When Love Finally Knocked

Chapter 8 - When Love Finally Knocked

Tinu was locking up her office that evening when she heard a knock on the glass door. She turned and froze. There he was, John.

Smile, calm smile, same warm eyes, but a little more tanned, a little more tired. In his hands, a coffee cup and a small bouquet of white lilies. "Hi," he said simply.

"HI,' she whispered. You're back." He nodded. "For good this time." She blinked. " Dubai didn't suit you?" He grinned. "Dubai was fine. It wasn't home." There was a quiet pause. The city hummed outside. Inside, it was just them, the woman who had stayed, and the man who had come back. "You could've called," she finally said. " I did. For weeks. Every time I almost dialed, I thought maybe I'd ruined it."

Tinu folded her arms. But the smile tugged at her lips." You kind of did." He nodded. " I know. But I also know I didn't want to build anything else if you weren't in it." The words hung in the air, honest, unpolished, real.

John," she began softly. " I'm not asking you to drop everything," he said quickly. You've built something incredible here. I just want to be part of your world, he smiled at her, no designs, no conditions, no flights."

She took a slow breath. " Do you know how long I waited for a man to say that without trying to shrink me?" He smiled. "Maybe you were just waiting for me." Her heart gave up pretending. She laughed that full, bright, ridiculous laugh he'd missed so much and stepped forward.

Did you bring the coffee? She asked, and he held it up. " Cappuccino. No casualties this time. "Good," she said, taking it from him. "Because I'm not wearing white." They stood there for a moment, smiling like they had finally understood timing or at least stopped trying to control it.

Then she added, softly but surely," I missed you." He touched her hand. " Then it's a good thing I came back to knock again," both smiling and kissing each other, wrapping their hands around each other. Then he stopped and looked straight in her eyes. I really enjoy kissing you, my lovely Tinu Adeniyi. I can do this all day long, she smiled and whispered back at him Me too, Mr John, the architect of my heart. As they continued kissing each other.