Her eyes were lit the moment we walked into the hotel, but the moment the door to the room swung open, her eyes were as bright as fire flies.
Her eyes wandered all around the room, from the ceilings to the walls and then the furniture.The room had a common area which we currently stood in, and two rooms.It wasn’t the best hotel I had ever been in but the look on her face made me glad I chose this one.“You should get some rest”, I proposed. I could tell my voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Like she remembered I stood next to her and she still had a grip on my arm.I led her to her room and she followed obediently. I wondered how obedient she could be.Cheta’s POVHe didn’t give me any time to react or thank him after dropping off at my room.The room was covered with shopping bags, with clothes and there were trays of food. Different food of all kinds.Swallow, with 4 different soups, fried rice, jollof, rice and stew, rice and vegetable, yam and egg sauce and some pastries as well.I didn’t know what to focus my attention on first, on the shopping bags that covered the floor of the room? Or the excess food that I couldn’t dream of finishing or the various drinks that I couldn’t even finish today.Most importantly where did he run to?I didn’t hear the door so he was still around.I decided on finding him.I closed the door behind me and wandered around, looking for a second room. If there was any.“Ramiel”, I called out hoping for a response.I finally was met with his back.He had a phone to his ear and was listening to the person on the other side.He turned around to face me and held out a finger for me to hold on.“Alright.Expect me by next Monday, for now speak to my Ms Gregory, she will give you all the information you need”, his face serious and his voice even sounded more serious than it usually did. How was that even possible?It was obviously a business call.“Thank you for your cooperation.Yes, see you soon”, he said.He dropped his phone and now I could feel his full attention on me, which made me lose a lot of my composure.“Do you like the food?I wasn’t sure what you liked so I ordered everything.Is it still hot?I told them to make sure it was still hot”, he said, casually.His hands were now in his pockets as he looked at me.“There are______”, I stammered trying to say the words and choose what I wanted to say at the same time.His intimidating gaze didn’t help me feel less anxious.“Mma '', he said, calling me by what seemed to be his nickname for me. I wondered how he skipped Cheta and chose Mma as my name.“ Kedu ihe ọ bụ Mma (What is it Mma)”, he said calmly, taking steps towards me.I looked down avoiding him, hoping that would help. But from past experiences looking down didn’t help.I looked back up at him, he was at a safe distance but still closer.My husband.“Why me?”, I asked.I didn’t know that was the question I wanted the answer to most until the words came out of my mouth.He could have chosen anybody, anybody from America and anybody from here. Yet he chose the careless girl that wore rags and carried Cassava.It was definitely a reasonable question that I was entitled to an answer from him.“Because I want you”, he said.His voice sounded serious and his eyes were set on mine. Like I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to.How could he look at me, unbothered and say those words?Although his answer only made me more curious.What was it he ‘wanted’ with me?Why did he ‘want’ me?“What_____do you mean?”.“When I set my eyes on something I like, I have no choice but to make it mine”, he said with the most charming smirk.He probably found me silly.A girl like me, questioning his decision to marry me. I knew every other woman would count themselves lucky.He was obviously wealthy, handsome and as well a perfect gentleman.But I couldn’t help feeling confused as to why he chose me.“My room is________”, I hesitated.“I’ll get someone to clean the up, we can eat here if you would like”.I smiled at his offer feeling relieved that I didn’t have to eat alone.I detested the idea of eating alone, all by yourself. Especially when someone else was around.“Thank you”, I said then went back to the room to get the trays of food.I took one tray and just when I was leaving the room I saw Ramiel walk into the room, I watched him and he took a tray of food as well.“No no”, I interjected.“What’s wrong?”, Ramiel asked with confusion painted on his face at my sudden outburst.“I will serve the food, you can go freshen up”, I proposed with a tight lipped smile.“No, I can serve too”, he said and made his way out the room, reaching the small dinner table before me.I rushed of to the table and stopped his hand when he tried to place the platters.“I will take care of that, you can go wash your hands”.“No the food is covered, I won't contaminate them, Mma”,he said as he continued.“No let me, please”, I pleaded with him, stopping his hand again.He looked at me with that same confused look.“Okay, I will go wash my hands”, he said, giving in.I rushed into the room and grabbed the last tray, then arranged all the plates on the table, making sure there was nothing on the table that would warrant him fixing or changing when he came back.Finally satisfied I looked around for a sink to fill a bowl with water in case he was going to eat swallow.After placing the bowl of water on the table I heard him walk in.He walked over to the table and held out a chair for me and I smiled before taking a seat.I gave him a tight lipped smile before bowing my head in prayer. Thank you for this meal, thank you for both our lives and the lives of our family. Thank you for a safe trip. May your name always be glorified in Jesus name. Amen.I looked up after my prayer and finally got a good look of the food. They were different things I had never seen before, although overall they smelt delicious.There were red whitish things that look like crayfish but less dried, the looked a bit cooked and a bit fried at the same time.There were even noodles.I barely ate noodles, even though I loved them.These noodles had more things inside, green, red, yellow and onions.I looked at them curiously, wanting a bite but not really knowing if I would like them.“Come”, I heard him say making me look over at him. That didn’t feel like an order.I stood and walked over to him.He tapped on his left thigh while he was mindlessly taking an empty plate. I swallowed not sure if I should declin his offer.“Mma”, he said.His voice sounded like a warning, making me take an awkward sit on his thigh.I felt stiff to the bone as I sat, I felt even more stiff as I felt his hand on my back.He placed a plate in front of me and took some noodles and the mystery cray fish things putting them on the same plate.Before I could do anything, there was already a fork in his hand, with one of the mystery things.“They’re shrimps.You’ll like them”.I took a bite of the shrimp and thankfully it wasn’t bad.Soon after chewing my food mindlessly, another fork full of noodles followed. I gladly took it and thankfully it was delicious as well.As I chewed I moaned quietly, the food was rich with fresh fried vegetables they normally add to fried rice and some vegetables I couldn’t quite name.I opened my eyes to see Ramiel looking very closely at me.“Tried samosas?”, he asked.He reached for the triangular shaped snacks on a plate.I opened my mouth and took a bite of the crunchy moist interior.The inside was filled with meat and green beans and perfectly cooked fresh peppers.I closed my eyes in pure satisfaction as I savored the taste.How could I make these?I took the rest of the snack from Ramiel’s hand and took it whole.I pointed at the other snack that looked like rolls, but had the same exterior as the samosas.Ramiel grabbed them for me and I took a bite.These were just as delicious but was a little less moist and was filled with chicken and cabbages.“kedu ka ha si eme ihe ndị a (How do they make these?)”, I asked absentmindedly with a mouth full of the fried snacks.“I’ll teach you one day”, Ramiel said.Ramiel finally settled on eating some rice and vegetable which I wondered how it tasted but, I decided against it and focused on my noodle and shrimp.“were (Take)”, he said, dragging my attention. His spoonful was close to my mouth, offering me a taste.Shyly yet gratefully I took it.It was delicious.All this food made me want to find who made them and force her to tell me how.“Ummm, it’s good”, I said after chewing.“Have you tried the sausage?”, Ramiel asked.He took the long red things and put it close to my mouth, urging me to take a bite.I wasn’t too keen on it, for some reason I felt I wouldn’t like it, my gut feeling was mostly right, most times.I took a small bite and the moment I started chewing I knew I was right.Not wanting to look wasteful I tried to swallow but it definitely wasn’t for me.“You can throw it out”, Ramiel said as he handed me a salviet.He handed me a cup of juice he poured, it looked like orange juice and I was right.Our lunch went great and I felt full by the time I was done.Ramiel was on a mission to get me to taste anything my eyes glanced over in a wanting manner. I tried everything he offered and enjoyed most then had some cake after wards and then we both had and apple.We were both still at the table.I was feeling way too heavy to stand but knew I couldn’t sit on his thigh forever. So I was mustering the strength to stand.Just before I could try stand up I felt Ramiel’s hand grip me closer.“Tired?”, he asked.His thumb was currently brushing on my cheek so delicately, his touch made me warm and I was sure my skin betrayed me.I nodded.Before I could say I word I felt myself being lifted up and being quite a height from the floor.I was in his hands.I gripped him, scared of falling.“Ramiel”, I tried to to interject although he was already moving towards my room.He got me to the room and then gently placed me on the bed, leaving me speechless.“You should rest”, was all he said.I obeyed him and rested my head on the overly soft pillow.Laying on the very comfortable bed made me realize just how tired I was.I closed my eyes, ready to be swept off my feet by another man called sleep.Just before I drifted off I felt something on my cheek which could have been a kiss.“My beauty”, I heard Ramiel say before I finally let myself be pulled into darkness by sleep.Her moaning made me fight myself not to kiss her. When her eyes shut closed and she chewed on a piece of food, a beautiful sound escaped her that I wished I could cause and hear at will. When my hands touched her smooth skin, her skin betrayed her and it tinted itself with red. I was glad she had skin that could tell me how she felt. I didn’t know how I got so mesmerized by a woman so quickly, but I didn’t care to fight it. As she sat on my lap and was tasting new food, I just watched her. I felt bliss. For most of my life, I worked day and night. On one thing or another, either taking steps to my goals or when my goals were accomplished I fought to stay on top. Yet with I felt the most relaxed I had been for years, her smile was all I wanted to fight for. The thought of her brought me so much relief and peace that I couldn’t think of her away. Despite the fact she didn’t know me, besides the fact she was practically sold by her aunt she wasn’t hostile or rude. She was anythin
I walked into my room feeling butterflies in my stomach. I wasn’t sure how a kiss should feel like, or how I should feel minutes later but I felt light, as light as feather. I felt like I was no longer bonded to the earth, instead I felt like I was floating. Was that how it was supposed to be? It didn’t matter, because it felt good. Ramiel wanted us to eat out for dinner. He told me to get dressed before he placed a delicate kiss on my cheek which I still felt minutes later. I opened the wardrobe and allowed my eyes scan through, hoping to find something I would like to wear. I dived in and spotted a beautiful blue dress, the dress only synched at the waist but was flowed down freely, it looked like it would stop a little above my knees. It was an off shoulder and had a lace pattern at the top making it very unique. The dress looked so unique and expensive.I don’t think I had ever worn or owned something that looked and felt this expensive. It was very obvious to me now that
I wasn’t sure for how long I was ‘shopping’ for. I had replaced my basket for a bigger one and now the bigger basket was replaced with a cart. He said to get whatever intrigued me, despite the fact that allot of things here intrigued me and I couldn’t get the whole shop. I carried items that were non perishable. I took some hair care products I had never seen before and all had good promises for natural hair. I got some snacks from the edibles sections, sweet things ranging from ‘cookies’ to just sweets and chocolates and ‘gummy bears’. I even got to the children’s section and was intrigued by a teddy bear and got that as well. Currently I was on the isle that had perfumes. My eyes had been wondering for a while, though many intrigued me, I wasn’t too keen on getting a scent that was too harsh or something I wouldn’t like. I couldn’t force myself to spray it till it was finished. Finally I saw two scents that did, making me pause in my tracks. Vanilla. The scent was familiar.
“Iris, what is this?Like the 5th time you’ve called me?I told you I will be back by Monday”, Ramiel complained into his phone. We were both in the living room, he suggested we watched a movie and we had picked Mulan. He somehow knew how to show what was on his laptop on the TV that hung on the wall. I was totally engrossed by the real life action of Mulan until a call interrupted us. Iris. The only name he had repeated in all the other calls. Why was she pestering him? What could be so important thatcouldn't wait till Monday? Beats me because I had no idea. “Then so be it Iris, if you can not handle the deal on your own then so be it. Goodnight Iris, it’s 10:42pm over here”, he said, cutting the call abruptly. “What is so important?”, I asked him, genuinely curious to know what the fuss was about. “This deal apparently couldn’t wait to be closed. They’re threatening to pull out”, he said. His voice showed frustration. “What’s going to happen if they do?”. “My company los
Somehow within the night, I ended up with my husband’s strong arm wrapped around me while my back touched his bare back. It felt good. He felt warm. Even with the blanket wrapped around me, I was still freezing. But when I felt his arms arms around me. I felt myself just melt into his warmth. He didn’t pull away even once. I was too light a sleeper to miss that. His grip around me stayed that way all through the night. From time to time he would move his head, or he would pull me even closer(if that were even possible). But that aside he didn’t let go. This morning when he finally pulled away and I felt a kiss on my cheek, my eyes slowly peeled open to the site of him. I watched his bare and perfectly sculpted back as he made his way towards what seemed like the bathroom. I sat up and yawned tiredly, adjusting to the little sunlight that lit his room. The room was less cold, I looked around trying to find the AC and then smiling when I realized it was off. “Did I wake you?”,
I wasn’t too sure what kept me stunned and speechless during Ramiel and Iris conversation. As usual it all seemed fast. I wanted to greet her, though I still felt she wouldn’t acknowledge me. I wasn’t the most outspoken person, that was something I knew for a fact. People barely noticed me and even when they did they would forget because I barely made an impression, I barely made an impact, I barely made them remember me. Or maybe I was wrong. But just a few moments ago when I stood beside my husband and watched his interaction with this beautiful and perfectly made woman, I was stunned and I felt so small the moment she graced us with her presence. The way her perfect, long legs took elegant steps on those high beautiful heels, the way she never loosed her balance, like every step she took was choreographed.She never got distracted by anything other than her purpose of being there. The way her beautiful green eyes challenged even Ramiel. She was strong, fierce, determined. I
I think the only bath I could compare to the one I just had would probably be baths my mother gave me when I was a baby. The moment I immersed myself completely into the warm coconut scented water, all my muscles relaxed and all my nerves thanked me. Ramiel sure knew how to prepare a bath. I found myself wishing he could give me a hand as I laid in the tub. I mentally slapped myself everytime my mind wandered to my dreamy and kind husband. It wasn’t like my thoughts were sinful, despite how much it felt sinful. I just felt they were too much. Ever since last night, like my heart had a mind of its own when he neared me. Like I couldn’t trust my body any longer, and it so happens I couldn’t trust my mind either. So even as relaxing and soothing my bath was, I couldn’t dream of getting Ramiel out of my mind. After I hopped out of the tub and felt rinsed properly, I went over to the sinc. I bent down and looked through the cabinet. Thankfully my hair products were there. I got t
I think the only bath I could compare to the one I just had would probably be baths my mother gave me when I was a baby. The moment I immersed myself completely into the warm coconut scented water, all my muscles relaxed and all my nerves thanked me. Ramiel sure knew how to prepare a bath. I found myself wishing he could give me a hand as I laid in the tub. I mentally slapped myself everytime my mind wandered to my dreamy and kind husband. It wasn’t like my thoughts were sinful, despite how much it felt sinful. I just felt they were too much. Ever since last night, like my heart had a mind of its own when he neared me. Like I couldn’t trust my body any longer, and it so happens I couldn’t trust my mind either. So even as relaxing and soothing my bath was, I couldn’t dream of getting Ramiel out of my mind. After I hopped out of the tub and felt rinsed properly, I went over to the sinc. I bent down and looked through the cabinet. Thankfully my new hair products were there. I