Chapter VII
VII
A week later, they arrived at a house party in a group of nine—Mo and her boyfriend, Tolu and his latest squeeze, Chuka and his girl of the month, Oba, Dele and Ebun.
Ebun was a little young to accompany them, but she refused to be left behind.
Mo had assured Aunty Kemi that it was a chaperoned party and they would be back by ten p.m.
The house was illuminated in the darkness and you could hear “Whoomp! (There It Is)” booming from the other end of the street.
It was a gorgeous house, all white, with four columns and a crest scored above the front door.
It was vast in size, but news of the party had reached far and wide, so people spilt out onto the road.
As soon as she muscled her way to the main floor of the party, Mo spotted Golden Boy.
He was dancing with a girl. The grace he had displayed on the field had not transferred to the dance floor.
His hips failed to fully understand what his feet were trying to do and his arms were limp by his sides.
But his dance partner was happy to do all the work.
She was shaking her hips, her bum, inching closer and closer to Golden Boy.
“Do you want something to drink?” Mo’s boyfriend asked.
She turned to him. He paled in comparison to Golden Boy and she was struggling to recall what it was exactly she had seen in him. Tolu had already disappeared, and Ebun had been spotted by a friend from school. She gave him a small smile.
“I’ll have vodka and Coke.”
“One vodka and Coke coming up.”
He disappeared into the sea of bodies, and Mo returned to looking at Golden Boy, but he wasn’t where her eyes had left him. So she began to move through the crowd, waving distractedly at people she knew. She eventually found him propped up on the corner of a table, sipping his drink.
She walked up to him and laid her hand on his arm, forcing him to look up. His eyes were unusual—the colour of an amber traffic light, they held her in place. He was even more beautiful up close. She cleared her throat and gave him her widest smile.
“Hello, Golden Boy.”
“Hi…” He looked confused. “Do I…do I know you?”
“No. But I know you…I was watching you play football the other day.”
He squinted at her. “Ah. The girl on the bleachers.”
“So you noticed me.”
“It was hard not to. Your T-shirt had a bedazzled Che Guevara on it.”
“Oh! Is that who that was?”
He paused, and then burst out laughing. He had a throaty laugh.
“Do you want to dance?” she asked.
He looked away. He had long eyelashes.
“I’m not really a great dancer.”
“Yea, I was watching you. Ooof!”
He laughed again, meeting her eyes. At least he didn’t take himself too seriously. “Excuse you!”
She gave him another wide smile, showing most of her teeth. She had a generous mouth, all the better to kiss with. And tonight she was sporting a bright red lipstick. She noticed his eyes were drawn to her lips’ scarlet plumpness. She took his hand.
“Come. It’ll be a good excuse for our bodies to get close to one another.”
“You’re assuming an awful lot.”
She cocked her head to one side. “Am I? Well, the ball’s in your court.
” Her heart was beating hard in her chest. She was accustomed to guys approaching her.
She had never had to work for it. But if she hadn’t made the first move, Golden Boy might have disappeared into the ether.
Still, she didn’t need him to think she was desperate, and he was hesitating a little too long for her liking.
She turned and started walking away, but he caught her wrist. His grip was gentle but firm.
“Don’t leave. This place would lose all colour if you left.”
She took his hand, pulled him past the dancing bodies, out into the night. He didn’t ask where she was taking him.
The air was gentle, warm. The sky was lit up with stars.
She led him past the security men, across the lawn and into the shadow of a little outbuilding.
Here, the party seemed distant. He let out a breath, then turned to her and leant against the wall, his body at a forty-five-degree angle. “I don’t know your name.”
“Monife. Monife Falodun.” She no longer used her father’s name. What would be the point?
“Kalu Kenosi,” he said, his voice thick and smooth.
“A pleasure.”
He paused, then: “The pleasure’s all mine.”
She giggled; it was a terrible line. He stuck his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. “I didn’t…I’m not really any good at…”
“From what I hear, you excel at everything.”
He blushed. She wanted to taste him, so she tugged his shirt, pulling him down, and pressed her lips to his. He stiffened for a moment, and then relaxed into the kiss, teasing her mouth with his own. Peppermint.
“Mo?” Ebun’s voice cut short their moment, and Mo sighed as Golden Boy released her. “What is it?” she said, turning and seeing her cousin approaching. Ebun looked them both up and down. Judgement was spilling out of her.
“Your boyfriend is looking for you.”
“Did you follow me?”
“What? No. I asked the security man if he had seen a tall girl with big hair.”
“Okay…”
“So, should I tell him where you are?”
“Who?”
“Your boyfriend. He is threatening to leave.”
“No. I’ll be up in a sec.”
“Right.”
She suddenly regretted bringing Ebun along. The girl was determined to make her feel shame where she had none. Ebun walked away and Mo took a breath. When she turned back to Golden Boy, he gave her a small shake of his head.
“So you have a boyfriend.”
She shrugged. “Not really.”
“Not really?”
“Yes. He is my soon-to-be ex.”
“Why?”
“I’ve met you.”