Binary Hearts

52| Good Morning 🌞

The next morning, Adaora woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing beside her. A message from Chidi lit up the screen:

"I can't think less of you after yesterday. You were too hot."

Adaora blushed and smiled at the message, remembering the night before. The excitement of twerking in front of the elites, the way Chidi had looked at her, and how everything felt so different and thrilling. It was a side of her she hadn’t explored before, and now she couldn’t stop replaying the night in her head.

As she was about to reply, another message popped up:

"Pick up my video call, I want to see that beautiful face again."

Adaora hesitated for a moment, nervous about answering a video call so early. She was only in her bra top, her hair a little disheveled from sleep. She decided to keep it casual and just continued texting instead.

"I’m still dressing, only in a bra top." she sent, with a smiling emoji.

A few seconds passed before her phone vibrated again. This time, it wasn’t a message—it was Chidi calling her, persistent. Adaora stared at the screen, biting her lip as she debated whether to pick up. Eventually, she sighed and accepted the call, wrapping her bedsheet around her body before holding the phone up.

On the other side of the screen, Chidi grinned playfully. "Why are you hiding under that sheet? Come on, let me see if you’ve got a birthmark on your chest."

Adaora burst into laughter, shaking her head at his sly attempt. "You’re using scope, Chidi. You think I don’t know what you’re trying to do?"

Chidi laughed as well, his voice teasing. "I’m serious! Let me confirm it for myself."

The banter went back and forth, Chidi teasing her relentlessly until, with a roll of her eyes, Adaora relented. She slowly pulled the bedsheet down, revealing her bra top, and Chidi’s eyes widened in appreciation.

"So this is the blessing you've been hiding under clothes," he said, his voice low and playful.

Adaora felt her cheeks heat up, but she played along. "You’re terrible, you know that?"

Chidi chuckled, his grin widening. "I wouldn’t mind if you took off the bra top too, let me see if there’s a birthmark on your nipples."

"You're a bad boy!" Adaora exclaimed before hanging up the call with a playful shake of her head.

She checked the time on her phone and realized it was almost 8 a.m. already. "I need to go and prepare for work," she typed quickly. "You're Mr. Okoye’s one and only son; you can afford to slack off. Me? I can't." With that, she hurried to the bathroom to shower.

...In the Kitchen...

Adaora stepped into her small but cozy kitchen, the morning light filtering in through the window. She tied an apron around her waist and set to work preparing Afang soup, one of her favorite meals. She began by rinsing the afang leaves thoroughly and setting them aside to dry. Then she brought out her pot and placed it on the stove.

Pouring palm oil into the pot, she let it heat before adding in some chopped onions and allowing them to fry until translucent. She quickly blended crayfish, pepper, and locust beans, then tossed the mixture into the pot. The rich aroma of the spices began to fill the kitchen, making her stomach growl with anticipation.

As the soup simmered, Adaora prepared the meats—goat meat, stockfish, and periwinkle—cleaning and cutting them into chunks. She added the meats into the pot and let them cook slowly, absorbing the flavors of the seasoning.

Next came the waterleaf, which she added into the pot after washing it carefully. As the soup continued to boil, Adaora stirred in the dry Afang leaves and let everything come together, the deep green color of the soup making her mouth water.

While the soup was cooking, she rinsed some rice and set it on another burner to cook. Once everything was ready, she served herself a small portion of rice and soup, savoring the rich, spicy taste as she ate. She packed some of the leftover soup and rice into a cooler for her lunch at the office, making sure to save enough to share with a colleague if necessary.

By 8:30 a.m., Adaora was ready to leave for work. She stepped outside, where her gateman greeted her with a wide smile.

"Madam, good morning o! Ah ah, you dey fine more these days o, show me love na!"

Adaora laughed, handing him 3,000 naira. "Here you go, don’t spend it all in one place!" she teased before getting into her car.

As she drove to Paystack, the thoughts of Chidi lingered in her mind, but something else nagged at her. She hadn’t spoken to Tunde since the birthday surprise. Part of her felt guilty, but she took a deep breath, knowing she needed to clear the air. She dialed his number and waited, her heart racing a bit.

To her surprise, Tunde answered, his voice calm and neutral. "Hey, Adaora."

She smiled, relieved that he didn’t sound angry or hurt. "Tunde, I just wanted to apologize for not calling after the birthday surprise. I’ve been so busy, but I really appreciated everything you did."

Tunde’s response was straightforward, as usual. "It’s fine, Ada. I’ve been swamped with work at Spark Technologies. We lost about $200 million in a deal, and I got removed as CEO. I’m still the Chairman, but it's been... tough."

Adaora’s heart sank a little. "Really?Tunde, I had no idea. I’m so sorry you’re going through that."

The conversation was brief, but Adaora hung up feeling like she had done the right thing by reaching out. It also made her realize how different things were between her and Tunde now, and how much had changed since Chidi came into her life.

With a sigh, she pulled into the Paystack parking lot, ready to face the day.