Chapter 1: Wrong excitement?

Lilly

I was done with the day’s activities and set to go home. I couldn’t help it, a smile teased my lips, momentarily pulling them apart to reveal my teeth.

There was no joke. Just me—happy.

Today was different. A day I never knew would be something I’d get this excited about. Not just because of the date, but because of the memories it carried.

For seven long years, it had been nothing more than a friendship anniversary—until it turned into my relationship anniversary.

It’s a month today.

I walked down the hallway leading to the elevator, doing a little dance, spinning as I hummed—moving to the rhythm of my own excitement. I couldn’t contain it.

As I waited for the elevator to clink open, I danced a little more, spinning into it as the doors creaked open. I glanced behind me to see if anyone was watching—though I didn’t really care. My mind was fixed on what was happening… and what was still going to happen.

Down at the reception, I walked out of the company and into my car, already parked in the driveway.

“Drop me at home. I’ll take it from there,” I instructed my driver, Jide, as I hopped in.

I was supposed to meet my date later today. Philip was already waiting—or maybe he wasn’t. In our last chat, he told me not to come until 5 in the evening. That was hard. How was I supposed to contain myself until then? It had just passed 3.

I’d left work early to catch up, but his instruction caged my happiness for a moment. Still, I didn’t let it weigh me down. Instead, I said to myself.

'Lilly, see this as an open opportunity to look your best.'

Perhaps he had planned something—a proposal? A dinner date? Or what?

Curiosity tugged at my feelings.

The thought of the mystery I was about to unfold that evening sent a rush of butterflies through my stomach. For reasons I couldn’t yet fathom, today felt especially exciting. Not just because our relationship turned thirty days old, but because of something beyond that.

Not even my little company, which had begun to walk instead of crawl.

It was beyond all of that.

Perhaps the joy of getting married soon.

Nau mama go allow me rest!

It was ten minutes past four when I arrived at Philip’s estate—a high-class one. Philip had really done a lot with his life in the few years after graduation. We both came from average, middle-class families—a struggling class, as we used to call it.

But immediately after graduating from the university, he began working. Like he once said, his lecturer paved the way, along with the help of some friends he never really talked about or introduced to me.

Now he lived in an estate that cost about one point five million naira annually—though he had only moved in recently. Life had been kind to him… or maybe I should say his hard work paid off.

When he told me about the place, I wanted to advise him against it, to say it wasn’t really a wise financial decision. But because of my insecurities—and not wanting to prejudice our long-term friendship—I decided not to.

Whatever made him think it was the next decision he should take, then it was fine. Philip was far too intelligent to waste money.

I decided to stop three gates away from his house and wait there until the setup was complete. Perhaps, if I saw people coming in and out, I’d pick up hints that he had really planned something. But was anything actually going to happen? I sat, impatient yet patient, waiting for my imagination to stop playing tricks on me.

Time ticked away. Thirty minutes rolled by, then forty. Only a few cars drove past, and there was no activity at his place at all. A long, boring wait—that’s what it became.

When it was ten minutes to five, I decided to go over to his place. I was just about to kick the engine of my Lexus ES when I spotted his car drive by. In an instant, I realized he wasn’t the one driving—he was in the passenger seat, right beside the driver.

“What’s that?” I exclaimed, surprised—not just because he was in the passenger seat, but because the car was moving at a speed I’d never seen him drive at. By the time whoever was driving tried to stop, the car came to a rough halt a few strides past his gate, the brakes hit harshly and sharply—I could tell.

“What’s going on?” I couldn’t help but mutter as I watched what was about to unfold next.

The screeching sound of tires against the tarred road made my ears ring. It quickly drew the attention of not just me, but other residents of the estate as well. I couldn’t do a thing as I watched other cars slow down, some drivers throwing up their hands in warning, others clearly ready to hurl insults—before eventually driving off.

The driver reversed and parked abruptly in front of his gate.

A rough driver, I could tell.

Then the man I had waited for—the one whose presence I had longed for over the past twenty-four hours—stepped out. He was dressed in a patterned navy-blue suit and a lighter blue undershirt that hugged his body perfectly. He wore matching shoes.

To my surprise, he looked more relaxed than I expected, almost portraying excitement as the drive came to an end. I had been expecting a scared, worn-out boyfriend—but things turned out differently.

Soon, ideas began to form.

Perhaps it was a bet between him and his friends or colleagues… or those mysterious friends he never mentioned.

Or—

Countless possibilities crowded my mind, and I couldn’t settle on any one of them.

“What’s going on?”

I asked myself the same question over and over, without an answer—for as long as it took before I could ask him.

After a quiet, heavy breathing exercise, I drove as gently as I could to his gate. By the time I got there, he was leaning into the car window, talking to the mysterious person behind the wheel.

I decided to step down and see what was really going on. At the sight of me, he smiled, revealing his gapped teeth, then turned his gaze back to the person, his attention fully fixed on them.

I could tell from his smile and a little whisper—one my ears couldn’t quite catch despite straining—that this wasn’t a man. Perhaps Philip was homosexual, and I didn’t know?

As if I had just met him yesterday.

I mocked the thought, then increased my pace, taking longer strides to close the gap. Then… I heard him say,

“Your baby is in good hands. Only scared for mine!”

His sarcastic tone triggered a smile in me—but the thought of who he was talking to made me less concerned. The “baby,” I realized, was his car.

“She’s in good, rough hands,” a feminine voice finally chimed from behind the wheel.

A lady.

What was Philip’s deal with her? Was she someone I knew, or had we ever had a conversation about her? That didn’t interest me. All I wanted was to see her face.

I moved quicker, closing the distance. And what Philip did next caught me completely off guard. After smiling and turning away, as if what he was doing at that moment was far more important, he straightened his posture and walked toward me.

He covered the two steps left between us, wrapped his arms around my waist, and greeted me with a kiss on my forehead. He stood almost six inches tall, taller than me. Even in my heels, my face reached only his neck, making it effortless for him to lean forward and lay the kiss.

I was expecting words from him, but instead he walked me to where he had been, messing with the girl.

“Hey, meet Lilly. Lilly, meet my friend.”

Was this the friend who had helped him make his life better? Was this her?

I was surprised to see a blonde-haired girl sitting behind the wheel, a gold ring hanging from a nose piercing, gracefully complementing her features. She was light-skinned—almost half-cast, far from albino. She wore a light blue blazer, though she didn’t exactly look like someone who favored corporate dressing.

“Hey, girl!” Her voice didn’t match her face. It was tiny, feminine, and alluring, immediately pulling a smile onto my lips subconsciously.

“Hi!” I greeted back, trying to make it a pleasant exchange, but it wasn’t mutual.

“Philip,” she called, catching his attention—but the way she pronounced it sounded like FLIP, making me wonder if she was referring to him by a nickname. As he responded, I realized it probably was.

Her gaze left me, and the smile she had worn instantly disappeared. I wasn’t expecting that. First, she gave off a friendly vibe… and then she turned, without a care for what that had done to me—her, Philip’s friend. Or was I even that? I wasn’t sure.

“Fret not, Flip baby is in good hands,” her voice cut through the pile of thoughts racing in my mind, pulling me back to the reality I had found myself in. As soon as she spoke, she started the engine of the Mercedes-Benz that belonged to Philip—“Flip,” as she called it. I watched her smile lavishly at him, spraying him with it.

“I do not trust you,” Philip leaned in and said, amidst a controlled laugh.

In response, she revved the engine, the sound reverberating through the driveway.

I watched in a daze. And that unanswered question popped up again: What’s going on?

Philip, leaning in to speak to a person who was supposed to be his friend—that’s flirting. I felt irritated, even jealous.

And just like that, she zoomed off.

Philip watched her until his car was no longer in sight. I knew he wasn’t concerned about her car… he was concerned about her.

And what did I do?

I watched him, until he turned to me.

Somehow, the fire of excitement in me wasn’t quenched—but it wasn’t about him. That's what I found out. But is this love?

He pulled me close, as if nothing flirtatious had just played out between my supposed boyfriend and his supposed friend. After his act, he told me to drive in while he opened the gates.

I didn’t bother arguing. I did what he asked, ready to do every other thing he asked of me.

But this excitement—what is it?