Traffic and Sparks

Traffic and Sparks Chapter 2

Traffic & Sparks – Part 2

(A Lagos Romance by Hardey)

The next evening, Adaora stood in front of her mirror adjusting the simple black dress she had picked after trying on four different outfits. It wasn’t too fancy, but it hugged her in the right places. She told herself it was just dinner. Nothing serious. Yet her stomach kept doing small flips every time she remembered Chidi’s grin in the rain.

At exactly 7:05 pm, her phone buzzed.

Chidi: “Outside. Brought the bigger umbrella, even though the rain is behaving tonight 😊”

She smiled and stepped out. He was leaning against a clean silver Toyota, looking effortlessly good in a navy shirt and dark jeans. When he saw her, his eyes lit up.

“Wow,” he said simply. “You clean up nice, Adaora.”

“You too,” she replied, trying not to sound too impressed. “No danfo today?”

He laughed and opened the passenger door for her. “Not tonight. I want us to actually talk without shouting over conductors.”

The drive to VI was smoother than expected. Soft Afrobeats played low from the speakers — Burna Boy mixed with some older Tems. They talked easily, picking up where the rain had left off. He told her about growing up in Surulere, the pressure of delivering big engineering projects, and how he sometimes escaped to the beach at Tarkwa Bay just to breathe. She opened up about the long hours at the agency, the creative blocks, and how she secretly wished she could write full stories instead of just 30-second jingles.

The rooftop restaurant was beautiful — fairy lights strung overhead, a gentle breeze, and a view of the Lagos skyline twinkling in the distance. They sat at a corner table overlooking the water. Chidi ordered grilled prawns and coconut rice, while Adaora went for the spicy chicken suya skewers with a side of plantain.

Halfway through the meal, the conversation turned lighter… and warmer.

“So,” Chidi said, leaning forward a little, “be honest. When you stumbled into me in that danfo, did you feel it too?”

Adaora took a slow sip of her drink, meeting his eyes. “Feel what?”

He smiled, that same confident but soft smile. “The spark. The one that made the traffic feel shorter than usual.”

She laughed softly, feeling her cheeks warm. “Maybe. Or maybe I was just tired and you smelled really good.”

“Both can be true,” he replied, his voice lower. “I haven’t stopped thinking about how your laugh sounded even when you were trying to be mad at Lagos.”

Their hands brushed when they reached for the same bottle of water at the same time. Neither pulled away immediately. The touch lingered, sending a quiet thrill up her arm.

After dinner, instead of driving her straight home, Chidi suggested a short walk along the waterfront. The night air was cool, the city lights reflecting on the water. They walked side by side, shoulders occasionally touching.

“I like this,” Adaora said quietly. “No horns. No rush. Just… normal.”

Chidi stopped and turned to her. “Normal feels good with the right person.”

He reached out and gently tucked a stray braid behind her ear. His fingers brushed her cheek, and for a moment the whole noisy city seemed to fade into the background.

“I want to see you again, Adaora,” he said. “Not just because of one rainy evening. Because I want to know more — the parts you don’t put in your jingles.”

She looked up at him, heart beating faster than it should on a first date. “Then ask me out properly next time, Engineer. No assuming I’ll say yes.”

Chidi grinned. “Deal. Next weekend. My treat again. And I promise no traffic excuses.”

As he drove her back to Chevron, the car filled with comfortable silence broken only by soft music. When they reached her gate, he walked her to the door.

“Goodnight, Adaora,” he said, voice warm.

“Goodnight, Chidi.”

She watched him drive off, then leaned against her gate for a second, smiling to herself. Lagos could be stressful, loud, and chaotic… but tonight, it felt like the perfect backdrop for something new.

Something that made escaping reality feel a lot sweeter.

To be continued… 💋