Unexpected Collision
2000 Words
Adetayo was still feeling that weird deja Vu from what happened today even after she'd replayed the event that went down between her and freaking Max for the tenth time in her head. The way his name her rolled from his tongue pronouncing it and it had sounded in his mouth after all these years suprise like he couldn't believe it was her.
She was sitting on her bed, legs folded under her, phone in hand, staring at nothing, when the screen lit up.
A message from Max; her Max.
The preview alone made her stomach flip.
“Would you be up for dinner. To catch up with good times?”
She read it three times.
Of course she wasn't mad. She'd spent years dreaming about this exact moment running into him, something pulling them back so they meet in real time again even if it was once . And now it was here. Real. Not a dream.
She screamed and danced.
Then after all her excitement she remembered she still have to reply to his message to give him the awareness.
She picked up her phone into her hand to reply back.
Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard. She typed and deleted three different replies. Too eager. Too dry. Too much.
Finally, she settled.
“Yeah sure. What time?”
Send.
He replied back. Almost immediately, like he was holding his phone waiting for her to text back.
“Seven. Bistro heaven restaurant”.
No question mark again. Just fact. Like it was already decide
She started typing “Okay, sounds good” when another message dropped.
“Can’t wait to see you beautiful.”
She froze.
Beautiful.
And she smiled too herself.
She finally typed back, fingers shaky.
“See you at seven.”
Then added a simple smiling emoji. Not too much. Not too little.
She hit send, tossed the phone on the bed like it was hot, and flopped back against her pillows.
Breathe, Adetayo.
Just breathe.
But her mind was already racing.
Seven o’clock felt too close and too far at the same time.
The restaurant Max picked was small, intimate, those sweet spot hidden away in Victoria Island. Soft jazz played in the background. Candlelight flickered on the tables. Adetayo arrived ten minutes early, nervous, wearing a simple black dress that hugged her figure just right.
He came in twenty minutes late, breathing hard, blazer folded over his forearm, navy blue shirt clinging a little to his back from the rush. The restaurant was playing soft jazz now on low tunes , fairy lights strung along the walls because it was almost New Year. When his eyes found her at the small table near the back, he stopped short for a second, like he needed to be sure it was really her. Then the smiled while he walked up to their reserved table.
“Adetayo I am so sorry,” he said
Meeting dragged, then this stupid hold up from lekki to VI. I swear I almost abandoned the car and ran here.” he said laughing.
But you couldn't miss him with that smile that looked like he did came out from the magazine.
She had rehearsed a small scolding in her head while waiting something light, teasing, just to hide how nervous she was.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you. You look good too.”
He did. Navy shirt, sleeves rolled up, watch glinting under the light. He looked like a man now, not the lanky boy she remembered.
They ordered food, jollof for her, egusi and pounded yam for.
The conversation flowed it, catching up on siblings, parents, old classmates they’d bumped into over the years.
But halfway through the meal, the laughter slowed.
Then it got real.
Adetayo sighed into her drink. “My mum has been on my case lately. Every Sunday call is the same: ‘Adetayo, when are you bringing someone home? Your mates are carrying second baby o.'
“I’m twenty five Max. Twenty five!.”
He laughed. “Try being thirty. My mum has moved past asking. She’s planning.”
“Planning what?”
“My wedding. To a girl I’ve never met. Anita from our village. She sent me pictures, her LinkedIn, everything. Said the family has agreed. I just need to show up.”
Adetayo’s eyes went wide. “You’re joking.”
“Dead serious. She’s turning fifty next year and wants grandchildren immediately”
Adetayo laughed so hard people looked over. “Our mothers should never meet.
“They’d team up.”
“God forbid.”
They laughed together, the kind that feels like relief.
Then Max got quiet, stirring his drink.
“What?” she asked.
“I have a mad idea.”
“Tell me.”
“What if we pretended? Just for family. You bring me home, I bring you home. We post a few pictures. Let them chill. Then later we ‘break up’ quietly.”
Adetayo stared. “Fake dating?”
Adetayo stared at him, the laughter dying in her throat.
“Fake dating?” she repeated, voice low, like saying it aloud might make it real.
Max shrugged, but his eyes were serious.
“Exactly. Controlled. Temporary"
“Hear me out. It’s not forever. Just long enough to get them off our backs. Christmas, maybe Easter. We break up later.
They’ll be sad for a week, then move on to something else.”
Adetayo leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “You’ve thought about this.”
“More than I’d like to admit.”
She took a slow sip of her water.
She should have said no. It was ridiculous.
But her mum’s voice echoed in her head. And Max was looking at her like this could actually work.
But, the truth was, she wasn’t even dating anyone. Not even a talking stage worth bringing home. Nothing .
But. Max?.
That will be hard to keep up considering her feelings towards him.
“Okay,” she said slowly.
He grinned.
She narrowed her eyes towards him.
“What’s the catch?”
“No catch,” he said quickly.
She titled her head. “Max.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay. Fine. There’s a small catch.”
“Define small.”
“My mum’s fiftieth is in March. Big party. Whole village invited. Extended family flying in from everywhere. She’s already told them I’m bringing someone. Said she’s tired of explaining why her only son is still ‘roaming the streets.’
Adetayo snorted. “Roaming the streets?”
“Her words.”
“So you need a girlfriend. For one weekend.”
“Not just any girlfriend. Someone who can survive three days of igbo in laws."
Adetayo laughed despite herself. “And you think I can survive that?”
“Yes. You are desperate you can play any role.” he said laughing.
She just smiled cause it was true and win win she will have time with him.
She cleared her throat. “And what do I get out of this?”
He grinned. “I'd go with you to any of your family’s gathering. Pretend to be your full boyfriend high performance in action I’ll wear native, carry bags, call your mum ‘Ma,’ the works. I’ll even let your dad interrogate me about my five year plan.”
Adetayo bit her lip. “ my family are full of surprises so don't think that will just be all you think you will be doing”.
“I’ll survive. For you.”
The way he said it quiet, steady made something flutter in her chest.
She looked down at her drink. “Rules,” she said finally. “We need rules.”
He grinned. “Thought you’d say that.”
He pulled actual printed papers from his bag.
Adetayo laughed. “You came prepared?”
“Igbo man. We document.”
The rules were simple but clear.
“Strictly for family pressure relief . No real feelingsLimited PDA ;hand holding, hugs, light touches only. No intimacy.Either can end it anytime. Honesty between us. No dating others while actively faking”.
“ So any questions”. Max asked, looking at her.
“No”.
“Okay”. He brought a pen out of his bag and handed it to her.
They both signed. Two copies.
"And we tell no one". He paused, eyes on hers.
“Not even Chioma” Max said
Adetayo frozed .“Not even Chioma? ”.
She repeated it slowly, like she was translating the sentence into a language that made sense.
Max nodded, firm. “Yes. Any problem?”
“Yeah” she said, the word coming out drier than she intended. She leaned back against her chair , arms crossed.
“Big one, actually. If this is going to work; if I’m supposed to suddenly have a boyfriend who takes up weekends and evenings and explains why I’m smiling at my phone in meetings then I’m going to need my backup. And that’s Chioma.”
Max raised an eyebrow. “why?”
“Chioma knows when I’m lying about a headache . If I start dodging questions or feeding her half stories, she’ll know something’s up in two days. And if she thinks I’m hiding something, she’ll worry. Then she’ll dig. And if she digs, this whole thing falls apart.”
Max rubbed his jaw. He glanced toward the half eaten food on the table as if the answer might be written on one of the dusty bottles behind the counter.
“Adetayo, the fewer people—”
“I know,” she cut in, softer this time. “I know the logic. But Chioma isn’t ‘people." And honestly, Max, she likes you.
She paused when he looked at her
“What”
“Like me huh?. ”
“Well yeah”
“ So you both discuss about me then”.
She looked flushed.
“No I mean”. She started to explain
He smirked
She cleared her throat.
“But on a serious note if we are to be able to do these properly , Chioma must know”.
He looked at her for a long moment searching for cracks of any argument. .
Finally, he exhaled through his nose and gave a small nod.
“Okay.”
Just that. Okay.
Adetayo felt her shoulders drop a fraction. “Thank you.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of it settling between them.
Adetayo exhaled. “When do we start?”
Max smiled, slow and mischievous. “How about now?”
He reached across the table and took her hand.
Her breath caught.
“Just practice,” he whispered.
But his thumb brushed over her knuckles, soft and deliberate, and for a second, it didn’t feel like practice at all.
Adetayo pulled her hand back, heart racing.
“Too much,” she said, trying to laugh.
“Sorry,” he said, but he was smiling.
She shook her head. “This is a terrible idea.”
“The worst,” he agreed.
They looked at each other.
Then, at the same time that both said
“Let’s do it.”
Adetayo laughed nervously
"This is insane. We're really doing this?"
Max met her gaze, his voice steady. "We need this.
A beat of silence hung between them, charged with the weight of what they were about to pretend.
Then, at the same time, both said,
“Let’s do it.”
They reached for their glasses of water ; they both laughed at the fact that's it was water they were using to seal these deal. and clinked them together
“To survival” he said, his eyes locking onto hers a little longer than necessary.
The rest of dinner was lighter. Old school memories. Music. Favourite childhood foods.
He offered to drop her home.
- Writer
