Chapter 8- Pre-wedding dinner I

James's pov

"Jamie! Dawn's here," I heard mum announced from outside my room.

Even though I was relieved as I hadn't seen him for a whole week, I rolled my eyes feigning nonchalance.

He was tired that I'd been indecisive about the wedding, he still was because I hadn't told him I'd made up my mind and that I was going to attend the wedding and be the best man Jacob needed. I kept it till now when I'll get to see the look on his face when I told him.

Walking into the dining room, I grabbed an apple then proceeded to the living room where I guessed Dawn was waiting. I smirked when I saw him engrossed on his phone then pounced on the other edge of the chair he was sitting on.

"What's up, man?" I nudged my head toward him biting into my apple.

"Cool bro." He looked up from his phone, scanning me warily. "What's with you this morning? I perceive good vibes. You behaved like a Neanderthal the last time I saw you, almost yelling the house down." He paused drawing his brows together. "Actually I didn't see anyone in the room with you that day. Who were you yelling at?"

I shook my head, snickering "And you're only asking me that now?" I took another bite from my apple. "Just why did you keep your distance for a whole week?"

"Are you admitting you can't do without me for a week?"

"You wish."

"If you missed me that much you could've easily stopped by my apartment and for a considerably nearer distance, the Barbsons Mansion. I'm almost always there y' know."

"Yeah, I know, but I've been caught up. Sorting some business issues with dad and all that shit, " I told him half the truth.

The week that passed was busy for me, but I could've made out time to stop by the Barbon's if I wanted. It was me been evasive as I still wasn't fully braced on the idea of seeing her.

I guess the thought of being under the same roof as Deila arose all kinds of hunger in me because just then, my tummy growled. I hadn't even realized I was hungry.

"Tell that to some kid. I'm no fool, James. And I'm bored out of my mind of your evasiveness." He did sound bored. "Quit trying to escape her, cause you'll be seeing her anyways."

I sighed defeatedly. "About that, I decided on attending the wedding," I said flexing my muscles. "That's stepping up my workout sessions for two straight weeks. You know, I've to look superb." I was jesting, but an element of truth was there.

"If you're going to do that with Dei in mind, you're most definitely too late. There's a pre-wedding dinner tomorrow night."

"What do you mean a pre-wedding dinner?" I sat up. Unbelievable, I thought. The term itself was like a joke... pre-wedding dinner.

"I'm right to assume your mum didn't inform you then?" I saw him suppress a giggle. "A pre-wedding dinner. Which means you're seeing Dei tomorrow night, because all members of this household should be present, so my mum wrote on the invitation." He shrugged, "No biggie, right?"

All members indeed. There's no way my dad's going to attend, I thought because there was no use saying it out loud.

"You guys had better stop getting me unaware like this. Who the hell does a pre-wedding dinner?" I asked, resuming my relaxed position on the chair.

"Mari Barbson" He gigged, resuming on being engrossed in his phone. "No work?"

"Work out maybe, 'cause today's Saturday dummy."

"Yeah, that," Was all he said before I urged him to go jogging with me.

I strolled into my room, as bored as could be.

Dawn had left after we went jogging, saying he was tired as he entered his car.

I wondered what had tired him, the jogging or tooting after every girl that passed, whether they were fat, short, tall, or skinny. He loved thick women the most, and will always use the fact that he was an African man who appreciated God's creation as an excuse. It was another common thing we shared, we both loved thick women.

Thick women or a particular thick woman?

Okay, maybe I had only ever loved once. My first and last.

Dawn always dulled my ears with talks of how I was still young at age twenty-four and still had chances of me falling-in-love again and again.

But I already concluded—my love life ended before it even started. It was true that I was too young to be concluding my love life, but the feeling I had would never be going away. That I was certain of. My love for her grew each day that passed, although I wasn't ready to accept it.

I ransacked my wardrobe searching for something suitable for a pre-wedding dinner.

'Pre-wedding dinner', the term still mused me, but there I was, in my wardrobe searching for something to wear to this weird function. I needed to look good... for her.

If I was going to see her again after two years, I needed to look my best, even as I thought that, it seemed stupid because I didn't do fashion. When it wasn't the suits I wore to work or the sweats I exercised in, it was anything my skin was comfortable in.

Spotting out a Mintz colored tuxedo jacket and black tracksuit bottoms, I knew I wouldn't need a backup outfit in case I changed my mind because I wasn't going to. It was perfect and simple. I didn't want to be overdressed, I wasn't the groom-to-be.

By 6 am the next morning, I was already up. And I was pissed I was up that early, it was a Sunday after all.

Sundays and Saturdays were my sleeping days and that nearly proved impossible the night before when I couldn't sleep. I didn't even realize when I slept off, all I knew was my last thoughts were of her.

Every turn I made was with her flooding my dreams. I wasn't an early riser. I shouldn't be awake at this time. But I got tired of lying to myself that I was peacefully asleep.

Dei flooded my dreams as she did every other night. They did say you dream about the last person you think about.

I logged into my Instagram account, hoping to get my mind off her. Fun_holiic could to put me at ease, I thought and it did... a little.

Breakfast was noisier than ever as the women in the house—Mum and Zara— kept chatting about their outfits for the night's happenings, and of course, my dad wasn't at the table. If he had been, it would have been silent and unhappy as a boneyard.

Seconds passed and turned into minutes and minutes into hours. I'd groaned when Zara informed me that it was time to go to the Barbson's, which meant seeing Deila Barbson again.

I'd lazily showered, dried my hair before waving it to the side then dressed up in the tux and tracksuit bottoms.

Acting lazy passed off as nonchalance, and being nonchalant was me not putting so much meaning to the fact that I was going to see her again— or so I told myself.

Sitting in my car, I turned the radio volume up to get the attention of my Mum and Zara. I had been waiting in the car for almost an hour.

Not to sound sexist, but I wondered for a moment why it took women so much time to get dressed. Deila wasn't like that, not that she didn't take time, but not so much as my mum and sister.

Why the fuck was I comparing her? She stopped been a part of my life two years ago. She isn't part of my life anymore, I reminded myself.

It's been an hour and 5 minutes of wait, I screamed in my head just as Zara and Irene Martin appeared.

"Sorry," they said in unison as soon as they entered the car.

I turned on the ignition and drove off without a word.

Mr.Young, the family driver, had insisted on driving, but I loved driving as much as he did so I told him off and I was almost regretting it with how long they made me wait.

By 7 pm, we reached the Barbson's estate and my hands were shaking involuntary. Damn nervousness.

I packed at the side of the house then gave my keys to the valet to find a better parking spot because right then, I wasn't thinking straight.

I stopped dead on my tracks when a hand touched my back, turning to see my mum.

"Son, what's edging you?" She asked and didn't wait for an answer before she continued, "Nervousness is written all over you," she cooed, patting my back.

"What nervousness mum? There's no nervousness," I assured. "Let's go inside." I faked a laugh that didn't pass through my teeth.

Even though I was the one who initiated going inside, my legs were planted to the ground. Mum and Zara were already at the door, but I couldn't move my legs, reason's unknown to me.

"Are you gonna go in or are you just going to stand there? Your dinner could be served there. I'll arrange it." I didn't have to look to know it was Dawn.

"Hey, bro. I'm still searching for the crowd." I tilted my head to the side as I proceeded. "There're no strange cars packed here or anywhere. So where are the guests for the pre-wedding dinner ish?" I asked him, trying to take the subject away from my unmoving legs.

The fucker threw his head back in a feast of laughter. "What did you think? That we'd invite every Atlantan for a dinner?" He asked through laughs.

"The fuck are you laughing for?" I hissed through grunted teeth, "Of course I thought you would have other guests. It's part of the wedding function after all. "

"No, you thought wrong. It's just the Barbsons and Martins'. It's a family something." He tapped my shoulders, hard. I shoved his hand away.

Just both our families... Well damn. That ruined every plan for diversions I had in mind. I'd thought I would busy myself with making acquaintances which I had surmised would be very tasking, as I wasn't a people person. I didn't mind pretending to be, as far as it helped me take my eyes and mind off her.

But there were no diversions. No nothing.

"O," I exclaimed, it came out as a question, making my mouth form an 'O'.

"Yeah," he muttered under his breath, tugging me inside the house.

"I. Can. Fucking. Walk. Myself." Each word was spelled out through joint teeth.

He chuckled as he kept tugging me as he went into the house.

We were halfway into the living room and there was still no sign of her. Maybe I could get lucky. Maybe something came up and she wouldn't come down to dinner, I thought.

As we approached the dining area, I saw a lady giggling... I didn't quite see her as her back was turned to me, but damn.

Dressed in a black off-shoulder gown that stopped halfway up her thighs, she had the body of a goddess. She had black straight hair that touched her caramel neck skin. My eyes traveled down to see her wearing a pair of sparkling silver heels. I didn't know how, but I could tell she was beautiful facially as she was in her physique.

Why the fuck was I even checking her out? I thought. Why was my body reacting to her the way it did only when Dei was near?

She was half resting her body on a chair and chatting with a woman I couldn't see, but from the voice, I knew it was Erica, Dawn's mother.

I looked away, my eyes scanning the area.

"Dei," Dawn called making my heart leap a bit.

Relaxing when I looked around and saw she wasn't anywhere in sight, I arched a questioning brow at Dawn, in a secret question 'where's she?'. He laughed, walking over to the giggling lady, putting an arm around her shoulders.

When she turned to him, I stood there gaping like a fool. Everything else around me seemed to be on a pause.

Deila? My Dei? How was that?

Only her face was Deila. The way she was dressed, the way she wore her hair wasn't. The curves on her body were never this defined.

My Deila had thick black Afro hair she always wore in a bun and she was kind of a tomboy. She wasn't the dress type, maybe it was why I never knew how voluptuous she was, until now. She had grown in the past two years. She had changed.

I couldn't help wondering what changed her. It wasn't a bad change. It was a good one. A very good one.

Even though seeing her in a dress was so foreign, she looked breath-fucking-taking.

"Hello?" Dawn called, waving.

"Hmm?"

"Are you gonna come out of your trance and stop gaping like you saw a surprise gold?" he taunted, walking towards me with his hands now crossed in front of him.

I gave him a stern look before chuckling to disguise my embarrassment. I looked at Deila to catch a glimpse once more, and my breath caught in my throat as my eyes landed on hers.

Fuck! Look away.

I couldn't look away, and it appeared she couldn't either.

We stood there with locked gazes.