LUCENT

30

NADIRA

Tayyib opened the door for me, and I got out. I looked at the tall building and tilted my head. "Is this a restaurant?" I ask, staring at the ginormous building.

"No. It's a hotel," he replies, handing a valet his keys. He grabbed my hand, and we walked through the large revolving doors to the lobby.

I look around, stunned by the sheer beauty of the interior. It could compare to The Ritz. "I didn't know hotels like this existed in Nigeria," I say, gaping at the gold designs on the ceiling and extravagant chandeliers.

"I build them," Tayyib states smugly.

"Is that what your company does? Construction?" I ask.

"Our company is a conglomerate. So it's one of the many things we do," he replies.

"Ohh," I say, pretending to know what a conglomerate is.

He checks his watch and clicks his tongue in annoyance. "I told him 6:30," he mumbles.

Before I could respond, a man rushed towards us. "Mr Muhammad, I apologise for the wait. I was attending to a guest," he says, wiping his hands with a handkerchief.

He extends his hand, and Tayyib shakes it briefly. He turns to me and smiles, "Mrs Muhammad, it is lovely to make your acquaintance. I am David Okoye, the manager here at The Royal Camellia," he says.

I return the smile. "I'm pleased to meet you as well. Your establishment is beautiful," I reply.

"We owe that to Mr Muhammad," he says. "I shouldn't waste your time. This way, please," he says, leading us to an elevator.

We get in, he presses the button, and it starts moving. The elevator takes us down, and Mr Okoye leads us into a beautifully lit garden.

"The menus are on the table, and waiters should be here soon. I'll allow you to enjoy your evening," Mr Okoye says.

"Thank you," Tayyib and I reply, and he walks off.

The trees had string lights and lanterns hanging on them. Underneath one was a beige picnic blanket with plush pillows on it. Adjacent to the blanket was a wooden board with "Happy Birthday Nadira" written on it with chalk. It all looked so beautiful.

I turned to Tayyib, and he smiled. "My birthday has passed," I say.

"Yes, but you weren't able to celebrate it because of me," he replies, leaning down and kissing my lips sweetly.

I grin widely. "Thank you."

"What did I say about thanking me for things I'm supposed to do?" he asks.

I frown and poke his chest. "You could have just said you're welcome," I complain.

He ignores me and pulls me farther into the garden. "There's a lake?! The view is so pretty!" I say excitedly.

"It's man-made," Tayyib replies as we reach the blanket.

He holds my hand to keep me balanced as I pull off my shoes. "Did you guys make it?"

"Yes," he replies.

"Wow, you really do everything, huh," I say.

"Except cars," he jokes, and I giggle.

He sits and leans on the tree, and I sit beside him with my back pressed to his chest. He hands me a menu, and I breeze through it. "I want truffle pasta," I beam.