The Retribution Chronicles

A d e | n i n e

Ade felt about Enigma the way one felt about a lukewarm bath, great in times of need, but there's always a better option. Unfortunately, Ryan managed to convince everyone that better did not exist, at least not tonight. So, Ade followed along, donning the obligatory black jeans and white t-shirt combo, a denim jacket and enough rum he didn't feel the cold as they headed to the club.

"Where's Abisola?" he asked Daniel once they joined the queue.

"Should be here soon," Daniel said, pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

"Lame," Ryan hollered. "I thought we said no girlfriends."

"You just don't have a girlfriend."

Ade let out an unreserved snort which earned him a glare from Ryan. "I don't know what you're laughing at," he said, voice thick with accusation. "It's not like you're doing any better."

"That's about to change," Ade said.

"She's not interested." Ryan's mouth curled into a sympathetic smile Ade rolled his eyes at. "What?" He raised both hands. "I've seen her and Wes. Even if they aren't together, there's no room for you."

"Whatever man. I didn't come here to—"

Someone tapped Ade on the shoulder. He whirled around, eyes half popping out of their sockets when Miriam unfurled in all her glory, with legs that stretched for days and a mouth painted a red so vibrant it pulsed, full-bodied, alive. She seemed to shimmer, her body encased in a bronzed glow that sparked every now and then, as much a warning as an invitation.

"Hey." Her arms opened, welcoming him in once and for all. They snaked around his shoulders while his hands settled on her waist and sunk into the plump swell of her skin. He bent down, nose brushing against her hair, and took in the tropical undertones that clung to her braids. "How's your sister finding the book?" she asked once she stepped back.

Ade blinked, brain a scramble of half-finished sentences, and grappled at the first which made some semblance of sense. "She's finding it good," he said, cursing himself instantly. "What I mean is, she's enjoying it."

Miriam let out a tinkle of laughter that seeped into his skin, pressing through the epidermis, hunting for a vein until it laid itself to rest in his bloodstream, increasing the flow exponentially. "I'm glad," she said, her mouth, once red hot, cooling into something warm.

"If—"

"You forgot your keys," Wes interrupted, dangling a silver set in front of Miriam's face.

She batted them aside and laughed, the sound richer than before. "I didn't forget them," she said. "I have nowhere to put them. It's not like a bag goes with this outfit."

"Oh." Wes shoved the keys in his back pocket. "Hey Ade," he said, shooting him the briefest of smiles. "You good?"

"Yeah." Ade forced himself to smile back. "You?"

"Course."

"So where's Abi?" Miriam asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Hell if I know. Daniel said she's on her way."

"That means she's still half-dressed at home," Miriam snorted.

"Surely not." Daniel extracted himself from the others and seamlessly leapt into their conversation. "She promised she'd be on time."

"And you believed her?" Miriam's brow arched pointedly. On anyone else it would've seemed like a bitch move, mocking almost, but something about her huge brown eyes turned her expression into one overfilled with innocent wonder.