AKANNI POV
January to March 2nd – When Love Becomes a Decision
From January 1st onward, my life rearranged itself quietly.
No fireworks. No dramatic announcements.
Just clarity.
Watching Bukky fit into my family without trying to impress anyone confirmed what I already felt. She didn't perform love—she lived it. My parents saw it. My mum knew it. Even Busayo, slowly, reluctantly, began to accept it.
Mira surprised me the most.
She handled the transition with dignity I hadn't expected. She never poisoned the atmosphere. Never demanded explanations. She treated Bukky with respect—even warmth.
One night, in February, she said something that stayed with me.
"You don't need to protect me from this, Akanni. I already made peace with the truth a long time ago."
That was when I knew—whatever guilt I had carried, it was time to let it go.
Bukky and I weren't perfect.
We argued. Misunderstood each other. Tested boundaries.
But every disagreement ended with more understanding, not resentment.
And somewhere between late-night drives, shared silences, and hard conversations, the answer became obvious.
I didn't just love Bukky.
I wanted to choose her—every day.
Wednesday
On the morning of March 2nd, I sat alone in my car after work.
No music. No calls. Just me. And certainty.
I thought about my past—relationships that burned hot and died fast. Choices made out of convenience. Expectations placed on me instead of desires chosen by me.
Bukky was different.
She challenged me. Grounded me. Refused to disappear for love—and demanded I rise to meet her.
That was the woman I wanted to marry.
By the time I started the engine, the decision was no longer forming.
It was made.
I was going to propose, not impulsively. Not loudly.
But intentionally, with thought. With planning. With meaning, and as I drove off, one thing was clear— this time, I wasn't running toward love.
I was walking into it, fully aware, fully ready.
Tuesday
The Day I Asked Her
I wasn't nervous.
That was the first thing I noticed when I woke up.
No racing heart. No shaky hands. No second-guessing.
Just certainty.
The kind that settles deep in your chest and stays there, unmoved by noise or fear. This wasn't an impulse or a grand romantic gamble. It was a decision—one I had already lived with for months.
My phone buzzed before I even got out of bed.
Boss:
Take today off. You've earned it. Don't overthink it.
I smiled.
He didn't know what today meant, but somehow, the timing felt right—like the universe stepping aside to give me room. But I felt like, Leke might have informed him beforehand.
Morning – Preparation Without Panic
I moved through the morning deliberately.
Showered slowly. Dressed carefully—not flashy, not stiff. Just me. A fitted dark shirt, clean lines, comfortable shoes. Something that said this is real life, not a performance.
Mira knocked lightly before entering.
"I made breakfast," she said. "You'll need the energy."
She didn't ask where I was going. She already knew. Yeah, Mira have shaking off the thought of entirely leaving , but she would still spend some days here with bukky when she is around and returns to her place.
As we ate, she watched me quietly for a moment.
"You look… settled," she said.
"I am."
She nodded. "Then it's time."
There was no bitterness in her voice. Just acceptance. Maybe even pride.
"Thank you," I told her—not just for the food, not just for today, but for everything she had carried with grace.
She smiled. "Bring her home happy."
The Plan
I didn't want a crowd.
No cameras. No staged applause.
I wanted presence.
I had chosen a place Bukky loved—a space tied to laughter, quiet conversations, and memories we built without realizing they were becoming important. Somewhere intimate. Somewhere honest.
Before heading there, I made one last stop.
The gift store.
Not for extravagance—but for meaning.
I picked something small for her parents. Something thoughtful for her little sister. And one thing for Bukky that wasn't jewelry.
A journal.
The first page already written in my handwriting:
"Some love stories are loud.
Ours is intentional."
The store owner smiled when she saw the ring.
"You look like a man who knows what he's doing," she said.
"I do."
When I Saw Her
Bukky arrived later than expected.
When she walked in, the room shifted.
Not because she was dressed up—but because she carried herself differently. Calm. Curious. Unaware of what was waiting for her.
She smiled when she saw me.
"You look suspiciously relaxed," she teased.
"I had a free day," I replied. "I thought I'd spend it with my favorite person."
She laughed. Sat beside me.
We talked.
About nothing important.
About everything.
And then, when the moment felt full—not rushed, not delayed—I stood.
Not dramatically.
Just… naturally.
The Words
I didn't kneel immediately.
I looked at her first.
"Bukky," I said, steady. "I didn't come here to surprise you. I came here because this is where truth lives."
Her smile faded—not in fear, but in attention.
"I've loved before," I continued. "But I've never chosen someone the way I choose you. Not because it's easy. But because it's right."
I reached into my pocket.
"This isn't me promising perfection. It's me promising presence. Growth. Honesty. And a life where you never have to shrink to fit into me."
Only then did I kneel.
"I don't want to build a future around you. I want to build it with you."
I opened the box.
"Bukky… will you marry me?"
The Pause
She didn't answer immediately.
Her hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the weight of the moment.
Her eyes shone.
"You didn't rush," she whispered. "You waited."
"I waited because you're worth waiting for."
She laughed through tears.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, Akanni. I will."
After
I stood and pulled her into my arms.
No cheers. No noise.
Just us.
Her heartbeat against mine.
Her quiet laughter muffled into my chest.
Later, when she looked at the journal and read the words, she cried again.
"This is us," she said.
And she was right.
This wasn't a spectacle.
It was a beginning.
BUKKY POV
When He Asked
I knew something was different the moment I saw him.
Akanni wasn't trying.
That was the thing.
No restless movements. No checking his phone. No nervous laughter. He sat like a man who had already made peace with his decision—and that scared me more than any grand setup ever could.
"You look suspiciously relaxed," I teased, mostly to hide my own unease.
"I had a free day," he said. "I thought I'd spend it with my favorite person."
I smiled, but my heart had already begun to beat faster.
We talked about small things—work, random memories, nothing heavy. But beneath it all, there was a silence pressing in. The kind that waits patiently for truth.
Then he stood.
Not suddenly. Not dramatically.
Just… naturally.
And I knew.
His Words
When Akanni started speaking, I didn't hear noise. I heard intention.
Every word landed like it had been rehearsed—not in front of a mirror, but in his heart.
He didn't promise fairy tales.
He promised presence.
He didn't talk about how much he loved me.
He talked about how deliberately he chose me.
And when he knelt, I didn't feel shocked.
I felt safe.
The ring was beautiful, yes—but it wasn't what undid me.
It was the way he looked at me. Like I wasn't something he had won—but someone he was ready to walk beside.
I didn't answer immediately.
Not because I was unsure.
But because I needed a moment to breathe inside the truth of it.
"Yes," I finally said. "I will."
And when he hugged me, I knew—this was not the beginning of love.
This was the beginning of a life.
I told my parents first.
I didn't even sit down properly before my mother noticed the ring.
She froze.
Then stood.
Then laughed.
Then cried.
All in that order.
"Bukky," she said, holding my hands. "Is he serious?"
"He is," I said. "And so am I."
My father didn't speak immediately. He studied the ring, then my face.
"Does he respect you?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Does he listen to you?"
"Yes."
"Does he give you peace?"
I smiled. "More than anyone I've ever known."
That was all he needed.
"Then bring him home," he said. "He is welcome."
My little sister screamed when she saw the ring.
"So I get to call him brother now?!"
I laughed. "Behave yourself."