Chapter 43

Days of curiosity killed Lanre within. He just couldn't help it but think of Sewa even when he didn't want to.

He was finally starting to sleep at night peacefully with no heart ache but now she was back in his life and as much as he wanted to hate her, he just couldn't.

Getting back on his feet after the heartbreak was one of the toughest times in his life. He completely isolated himself from almost everyone, silently crying.

There was nothing he didn't want to do without Sewa's image obstructing his view in his mind. After two years and some months of struggling to move on and to accept it all, he was finally able to; just then, Sewa came back to his life.

He was completely shocked when he saw the lady that showed up in front of his car that night. His heart began to beat in a different way after a long time. Just when he was about to speak, memories of who she was in his life resurfaced and the pains he felt and struggles he went through resurfaced in his head bringing back that hate he wanted to have for her.

When he took her to the hospital, he didn't want to speak to her but when she told him she wanted to go home, he decided to let her go but the fact she asked him to take her bothered him.

The times he replied rudely on the outside, on the inside he felt bad. He wondered why he just couldn't hurt her without feeling bad.

Curiosity made him want to know where she stayed. He just couldn't wrap everything around his head when he saw where she was residing. He wanted to ask her why she lived here and why she worked in a restaurant but what he said was different.

He sat down on his couch in his living room, looking lifeless. Sewa had come back into his life making him act like the stupid Lanre of before. The fact that all he was imagining was to wrap his arms around her annoyed him.

She hurt him yet he wanted her as if she was the air he needed. She cheated on him and lied to him, yet he wanted to put that behind him and move on; he just couldn't because it hurts whenever he does

He was supposed to hate her but he just didn't understand why he couldn't. He inhaled then he exhaled before grabbing his car keys from the table.

He didn't know why he was driving but he knew where he was driving too. He felt as if he would go crazy if he didn't go there. He wanted to see her just once to satisfy his mind then finally get over her.

By the time he reached oke suna street, it was past nine in the evening. Some people lurked around, while some women and men sold different varieties of cooked and uncooked goods.

While he waited in his car, he used his eyes to search around for her. He wished he knew her house number so he could go there. Just as he was about to ask about Sewa, he saw her.

She was walking with a man beside her, man older than her. She was dressed in a short that showed off her legs and a grey sweatshirt. He frowned once he saw her laughing at something he said.

He clenched his fist as the knots in his stomach tightened. He insulted himself mentally for coming to find someone like her when he knew she was a woman of many men.

"Brother Sule, you will really buy shawarma for me or you are joking? If so, let me go back home now and rest," She said to a man who stood around the same height as her. He was thick skinned with full beards and a cap on his head. He was brown skinned, he had wide eyeballs and a round face.

Brother Sule was her neighbor, someone who they called ladies man in their compound. He always brags about his achievements with lady when in reality there was none.

He was extremely friendly and easy to get along with. Everyone in the neighborhood knew and loved him for his charismatic personality. "Do you think I am joking? They don't call me ladies man for nothing" he bluffed.

"I will buy you pizza, shawarma, cold stone ice cream, barbeque, in fact, mention and it will be granted."

Sewa chuckled, "Okay. So where are we going now?" She asked him.

"To get our local shawarma," he said, making Sewa laugh. "Local shawarma? You see your life. You just brought me out of my house for now reason," she clicked her tongue as she placed her hands on her waist heaving a deep sigh.

"My leg is not fully recovered yet and you dragged me all the way from the top," she clapped her hands.

"You don't want local shawarma? You don't know local shawarma is the best. Bread and mayonnaise." Sewa almost choked on her breath when she heard the word mayonnaise.

She laughed hysterically, "Brother Sule, you have fallen off my hand. I expected better," she complained.

"I'm just joking, we will eat shawarma, tomorrow is pizza, next tomorrow is cold stone ice cream," he said.

"Oshey! Man of many women!" She hyped him.

"That's how we do," he replied, feeling himself making Sewa hold her breath from laughing too much.

Lanre got down from his car as he sneakily followed them. He wondered why he was acting this way over a woman that almost killed him but he just couldn't. While mentally battling himself to go back home, his legs were doing otherwise.

Suddenly brother Sule wrapped his arms around Sewa's shoulder and he frowned even more. He wondered if he was Sewa's new man for the night but then again as he looked at the man, he didn't look like someone who could pay Sewa for a night.

He stopped to hide as he watched them in front of a shawarma shop. He shook his head in disappointment. "Is he using Shawarma to bribe her?" He muttered to himself.

After some minutes, they both sat down to eat their shawarma. While they were there they spoke about stuff he didn't hear and that worried him. He felt the urge to walk up to them and listen to their conversation but he just couldn't.

Not being able to hide his jealousy, anymore, he walked to the shawarma shop. Sewa was shocked to see someone that looked like Lanre. At first she believed he wasn't the one until she saw him coming to take a seat beside them in the shop.

"Sorry, is this seat taken?" He asked with a smirk on his face. He didn't want to know if they were on a date but he would not let them speak to one another and laugh while he sucked around.

Sewa wondered what brought him to Lagos island and by the time of the night. "Not at all my brother," Brother Lanre said, ushering him to seat.

Sewa began to feel uncomfortable as she thought of the many words Lanre could say to her in front of brother Sule.

"Thank you," Lanre replied, then turned to Sewa. He smiled, then he told them to join him to eat.

"It's fine, we just finished ours, we will be on our way soon," Brother Sule said to him.

"Okay," Lanre said.

Sewa couldn't help but sneak glances at Lanre as he ate. Although she was uncomfortable with him around, she couldn't help but admire him.

"So Sewa, have I finally won your heart?" Brother Sule asked. Sewa was slightly startled when brother Sule's voice snapped her back to reality.

Lanre's ears widened when he heard that statement. Was he asking her to be his girlfriend? He thought to himself. He did not chew on his food as he eagerly waited for her to reply to him.

Sewa chuckled, "You are almost there, just keep impressing," She said trying to smile but failed miserably as the presence of Lanre bothered her.

Lanre clicked his tongue, "Ladies!" He muttered sarcastically.

Brother Sule chuckled lightly, "Ladies are real headache. They give us men a lot of hard time," He said and Lanre nodded his head.

"Asides that, you can never trust them too much or they'd leave you completely shattered. They have so much power on men that men do not know of," Lanre said. Brother Sule nodded his head in understanding, not knowing the reason for Lanre's statement.

"That's true. The power of a lady on a man," Brother Sule clicked his tongue. "When you meet the right woman, you become vulnerable."

"Exactly! And they use that against you. Be warned, never trust a lady, especially the ones who keep too many secrets," Lanre said. He wiped his mouth with a serviette before standing up.

"So are you guys leaving soon?" He asked.

"Yes, and by the way it was nice speaking to you. I am Suleman, the ladies man," Brother Sule introduced himself as he stretched his hands forward for a handshake.

"I am Olarenwaju, nice meeting you," Lanre said to him.

"My friend over here is Sewa, our dark gold, my soon to be wife, maybe third or fourth," Brother Sule said making Sewa laugh. Although she didn't want to, she couldn't help it. Brother Sule always told the ladies in their street that they'd be either his tenth to fifteenth wives.

Lanre raised his brows with amusement, "I see. Ladies man indeed."

"I will have to go then," Lanre said before walking away. He was glad that man was nothing more than a friend or else he would have gone crazy.

He didn't go back to his car as he didn't want Sewa to know he came looking for her, so he stood at a distance while he waited for them to walk back to their house.

As soon as brother Sule left Sewa, he ran up to her. Sewa was startled when she saw a figure behind her. She screamed but kept quiet when she saw it was Lanre. "You...you are still here?" She asked flabbergasted.

"Yes I am still here," he said, placing his hands in his pants pocket. "I am here because you owe me," he said, confusing Sewa.

"Owe you?" She asked.

"Yes. You owe me for shattering me into pieces and for living as if you didn't break someone's son and his heart," he said.

"Ohh," Sewa muttered. She suddenly felt guilty again. She knew she owed him, she was the one that had ruined the relationship ever since it began. Sleeping around while dating him and lying to him was a bad thing for her to do that is why she had been astonishing ever since.

"So...what can I do to..." Before she could complete her statement, Lanre interjected.

"I'm glad you have a bit of feelings. Firstly give me your phone number. Secondly, go out with me this weekend."