Chapter 31: Chapter 31

: Birthday party

→Narrator: Kam

"You got the camera ready?" I asked Kosi.

She beamed at me, giving me the thumbs up sign, phone in her hands.

Behind her, Lola was seconds away from squealing like an overexcited hamster.

"Guy, hurry up, let's get this over with. I gats sleep." Jemi moaned from where he was sprawled lazily on the floor in a corner of Asa's room, earning a brutal kick from Kosi.

"Shut up, Jem! You'll wake her up!" She whispered harshly.

Jemi groaned in pain, rubbing the sore spot on his leg where Kosi just kicked him.

"The cake?" I asked Lola.

"Jordan is getting it on his way back from the gym."

I nodded appreciatively.

"Decorations? Presents?"

"Osahon and Dave are on it!" She informed me.

Good good. This plan might actually work.

In case you're wondering, it's Tuesday, the twenty-second of December...

Asa's birthday.

Of course, she didn't know I knew that today was her birthday. I had done some Facebook and IG stalking to check out when her birthday was, looong before we even started dating. I had had to ask Tasha, her cousin, Kosi and even Jemi for possible ways to surprise her.

And that's the reason why we were gathered in her room at six in the morning.

"And before you ask, I've secured passes to After Parte already."

He didn't have to, but Amir had gone and got us passes to After Parte. A hip and popping underage nightclub, well-known throughout Nigeria.

The Cubana and Quilox for rich teenagers.

But I wasn't even going to ask him shit because we were currently having beef.

Amir was my best friend... At least, among the group. And everybody knew it.

So why the hell did he have to fall in love with my girlfriend? And even worse, kiss her behind my back, in two instances when I was literally just twenty feet away.

The betrayal hurt worse than a bitch and the only thing stopping me from going ape-shit on his ass was old times sake.

In many ways, I knew he probably felt guilty about the whole thing but I wasn't going to have that shit.

What's done is done.

Lately, he wasn't making any more passes on Asa, which I was more than grateful for. I wasn't blind to the fact that he was rarely ever home anymore, and when he was around the house, he either holed himself up in his room, working on his music, or was busy doing God-knows-what with the girls he brought back home some nights.

Part of me wanted to believe he was moving on. The other part was sure he was just looking for a distraction.

But still, I nodded gratefully in his direction.

He blinked, probably shocked that I acknowledged him and his face lit up a bit in gratitude.

Against my will, I smiled warmly at him, unable to stop myself.

Maybe something could be salvaged from this wreck afterall.

"Are we doing this or not?!" Kosi whispered excitedly, jumping up and down. "We'll be live on IG in five seconds!"

Because Kosi was the one with the most followers on Instagram, I had decided she record all the special moments on this equally special day.

"On it."

I sat on Asa's bed, nudging her awake. "Asa?" I whispered, kissing her cheek.

She pushed me away, grumbling in her sleep.

I chuckled softly to myself at the cute expression on her face.

"Asa. Baby-" I shook her more firmly now until one of her eyes popped open in annoyance.

"What did I tell you about waking me up-" she started to roar, but stopped, wincing from the glare of the camera light.

"Happy birthday!" We all cheered at her, even Jemi, who had been lying listlessly on the floor forced some cheer in his voice.

"Whah?" She blinked uncertainly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

"It's your birthday, Asa." I told her softly, touching her knees.

Her eyes went wide in shock, hands flying to her mouth in pleasant surprise. "No way! You knew?"

"Duh?" I couldn't resist saying. "That's what boyfriends do."

"Jesus, Kam." She exclaimed, hugging me. "Are you guys the best or what?!"

"It's all me. I'm the Mastermind, here. All praises should go to me."

She slapped my arm playfully and when I pouted at her, she kissed me quickly on my cheek.

"Freshen up and prepare for the best birthday of your life."

Her grin resembled stars exploding into existence. "Looking forward to it."

-

"You can open your eyes now, Asa."

I turned around at the sound of Kosi's voice, only to see Asa dressed in an angelic white outfit that made my throat tighten in longing.

She looked so damn beautiful, I couldn't look away.

Her hair framed her beautiful face, brushed lightly with makeup. And her outfit was a tight croptop that hugged all her chest to perfection and a tiny white skirt that flared around hips and ended just below her ass. The necklace I had given her glistened beautifully on her neck.

I think she just incinerated me without lifting a finger.

Kosi and Lola were dressed to kill too.

Lola donned a tight grey tube top and matching grey miniskirt, ankle boots cladded her feet.

Kosi was absolutely stunning in a bright pink body-con dress.

"Happy Birthday to you-" Lola started singing but was cut off by all of us, groaning in annoyance.

"Please!" Dave groaned, covering his ears. "Can you NOT sing that annoying happy birthday song!"

Lola glared at him and pouted in frustration. "Well... Okay." She huffed, walking over to Osahon who wrapped his arms around his girlfriend.

"You look beautiful." I told Asa when she came to stand beside me, looking at all the presents littered on the dining table in the kitchen.

She looked at me, a glowing smile on her lips. "Kam..." Was all she whispered, like her heart was about to burst.

My arm went to her tiny waist and I kissed her forehead softly. "You deserve this. Now, presents, people!" I ordered.

I watched her expression as she opened all the presents I may or may not have bullied everyone into getting for her.

"No way!" I watched her gasp, jumping up and down in a way that was so un-Asalike as she lifted something up from the tiny little box she had received from Jemi.

Everyone focused on her to see what it was, looking over her shoulders. This was the biggest reaction she was having towards anyone's gift.

And it was...

A book.

What the hell?

It didn't even look like a proper book. Old and moldy, spiral bound on one of its borders,  falling to pieces already.

"A book?" Kosi asked, deflated, phone, poised in her hand, still recording.

"Not just any book!" She protested, wiping a tear and hugging the book to herself. "This is Chimamanda's original manuscript for her award winning book, Americanah. God, Jem, you even got it signed!" She cried, excitedly, leaving my side to go and hug him furiously.

"How did you do that, Jem?! This must have cost a fortune."

Jemi chuckled, hugging her back. "I couldn't let Kam beat me, now, could I?" He smiled at her and stuck his tongue out at me, flashing me a "fuck you" sign.

I frowned, silently wondering if she had really liked the gift I got her after all.

It was a portrait of her that I got framed myself and she had gushed and blushed and proceeded to hang it on her wall.

Hmm...  Should have just got her an ancient, moldy book, instead.

She had gotten an expensive gold wristwatch that looked like a bracelet from Osahon. A costly Fendi gift card worth over a hundred kay, from Jordan. A crash course on web designing, courtesy of Dave. Lola got her an entire jewelry set and Kosi gifted her a customized XL denim jacket from her one of her limited clothing lines, Marley Quinn.

"Guys... I can't even..." She muttered, fighting the emotion in her voice as she gazed at all of us, eyes, glassy, with grateful tears. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Well, don't thank us yet." Kosi said annoyed, tapping angrily on her phone. "This won't be a birthday party without a birthday cake. Where the hell is Jordan and why is he taking so damn long?"

Jordan chose that exact moment to waltz in, holding up the long awaited cake.

"Sorry, guys." He apologized, an easy grin on his face. "There was a long line at the bakery."

Everyone hissed and rolled their eyes at his lame excuse.

He was probably just flirting with some girl and lost track of time.

He carefully placed the cake on the marble top counter, whipping out something from his back-pocket and handing the object to Asa.

"Saw this in the mailbox." He informed her. "It's for you."

Asa took the letter with a confused look on her face and glanced at me, worry etched in her eyes, making them darker and more intense than their usual coffee-brown colour.

"You think it's from my mum?" She whispered to me.

We had discussed about her entire move to the US just last night and she was yet to tell her mother that she had changed her mind and wanted to stay here with us...

With me...

If that didn't make me the happiest fucking man alive.

Her mother had been blowing up her phone all night, eager to get a reply out of her. I thought it was all bs, though. I felt like her mother only wanted her now because she was a young billionaire and heir to a huge fortune.

I knew I shouldn't judge the woman, but considering all I know about her, how she had treated Asa all this while... Her own daughter, I found it difficult to believe she just suddenly wanted her daughter back.

It had to be bullshit.

...

Right?

"I don't know, Asa." I whispered back to her.

Her eyebrows scrunched up and I worried over her, not wanting anything to ruin today for her.

"Why don't you open it and see?"

She nodded, gulping, carefully tearing the letter open. I watched as she read, the worried, apprehensive look in her eyes, slowly morphing into outright confusion and then mad anger.

She gripped the letter in her hands, staring at it as mad fury rolled off of her in waves.

"Uh... Asa... Are you okay?"

"This bitch." She growled lowly, nostrils flaring, mad anger, leaking through her voice.

"Asa, what does it say?" I glanced over her shoulder, trying to read the letter but she shoved it in my face.

Happy birthday?

Huh...

"What does it say? What does it say?!" Lola was practically bouncing around the entire room in anticipation as the rest of the gang looked at us worriedly.

"It literally just says, 'Happy Birthday.'" I informed them.

Asa was still fuming angrily as she shoved the letter in my face again. "Yes! But from whom? Read it."

I froze when I saw the name, suddenly understanding her problem now.

Giwa Falade.

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