Love or Lust (A Christmas Romance)

Chapter Twenty Seven

KELECHI'S POV

   Have you ever noticed how quickly the time passes during festive periods? Like you are enjoying yourself one minute and just when you are at the height of it all, the celebration is suddenly over.  After the Christmas celebration at the church, we had gone out for a picnic at shodex garden in Lagos. 

   Definitely, we were not the only family that chose to go to Shodex garden on Christmas day. It was crowded. Especially with children. Shodex garden was a really nice place. I used to love it there when I was younger. The scenery was lit, the pool was neat, the playground was filled with exciting facilities, the zoo was standard. It was kind of like wonderland to me when I was really little and naive. 

   Going there as a twenty year old woman, I felt like I was passed all that. There was no way I was going to swim with a bunch of children half naked! Or do a dancing competition with them. Meso and Ify might like it but not me. 

   Meso and Ify were already excited. They had gone to play with the swing.  Ben was busy checking out the things that had changed over the years. The pool was no longer close to the play ground, it was in the main garden. 

   "Ify! Be careful!" Mummy meso yelled. Ify was on a swing that was shaped like a ladder. You would have to stand on a lower rung while holding another. It is fun actually at the first few swings. But when the swing starts going higher, it is terrifying and exciting. The last time I was on it was a decade ago. I had let go of the rung when it was too high and fallen. That part of the playground had this soft fake ground, so I had not injured any part of my body severely. 

 Since then, there was no amount of bribery that would make me play on that swing. 

    Ben looked at me smiling. Almost laughing even, as if he remembered a joke.  "Kelly, remember the last time you were on that swing? When you were acting like you are wonder woman?"

   "It was your fault. You pushed the swing too high!"

   "I was only obeying your orders. You never listened until something bad happens. You still don't." He chuckled.

   I wondered why he was laughing. How was me falling flat from a swing funny?

   Later that day, I had started enjoying my time there. The food mama prepared was amazing. I still don't know how she makes her African Salad¹ so sweet. I hummed as I ate. The food was simply delicious. Mama had added diced beef and kpomo. She had also added smoked Titus fish in it. She had kept the garden egg leaves and garden egg separately just in case someone did not like it. Obviously, not everyone liked garden egg in it. I was was one of those people. But strangely, Ben loved it.

   "Eww!" I was never shy to express myself. "Some people's taste buds are not functioning." I commented before sipping from my drink. Ben paused to look at me.

   "Whad yuyu mi by yat?" He spoke with his mouth full. 

   "Uchechukwu, be careful! Before you go and choke! Agama a Koro akuko o²!" Mama scolded him.

   I gave him a smug smile only to receive a glare from him. At least something went my way that day.

  ****

  Later in the night, we had all gone to bed tired. That day had been very eventful. From Ify running away from the statue of a horse to Meso loosing her earrings in the pool. We were all tired. 

   I had finished having my bath and put on a big hoodie with loose shorts. As usual, I went to Ben's room. But could not find him there. It was when I tucked myself in that I heard the sound of water running in the bathroom. He was probably still in the shower. 

   "Kelly..." I heard the door open before I heard him say my name. 

   "Aye aye captain!" I turned to face him, leaning on one of my hands. My eyes widened when I saw that he had not bothered to wrap a towel around his waist.

   "Don't you know how to use a towel?" I threw a pillow at him. He caught it effortlessly. 

   "My towel is beside you." He chuckled. 

   "Take it." I threw it at him immediately I found it. 

    For whatever reason, that made him laugh all the more. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he walked to his wardrobe. Soon he was in his pajamas. Yes, like you must have already guessed, I was staring at him. It was not my fault he looked so ...so sexy naked. 

   We had touched each other before but we had never gone fully naked. So, that was my first time seeing him that way.

   He caught me. His eyes met mine immediately he had something on. "Y'know, you can always take a picture. I know I'm irresistible." He had that annoying smug smile on his face. 

   He walked to bed still keeping his gaze on me. When he got close to me, he brushed his lips against my nose. "You look so adorable." He kissed my cheeks. He kept peppering kissing on my face till he got to my lips. 

  Just when it was getting heated, he pulled away. He wrapped his arms around me, tucking both of us together in the bed. 

GLOSSARY

African Salad: this is a delicious meal that is made from cassava. 

 Agama a Koro akuko o : meaning " I will not start telling story o" .

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello hello 👋 if you have seen the illustration of Ben and Kelly, I would like to know if that was how you pictured them. Your thoughts on this story is always important. 

 If you are yet to see the digital illustration of Ben and Kelly, you can check it on my Instagram Page @munamary7.