LIFE AS HE KNOWS IT (Chapter 6)
Dele stared with disbelief at the newcomer. He had almost choked on his beer when their eyes met. What the fuck was Tunde doing here?
“Hey, Tunde!” hollered Kola when he spotted his colleague and bustled over to hug him. “Aww, you shouldn’t have,” he said as Tunde, with a shaky smile, handed him the card and bottle of wine. He was still rattled by the sight of Dele on the other side of the room.
“Oh good, there’s someone I want you to meet,” Kola suddenly burst out before shepherding Tunde toward where Dele stood.
Dele watched as the two men approached. He wasn’t sure how to react. He wanted to remain stony and maybe a bit cold, but he also just wanted to pull Tunde in a fierce hug. Since he deleted him online, he had missed him terribly, but his pride had been too hurt for him to reconnect with him. Tunde calling him a fag were words that stung him more than usual, because they came from someone he was falling for, and he had reflexively retreated into his shell.
Kola began once they came close to Dele. “Tunde, meet my brother –”
“Dele,” Tunde said.
“Tunde,” Dele replied a bit curtly. His eyes searched Tunde’s face for something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something nonetheless.
“You two know each other?” Kola said with his eyes wide open, and Dele could see that curiosity that was second nature to his brother begin to creep into his eyes. The same curiosity that had made him chew sand as a baby, and made him ask their father why he loved alcohol more than them when he was twelve, making the man whoop the hell out of him.
“Yes, we do,” Dele said simply, proffering nothing more.
Kola laughed at that. Kola laughed a lot when he was tipsy. Loud and booming. He usually fell asleep before he could get full-on drunk, so Dele wasn’t too worried that his brother’s mouth would loosen and start to spill out secrets.
“Dele, please could we talk somewhere,” Tunde said.
Dele nodded stiffly, and wordlessly, he headed toward to the corridor that led to the different rooms of the house, leaving Tunde to follow behind him.
“You’re Kola’s brother, huh?” Tunde said, as soon as they were out of earshot of the other guests.
Dele nodded slowly. Tunde wondered why he hadn’t seen the resemblance sooner. Maybe because Kola’s eyes weren’t as beautiful as the ones he was looking at.
“What did you want to talk about? Or you want to remind me what an abominable fag I am,” Dele said cuttingly, and Tunde saw his eyes go cold.
He recoiled slightly. “It’s not like that, Dele,” he said protestingly. “I didn’t mean any word of what I said. I’m gay too, but I just wanted to tease you a bit. I took it too far. I’m so sorry. I should have known how bad it is to call someone a fag. I tried to reach you after you deleted me. I even started looking for you at the mall we met, but I couldn’t find you, and I felt so bad, and I missed you a lot. I shouldn’t have said what I said, jokingly or not. I’m such an idiot.” Tunde had been looking down the whole time he was talking, but at that point, he looked up at Dele’s face, hoping to see understanding there. Dele’s gaze was still stony, and Tunde gave a sigh. He had tried.
“Well, I’m sorry.” And he turned to leave, but Dele grabbed his arm and pulled him close to his chest and gave him a very tight hug. Tunde relaxed into the embrace, inhaling deeply. Dele smelled like sweat and coconuts. The clean smell of the beach. He inhaled again, realizing he was going to get addicted to that smell.
Dele broke the embrace, and then he took Tunde’s face in his hands, before gently leaning down to kiss him. A soft, short kiss, and Tunde felt his knees go a bit weak.
“I missed you, too,” Dele breathed. His face had softened. Then he chuckled, “Sorry about the alcoholic breath, but I’ve been wanting to do that to you for ages.”
Tunde was a tad bit dizzy from the rush of blood to his head, and all he could manage was a shake of his head. He didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Aaaawn, that’s so sweet!” A female voice cut in, and both of them pulled back from each other, turning around to see a beautifully curvaceous female silhouette leaning on the door frame. The owner of the form then said as she approached them, “Now, if you too lovebirds are done, I would like to use to the bathroom.”
Dele breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t scare me like that, Angie,” he said.
Angie giggled as she went past them, through the doorway they’d been leaning against.
Dele led Tunde out of the corridor, telling him not to worry about the woman; Angie was a good friend. He felt heady and it wasn’t from the beer.
They spent the rest of the party together. Not close like in the corridor, but close enough. Dele couldn’t help it. He always found his eyes drifting toward the man on his side, and they’d exchange winks and small smiles and little brushes of their fingers against their skin.
Soon, it was time to leave. Too soon to leave. And Dele asked Tunde as he leaned against his car window if they could see sometime soon. Maybe the next day. Tunde laughed and said he’d think about it. Dele pouted and Tunde laughed some more.
“Of course, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Tunde said, tugging lightly at Dele’s cheek.
Dele smiled. “I will pick you up at your place. We will go have dinner somewhere.”
“Ooooh! A date,” Tunde said with obvious delight.
“You could call it that,” Dele conceded, and then murmured, “I so want to kiss you right now.”
“Don’t you dare!” Tunde said with exaggerated horror, and Dele laughed. “I really have to go,” Tunde said and Dele stood back to let him drive out. He stood at the gate until Tunde’s car disappeared from view before turning back inside, bracing himself to answer Kola’s barrage of questions, which were sure to come.
As Tunde drove home, he started to realise with a small unsettling feeling in his stomach that he might just be falling in love. But he wasn’t worried. He wasn’t too worried. Not yet. He was still tipsy.
Written by James
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38 Comments
enigmous
October 24, 03:57Just d morning dose I like…d best way to start d day is with this kind of write up. Nice one James, I see u went easy on the cliff hanging. Buh the story is too short tho
Samaurai
October 24, 04:29As in eh, today’s suspense is mild on the nerves. That episode had a real sense of closure to it.
I’m just happy for Tunde sha.
McGray
October 24, 04:41Nice one James. Tunde weds Dele.
anonymous
October 24, 05:10The post is short but very sweet none the less, a tad too sweet perhaps.
“The same curiosity that had made him chew sand as a baby” <– had me giggling here
"Tunde was a tad bit dizzy from the rush of blood to his head" <– shouldn't the blood be rushing to some other body parts other than his head.
I honestly don't think Dele and Tunde ought to be together … that Tunde boy is too much of a dunce, and please if that's Tunde's definition of falling in love … I'm definitely in love with all men that cross part with me.
In other news, I didn't open KD on a private tab today… I guess I'm finally getting liberated *baby steps* , big thanks to everyone.
Colossus
October 24, 10:21Congratulations. Next step, coming out to Mama and Papa. Yes, big baby steps
daniel
October 24, 05:31James!! James!! James!! This is nice.. Angie tho…
tinocompadre
October 24, 05:34At last the tension is down. Well done Pinky
pinkpanthertb
October 24, 05:35Uh, I’m not the writer oo. LifeAsHeKnowsIt is James’ work.
pinkpanthertb
October 24, 05:36But thanks for reading tho. 🙂
Now go out there and fall in love. 😉
Colossus
October 24, 10:21Hahahaha!
I laugh in swahili
Dennis Macauley
October 24, 06:01This was a great read!
I think it was cliche’d tho, but I enjoyed it.
I sha don’t like happily ever after, I hope this series doesn’t go that way!
#JustSaying
Lothario
October 25, 07:00Lol! I don’t get it. You have an amazing relationship according to you, and you don’t like ‘happily ever afters’….shouldn’t you be a huge cheerleader for happy and love filled endings?
pinkpanthertb
October 25, 07:03Bless you, Lothario, for that question. lol
RUDE
October 24, 06:07Fall in love? Naaah tipsy does it. Lol. Finally the love birds meet. My bet is tunde would mess this up,given he’s a awful lot like me. *fate has a plan for everyone**in truth’s voice*
RUDE
October 24, 06:10@dennis,I’m so with you on happily ever afters
Brian Collins
October 24, 06:19Dennis, in stories or real life. What must Mrs Macauley think of you?
pinkpanthertb
October 24, 06:27Hehehehee. Oh Brian. That’s telling him
Dennis Macauley
October 24, 07:47Even in real life, there are no happy endings!
I don’t buy into it!
Yes I am as twisted as they come!
Dimkpa
October 24, 06:25Now that’s what I’m talking about. Waited for this like I wait for episodes of “How to get away with murder.”
Just beautiful!
pinkpanthertb
October 24, 06:28Im hearing so much great stuff about that series. I want!
Dimkpa
October 24, 09:03You should, there is a wonderful character of our persuasion there… Enough said
Deola
October 24, 11:29Yass!!! How to get away with Murder is my everything, that last episode were Connor hooked up with Pax, and Pax said ” he did this thing to my ass that made my eyes water”. That got me wondering, what exactly does one do to the ass to make the eyes water. #justaskingforafriend.
pinkpanthertb
October 24, 11:50Noooooooooo!!!!! Deola, you’re just not allowed to speak of any episode of that series here. Ever!
Dennis Macauley
October 24, 14:39I have heard so much about that series! I defo wanna watch
I have so much going on in my life right now, I won’t have the time to watch!
Can it be Christmas already? #Vacay on my mind
gad
October 24, 06:40And I’m sure they lived happily ever after.
style
October 24, 07:02I saw this Coming..Lol
Constant
October 24, 07:22Best way to head into d weekend….Short but very nice. Kudos James *gives you a deeper life hug*
Micky Mouse
October 24, 08:01Nice 1James. This could be us but my Dele is busy Chasing Pavements. *sigh*
Legalkoboko
October 26, 04:07How does one chase pavements biko?
Lol.
Ruby
October 24, 09:09A Wonderful Begining to my Weekend…
It kinda Reminds me of the 1st time I met my Boo… #Nostalgia
Hermione Granger
October 24, 09:44Enough of the beautiful eyes already! Makes me feel as if I’m reading a Silhouette Special Edition. Anyways, cool story with the right dose of cliche. Angie tho……I comment my reserve *sips firewhiskey*
Arabian Princess
October 24, 10:00OK…..the closing paragraph sounds like some nasty scary thing is about to happen
Deola
October 24, 11:31I sense some serious DUI things…
#TeamKizito
October 24, 11:46Hmmm.
king
October 24, 16:07Thanx James….hugs coz I just remembered Kiki and the first time I kissed him in my bathroom…..swoon!!
Lothario
October 25, 06:57Oh nice! We see things from Dele’s point of view finally….. James dear, this is really nice!
Legalkoboko
October 26, 04:14It seems this Angie is an injection calculated to turn the story towards a more delicious direction .
Interesting.
Well done James.
ofunwa
November 12, 00:43these stories are great but i question their possibility, even in the western would. All the characters seem to be familiar with the ‘team’. All the same, i admire the write up and the good of English.