(040a - Family Dinner Part 1.)

So, you people almost murdered Collins in the last chapter, all because he interrupted the kiss 🤣💔. You all know me, if I want to write a kiss scene, I'd set the mood for it and the last chapter wasn't just the right time for their long-awaited kiss.

But is this chapter the right time?🌚

You'll just have to read to find out, hmmn😌.

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𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍
(Dawn Damipe Dayo)

"Thank you," I said to the driver after we scanned our bus pass on the biometric scanner that would clear us for exit. The elder man nodded, smiling at me and I turned to get down from the bus.

Chima, who had already gotten down from the bus, stretched his hands out to help me down.

"Careful," He whispered cautiously, placing his hands on either side to my waist to hoist me up from the foot of the bus and bring me down. I steadied my hands on his shoulder and allowed him to carry me.

"Thanks," I smiled when my feet touched the floor, hearing the bus zoom off behind us.

I sighed, removing my hands from his shoulder and letting them fall to my side. I could see my house standing just a few blocks away from the bus stop, standing tall with other houses.

This is it.

"Here we are," I muttered, more to myself than to Chima but I knew he heard me because there was no distance between us.

"Here we are," He repeated. I noticed his tone was a little shaky and his voice sounded like they had come from a place of unease, which was strange because I've never seen Chima being uneasy before.

So, I looked at him and saw it all.

For someone that had control over his emotions, his expression looked rather conflicted, flashes of emotions running through his features that it was hard to read them all. But the one emotion that stood out, that I could pinpoint was a hint of Uncertainty.

"Chima," I called him and he turned to look at me.

From the way he turned, he knew I had been watching at him so he did not attempt to hide the emotions that clouded his face. I actually appreciated that, appreciated that he was letting me see him that way.

For someone that has always been transparent with him, him always being able to see right through me, I also want him to be transparent with me too.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried.

"I'm fine," He answered, shrugging with a lazy smile playing on his lips. I didn't say anything to that, knowing that he was going to say more, which he did.

"It just seems like I'm a lot more nervous than I said I was." He added, chuckling afterward like he had said something funny, but I could hear the nervousness even in his laugh.

I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.

Chima feeling this way was my fault. I shouldn't have shown him that I was nervous earlier on. I should have been more in control of my feelings just to keep him at ease. I shouldn't have said anything about my mum not taking it easy on him or drilling him with questions. Of course, that would have made him more nervous.

That would have made anyone in Chima's shoes decide not to show up at all.

"It's my fault," I voiced out my thoughts, folding my hands across my chest. "I'm so sorry, Chima." I apologized, causing him to turn completely to me, his eyes widened slightly in shock at my claim.

"What?" He sounded just as shocked as he looked. "Of course not, Dawn. I didn't even say that because I wanted you to worry about me. I'm fine, nothing is your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Of course I do. I fueled your anxiety by being nervous myself," I told him and he chuckled, shaking his head like he didn't agree with me. "No Chima, it's the truth," I said, maintaining my stance. "I should have been more in control of my feelings.-

If me - my mother's daughter is nervous, how are you - the guest supposed to feel? And yet, you still helped me get rid of the anxiety I was feeling. But now, I'm not even sure how to help you get rid of yours-"

"Hey," Chima gently cut me off. "You need to calm down and relax," He whispered, bringing his left hand to rest on the side of my cheek. "And you need to stop overthinking this." He said.

I sighed, my eyes fluttering close as I leaned into his touch.

I wasn't sure how after everything he said about being nervous, his voice still managed to remain calm and soothing... almost hypnotic. He told me to relax and I did, yet he was the one feeling nervous.

I should be the one telling him not to worry about anything, not the other way around. But here he was again, calming me down despite his own anxiety, gaining control over his emotions as he has always done.

"That should have been my line," I whispered, muttering more to myself than to him. But of course, he heard me, and he chuckled lightly.

"But you need to hear it more than I do," He chipped, but I shook my head.

"I should be the one telling you to relax, not the other way around, Chima," I voiced my thought, feeling quite bad and frustrated. "I'm not very good at handling this, am I?"

"No, Dawn. You are perfect," He countered me softly, crouching his head a little lower so that it was at the same level as mine and was able to stare at me right in the eye. I averted my gaze away from his piercing ones.

"Hey, look at me," He cajoled gently and I did, turning back to look at him. "You are handling this, whatever it is, the best way you can." He told me, his voice soft but had an undertone of firmness to it.

I didn't say anything, just listened to him while trying not to get distracted by the way his thumb kept brushing over the skin of my cheeks. The action seemed so simple, almost absent-minded like he wasn't even aware that he was doing it. Still, it didn't dissipate the calmness it brought to my whole being.

"I'm nervous, yes, but I am prepared for whatever tonight holds. I'm so ready for it, for anything that would happen," He continued, still holding my gaze in his.

He let out a deep, almost exhausted breath as he brought his second hand to my cheeks to cup my face, gently pulling my head closer to touch his till our foreheads were pressed together. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, gently holding on to his wrists.

We stood that way for a moment, right there in the middle of the bus stop, not sure if anyone was watching.

But then again, we didn't care if anyone was watching. No one mattered, just us.

"You mean the world to me, Dawn," He whispered, his voice low, almost inaudible, and it quivered a bit. But it didn't dispel the weight of his words on me.

"I meant everything I said that night. " He kept going, and I knew he was referring to the night of our first date. "I want you. All of you. And I don't mind your mum drilling me, asking me questions or whatever.-

-I'm ready for it all as long as I get to prove to her that I will never hurt you. That's all I want. You don't have to worry about anything else, and you certainly don't have to worry about me." He assured me, the desperation in his voice making his words more potent than it has ever been.

I quivered under his voice, his touch, and most effectively, his words. I quivered so bad that I had to tighten my hold on his wrist and push myself further into his body to stop myself from falling. His words made me weak to the knees, made me speechless.

I didn't know how to respond, couldn't find my voice. But one thing was certain.

I want him too.

I want Sochima Ansel Johnson.

"I'll be okay, alright?" He spoke again after a moment of silence. I nodded, trying to find my voice. "We'll be okay, Dawn. I promise." He added, and I felt my lips twitch in a small smile.

We.

Chima and I.

I liked the sound of that.

"I trust you," I finally spoke, my voice coming out hushed and somewhat croaky from all the emotions.

My eyes were closed but I felt Chima smile. I just felt it. Then I felt his lips press again against the crown of my head in a tender kiss before he pulled away slightly to properly look at me. By now, my eyes were opened, my lips turning in a bigger smile when I saw him smiling down at me.

"I think we have kept your mum waiting long enough," He stated and I smiled, nodding.

"I think we have," I answered and he grinned in response.

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We arrived at my house in a matter of minutes and I led Chima through the gates and towards the building. After giving his hand that was in mine a gentle squeeze and flashing him a reassuring smile, I opened the door to the house and walked in, with Chima right behind me.

Our entry into the house was greeted with child-like screams, courtesy of Daniel and Damien. Before I could blink, I saw a giant ball flying towards the door and in our direction.

The Twins.

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered to myself, attempting to duck for cover before the ball would hit me in the face.

But before I could even crouch low to cover my face, Chima stretched his hands in front of me and caught the ball before they could hit me.

I didn't know when a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

He looked over his shoulder and asked. "Are you okay?" and I nodded in response, flashing him a small smile of appreciation for saving my face from impending doom.

Impending doom bawo? It's just a ball na. My subconscious said to me and I chuckled lightly. Okay, maybe I was being a little melodramatic.

"Dawn!"

The ear-piercing shrieks of the twins almost tore through my eardrum as they jumped off the chairs they were hopping on and ran towards me, finally acknowledging my presence. I laughed heartily, stretching my hands out to hug them as they got closer, even though they weren't tall enough to hug past my legs.

"Hey, little devils! How was school today?" I asked, lifting Damien in my hands while Daniel still clutched tightly to my legs.

I glanced at Chima who had a big smile stretched over his lips as he watched us in delight, hands shoved into the pocket of his joggers. I couldn't hold my smile as I looked back to the twins to hear if they had answered my question about school. But then, I noticed that they were both suddenly quiet, which was strange because the twins are never quiet.

And when I looked closely to know the reason why, I realized that it was because they were both staring at Chima, their small baby faces pitched with inquisition.

Time for an introduction, I guess.

"Uhmm guys," I began, dropping Damien back to stand on the floor before moving close to Chima to properly introduce him. "This is Sochima. He is my-"

"Is he your boyfriend?" Daniel cut me off, bringing the bullet-like question out of nowhere, placed it in an invisible gun, and shot it right at me. My eyes widened like a deer caught in a headlight.

He said what?

And as if that wasn't enough, he turned to Chima and shot the gun again.

"Are you her boyfriend?" He asked Chima, his big doe eyes blinking innocently because he wasn't aware of the weight of his words.

Chima turned to me, his lips tugged in a now amused smile and his eyebrows quirked slightly as if to ask what he should say back to them. I began to shake my head.

"See the way he is smiling at her. Of course, he's her boyfriend." Damien chipped in, folding his tiny little hands over his chest, nodding his head slowly as if he knew something we all didn't.

"Guys!" I lamented in frustration, almost face-palming

Who the hell is teaching these eight years olds about boyfriends and girlfriends?

I had one name in mind. Dean Dapo Damipe.

God, I'm so going to kill him.

"Okay guys," I heard Chima say and I watched as he squatted down to the level of the twins, who turned to him so eagerly like he wanted to give them ice cream. "My name is Sochima Ansel Johnson and no, I'm not your sister's boyfriend... at least not yet," He paused to glance at me.

I couldn't stop the heat from creeping up my neck to my cheeks and ears, couldn't stop myself from smiling hard even with the way I bit down on my lips, so I just resulted to looking away.

"But I want to be her boyfriend, if she'd let me," He still had his eyes on me as he said this. I could feel it even though I wasn't looking at him. "So, I need your help. You guys will be my wingmen, right?"

I looked back at the trio to see their response and a small laugh escaped my lips when I saw the twins vigorously nodding their heads in agreement to being Chima's wingmen and Chima trading high fives with them. I didn't care that he was indulging them, I just felt a lot relieved that the twins had warmed up to Chima without any hassle.

It made me a lot more confident that my mum would love him too.

I mean, what's there not to love? Even Dunni is completely smitten by him.

"Well, the King of the wingmen association has arrived," Dean's voice called out and we all looked up to see him descending from the stairs, clearly excited to see Chima.

When he got to a curve point of the stairs, he climbed on one of the railings and began to slide down on it. He's always doing that and Mum has warned him several times to stop it.

"Dean, get down from there!" I chided, but of course, he didn't listen to me. He kept having his fun till he got down to the foot of the stairs and slid off the railings. He landed unsteadily on the tiled floor but he got his footing before he could trip over and fall.

I wish he fell and broke a tooth or two. That would teach him not to be disobedient.

"Senior Sochima! The one and only Captain of the Crestview Basketball Team!" Dean hailed when he got to us, his tone laced with immense excitement as he gave Chima a mock salute. Chima laughed heartily, shaking his head.

"We are not in school, Dean. Keep the formalities, please." He said, mimicking the hand gestures as Chadwick Boseman's in that meme that said We don't do that here. I chuckled lightly, watching both of them.

"So this means I can shake and hug you?" My brother asked Chima, who shrugged.

"Of course," He didn't sound like he minded one bit. "Bring it in." He moved closer to Dean, who so eagerly went in for that boyish shake that ended in a bro hug. Dean looked like he was having the time of his life.

"Yo, Dawn!" He hyped when he pulled away from Chima, grinning from ear to ear as he turned me. "If you don't say yes to being his girlfriend, I'm going to murder you."

He legit said that in front of Chima, causing the latter to laugh out loud while I nearly died of embarrassment.

"Jesus, Dean!" I snapped, feeling my cheeks heat up even more. "Why do you have to be so dramatic?" I groaned. The idiot still rose his hands up in mock surrender like he didn't know he was embarrassing me.

"I'm a Dayo. We are all dramatic." That was his defense. "Besides I've been dying to be the first child for once. Your privileges are getting too much jhoor." He added, talking about killing me like he was taking candy from a baby.

"Oh, shut up, Dean." I chided and he chuckled in response.

This boy is never going to be normal again. It's not a curse.

I looked at Chima who has been quiet for a while, watching Dean and I go back and forth in a squabble. I mouthed an apology to him but he shook his head. His big smile told me he was enjoying himself.

"Mum has been waiting for you guys though," Dean chipped, and I turned to him.

"Yeah? Where is she?" I asked him.

"Where else would she be?" He asked rhetorically and in sarcasm. I rolled my eyes at him, but I knew the answer to that. Beckoning to Chima, I led the way to my mum's office.

AKA, The Kitchen.

"Mum, I'm home!" I announced, poking my head through the kitchen door to check on mum, but instead, my eyes caught everything else on the large ceramic table in the middle of the kitchen

And by everything, I meant the food. Lots of foods, and different kinds.

I blinked in shock.

"Dawn?"

I looked away from the feast on the table to the direction of my mum's voice, seeing her coming out of the large stall and into the kitchen. I walked further in, expressing my utmost shock with a wave of my hands around the feast table and complete silence.

Yes, I was speechless.

Mum was really doing the most for this dinner.

"Mum..." The rest of my words hung in my throat. Honestly, I wasn't even sure what to say and just resulted in walking around the table, checking out every kind of food that was on it.

There were different kinds, probably from different parts of the world.

"Why did you get home so late?" Her voice alerted me and I looked away from the table to face her. "You know I'd need help preparing everything for tonight's dinner. I still have to frost the cupcakes and we haven't made the frozen yogurt yet. It's getting late."

She rapped out in one breath, unhooking the mittens from where they were hanged and putting them on while I kept looking at her in astonishment.

Cupcake? Frozen yogurt? With all this food on the table? I couldn't help but ask myself.

"We had Dance Drills today," I answered after finding my voice.

And danced a steamy duet with Sochima that led to an almost-kiss. Don't forget to mention that part. My subconscious reminded me teasingly.

I bit down on the side of my lower lip to stop me from smiling, quietly watching mum move around to put one or two things in order. She was really doing the most.

"I'd have been here sooner if I knew you were preparing a feast Ma, because..." I trailed off, taking a glance at the table again, unable to hide my shock. "Mum, It's just a dinner." I chuckled in bewilderment.

"It's not just any dinner, Dawn. It's a dinner with your soon-to-be boyfriend," She corrected and I couldn't stop the low wow from escaping my lips. "It's a huge deal, so act like it." She wagged the whisk in her hand at me. I veered back, my mouth opening slightly as I stared at mum, dumbstruck again.

Why is everyone suddenly acting like I'm engaged, to be married, to Chima?

First of all, it was the twins asking if he was my boyfriend, two kids that I can bet didn't know the meaning of boyfriend till today. Then Dean legit threatened to murder me if I don't agree to be Chima's girlfriend. Now, mum was creating a whole feast, fit for an engagement party, all because of Chima

Remind me why I was nervous again?

"It's not like we are getting engaged, Mum," I told her, a slight chuckle in my voice. She stopped whisking to stare at me, her well-drawn brows quirked up and her expression contorted into a sly look.

"Well, this is one step to engagement. You better take it seriously." She maintained.

Is this woman serious? I asked myself, staring at her as she went on whisking whatever she was whisking, putting all her strength into it. Only heaven knew what she wanted to make again.

I sighed in