight legs.

"Sometimes you stare at me as if you want to eat me" he deliberately complained, waiting for her reaction.

Aminat doesn't even want to play dumb at that time.

"You mean you don't get these stares often?" She teased back and he blushed!

"I do" he admitted. "But I don't expect that from you being the type of person you are"

She laughed but was feeling a bit uncomfortable with the topic. She remembered something and sprung it up.

"Mm.. I'm sorry for yesterday. I think I'm having a issues with addressing you" she admitted but earned a weary sigh from him.

"That's why we introduced ourselves to each other. MK had told me your name even before she brought the marriage proposal. And you know my name already. But the introduction was still important and we did it. I still don't understand you till now"

"You love to complicate things!" Aminat remarked with a smile after watching him rant all what he wanted to say.

"And you make me talk too much" he snapped back. But the tension was already decreasing.

"I know you don't talk too much. I really really know you before now" Aminat confessed, walking to the door.

"I saw that you tried to prove that on our first meeting" he recalled, but by then, she was already out of the room.

He thought about giving his phone a chance again but his attempt failed. The time was running to dusk already, why can't endured more and be an achiever.

"Ayo"

Tracy's voice came followed by a couple knocks.

"Come in" He had wanted to complete his statement by urging her not to stay for too long but discarded the thought, considering it a bit rude.

"Hey Ayo" she tiptoed to him happily with her lips confound, giving him an instinct that she wants to gossip.

"What?" He bursted into a fit of chuckles when he parted his lips to talk.

"Ayoola and Temmie told me something today so I want to confirm it from you" she started, settling comfortably on the bed with me. I gave a frown gesturing her to go on.

"That girl that shares this room with you, who's she to you. I mean is there anything between you two?"

I laughed weirdly for like a minute before replying her.

"How would I share my room, bed and even my name with a lady if there's nothing between us"

"So... She's your new girlfriend?" She asked and it sounded so dumbly loud to Ayo.

"Do you share your name with a girlfriend? We are married!"

"Heh! Gu- guyyh! Tell me you're kidding" she shuttered with forced laughs.

"Do I look like a kid?" He shot back.

"OMG!" She screamed with her bugling eyes.

"So... What are you going to tell the pressmen and the medias?" She worried.

"I've been living my life without them before fame. And I think I'm still privileged to live it again anyhow it pleases me again!" He explained and she kept nodding like a lizard pausing on a wall.

"Wow. I'm still dumbstruck till now like WTF.." She was interrupted with creaking of the door. It widened and revealed Aminat.

"Food is ready" she announced and went back.

"You see what you've caused?" Ayo teased.

"What?"

"How can you sit so close to me like this. My wife is a bit annoyed like that. Now go. Go!" He pushed her butt steadily from the bed and she kept giggling. She snatched the pillow that he rested his on, hitting him with it.

He had to get hold of her and threw her out of the room "playfully"

Tracy settled on one of the dining chairs with a sigh. Fortunately and unfortunately, she was sitting next to Aminat. She stared at the strange girl Ayo claimed to be his wife and laughed quietly in her mind.

It might be another joke out of his jokes, she thought aloud. She hadn't heard about her before as a hot model, a TV personality, an actress, a professional or something unique. She was just a girl! JUST A GIRL!! She kept sucking at what she heard.

Aminat wasn't so pleased with she saw though. Tracy is a well known Nigerian American born model. She doesn't want to trust Ayo too much with the excuse of her being his cousin.

The two ladies kept ruminating about themselves. Disgustingly rather pleasantly. The turn to stare at each other again and coincidentally their eyes hit hard. Aminat quickly remove her eyes from her but Tracy was stubborn, she didn't look away.

When his exes and female fans bounce on her, she wouldn't survive it.

She hissed.

"Where's your hubby?" Temmie asked Aminat.

"I told him food was ready but I don't know if he's coming"

Aminat had gotten used to the flex. Just then, Ayo walked in behind them. 

"He's coming." Temmie revealed, positioning herself for the prayer. Aminat chuckled at her huger haste.

"Would you let me sit before you start praying on the food?" Ayo laughed and others could not help but join.

"I'm starving please. In Jesus name, thank you for the provision.." she started the prayer before they could delay her more.

After she was done, Ayoola did the serving while their kid brother kept looking as if he was being punished.

Not too strange, Yemisi and his sisters knew he doesn't eat too much. But Aminat was knee on knowing his eating capacity. She would quickly dart her gaze on him to see if he had started eating but he caught her thrice.

"I know why you're staring at me" he leaned close to her and whispered, but loud enough for others to hear.  "I haven't been acting like a six yard husband material. Now let's go!"

He took a forkful rice and took it her lips.

Out of embarrassment, Aminat lost her appetite and got frustrated immediately on a spot.