Chapter 47
47
After the awards ceremony, the programme draws to an end. People are mingling and chatting; some are getting warmed up on the dance floor. Then, through the crowd, Wale and I lock eyes. He shakes the hand of the person he’s talking to with a smile, then excuses himself. We meet in the middle. A disco ball is spinning from the ceiling, casting speckled light.
‘Hey,’ I say quietly.
‘Hey,’ he says softly, his hands in his pockets.
‘Thanks for allowing me to stay. It was such a beautiful night.’
‘Appreciate it.’ He looks down at his shoes, then back at me again. ‘You look gorgeous, by the way.’
‘Thanks. You too.’ I feel my cheeks blush. I purse my lips. ‘Wale, I’m—’
‘I know, Temi. You’re sorry. But what you did really hurt me.’ There’s a glossy sheen to his eyes. I swallow. ‘It hurt ’cause I care about you.’
His words feel like a hug and a stab at the same time.
In the background, a Lovers Rock song begins to play. A guest walking by stops to congratulate Wale and shakes his hand.
Wale turns back to me. ‘We need to stop doing this. Hiding things from each other.’
I nod. ‘No more lies. No more cover-ups. From this day forward, I’ll give you the plain, honest truth.’
Wale studies me. ‘Cool. I promise to give you the plain, honest truth too.’
We stare at each other.
So , does this mean …?
‘Mic check one two, one two.’
The amplified voice of Uncle Les cuts over the music and our silent exchange. Wale and I turn.
I can’t help but laugh. ‘Wait. Is Uncle Les going to DJ?’
Wale gives me a sidelong smile. ‘Yeah, for ten minutes he is. Or until Aunty Shirley heckles him off. Whichever comes first.’
Uncle Les taps the mic. It makes a screeching sound. ‘Apologies,’ he says over the audible mutterings. ‘I’m going to start with a special request. You might want to grab your lover.’
The crooning of New Edition’s ‘Can You Stand the Rain’ fills the hall. Our song .
I whip around, my mouth open. ‘Did you …?’
Wale gives me a knowing smile.
I nudge him. ‘Go on, then. I dare you to do those moves in the middle of the dance floor.’
‘I’ve got a better idea,’ he says. He bows and extends a hand, and in a mock- Bridgerton voice says, ‘Milady.’
With a giggle, I take his hand and he guides me to the dance floor where a few couples are already slow-dancing.
En route, I catch Kathy’s eye. She’s getting her picture taken. She gives me a wink. I wonder how much she knows.
I sling my arms around Wale’s neck and, when he places his hands on the curve of my back, tingles emanate out and up my spine. Joyful relief rises in my chest. Slowly, we sway. And I lose myself in the lyrics, in his neroli scent, in his warmth. I couldn’t have asked for more. This is the perfect ending.
‘I’m sorry.’ His voice is a rasp in my ear. I lift my head from his chest. I thought we had put a line under things. ‘I’m sorry for taking you off the memoir project,’ he says in response to my questioning brows. ‘It was Greg’s decision—’
I bring a finger to his lips. ‘Shh,’ I hush. I give him a tiny smile.
Wale’s eyes seem to drink me in. He nips the tip of my finger playfully, then gives it a peck before enveloping my hand in his. ‘Honestly, thank you for the manuscript. It’s not even due for another week. I can’t wait to read it—’
‘Awww, look at you guys!’
We peel apart.
Kelechi is standing in front of us.
I gawk.
Kelechi is even more drop-dead gorgeous in real life. She’s wearing an elegant black halter dress and her teeth are blinding white.
‘You must be Temi?’ She hugs me first before turning to embrace Wale. Then she claps her fingers. ‘Yay! You guys are back together. Thank God, I was wondering how things were gonna play out after that video leak. Anyway, I just thought I’d stop and say hi and – ooh, girl, I love your dress. Wale –’ she gives him a high-five – ‘well done, man. You absolutely smashed it tonight.’
‘Thank you.’
She gives me a quick glance and then swivels back to Wale, her perfectly sculptured brows arched in warning. ‘Now, listen to me –’ she points a finger at him – ‘you’ve been given a second chance. Hold on to her this time, yeah?’ She smiles sweetly between us. ‘Enjoy your evening.’
I hook my arms around Wale’s neck again, my mind cycling. How much did Wale tell Kelechi? Or was she just referring to what she’d seen in the video?
Wale returns his hands to the small of my back. Boyz II Men’s ‘End of the Road’ is now playing. Not a fitting song choice, but it doesn’t matter.
‘I had a conversation with Kelechi after the show,’ he says. He leans back slightly so that he can look at me and tucks a curl behind my ear. ‘As well as apologizing, I told her about us. Told her my heart was still with you.’
So, Wale was in love with me this entire time.
When I was watching the show, it seemed as though I was the last thing on his mind, when in fact I was behind his inability to commit. It’s strange how our actions sometimes don’t reflect our truest feelings. It’s like The Ultimate Payback . I wrote it out of anger. Anger at him and at myself. But Dionne could see the love story at its heart, even if I hadn’t written it into being yet. Despite everything, I was still stupidly in love with Wale.
Wale lowers his head and presses his forehead against mine. Our mouths are inches apart. My breath is caught in my throat.
And then we’re interrupted again. This time by a stricken-looking Shona.
‘Wale! Come, quick! Kojo’s here!’