Not everything is what it seems.

"Somto you want to tell me that you didn't see the way she was acting towards you?" "Olanna, please not this nonsense again! "I didn't even answer her! Why are you still stressing about it? My mouth was ajar, and I was thinking to myself. Maybe this man is tired of me, he even called my full name. What happened to Ola? Baby? Boo? This man is changing! The drive home that night was cold, no words were said. The chicken and chips he bought for me became so nasty to eat while we drove down that wet road, rain fell on. "Sommy!!as I fondly call him, slow down, please! For some reason, it felt like he was speeding, it didn't feel like the normal drives we'd usually take when we want to spend quality time together, especially when we want some distance from our family houses. I was so angry, so angry that I didn't even have time to think about looking at the situation from his perspective, it just felt like he didn't care about me figuring out that some of these ladies may have ulterior motives. Why are men so shortsighted? Ugh! " I hope it's not me you're giving that look" Somto looked at me briefly while he drove, "You've known me for donkey years, yet you can't figure me out in some situations" I was shocked at him. "If the tables were turned now, you will tell me I'm overreacting" I hissed at him knowing it would make him livid and that is exactly what I got. " How dare you Olanna?" " You know how much I hate being hissed at'? I just ignored him and continued to shove the chips down my throat. I felt like I should take the hiss back, but I quickly changed my mind and continued to ignore him. We arrived shortly at my street and then my family's house. " Please come down, I need to head home". I looked at him with so much dismay. "Ahnahn why are you rushing me? " You can see that I'm still eating my food" "Olanna! You can pack it up and eat it when you get inside". Somto knew that when we bought or shared meals like these, I always wanted to eat them with him while we held lovely conversations or, as my sister Kaima used to say, lover's gossip. I didn't have an appetite for the meal, but I just wanted to use it to while away time and maybe settle the quarrel we were having. It felt like Sommy wasn't in the mood to settle, which was unlike him. "Olanna, come down from my car please". I got so angry and opened my side of the car, I just kept mumbling to myself and then turned to him and said" I'm done with your shenanigans tonight" and slammed the door so hard. I'm sure my neighbours would have wondered if a squabble was going on on the street. Somto didn't even come out of the car, he just kept looking at me through the windscreen, and then he reversed and left my street and sped off. "Olanna Aribe! You have suffered!" I was so angry with myself and Somto, but the thought of moving an inch now that I was in front of my house was even stressing me more, so I stood there with my pack of chicken and chips in my left hand and my purse on my other hand under the drizzling rain, trying so hard not to cry. "Who is there? Our security guard with his big goggles was stretching his long and huffy neck to see who was at the gate. I just stood there downcast but trying to brace up and go in through the gate. Oga Paulo, it's me oh! "Ahnahn Ola-la is that you? Come in now, the rain is increasing". I got into my compound and handed him the chicken and chips. I couldn't finish. Aah Ola-la, God bless you oh. Good evening Mum and while she was answering, I headed straight to my room. I took out my phone from my purse to see if Somto had sent me a message or even called, but there wasn't anything indicating he missed me, or wanted us to settle. This reminds me of a time in August 2018. Somto and I had this big quarrel and refused to speak with each other for three days. When we were settling the misunderstanding, "Olanna, promise me we won't hold grudges until the next day". Whatever is wrong, let us try to fix it before we sleep, let us not carry it over. Here I am today, in 2021, and Somto has refused to speak with me. I kept looking at my phone while taking my Bra off, "Aah freedom, I mumbled to myself. I went into my bathroom to take a warm bath hoping that after I was done maybe I'd see a call from my beloved. SOMTO'S POV "I cannot believe Olanna sometimes! She never believes me! When will she ever understand how much I love her and nothing can separate us? I told her she completes me, I said to myself while driving home. I know she will be expecting me to give her a call or send her a message, but I'm not angry with her, I am more panicked about how I want to propose to her. I've known Olanna all my life, okay? Since my high school days, I have always had a thing for her, but I was never able to express my feelings or, let us just say, I never got the chance to say them to her. I left the country for some time. While I was abroad, I always kept in touch. Imagine a girl I have always liked. I became a relationship therapist. Nothing annoyed me so much as when she brought her relationship issues with a douchebag to me. It always pissed me off, but I had to play a nice guy and friend on those days. Ola, as I fondly call her, has been my person. She gives good advice, she is so business savvy, a very prayerful partner. Ola just completes me and I have never imagined life without her. I have always imagined proposing to her but nothing flies over Ola's head. She's extremely observant and would figure me out immediately. As much as she's equally private, I wanted to make my proposal to her memorable. When we got into a squabble at Milo's café, I knew it wasn't an issue, this was going to be the best way to throw her off and commence my plans to propose. She's meant to pick up a delivery at my apartment and maybe sleepover on Saturday. I barely had three days to make a plan and execute it perfectly. Brrr Brrr!! "Akin my guy howfar? Abeg I need to see you tomorrow unfailingly, you have to help me out with what we discussed earlier on". Akin is my very close friend, and I've been telling him about my plans to settle down with Olanna. As I spoke with him over the phone, my guy kept laughing at me. Akin is married and expecting his first child, so he was the perfect person to help me execute my plan, as he'd been down that lane two years ago. "Alright my guy, greet Bibi for me!". As I ended my call with Akin, I went on my messenger to see if Ola had sent a message, knowing the kind of person she was. She would have been expecting me to reach out first and might have started overthinking if there was anything more than the issue at the café. "I will figure it out in the coming days and everything will go according to plan" "Fingers crossed", I whispered to myself.