Chapter 63 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

Sonia raised a brow as she took the sweater which was still warm from him. She hadn’t been expecting such a thoughtful gesture from him so she smiled as she said “Thank you,” and then slipped it over her head, while Bryan sipped his wine as he waited for her to finish and answer him.

“The more you try to get rid of me, the more I will stick to you. So why not let me have my way for a year, and then after that if you still want me to leave I will disappear from your life?” Sonia asked, surprising Bryan who almost choked on his wine.

“A year?” He asked in a choked voice.

“Yes. A year. Within that year I will let you do anything you want. We can tell everyone we are in an open relationship,” Sonia suggested.

He knew it! He knew she was crazy. Only a crazy person would come up with an idea like this. Only Sonia would. “Why would I want to do something like that?” Bryan asked incredulously.

“Because I can assure you that you and your best friend are wasting your time with whatever plan you try to come up with to get rid of me. Even if you decide to announce to the world that the engagement was a hoax, I won’t let you be. So you have to do it my way. That is the only way you can be free of me,” Sonia said with a shrug.

Bryan sighed. What kind of a problem did he get himself into? Who was this lady? What did she want from him? “A year is too much,” Bryan said after a while.

“Okay. Let’s make it six months then. I would have gotten everything I want from you by then,” Sonia said, making Bryan narrow his eyes suspiciously.

“Everything you want from me? What do you want from me? Just tell me and I will give it to you so you can leave,” Bryan pleaded.

“It’s not that easy. Most importantly, I’m working on my next bestseller, and it is about our situation,” Sonia said in a confidential whisper.

“I don’t think any of this is a good idea for a story,” Bryan said with a shake of his head.

“I’m the writer here. Allow me to decide that. I’m sure this particular story will be adapted as a movie, and when that time comes, I will make sure you get the lead role,” Sonia promised.

Bryan thought about it for a moment, “Six months and you will disappear?” Bryan asked doubtfully.

“Yes. Just allow me be your fiancee for six months,” Sonia repeated with a nod, “Don’t forget that it would make more sense for us to break up after some months, rather than a week after our engagement. Also I will break up with you myself,” Sonia added.

“What do you stand to gain from being my fiancee for six months?” Bryan asked, wondering if she wanted to get money from him.

As if she could read his mind, she said, “You don’t have to give me any money within this period. Just treat me as you would a fiancee. Only difference is it will be an open relationship, so you don’t have to be faithful to me,” Sonia added.

“Six months?” Bryan asked again.

“Just six months. We could put it down in words,” Sonia suggested. She had spent most part of the afternoon writing and plotting, and she had come to the conclusion that it would probably work best for the both of them this way.

“And you would live under my roof within this time?” Bryan asked, and Sonia nodded.

“If I finish the story before then, I might not have to stay for that long. But yes, I will live with you for this period. So? Deal?” She asked, extending a hand to him for a handshake.

Bryan thought about it for a moment, although he would have preferred to have her out of his life within a week, or at most a month, but he knew she was right. He wouldn’t be able to shake her off if she wasn’t willing to leave on her volition. Six months? He wouldn’t always be here within those six months anyway. He would travel to shoot movies, and do other stuff that his career required, and before he knows it six months would be over. With that thought in mind he took her little hand in his own, “Deal.”

Celsie tossed and turned on her bed all night as she thought about how to go about things with Benne. Was she making the right decision? Would Benne really let her be once she finally did it with him? How was she going to tell him about her decision? When she eventually fell asleep that night she dreamt of Benne all through the night.

She woke up very late the next morning and hurriedly ran into the bathroom to brush her mouth. In her haste, she turned the basin tap handle too quickly and it broke, causing the angry water to splash all over her body and the bathroom.

“Shit!” She hissed irritably as she looked around the bathroom, trying to find something that would help her stop the water. She didn’t have time for this at all. She couldn’t afford to be late and let her boss get there before her. She thought of calling Benne over but decided to try and manage the situation as she would have done assuming she didn’t have a neighbor like Benne. She tried tying a scarf around the broken tap, but that didn’t stop the water from flowing, it only stopped the splashes. She looked around her helplessly until it finally occurred to her that she could stop the flow of water from the controller under the basin sink.

Once she did that, she made a mental note to ask Benne to fix it later as she quickly showered and prepared for work. She walked over to her closet and randomly picker out a light blue shirt which she tucked into a navy blue bodycon pencil skirt. She chose a pair of red block heels which matched her handbag.

As she walked out of her house and headed for the car where she knew he would be waiting, she decided she was going to be blunt with him, like he usually was with her.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?” Benne asked with a cheerful smile once he saw her approaching. He had just been thinking about going to check on her since she was over twenty minutes late, and that was unlike her.

“Good morning to you too. I did. What about you? Were you able to finish the job?” Celsie asked, and Benne gave her a nod.

“Yes, I did.”

“Good,” Celsie said with a small smile as she got into the front seat of the car, making Benne wonder what she was up to. She seemed friendly instead of cautious.

“You woke up late?” Benne asked as he drove off.

“Kinda. Was busy with work,” Celsie said and Benne nodded in understanding.

“Could you help me fix the tap in my bathroom later in the evening? It broke while I was getting ready for work,” Celsie said making Benne’s heart skip a beat.

Fix a tap? He had never handled a screwdriver all his life, so how was he supposed to know how to fix her bathroom tap? “Uhm, how about you hand me your key? That way I can get it done while you’re at work?” Benne suggested, thinking he would pay someone to fix it.

Celsie’s brows creased. She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with the idea of Benne being in her house in her absence. It wasn’t like she was thinking he would steal anything, but she just wasn’t okay with it, “Why not after work hours?” She asked.

“Because I will be busy. I have to do something to do later in the evening,” Benne lied. He had been hoping he would spend the evening with her, maybe take her somewhere fun, but now that was not going to work.

“Oh!” Celsie said with a thoughtful frown. It was either she have him do it at his convenience or have a total stranger do it at her convenience. She would rather have him in her home than someone else, “Okay. I will give you the key,” Celsie said with a sigh, and Benne almost sighed in relief too.

Now that they had gotten that out of the way, they drove in silence for a while as Celsie kept trying to come up with the best opening line for the other conversation she wanted to have with him. The one that had kept her up for most of the night. How was she supposed to start? Could she just say, “Let’s have sex”? Her face colored as she tried to imagine his reaction, and she shook her head. That sounded too direct like she was begging him to do it.

How about, “Let’s do it”? Would that be appropriate? At least that would sound like she was giving in to his request, rather than offering herself to him on a platter.

“What are you thinking about so seriously?” Benne asked when he noticed the frown on her face.

Celsie’s face colored in embarrassment as she was jolted out of her thoughts by Benne’s question. She felt as though Benne could see through her to know what she was thinking, so she quickly turned her face away before clearing her throat, “Nothing,” she said without looking at him.

Nothing? Nah. Seeing the blush on her face, there was no way he could believe that it was nothing.

The right side of Benne’s lips curved upward in a smirk, “Why do I get the feeling that you were thinking about me, and whatever you were thinking isn’t something that should be in the head of a good girl like you?” Benne asked in an amused tone.

“I was just thinking about work,” Celsie said defensively as she tucked her hair behind her ear but kept looking outside. Why couldn’t she just take this as the opening she needed and say what wanted to say? Why did she have to be so embarrassed over something almost every adult did? Celsie asked herself in frustration.

“You must have dirty thoughts about your job for you to be blushing this way while thinking about it. Or is it your boss? Don’t tell me you’re thinking about him!” Benne said in mock disbelief, making her hiss at him.

“You never got to tell me what you discussed with your lady friend yesterday during lunch. Is there any progress?” Celsie asked, changing the subject to one that interested her more. She wasn’t ready yet to tell him what was on her mind. She knew if she didn’t do that this morning, she wouldn’t be able to focus on work, so maybe she would tell him her decision once they get to the company.

“Oh! That. Nothing really. She was just telling me about her job and then she asked about mine. I don’t think she was very impressed to hear that I’m just a mere driver,” Benne said with a smile that looked wistful as he remembered the disapproval he had seen on Anita’s face when he told her that he was a driver.

“Why? Did she say anything that gave you that impression?” Celsie asked with a concerned frown as she turned to look at him now. She knew nothing could hurt a man more than to be looked down on by someone he cared about.

“You know how ladies are. She didn’t say anything, but that was the vibe I got from her,” Benne said with a shrug.

“I’m sure you’re mistaken. Don’t worry, I will get her for you. I promise,” Celsie said with a confident smile making him want to chuckle.

“Don’t try too hard. I’m not in a hurry anyway,” Benne said with a small smile, “So what did you do last night after I left? Were you bored? Did you think of me?” Benne asked, once again making her the subject of discussion.

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