Chapter Thirty-one

Two days interval, Thandeka was reading in the sitting room, when suddenly the butler came in to inform her that someone was at the door to see her. 

"Who is it?" She sat up on the sofa. 

"He didn't care to mention his identity, Ms." The butler answered. 

She closed the book halfway with her fingers inside. "Okay, let him in." But as the butler turn to leave, she stopped him, "Wait, didn't he mention if he's from school or something?" 

The butler shook his head, "No, ma'am. He only said he wants to see Ms. Thandeka Dlamini. He brought nothing else other than a flower." 

Thandeka's brows scrunched together in confusion. "Flowers?" 

Who on earth is related to her that will get her flowers? 

Of course she has friends but they are not the too-sweet type or romantic one anyway. 

So, who is this anonymous person? 

She cut off with the thought and said, "Anyway, let him in." 

The butler nodded obediently and left.

Not up to five seconds, a young man dressed in plaid sleeves–whichnwas rolled up to his arm, paired with black pants, walked in. 

Unknowing to Thandeka that he was already standing in her presence –because, she was back facing him. She stood up, wearing her flipflops slippers–only to turn around and see– 

"Jesus Christ!" She lost her balance and almost fell on the sofa but he was so quick to hold her up–causing the both of them to crash on the sofa together. 

Silence and nothing but silence greeted the moment between them–as they kept staring into each other's eyes. 

He broke the silence between them after sometime that seems like forever. 

"You must be the generous woman that's behind the reason am alive today." His deep voice caused cool chills to run down her spine and backbone. 

She shivered a bit and he felt that–as his hand still held her right arm, making him see the goosebumps on her flesh. 

It's not as if Thandeka was too scared or scared to say a word but his handsomeness…..shut her mouth up. 

All she could do was stare into his eyes as if he was one of God's creations that was never r made known to her before now. 

The both of them kept staring into each others eyes and if one saw them, they'd think that these two would kiss each other in a very short moment soon. 

"Wow, Thandeka. You didn't tell me that your boyfriend would be coming over to have dinner with us." Zanele broke in, causing a distraction between the two. 

In an instant, she slightly pushed him away and stood up to make a defense but before she could say a thing, her elder brother Katlego who just walked in, absentminded about the whole situation, jumped into conclusion. "Deka," his eyes went from his sister to the guy. "We are very close and you never mentioned your boyfriend to me?" 

She wanted to stand up for herself, "Tlego, he is–" 

"Oh forget it, you don't have to start explaining now, sis. You know you have a bad habit giving long explanations." He chuckled as he made his way to give the young man an handshake. 

The both of them shook their hands like they've known each other for decades. 

"Katlego Dlamini. Thandeka's elder brother." He introduced himself, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Darin Kunle Coker Ayomide." The guy smiled, "It's a pleasure meeting you." 

"The pleasure is mine, bro." Katlego's grin widened. 

"Your accent...it tells you are not from here." Sipho walked down the stairs, holding a newspaper, the other hand in his pocket. 

Maintaining his composure and dignity, Darin agreed, proudly. "Of course, I'm not from here. Am a Nigerian." 

Immediately he said that, Katlego poke Thandeka, grinning from ear to ear. "Uh huh, I knew my sister is such a smart little bitch. Come on see how she bull shit all the men here and crossed the border all the way to Nigeria. Damn, how did you do that?" 

Thandeka was trying to defend herself but she kept hating it when she's not given the opportunity and privilege to. Especially when her brother keeps coming up with crazy childish information that are not real. 

Darin made used of the opportunity by presenting her the bouquet of roses he got. 

"I hope you don't mind accepting this little present." 

Zanele held her hands on her chest as she beamed, "Awwn, this is so sweet." 

"Wow!" Katlego gasp. Seeing the romantic view in front of him. He has never seen a guy head over heels for his sister, talk much of getting her gifts or flowers. 

"Deka dear?" Sipho called when his daughter just stood there muted, not accepting the flower, other than just stand there staring at it–along side the young man." 

"Um…..thanks." she forced a smile, accepting the gift but inwardly, she felt like setting it ablaze. 

All she could do was stare at it like it was a sculpture–a mysterious art. 

"You must be the reason while she's been coming home late these few days." Sipho adjusted his glasses, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Do you mind joining us for dinner?" 

"I really um, I really appreciate, sir. But I have to g–" 

"We insist," Zanele grinned. 

Darin scratched the back of his head, he didn't try hard to escape this enough. 

*****************

At dinner, 

"So, what brought a gorgeous looking young man to our motherland?" Zanele never stopped oogling over Darin since his arrival. 

"Well," Darin shrugged. "Am here for my master degree programs." 

"Wow, that's good." Sipho nodded. "My son, Katlego is also running his master degree programs too." 

"So bro, what did you study?" Katlego is over joyed to meet with a Nigerian guy for the first time. 

"Nah, nah," Zanele shook her head, "As if he asked you about your course of study? You are nosy, you know that?" 

"But mom," 

"No, it's fine." Darin simply said, sitting upright. "I studied chemical and polymer engineering in USA. Actually, I was born in Norway, didn't grow up much in Nigeria except staying with my grandma for a year holiday in Nigeria when I was four. I don't know how the educational system is held in Nigeria because since my birth, I only schooled in overseas. I finished my nursery and primary certs in London, then I did my highschool in Budapest, Hungary before proceeding for my BS.c in US." He explained. 

"Wow," Sipho is surprised and impressed. "In all these, your parents must have taken a lot of care, giving you so many attentions as the only child, I guess. Wow!" 

Darin chuckled, shaking his head. "That's the same thing people always say but the truth is am not the only child." 

Sipho's brows rose in wonders. 

It seems like Katlego is finding this interesting as he sat up properly, wanting to know more. 

He crossed his arms on the table, "Really? I thought only single kids gets the best treatment." 

"Actually, I have two brothers and they are seniors to me." He shocked them. "They also got the same treatment as I did. They were born and raised in different countries. Take for instance, my eldest brother, he was born in Greece while my elder brother–the one directly senior to me, he was born and raised in Denmark." He explained, detailedly. 

"So you are the least of them?" Zanele assumed. "No sisters?" 

"Sis–" he chuckled softly, relaxing his back on the dining chair. "If I had one, I would have protected her with all my life." 

Awwwnnn 

Zanele almost melted, sweetly. "That's so sweet of you to say and I wish you had." Her eyes moved towards her daughter who haven't said anything for what seems like years. "Deka, my love. It's seems to me that your net has caught a very big fish, right?" 

Thandeka almost chocked, spitting out the juice in her mouth. 

"Hey, oh my," Darin rubbed her back softly–though they were sitting next to each other. "Are you okay?" He passed her a glass of water. 

Zanele squealed softly, watching her daughter drink from his hand. "This is so beautiful." 

*****************

After dinner, 

"It's okay, you've thanked me enough." She chuckled when they got outside, just the both of them standing next to his black Bentley. "Am really sorry for the pressuring questions my family threw at you earlier. They can be really nosy sometimes."

"No, it's fine. I love them, they are very caring and simple, especially your dad." 

She gasped, "Are you kidding me?" She laughed, my dad has never–as in I've never thought of him this generous before." 

He giggled, "Really?" 

"Am telling you. It's surprising, just wait till next week Tuesday for my 20th birthday, you'll see his true colours." 

After a while, he said something that made her mute for long. "You are really beautiful." 

"....." 

Before she could say something, he kissed her lips. Exploring her first kiss with him. 

...

He stopped as if realising he has just done something wrong. He thinks he over crossed his limits. 

What the hell is wrong with him? "Am….sorry…." He felt guilty, pulling away. "I um, over crossed my..." 

"It's fine." She cupped her cheeks, her chin turns reddish as she wiped her lips. But Darin couldn't stop thinking about her soft lips. 

Before he lose his dignity, he quietly turn to leave but she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Wait," she bit her lower lip, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "What really happened that night? And how did you find my residence? Because I remember telling the doctor not to reveal my address to anyone." 

He chuckled, "Your place was easy after bribing the doctor." 

"Thandeka's eyes open wide, "You bribed him?" 

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Who doesn't like money? Perhaps, he refused to give me the address of the kindhearted woman that saved my life. So, I gat to do what I gat to do." He answered grumpily. 

Thandeka pushed him slightly on the chest, "You're such a bad guy." She crossed her arms, "Okay, joke apart. Do you mind telling me how you got shot that night?" 

He exhaled and after a while, he explained. "I was ambushed by a group of gunmen." 

Thandeka's heart bleed in the thought of the scene and position she met him that night. "Am sorry but I think it's a kind of set up or something." 

"Yes, it is." Darin deeply agreed. 

ChatGPT

Two days later, Thandeka was reading in the sitting room when the butler came in to inform her that someone was at the door to see her.

"Who is it?" she asked, sitting up on the sofa.

"He didn't care to mention his identity, Miss," the butler replied.

She closed the book halfway with her fingers inside. "Okay, let him in." But as the butler turned to leave, she stopped him. "Wait, didn't he mention if he's from

Paraphrase in a more spicy way but don't take off the dialogues 

ChatGPT

Certainly! Here's a spicier paraphrase of the passage while keeping the dialogues intact:

Two days later, Thandeka was lounging in the sitting room, immersed in her book, when the butler quietly entered, announcing a visitor.

"Who is it?" she inquired, a curious eyebrow arching as she straightened up on the sofa.

"He didn't care to mention his identity, Miss," the butler replied with a slight bow.

Thandeka snapped her book shut, marking her place with a finger. "Alright, let him in." But just as the butler was about to turn on his heel, she halted him with a gesture. "Hold on a second. Did he mention anything about being from school or something?"

The butler shook his head, a hint of mystery in his voice. "No, ma'am. He only said he wants to see Miss Thandeka Dlamini. He brought nothing else other than a flower."

Thandeka's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Flowers?" she murmured, a mix of intrigue and suspicion coloring her thoughts.

Who could possibly be bringing her flowers out of the blue?

Sure, she had friends, but none of them were the type to surprise her with romantic gestures or sweet tokens of affection. So who was this mysterious stranger?

Cutting off her train of thought, she instructed, "Anyway, let him in."

The butler nodded, dutifully exiting to fulfill her request.

It took less than five seconds for a young man, dressed in rolled-up plaid sleeves and sleek black pants, to step into the room.

Unbeknownst to Thandeka, he was already standing in her presence, as her back was turned. She got up, slipping into her flip-flops, and turned to see—

"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, losing her balance. She nearly tumbled onto the sofa, but he was swift, catching her and inadvertently pulling them both onto the couch together.

Silence enveloped the room, a palpable tension hanging in the air as they locked eyes, seemingly caught in a timeless moment.

Finally, he broke the silence that stretched like an eternity between them.

"You must be the generous woman behind the reason I'm alive today," he said, his deep voice sending a delightful chill down her spine.

She shivered slightly, a reaction he noticed as his hand remained on her arm, seeing the goosebumps rise on her skin.

It wasn't fear that left Thandeka speechless, but rather the captivating allure of his handsomeness, which rendered her utterly tongue-tied.

All she could do was gaze into his eyes, as if he were a divine creation she had never encountered before. The way they looked at each other suggested that if anyone walked in, they'd assume the pair was moments away from a passionate kiss.

"Wow, Thandeka. You didn't tell me your boyfriend was coming over for dinner with us," Zanele interjected, breaking the spell between the two.

Thandeka immediately attempted to compose herself, gently pushing him away to stand up and offer an explanation. But before she could get a word out, her older brother Katlego walked in, oblivious to the scene he'd just interrupted, and jumped to conclusions. "Deka," his gaze flickered from his sister to the young man beside her. "We're so close, and yet you never mentioned your boyfriend to me?"

She started to protest, "Tlego, he is—"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Katlego chuckled, cutting her off. "No need to explain, sis. You know you have a bad habit of going into long stories." He made his way over to the young man, offering his hand.

They shook hands like old friends reunited after many years.

"Katlego Dlamini. Thandeka's older brother," he introduced himself, grinning broadly.

"Darin Kunle Coker Ayomide," the young man replied with a charming smile. "Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, bro," Katlego responded, his grin widening even more.

"Your accent… it doesn't sound local," Sipho commented as he descended the stairs, a newspaper tucked under one arm, his other hand casually in his pocket.

Darin maintained his poised composure, nodding. "You're right. I'm not from around here. I'm Nigerian."

As soon as the words left Darin's mouth, Katlego nudged Thandeka, grinning from ear to ear. "I knew it! My sister is such a smart little lady. She sidesteps all the local men and reaches across borders to Nigeria. Wow, how did you pull that off?"

Thandeka tried to jump in to defend herself but was thwarted as her brother continued to spin wild, imaginary tales.

Darin seized the opportunity, presenting her with the bouquet of roses he'd brought.

"I hope you don't mind accepting this small token," he said, extending the flowers towards her.

Zanele clasped her hands together in delight. "Aww, this is so sweet!"

"Wow!" Katlego exclaimed, taking in the romantic gesture before him. He'd never witnessed anyone being this smitten over his sister, let alone bringing her gifts like flowers.

"Deka, dear?" Sipho prompted when his daughter remained silent, staring at the flowers and the young man holding them.

"Um… thanks," she replied, forcing a smile as she accepted the gift, though inwardly, she felt like setting the bouquet on fire.

All she could do was stare at it like it was some enigmatic sculpture—a mysterious piece of art.

"You must be the reason she's been coming home late these last few days," Sipho teased, adjusting his glasses, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Would you care to join us for dinner?"

"I really, um, I really appreciate it, sir, but I have to g—"

"We insist," Zanele interjected with a grin.

Darin scratched the back of his head, realizing he hadn't made a strong enough effort to decline gracefully.

Later at dinner,

"So, what brings a dashing young man like you to our motherland?" Zanele asked, her eyes sparkling with interest as she gazed at Darin, clearly intrigued since his arrival.

"Well," Darin shrugged with a humble air, "I'm here for my master's degree program."

"That's wonderful," Sipho nodded approvingly. "My son Katlego is also pursuing his master's degree."

"So, bro, what did you study?" Katlego asked eagerly, thrilled to meet a Nigerian for the first time.

"Now, now," Zanele interjected, shaking her head. "Did he ask you about your course of study? You're being a bit nosy, don't you think?"

"But Mom…"

"No, it's fine," Darin reassured them, sitting up straight. "I studied Chemical and Polymer Engineering in the USA. Actually, I was born in Norway and didn't spend much time in Nigeria, except for a year-long holiday with my grandma when I was four. I don't really know how the educational system works there because, since birth, I've only studied abroad. I completed my nursery and primary education in London, attended high school in Budapest, Hungary, and then pursued my bachelor's degree in the US," he elaborated.

"Wow," Sipho remarked, clearly impressed. "Your parents must have been very attentive, providing such an excellent upbringing for you as an only child, I assume."

Darin chuckled, shaking his head. "That's what people often think, but actually, I'm not an only child."

Sipho's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

Katlego, too, seemed fascinated, leaning in with interest.

He folded his arms on the table. "Really? I thought it was only the single kids who got the royal treatment."

"Actually, I have two brothers, both older than me," Darin explained, dropping a small bombshell. "They received the same level of care. Each of us was born and raised in different countries. For instance, my eldest brother was born in Greece, and the brother just older than me was born and raised in Denmark."

"So you're the youngest?" Zanele inferred. "No sisters?"

"If I had a sister, I'd protect her with all my life," he said with a soft chuckle, leaning back comfortably in his dining chair.

"Aww!" Zanele nearly swooned, touched by his words. "That's incredibly sweet of you. I wish you did have one." Her gaze drifted toward her daughter, who had been unusually quiet.

"Deka, my love. It seems your net has caught quite a big fish, hasn't it?" Zanele teased.

Thandeka nearly choked, struggling not to spill her juice.

"Oh, dear!" Darin quickly rubbed her back gently. Even though they were sitting next to each other, he handed her a glass of water. "Are you okay?"

Zanele sighed happily, watching her daughter drink from his hand. "This is just beautiful."

After dinner,

"It's okay, you've thanked me enough," Thandeka laughed as they stepped outside, standing beside his sleek black Bentley. "I apologize for my family's barrage of questions earlier. They can be really nosy sometimes."

"No, it's fine. I think they're great," Darin said, a warm smile lighting up his face. "They're so caring and genuine, especially your dad."

She gasped in mock disbelief. "Are you serious?" She laughed heartily. "My dad's never been this generous, at least not in my eyes!"

He chuckled. "Really?"

"I'm telling you! Just wait until next Tuesday, my 20th birthday, and you'll see his true colors."

There was a brief pause, then he said something that left her speechless for a moment. "You're really beautiful."

"....."

Before she could respond, he leaned in and kissed her, catching her by surprise. It was her first kiss, and he explored it tenderly.

He pulled back suddenly, a look of self-reproach crossing his face. "I'm…sorry…" He hesitated, appearing guilty. "I think I crossed a line…"

"It's fine," she replied softly, her cheeks flushing a deep shade of red as she wiped her lips, the touch still lingering.

But Darin couldn't shake off the memory of her soft lips.

Before he could turn and leave, she caught his wrist, holding him back. "Wait," she said, biting her lower lip and tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "What really happened that night? And how did you find my address? I remember telling the doctor not to share my information."

He laughed lightly. "Finding your place wasn't that hard, especially after I bribed the doctor."

Thandeka's eyes widened in disbelief. "You bribed him?"

"Yeah," he admitted with a shrug. "Who doesn't like money? He wouldn't give up the address of the kind-hearted woman who saved my life, so I had to do what I had to do," he said with a playful smirk.

Thandeka playfully shoved him on the chest. "You're such a bad guy." She folded her arms, getting serious. "Okay, jokes aside. Do you mind telling me how you got shot that night?"

He exhaled deeply, and after a moment of reflection, he spoke. "I was ambushed by a group of gunmen."

Thandeka's heart ached at the thought of the harrowing scene she'd found him in that night. "I'm sorry, but it sounds like a setup, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," Darin agreed with a somber nod.