Despite the late hour, there were paparazzi and journalists around. Interviews were being held and unfortunately Darryl could not escape. A lot of people were also curious about her identity as her dress had caused a pleasant commotion. Darryl smartly evaded their questions though. He only hoped the media will be kind to them in the morning.
Raina then realised with a gasp that she had not seen Leroy all evening. She felt terrible that she had not thought about her brother. She had assumed he would have joined them at their table. She began to wonder what had caused Leroy and Nadia's absence from the event. She took her phone out and texted him. He texted back saying he will meet them at the car park. Darryl joined her and together they left to meet up with Leroy.
Upon meeting his sister and friend, Leroy explained why he had been out of sight. While going to park the car, Nadia had a call from work. She was a doctor at a hospital nearby. Leroy had been amazed that she had been able to say ‘yes’ and rush there without any hesitation whatsoever. He doubted he would have had the courage to do same.
'Sorry I had an emergency at the hospital so Leroy had to take me. Sorry I missed your big night.' Nadia explained and apologized to them upon reaching the vehicle.
'No worries, I understand. The important thing is that you are here. That must have been quite an emergency then because it is 2am now.'
Leroy cleared his throat and looked at Darryl.
'Well, afterwards, I decided we should go to the beach and just relax there for a while. Nadia was stressed. We did not realise that time was flying. Sorry.'
Raina was pleasantly surprised by Leroy's answer. She only raised her eyebrows at him but said nothing. Only time will tell. Raina had enjoyed her night out and she could not wait to go home. In a way she was glad Leroy had not been around tonight. She had been able to relax and not worry that he was watching her every move.
The drive home was filled with a comfortable silence and Raina leaned on Darryl's shoulders to rest for a while. Darryl looked down at her tired face and smiled. She was so pretty. He couldn't help but admire her. Too bad she was never going to look his way. He sighed quietly and looked out the window. He had promised himself 2 years ago that he was going to wait for the right woman. Since then he had avoided making any form of commitment to any woman who set her sights on him. He was doing great so far. Every time he saw Raina though, the yearning to get a woman who loved him by his side became so great. He didn't want to ask himself why. He was afraid of what the answer would be.
Leroy took Darryl and Nadia home first. Raina did not even wake up as Darryl gently eased his head off her shoulder so he could leave the vehicle. He went ahead of Nadia to give she and Leroy some privacy, as it appeared they wanted to say a few more words. It was amazing the way they had hit it off. If he had known he would have introduced them earlier. All in all, it had been an amazing evening and he was grateful to God for that.
Leroy saw Nadia off to the door and drove back with his sister. She had still not stirred. It must have been tiring for her. Her first major night out. He woke her up gently when she got home.
Their mum woke up as soon as they entered the house. She always tried to wait up for them if they ever stepped out late. As soon as she saw that they were alive and well, she went up to her room to sleep.
Raina quickly went up to her rooms, undressed, and took a quick shower. She was tired but happy. She smiled as she hit the covers.
A few hours later, it was morning and a Sunday at that. Francis and Theresa decided not to wake up the children so they could get enough rest. Surprisingly, Leroy woke up early and decided to join them for service that day. His father was mildly surprised but said nothing. This was something new. He needed to thank God for it and hope it will continue.
Thus, Raina woke up to find the house empty. There was a note for her in the hall explaining their absence and she finally realized with a start that it was a Sunday. She had completely slept the day away. She changed her clothes and went to the kitchen to prepare a hefty breakfast. She then sat down to eat. The doorbell rang when she was halfway through and she rushed to answer it thinking it was her parents or Leroy back from church. Surprisingly, it was none of them but Darryl. He looked slightly embarrassed and couldn't quite meet her eyes.
'Hello, Good morning. I was just in the neighbourhood and decided to pass by. I hope I am not intruding.'
'Good morning. Oh no! Do come in. Pardon my manners.'
'Did you just wake up?'
'I have been awake for an hour now. I woke up late though so I wasn't able to go to church.'
'That's fine. Same here. I assumed Leroy will be here too. I wanted us to go and hang out. Hope you had a great time last night. The papers will be out tomorrow. I do hope they print flattering stuff. You were the belle of the night. A lot of people have been asking who you are.'
'Oh yeah, I had no idea. I rather thought I was blending in nicely. I can't wait to see the papers tomorrow.'
'Your dress was downright amazing though. I don't know how you managed to pull it off in such a short time.'
Raina blushed at the praise.
'To be fair my mother helped. I could not have managed it without her. Can you believe I helped design the dress?'
'Wow. You are really talented. Are you into male clothes too? Maybe I need your help to change my style of clothing.'
'Thank you for the praise. It would not have been possible if you had not invited me. I do need more practice though. I would be attending a fashion training institute next year. I may sign up for some sandwich courses at the university to hone my business sense. So, one day at a time. I can always help you out if need be. When I complete my training, I will take you up on your offer, so get your visa card ready.'
'That's good to hear. I am proud of you.'
'Anyways, I guess I had better get going. Do tell Leroy I came by to look for him.'
'Have you eaten? Sorry. I am doing this all wrong. I should have invited you when you came in. I prepared breakfast earlier. You are welcome to stay if you wish to.'
'I am sure you wanted to eat it all by yourself, you foodie', Darryl teased.
'See you. Just be grateful you are being invited to this sumptuous feast. Come on, let's go and eat.'
Raina instantly regretted inviting him to her breakfast. Not because she didn't want to share but for the reason that she had to be in close proximity with him.
It was the first time in a long while that she was alone with Darryl. He must have sensed her need for some distance because he chose to sit opposite her. She served him his breakfast and sat down opposite him continuing with hers. Slyly, she stole glances whenever she thought he wasn't looking. He also stole glances of her, unknown to her. It would have made for an amusing moment if either of them had been aware of what the other was doing.
After breakfast, a spell of awkwardness stole over them and Raina could not find any topic to start a conversation with. She shook her legs nervously and fidgeted with her hands, not knowing what to do. She had left her phone in her bedroom so she was hard pressed.
'Raina? Raina?' Darryl's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
'Sorry I startled you. I was asking you if have any sketches of your designs, I would love to have a look at them.'
'Sure. Let me go and get it. I will be right back.'
As Raina left to go and grab her design book, Darryl let out a huge sigh of relief. That was good thinking on his part. He will have a look at it and be on his way. He had stayed here for far too long. This was rare for him. He hardly spent time at the Arthur residence if Leroy was not at home. She made him nervous and he did not enjoy feeling that way. He wanted to be the suave, sophisticated actor. He wiped his palm on his trousers as he heard her feet jumping over the stairs.
'Here it is. You can have a look. Mind you, these are just sketches.'
'Yes, your highness.'
Raina watched as Darryl flipped through. He complimented her highly. She was touched he had even bothered to have a look at it. His action made her feel all warm inside. When he was done, he put the book aside and got up.
'I have to be on my way. Thanks for breakfast. Maybe I should pass by unannounced more often,' he joked.
Raina saw him off to the door. She was feeling a bit shy, so she didn't know how to respond to his words.
'Maybe you should pass by one of these days, if you have the time of course,' he said hesitantly, 'I may just surprise you with a good meal as well.'
Raina was intrigued at the thought. 'I can definitely make time for that.'
'Alright then. Goodbye. Do send my regards to your parents. Talk to you some other time.'
Raina waved him goodbye as he left. She would have hugged him but she was still nervous.
Darryl paused outside the door once Raina had closed the door behind him. He would have hugged her but he understood the move should come from her not him. He needed to go and sleep not to be here. It was all Leroy's fault anyways. He had asked that they meet today after church and since he had not gone to church, he had wrongly assumed that Leroy hadn't as well. He wondered what could have changed Leroy's plans as he headed home. A huge yawn escaped from his lips. Goodness! He was tired. As soon as he arrived home, he changed his clothes and slept.
All in all, it had been a tiring but fruitful weekend.