CHAPTER 2
Romantic tension and emotional build-up
The following week unfolded like a gentle rhythm. Brief greetings in the hallway, short and long meetings, work, and those few occasions when their eyes met across the office.
To everyone in the office, watching, nothing seemed unusual. The MD was quite professional, and the assistant was very efficient and bold. But beneath that calm and beautiful surface, something was slowly shifting and stirring. The soft and unspoken words. like that saying, " When it comes to the things of the heart or emotions, we have little or nothing to do." The heart wants what it wants.
Olu felt it most in the stillness of early mornings.
Ajoke arrived before most of the staff. A habit that resembles his own. Ajoke would gently arrange files, organise his desk, and greet softly and politely.
"Good morning, sir." Before returning to her seat.
Lately, Olu found himself waiting for that flawless greeting. That beautiful and simple melodic voice can make a difficult day pleasant.
That Wednesday morning, as rain drizzled against the glass of the tall building, Olu was looking from his computer when Ajoke entered with his coffee.
"Good morning, sir." She said it with a captivating and soft smile.
Olu smiled back, warmly as usual.
"Morning, Ajoke. You are early as always.
"Yes, sir." Lagos rain doesn't stop me. She replied with her playful tone of voice.
Olu nodded, "Impressive." I know people who'd use this as an excuse to resume being late or call sick."
She laughed out loud, and her laugh filled the room, very soft and sincere. For a moment, her laugh sounded like two people sharing some real, not an MD and his assistant.
When she leaves his office, Olu finds himself replaying that sound in his subconscious.
Later, on that day, during a presentation with the management team, Ajoke was present and sat quietly in the back of the boardroom, taking notes.
The MD was speaking about a new health care partnership, but his gaze occasionally drifted towards Ajoke, sitting at the back.
Ajoke was very focused, pen moving swiftly across her jotter. And she's unaware of her concentration. This made her even more captivating and attractive.
After the meeting, she waited behind to tidy up the projector cables and the entire room. Then, Olu approached her.
"You handled the logistics very well today. Keep it up," he said.
"Thank you, sir."
Then he added, "You made leadership look good and effortless."
Olu cleared his throat, "Obviously, you'll do well here, Ajoke. Just keep doing what you know how to do best!!
The following day, Thursday, their rhythm had grown enormously and naturally. They talked about work, Lagos, and life. They even talked about little personal stuff in those rare, quiet pauses.
They had lunch together, and she mentioned her mother's small catering business on the mainland.
"She makes the best ofada sauce," Ajoke said with pride.
Hmm, "You're tempting me now. Maybe I'll have to try it one day, "
"Really, you would eat street food?" She asked softly,
"Why not?" he said with a smile. Before all this, I was just another young guy chasing buses in Surulere. "
Ajoke laughed, surprised by his truthfulness. " You? Bus chasing?"
"Wow!! Sir, that's very hard to believe, " she said.
"It's true, life was very simpler then. I miss those days, the little beginning." He replied.
Ajoke was surprised to see a powerful man who still carried a piece of his humble background and beginning. A man of integrity who hadn't completely forgotten his origin, despite his enormous wealth, presently.
And that sincerity drew Ajoke even closer.
That evening, it rained heavily, not just drizzling.
The office emptied very quickly, and the light dimmed as thunder rolled in.
Ajoke stood by the glass door, waiting for the heavy rain to subside. Clutching her umbrella.
Then, she heard a soft voice from her boss, "Ajoke?"
She looked back. Olu stood by the elevator and his jacket on his arm.
"You're still here?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. I'm still here, hoping the rain would slow down."
He looked outside, then looked back at her. "You will get drenched in that."
"I'm going to manage, " she softly replied.
He waited for a few seconds. "Let me drop you off at home. I won't take no for an answer. "
"No argument, please," he said gently.
Something was reassuring in his tone. It's not commanding or forcing. But kindness.
She nodded slowly, " Thank you, sir."
The journey was very quiet at first, the sound of rain filling the car. Lagos at night, streetlights reflection, flooded roads, vendors rushing under canopies, public transporters splashing through puddles.
Ajoke just sat quietly, looking through the window. Lost in thought.
Olu tried to break the silence, "Don't you like rain?" He asked.
She was surprised by the question, "I do."
It reminds me of my childhood when my mother would sing in my dialect while cooking.
Olu smiled gently. "That's family, sounds peaceful."
"It's," she replied softly. "It feels so lonely, sometimes..."
Olu looked at her, "Really," he replied
For a moment, words failed him, and he was just staring at her face.
Finally, they got to her main street, but not in front of her house. A modest lane lined with trees-soaked with rain.
"It's fine here, sir," she said.
"No, Ajoke, I promised to drop you off at your place, not on the street. It's really not safe here for a lady." Olu replied.
"Thanks so much, sir, for this. I'm honoured "
In front of he house, finally she reaches for the door handle, but pauses. "You should drive carefully, sir."
He smiled. "I will."
She nodded, "Good night, sir."
"Goodnight, Ajoke." See you tomorrow.
Olu watched her through the window. He watched until she disappeared from his view.
And then, he exhaled, realising how long he'd held his breath.
Surprisingly, there was something about her. Something pure, steady, and dangerous to confront. He imagined!
Something had already begun, sofly, quickly, quietly, and beautifully ..... BENEATH LAGOS BLUE SKY