Chapter 34—The Little Things Lovers Do

“Okay, so where are we going?” Korede asked Mide as soon as they settled in the car.

“First things first: your phone.” Mide stretched his hand to Korede as he spoke.

She shot a suspicious glare at him. “What do you need my phone for?”

“We’re spending the day together, remember? I don’t want give any rooms for distraction so we will be keeping our phone in this little compartment right here for the time being.” He motioned to a small drawer under the car stereo.

“Mhmm.” Korede’s brows arched in skepticism.

“Come on, hand it over.” He gesticulated with his hand.

“Why don’t you put yours in the drawer first?” Korede fumed.

“Oh, right.” Mide chuckled as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He switched it off before dropping it in the drawer. “Your turn.” He grinned.

“Fine.” Korede rolled her eyes as she did the same. “Now, where exactly are we going?”

Mide started the car and drove out of the compound before he spoke. “Well, I rented us a beach house for the rest of the day.”

“Uhm, okay,” she replied absently.

“Huh? Where did all the excitement go? I thought you would be delighted.”

“Oh, no, I am.” She raised her hands to put him at ease. “But I just think we putting off our phones while going on such a getaway isn’t the brightest idea. What if there is an emergency?”

“Way ahead of you. That’s why I got us these,” He pulled out a burner phone from his breast pocket and waved it in the air.

“Mhmm, thoughtful as always.” She smiled in admiration.

“Thank you, ma’am…” He paused as he heard a song come on the radio. Turning the volume up, he exclaimed, “Oh, this is my jam!”

They were on the highway now, and Mide had wound the car windows down, permitting the morning breeze to swoosh in as they drove smoothly to their destination. Korede would stare out through the window but would occasionally turn to Mide, who was singing along to all the old school Nigerian jams the radio station had to offer. On her part, she would nod her head to the beats and often say a few lines of the songs—the ones she was familiar with when Mide’s nudging to get her to sing along became too incessant.

“You know, it is hard for anyone to believe you actually grew up in the States with the way you sing these songs,” she marveled at how well he knew the lyrics.

Mide chuckled. “No, darling, where I grew up doesn’t matter—it’s just a question of knowing your roots and sticking with it.”

“Yes, oh wise one,” she teased, and he laughed.

She returned to gazing through the window. Yes, I needed this, she thought as the breeze gracefully swept across her face. This would fix whatever doubt or confusion she was having. This was the remedy to her problem The beach house was located amidst a couple of low houses structured mildly apart from each other and separated by tall palm trees. The exterior was made with solid oak, giving it such a vintage look that appealed Korede’s eyes as Mide pulled up in front of the building.

“I see you love it already.” Mide smiled as they stepped out of the car.

Korede blushed, slightly mortified by how she gawked around. “It’s beautiful.”

She went ahead and climbed the stairs to the front porch. She judged that the floor was raised high to compensate for the rainy season and prevent water from flooding into the building. She looked around again. Other than the sound of the birds chirping in the air, they were surrounded by a peace and quiet that made Korede feel a bit uneasy.

“Go on. Take a look inside. I will be in with our bags shortly.” He motioned, sensing she was a bit hesitant to open the door.

“Alright.”

She swung the door open and walked in. The interior was well furnished with the colors of the walls matching the design of the furniture. It had three bedrooms, each complemented with a bathroom, a spacious living room and a kitchen that led to the back of the house, giving a scenic view of the beach as she stared through its wide glassy windows.

She soon turned as she heard footsteps approaching.

“I’ve kept our bags in the room, and this should be here for the time being,” he announced, dropping a picnic basket on the kitchen counter.

“This is amazing. How were you able to get this in a short time?”

Mide’s lips curled up in a grin. “I know a guy.”

Korede chuckled. If this wasn’t a reminder that she was marrying rich, she didn’t know what is.

She turned back to gaze into the ocean and soon sensed him up close. He stroked her dark long braids softly for a moment before laid them on one side of her should. She exhaled a soft moan as he nuzzled playfully at her neck. Suddenly, she had a weightless feeling in her stomach, courtesy of Mide’s teasing. Yes, she needed this!

“So, what should we do now? You like the view already, huh? How about we take a walk down the beach? We could go for a swim—“

“No, not swimming. Anything but swimming,” she cut in, still haunted by her time with David at the lake.

“Okay…or we could stay indoors.” He planted a kiss on her neck. For some reason, the fragrance of her perfume became a bit stronger as he did, which only seemed to stimulate his desire to have her. “We could stay in bed all day, try out some new positions…” he whispered softly to her ear.

Unfortunately, Korede was not in the mood.

“You know what? Maybe we should just go out for a walk.” She turned around and tore away from his embrace.

“Okay, cool,” he harrumphed, clearly fazed by the manner at which she turned him down.

“Let me go change into something looser first…which room did you drop my bag?” she asked as she walked away.

“The room by your left.” He scratched his head as he replied.

“Alright, I’ll be back in five minutes.”

** ** **

The afternoon waves swept the ocean waters back and forth the shore as Korede and Mide walked with their hands locked together and their feet bare on the sand. She wore a flashy orange top and a blue bum jeans while Mide wore a tank top over a pair of khaki shorts.

As they walked side by side, Mide could tell something was on her mind.

"Now, what is that beautiful brain of yours thinking?" He smiled warmly.

"Uh, nothing," she stuttered. She had drifted off in her thoughts shortly after the walk began, thinking about David and the lake. "It's nothing," she repeated with a nervous chuckle.

"Here, why don't we sit for a bit?" He pointed to a hut by his side.

"Okay." She nodded, and they both went under the hut and sat on the bench.

"So, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?" Korede gave a puzzled stare.

"Your bachelorette party, silly." He sniggered.

"Oh, well, I don't know," she muttered. "To be honest, what I want is something simple and sweet with my girls, but I'm sure Fatima won't allow it…She is the one who comes up with the big wild plans."

"Ah, I see," Mide said, then shifted his gaze to the ocean.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Well, the guys and I are going to be hitting the club tomorrow. It's been a while, you know…Man it's gonna be straight up fire." She could hear his voice light up in excitement.

She laughed. "Okay, then."

"I invited David too, by the way," he added, and immediately, her heart skipped a bit.

"What? Why?"

"Well, I thought it would be a nice thing to do, considering how much help he's been to us these past two weeks…Plus, you two were close, so I plan on using the opportunity to clear any former and current friction between me and the guy."

Korede didn't respond.

One way or the other, David's name kept popping up in her life, and Korede couldn't help but wonder why. First, she couldn't get him out of his head even on a romantic getaway with Mide, and now, Mide wanted to bring along to his bachelor party. She was annoyed, but she did her best not to show it.

"Wait, you think it's a bad idea?" Mide raised a brow.

"No, I didn't think so—"

"Then what is it?"

"It's fine. You guys should have a good time," she replied.

"No, I mean what's really going on, Korede?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Your mood has just been switching on and off today. You get excited at some point and then later just turn so cold with your replies, and sometimes, it's like you're irritated by my touch…What did I do wrong? Is this a bad idea? Should we have stayed at home with my dad and Aunty Bukky?"

"Oh my God," she gasped. She was a fool for thinking he wouldn't notice. He mustn’t know! She had to start acting right now. But first, she had to put his mind at ease. "I'm so sorry for making it seem that way, baby. Believe me, I love this. I love the fact that you brought us here, away from everything…But it seems that although I am here, my mind is still over there. I'm sorry."

Hearing that, Mide leaned closer and kissed her forehead. "Awww, baby, that was the reason we came here," he said, holding up her cheeks with his palms. He fixed his eyes on her and smiled. "But you don't have to try too hard. Cheer up, okay?"

Korede forced a smile in response. "Sure, I will."