chapter 17

" What is it? I'm supposed to be on vacation and that means a vacation from everyone except David". Kemi sneered as she closed the door behind her. She faced Ivonne and folded her arms. She was just about to start striping when Ivonne's call came in.

" would you calm dowm? I'm bored ok? That house is so quiet... ".

"but you enjoy a quiet environment". Kemi cut in.

" I know. I mean Ayo is fun it's just that... ".

" He's not talking to you".

" Exactly!". She groaned. " when I said to not bother me except it's work related, I didn't mean that he should go mute. I mean come on, I'm a human, I get bored too".

" and come on, he's human, he gets hurt too". Kemi laughed " listen, you made the rule and he's only following it. Perhaps you were not specific enough".

" yeah".

" why would you even say that kind of a thing? That is just so sick. I have always wanted you to take a Bipolar test, are you sure you're not bipolar?". Kemi furrowed her brows. This was getting out of hand. If she continued like this, her best friend would be so single even where she would be buried would weep for company and as her best friend, it was her Job to ensure that it never happens.

" I'm not bipolar".

She arced a brow " David!". She called and he came out almost immediately. " your sister think she's not bipolar".

He tried to keep a straight face but ended up laughing " oh please, who gets upset about breakfast in bed?".

Ivonne glared at Kemi and she raised her hand in total surrender " I didn't say anything ".

" relax. Ayo told me. I can't believe you said those awful things to... Oh sorry, I can believe you can say those awful things but saying them to Ayo? Not cool sis. Not. Cool". He folded his arms giving her an intense stare.

Ivonne waved it off " Just stop it. Let me be. What's done is done".

" Exactly. What's done is done. So while you go face the repercussions of your bad mouth, I'll be busy planning my honeymoon". He walked back into the house, giving her one last stare "Good day" he banged the door.

Kemi rolled her eyes " I still haven't come up with the invitation card, not to talk of the venue. But we still got time. Let's clear out your issue first before anything else".

" No. Don't do that. Don't put your wedding arrangement on hold for me. It's my problem, I'll take care of it".

" Nonsense. I'm your best friend... Well your only friend. My girl's having issues with her man I can't plan my wedding with a straight face knowing that. I'll fix you guys up and get back on the road". She proceeded to walk past her.

Ivonne held her " where are you going?".

" To talk some sense into Nelson. I don't like the way he's treating you, it's not... ".

" stop". She cut her short " I'm the one who messed up. What I said was..." she sighed " bad. I'm not going to apologize, you know how I am. I'll just get him to talk to me".

Kemi arced a brow "I'm sorry did you think I wanted him to talk to you? You didn't let me finish. I don't like the way he's treating you, it's not enough. I want him to make you feel so guilty that you'll beg for his forgiveness and need him like air".

Her lashes fluttered at Kemi's words. " what the hell!".

She grinned " that's the only way you can learn".

" I can't believe you would conspire with the enemy to treat me like that. Who are you? I don't know you anymore".

Kemi laughed.

"yeah keep laughing. You're not the one who is stuck with a mute partner". She moved to sit on a swimming pool side chair. Leaning back in it, she crossed her legs.

" Anyways, I texted Patricia before coming out. My dad was at the office for three days, cross checking the affairs of the company. She said he hired a few people. I don't know what for. I mean the ones there are annoying enough".

" You haven't even seen the new ones. Maybe there are hardworking, your taste".

" I doubt it. It's really hard for me to be see an employee that doesn't make me irritated". She shivered.

" and when you eventually see one, you frustrate his life he would curse the day he was born" Kemi shook her head and sat beside Ivonne " you are a hard nut to crack".

" whatever. When They feel they're doing good they'll start misbehaving. I do not tolerate nonsense".

" You don't need to say it twice. In fact,you don't need to say it at all. When you walk into the office, you're scary as hell even though you dress like a fashion Queen".

" awww ". She placed her hand over her heart " Thank you. Your compliment is deeply appreciated and accepted".

" stupee".

They laughed. By the time there finished talking, Irinajo was walking towards them. Ivonne took out her phone and sent a text to Ayo, Kemi went into the house and after a while, came out back with David. At the same time, Ayo came out. Both men was wearing shorts and a tank top.

Kemi leaned towards her as she stood there, oggling Ayo.

" Yeah, you've got the TDH babe" Kemi whispered in her ear " Tall, Dark and deliciously Handsome". With each word she said, it was with passion and they each set Ivonne on fire.

Ayo turned his gaze to her, his eyes roaming her body and she could swear she felt his hands on her but they were so far apart.

" You're leaving like that?". He asked and all eyes turned to her.

Ivonne looked down at herself. Her brows knitted " what's wrong with it?".

" Nothing". Irinajo answered " your man's just scared that someone would eye you too much".

Ayo looked away and she couldn't help the blush that crept up her face.

" Let's go?". Irinajo asked. They chorused " yes" and left with him. Ayo and Ivonne were behind, in silence.

" I'll introduce you to the others and then, we'll head over to the beach. There we can get something to eat. I'm sure everyone's hungry. Did you pack extra food? 'cause as you know, a lot of food is never a crime!".

" I packed extra food so ... Check!". Kemi said with glee.

" I guess this is where we hold hands. I'm pretty sure they'll be there waiting". He said and flexed his fingers.

Ivonne said nothing as she chewed on her bottom lip. Something was happening to her, she was feeling self conscious. She'd touched her hair, smoothened her dress and locked her hand like a million times. After a while, she released her hands and began to swing them as she walked.

Ayo held her hand and she clasped it hard. As if he noticed she was restless,he began rubbing his thumb back and forth on the back of her hand.

" Are you nervous?". He stopped walking and he held her gaze.

With a straight face, she replied" No". Liar.

He arced a brow but didn't press further " well I'm nervous. So much so that my stomach hurts". He chuckled at his words and Ivonne bit her lips to contain her smile.

" Yeah yeah, laugh all you want". He said with a pout and folded his arms.

Ivonne laughed and covered her face with her palm " I can't believe I came here with a baby".

" Well I'm your baby so you should be happy and know the best thing about babies? They never leave their mothers". He smiled.

" Mothers? Last time I checked your mother is not here".

" Yeah. That's why I came here with my sugar mommy instead".

She gasped " Don't you call me that".

" Look at you. Your hips scream and call young men".

" You make it sound like I'm older than you. Hold up, how old are you?". She had forgotten to ask.

" 26, you?".

She shook her head and giggled " you don't ask a girl her age".

Ayo gaped " and it's ok to ask a boy his age? What has this world turned into? C'mon, let me know who I'm with. You could be 30 for all I know".

Her face drained colour and he laughed " ah! Why would you say that? I'm not even up to 25 yet". She touched her face " Am I... Am I looking older ". She gasped " I knew I should not have hired that make-up artist. She is going to wish she was never born".

" But ...you hardly wear make-up and you do your make-up yourself". His lips went down in a frown.

She rolled her eyes " Duh! What I just did, is an example of my sister's drama".

Ayo's face was filled with surprise " for reals?".

" Yeah. She's not just a drama queen but the queen of drama itself. She can lie for Africa".

" Just out of curiosity, is she better at you in lying or you are?".

She furrowed her brows "tsk". She bit her cheek to stop the smile " I think you know the answer to that".

He nodded " Uh huh. Just wanted to be sure because when you lie, the devil hides his face. If she's better than you... Wow!".

" Hey, Ivonne hurry up. My parents are here, can you believe that?!". Kemi yelled from under a shelter.

Her tone was filled with surprise.

" Oh my God. For reals? I'll be there in a minute". She yelled back.when she turned to face Ayo, he was grinning. " What?".

" Nothing. I'm just wondering how you sleep at night when you lie all the time".

She rolled her eyes. " Let's go".

" So...this is it". He sighed heavily.

" How hard can it be? Just sit there and act all affectionate around eachother".

Acting? Ha! It would be easier for him because he had feelings for her already. " I think you should tell yourself that. Because I don't have a problem being all ' cute ' I mean look at me, I'm a whole lot of cuteness walking around naked".

Her eyes widened " do you really have to add naked to it?".

He grinned. Reaching down,he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips,his eyes never leaving hers. "What can I say, naked is my favourite word". He placed a gentle kiss at the back of her hand as his eyes drifted close for a second.

Her chest was heaving and she looked away, maybe that would help. But when he brushed his lips against her hand, Ivonne yanked it away. She folded her arms and met his gaze head on.

" Oh, you're right. Let's leave all the cuteness for the show. I apologize. Let's go". He offered his hand and she hesitated " I won't bite... Unless you want me too".

He licked his lips and smiled.

" Shut up". She laced her fingers with his and savoured the feel of it. At least they had a normal conversation without work being involved... Well Kemi did say that when they were outside, they should keep up the act. A part of her was sad that the convo they had was all just an act. If they were inside, he definitely won't open his mouth to say anything to her.

As they approached Kemi and her parents, Ivonne pushed the thought aside and focused on her task ahead.

As expected, Mrs. Bankole was wearing a huge smile on her face while her husband had shock written all over him. The look on their faces made her relax. Their eyes were glued to her and Ayo's joint hands.

" Mommy". Ivonne squealed and hurried into her embrace.

Ayo stood there dumbfounded, he moved towards Kemi and David " is it just me or does this girl have personality disorder?".

The two just chuckled " no I'm being serious. She scares me sometime. Look at her, in the office, she's a Tigress, when she's with me, she's like a lioness who has been separated from her cubs and then with you guys, she's a freakin' angel".

" It just shows that she feels safer with the people who are close to her ...".

He interrupted David " oh I had no idea I was planning her death".

The two laughed so hard that David said as rubbing his stomach " abeg no kill me with laugh ooo".

" What are you three whispering about?". Mrs. Bankole said and folded her arms. Her eyes roamed Ayo and he figured it was time for an introduction.

"Hi. Good evening ma, Good evening Sir". He smiled.

" well well well, Aren't you a fine young man, and who might you be?". She said returning the smile.

She looked a lot like Kemi. The dark complexion, the eyes, the lips, the voice and height.

" I'm Ivonne's...".

" New personal assistant? I thought you were supposed to be at the office". She cut him short. Turning to Ivonne who was already beside Ayo, she asked " I did like Patricia. What did the poor girl do to deserve to be fired?".

" And how did you even fire her?". Mr Bankole asked " you've been relieved of your position for a month".

" Yes I remember that". Ivonne said through gritted teeth and sighed " Ayo is not my personal assistant". Holding his hand, she leaned into him and he pulled her close. " He's my boyfriend".

...

....

.....

Mr and Mrs. Bankole stared at Ivonne and Ayo with Shock before a smile broke on their faces. Mrs. Bankole reached out and held Ivonne's hand.

" Do you want to sit? Are you feeling tired? Nauseous? Quick get a chair. Kemi,get her a chair".

They led her to a chair and gently shoved her in it.

" Are you hungry?". Mr. Bankole asked. " My wife brought some nice porridge here...".

" Wait... What's going on?". She tried to Stand but they shoved her back in.

" What do you mean what's going on?". Mrs. Bankole asked. " You're pregnant". She and her husband said in unison.

She furrowed her brows " I am?".

" Isn't that why you're dating?". Mr Bankole said and stretched out his hand to Ayo who shook it immediately " My son, welcome to the family. I've loved and treated Ivonne as my daughter, you can call me Dad".

Ivonne laughed alongside with the rest.

" Why are you laughing?". Mrs. Bankole asked turning to face her husband who was also confused.

" No, Jesus". Kemi said between laugh " Ivonne is not pregnant".

" She's not?". She turned to Ayo who shook his head with a smile on his face. " If she's not pregnant then, why are you both...dating?".

"We are dating because of the same reason why you two are not seperated and the same reason why Kemi and David are getting married".

" Woah!". Ayo said " That is a lot of explanation. Not sure they get it". Judging by the look on the faces, they were confused.

" What Ivonne is trying to say, is that we like eachother so we decided to give it a try and so far, it's going great".

…

…

…

All of a sudden, Kemi's parents began to laugh. Kemi and David joined as they understand why but Ivonne and Ayo stood there clueless. They faced eachother with confusion on their faces before turning back to them.

" Eweh! Abeg let's goan get something to eat. Good joke Ivonne. This girl will not kill us". Mrs. Bankole said as her husband began to lead her away.

" Mummy, it's true ooo. He is the one we have been waiting for since ooo". Kemi said and David nodded.

Mr. and Mrs. Bankole eyed Ivonne and Ayo before turning back to Kemi and David.

" You're serious".

They nodded.

" Did she hit her head somewhere? Maybe she... I don't know... Is this Ivonne? She's dating?". Mrs. Bankole said in disbelief.

"Yes, I was shocked as well..." David began.

Ayo leaned down to whisper in Ivonne's ear " seems like you have a bad dating reputation. Pretty sure they wouldn't even believe if we kiss".

Ivonne giggled " What can I say? They know me so well. I just hope my Dad won't be like this". She rolled her eyes.

When they turned to face them, they were staring at them. Ivonne ducked her head as her cheeks heated. She wasn't good at this. She didn't even know what to say or do, it was... Embarrassing.

This was the first time in her life she felt embarrassed and no, she didn't like the feeling. She tightened her hand around Ayo's arm and inched closer. Why won't they just stop staring!?

" Ok, enough with the stares, you're making my baby feel embarrassed". Ayo said and she could hear the pout in his Voice. Suddenly, he pulled her into him and turned, giving them his back.

"What are you doing?". She whispered.

" What do you think I'm doing? I'm shielding you from their view". He said aloud.

" Ah! Baby ke? Honey, our prayers has been answered". Mrs. Bankole said with glee and shoved her husband with her elbow.

"Mmm I can see that. But let's keep praying, it might not last as long as we want it to. You know how Ivonne can be".

Ayo turned to face them, arms still around Ivonne who was leaning close to him like her life depended on it. She liked his scent and his body. Once they were indoors, he would go mute again so why not enjoy the moment?

"We're heading to the beach, you guys want to come along?" David asked as he wrapped his hand around Kemi's waist.

"  Oh no dear, we'll just sit here. You can go". Mrs. Bankole said, her eyes never leaving Ivonne and Ayo. The way she stayed in his arms was so adorable. They never knew she had this side to show a guy.

" You two should come by the house later tonight, I'll send you my location. I'd love to sit and chat with you..."

" Ayomide". He smiled.

" Ayomide. What a lovely name and you have a very beautiful smile. You're so handsome. My daughter is really lucky to have a handsome man like you.". Mrs. Bankole smiled back.

Ayo grinned " Oh Mommy, stop it. You're too kind". He flinged his hand and fluttered his lashes.

They roared with laughter and Ivonne pressed closer to him. She liked the way his chest vibrated when he talked and laughed. She placed her hand on his chest and rubbed. She zeroed off on whatever it was they were saying and instead, listened to his heartbeat.

" Ivy?". He said and she hummed. " They are gone". She hummed again.

Oh.

She put some distance between them. " What happened?".

" We will be meeting them back at their place later tonight. Just the two of us. David and Kemi are already...there". He pointed to their direction.

" Ok". She nodded. Back to being mute. " So what now?".

He arced a brow at her " now, you go do whatever you want. Maybe...swim but I...". He stopped.

" But what?". She furrowed her brows.

" Nothing".

" You were about to say something". She pressed further.

He gave her a deep look before speaking " I was about to give an advise but I just remembered that I'm in no place to do that. I don't want to bother you and you didn't ask for it".

Tell me " Keep it to yourself". What are you doing? " If I don't ask for it, don't day anything".

He nodded, a blank look on his face.

Without another word, she turned and walked away. What the hell did she just say? She was feeling so nervous and awkward. Why was she suddenly feeling nervous around him? Could be because of guilt. He'd done nothing wrong and she lashed out at him.

Surely they must've fooled Kemi's parents really well. The smile on their faces were evidence of their act.

Act?

She didn't like that word... But that was it. All an act. The way he'd looked at her so adorable and loving, the way he shielded her from everyone's gaze.

Ivonne smacked her head. What was happening? She was never like this. She knew her way around things... Around guys. She always had the upper hand and now it was slipping. She was not on control and she needed to be in control because she hated not being in control. Yeah, she was a control freak. She derived joy from people eating out of her hands.

But Ayo... He didn't seem like someone who would succumb. In fact, he hated being controlled.

What are you scared of Ivonne Johnson? The question flashed in her head.

Ayo.

She was scared of him. He was toying with something she didn't want to be toyed with.

She stopped to stare at David and Kemi, they were enjoying themselves. The huge smiles on their face, their hands never leaving eachother.

I want that.

For the first time, she let her mind wonder, thinking about her in that position.

She sighed heavily.

A family was not what she wanted. She was still young. What she wanted to try out, was a relationship.

Continue to be bitchy and you'll be buried alone.

She smirked " Ivonne Amaka Johnson, what exactly have you gotten yourself into?".

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