Too Little, Too Late

07

The Samson Villa was designed in the shape of the letter 'U' and it was more beautiful inside than it was outside. The villa was built to centre around a pool that was clearly built for ultimate relaxation. It – the villa – had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, one big garage, and lots of greenery in front with half of that size at the back. There was a gym too.

The living room was to die for and so were the kitchen and the master bedroom which Anneth and Nathaniel shared, as long as "we're not fighting, otherwise he's sleeping on the couch" (according to the lady of the house herself). It was easy for Ayra and Ibtihaj to loosen up and fit right in although it took some time to understand some inside jokes and, in Ibtihaj's case, conveniently learn to ignore certain people as long as they weren't talking to her.

Dinner was to be eaten by the pool and the table Anneth and Nathaniel had pulled out of the basement store could comfortably take them all. Anneth had covered it with black linen and she made sure every inch of space was covered with cutlery and with well-made dishes that majorly revolved around meat.

"Don't blame me," She told Ayra and Ibtihaj. "We're meat lovers in this house and once there's an opportunity to prepare as much meat as possible, Nate and I are all for it. Bon Appetite, and watch the drinks you pick. Some of those floral bottles are actually fruit beer which we – me, Nate, Jalal, and Tobi – love to death."

Ayra chose to sit beside Ibrahim who'd been talking more since they arrived, and laughing more too. Wanting to be a little freer, she removed her jacket and draped it on the back of her chair. Ibtihaj sat on the opposite side of the table, right beside Bella.

"Honestly," It was Bella. She looked between Ayra and Ibtihaj. "You two dress really well."

Ibtihaj smiled proudly. "When you have a mum like mine, it's impossible to not do so. We don't dress like you or Anneth though. You guys are the fashionistas."

Anneth flipped her braids over her shoulder. "Well, we do love to impress. But Bella's right, you two dress really prettily. And you both like to be comfortable too. Also, I'd love to meet your mum. I'm sure she's going to be my kind of person."

Ayra laughed, nodding. "She is. She'll love you so much."

Ibtihaj grinned. "Exactly."

Tobi easily opened a beer. "I'd like to meet the mums too." He grinned at Ibtihaj. "Let me know when I can do that. I'm sure she my kind of person too."

Ibtihaj calmly picked up a bottle of water, her eyes trained on the bottle cap. "My mother doesn't like playboys. She doesn't like the men that prove to the world that Yoruba men actually deserve the title Yoruba Demons."

Every other person burst out laughing while Tobi's jaw hit the ground. Ibtihaj smiled sweetly at him, shrugging. "I'm not one to judge anyone's lifestyle but it's the truth."

"God," Nathaniel said between laughs. "I really like her."

Tobi picked his jaw off the ground. "I can be on my best behaviour. I mean, she doesn't have to know about my girlfriends. The world doesn't know much about them so..." He smiled smugly. "I think I'll be fine."

Ibtihaj said nothing but Ayra saw how her best friend poured the water from the bottle into a glass with more force than necessary. It made her laugh quietly. They began passing the dishes around after they recovered from the laughing fit, helping themselves with one thing or the other.

"So, Ayra." It was Jalal. He smiled at her. "This our friend right here has been very stingy with information about you."

Ayra glanced at Ibrahim, surprised. "Are you serious?"