Chapter 18
18
A loud barking breaks the silence.
I adjust my sitting position and glance at the time. ‘Do you still want to do the interview?’ I ask slowly, tentatively.
‘Yeah, let’s do it.’
I put my phone on record, sit it on the grass and begin to ask Wale about his time at ACE. He shares everything from the highs to the lows. Everything except being a carer himself.
‘We still need an angle for this chapter,’ I tell him, chewing my bottom lip. ‘What helps me is coming up with different chapter headings. So, how about … “People assumed that my charity job was just a nine-to-five but the truth is so much deeper than that”?’
Wale stretches across the grass to give me a high-five. ‘You see,’ he wags his finger, ‘this is why you’re the writer and I’m the client.’
With a laugh, I reach for my phone. I type the chapter heading into my notes app and set it down again. ‘Speaking of jobs,’ I add, doing martial arts with a persistent wasp, ‘how are you getting on with being an influencer? Is it something you see yourself doing for a long time?’
‘Hmmm.’ Wale strokes his beard. The mmm sound seems to go on forever. My eyes flick to his lips again. Temi!
‘It’s defo new territory,’ he finally says as I hastily search through my bag for my bottle of water. I down it. ‘Putting myself out there to complete strangers – it’s a lot, y’know. It’s something that I’m still getting used to. But I’m enjoying the financial rewards and choosing what brands I wanna tie myself to. Though all these VIP events are kinda long, still.’
‘It’s ’cause you’re a grandad,’ I say matter-of-factly.
Wale flutters his eyes. ‘So, yeah. Things are going okay at the moment. It’s just been mad difficult trying to commit to it fully alongside organizing the gala.’
‘What you need is a Shona,’ I tell him jokingly. Then I consider it more seriously. ‘Hey, maybe I can ask her to help.’
Wale doesn’t say anything. His attention is stolen by something behind my shoulder. I turn around. Two Black girls about our age have perched themselves on the grass a few metres away. One of the girls cries to the other, ‘Pur-lease, he ain’t shit.’ I tilt my head in an effort to meet Wale’s gaze.
‘Sorry, what was that?’ he says to me, his forehead creased.
‘Shona,’ I say again. ‘I can ask her to help if you want? Trust me, that girl would love nothing more than planning a high-profile event.’
Wale seems distracted. His eyes keep flickering back and forth from the girls to me, his brows still slightly furrowed. Then my words hit him. He looks incredulous. ‘Shona?’ he hisses. ‘That girl hates me.’
‘Not completely. And this is for a good cause. So, what do you need help with?’
The girls are now laughing.
Wale searches for something in his pockets. ‘Entertainment, prizes for the auction …’
I make a psshh sound. ‘Yeah, she can do all that with her eyes closed.’
I wait for him to respond. But Wale is too busy rummaging.
‘What are you looking for?’ I ask.
The silence is broken by the girls laughing their heads off again.
‘Can we go somewhere else?’ he says, already clambering to his feet and starting to walk away.
I stagger to mine and hurry a little to catch up with him.
‘Are you okay?’ I ask slowly.
Wale continues to take long strides. He stares straight ahead. ‘Yeah, fine,’ he mutters. ‘Hay fever was playing up, couldn’t find my mask.’ I take a sidelong glance at him; his jaw is tight.
A few months ago, I would have grabbed his hand and pleaded with him to share what was on his mind. But today, I give him space. I walk in silence and observe my surroundings instead. In the distance, a group of men are playing football.
‘Sorry,’ he says after a long minute.
His voice pulls my attention towards his profile again. The tightness around his mouth has gone but I can tell he’s still pissed off.
He slows his pace to a languorous stroll. ‘I was just –’ he sighs – ‘paranoid. Those two girls, they were chattin’ about me.’
‘Really? What did they say?’ I wish that I had eavesdropped.
‘I didn’t catch the specifics,’ Wale replies. ‘But they were staring at me and laughing a lot.’
‘Wale, not to sound insensitive, but you were on The Villa – the biggest dating show on the planet. Of course people are going to recognize you.’
Wale stops in his tracks.
I take a breath. ‘You don’t really have hay fever, do you?’
He glances past my ear. ‘My therapist says it’s normal,’ he says, not quite looking at me, ‘for my senses to be heightened, to feel as though everybody is watching me. Yeah, I’m not super famous – thank God – but I’m always mentally preparing myself to get looked at wherever I go. Can’t really complain, though, can I?’
Right before me, he changes from a charming reality star to a sensitive young boy.
Before I realize what I’m doing, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head on his chest, just below his neck. Wale sinks his cotton-soft chin into my hair, and I feel him physically relax.
Our hug is a silent exchange.
Thank you: he squeezes me tight.
I ’ ve got you: I give him one back.
We’re isolated in our own little bubble.
And then he brushes his hands up and down my arms, his soft palms transferring heat. ‘You’re cold,’ he says in a near whisper.
With one swift yank, he pulls his sweater off over his head. I catch a flash of brown skin as his vest rises.
He drapes his sweater over my shoulders before promptly returning his hands to either side of my arms. Then he lowers his head towards mine, his heavy-lidded, dark gaze dancing over my face. Without my control, my eyes drop to his lips, a soundless gasp escaping me as his hand reaches towards my hair. I wait for him to pull me in. Instead, he lowers his hand towards my nose.
‘Pollen,’ he says with a tinge of humour. He twiddles the fuzzy ball between his pinched fingers before blowing it away.
To say I feel embarrassed is an understatement. I might as well be wearing a red clown nose. Still, I try to see the funny side.
‘Hay fever, my ass.’ I laugh.
Wale doesn’t laugh. He stares at me through squinted eyes.
Suddenly, I feel self-conscious. ‘What?’ I say.
‘You wanted me to kiss you, didn’t you?’
This boy! ‘What?!’ I cry, mortified. ‘Hell no! I did not want you to kiss me, Wale!’
Wale smirks. ‘So, why were you looking at my lips?’
I kiss my teeth.
He laughs.
‘Can we just carry on walking, please?’ I say, already turning to leave.
Wale doesn’t move. He stands with his arms crossed, a twinkle in his eye.
Cheeky bastard .
‘One sec,’ he says. ‘I forgot something.’ He pats down his pockets.
And then he gives me a quick peck followed by the cheekiest grin known to man.
It happens so fast, I can barely move, let alone speak.
‘Come on,’ he says, already walking ahead of me. ‘Let’s get something to eat.