For a moment, Olaedo almost bought it. But then she noticed the sheer volume of pillows in his arms, and her doubts crystallized into certainty. 'He's not comfortable at all,' she realized, her heart softening at the sight of his stubborn resolve to hide it.
"It's okay," she said gently, sitting up in the bed. "There's no need to pretend. If the sofa's uncomfortable, why don't you take the bed? I'll sleep in the study—"
"No way!" Chibuzor interrupted, his tone firm and his expression unyielding. "I told you, I'm fine. Just go back to sleep."
Without waiting for her response, he fled into the study, slamming the door shut behind him as if escaping a predator.
Olaedo sat back, exasperated yet unable to suppress the faint smile tugging at her lips. 'He's so stubborn,' she thought, shaking her head fondly.
Chibuzor carefully spread the pillows and blankets on the cold, unforgiving floor, muttering to himself with a mix of regret and resignation. "I just had to write that stupid clause about staying as far away from each other as possible. Now, I'm here, about to sleep on the floor, something I've never done in my entire life! Why didn't I just share the bed? It's not like anything would happen! And… I could see how she sleeps." His voice trailed off into a wistful grumble. "Once again, my so-called 'loophole-proof' contract shoots me in the foot."
The frustration simmering inside him threatened to boil over. With a final huff, he settled down to lie on his makeshift bed. Just as his body met the floor's icy embrace, a sharp knock on the door made him freeze.
It wasn't hard to guess who it was. After all, Olaedo was the only other person in the room.
Dragging himself to his feet, Chibuzor cracked the door open cautiously, just enough for his face to show. "What's up?" he asked, his tone deliberately casual.
Olaedo raised a curious brow at his half-hidden stance but didn't comment. Her gaze darted past him, landing on a corner of the blanket peeking out from the floor.
Realization struck her like a slap. 'He's sleeping on the floor?' Her frown deepened, annoyance flickering in her eyes. 'Why is he so stubborn?!'
For a moment, she studied his face. His expression was a strange mix of pride, determination, and exhaustion, like a man trying too hard to prove himself. Sighing, her heart softened just a little.
"Why don't we share the be—" she started but stopped abruptly. Clause 13 slammed into her memory like a brick wall. Sharing the bed was strictly forbidden! No matter how ridiculous it felt, she had to uphold the contract.
'I can't let him see weakness in me like earlier' she resolved, her earlier softness evaporating. Steeling herself, she shifted into a cold demeanor. "Never mind. Goodnight." The words left her lips with such finality it felt like she was shutting a door in his face.
Chibuzor blinked, his heart dropping at the abrupt shift. For a split second, he had let himself hope. 'Hey! What happened to pitying me and sharing the bed?!' he wailed internally as she turned and walked away, leaving him alone with his disappointment.
Before he could wallow, a tiny voice piped up near his ear. "Clause 13 of your loophole-proof contract clearly states…"
Chibuzor jumped, startled. A miniature version of himself, complete with a glowing halo, fluttered above his shoulder.
The pint-sized angel adjusted its imaginary glasses and continued in a snarky tone, ""Separate rooms are mandatory. However, in cases where sharing a room is necessary, both parties must maintain a distance as far as the east is from the west." You wrote it yourself. Own it!"
Chibuzor sighed heavily, nodding in reluctant agreement. "You're right." But a nagging suspicion crept in. 'Why does this angel sound like he's mocking me?'
The angel smirked. "Because I am mocking you! Who writes such a ridiculous contract, gets into a fake marriage, and then starts falling for the other party?"
"I'm not falling for her!" Chibuzor shot back defensively, his voice tinged with indignation.
The angel raised a brow, unconvinced. "Oh? Then why did you want to watch her sleep?"
Chibuzor stiffened, his brain scrambling for an excuse. "I just wanted to see if she still sleeps like a log, that's all! No big deal."
The angel's eyes rolled so hard it seemed like they might fall out. "Sure, sure. And why did you miss her so much last week? Why did it bother you when she didn't answer your calls?"
"Enough!" Chibuzor swatted at the air, his voice rising in frustration. "You're just my imagination. Your conclusions are imaginary too. I don't love her, and I didn't miss her!" He crossed his arms with finality, his tone daring the angel to argue.
"Yeah, right." The angel scoffed, fading into thin air with one last parting shot. "Keep lying to yourself."
Alone once more, Chibuzor shook his head vigorously, as if trying to physically dislodge the angel's words from his mind. Refusing to entertain the idea any further, he spent the next hour brainstorming ways to reinforce his resolve.
Only after exhausting his imagination, and himself, did he finally drift off to a restless sleep, clutching tightly to his denial.
The Next Day.
Chibuzor woke up first, his sleep interrupted by the less than ideal "bed" he had endured all night. As he got to his feet, a sharp pain jolted through his body. Every muscle ached, a relentless reminder of the previous night's discomfort.
Gritting his teeth, he straightened up and cleaned the makeshift sleeping area before heading to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he paused to glance at Olaedo, who lay comfortably in bed, her face serene in sleep.
A strange sense of pride crept into his heart. 'I handled the whole thing like a man!' But his satisfaction was short-lived as a cold realization hit him as he walked down the stairs.
'We're staying here for a week…' His face paled. 'I can't endure another six nights of this.'
He stood there on the stairway, mourning his future predicament, when a faint noise from downstairs caught his attention.
Tap… tap…
It was still quite early. No one else should have been awake yet. Curious, he followed the sound to the kitchen, where he found Chukwudubem rummaging through the refrigerator, searching for ingredients.
The household servants weren't allowed in the house until after 6 a.m., but it didn't matter, Chukwudubem seemed perfectly prepared to handle breakfast on his own. Thanks to Chibuzor's strict upbringing, all his younger siblings were well-trained in essential life skills, including cooking.
Unaware of his older brother's presence, Chukwudubem muttered to himself as he picked out items.
"Pepper… onions… carrots…"
Satisfied with his selection, he turned around, and nearly dropped everything, startled to see Chibuzor silently watching him.
"Ahhh!" he yelped before realizing who it was. "Big brother! How did you sneak up on me like that? Don't tell me you're taking martial arts classes now!"
Chukwudubem's words hit a nerve. Chibuzor's mind flashed back to three months ago when his black-belt wife had landed several decisive punches on his shoulder during one of their arguments.
That had been the wake-up call he needed. To preserve his dignity, and his face, he had begged Olaedo to start teaching him the basics of martial arts.
Besides, learning self-defense wasn't such a bad idea. Chibuzor was determined never to feel as helpless as he had seven years ago. The memory of that fateful incident from his college days resurfaced, vivid and raw.
---
Seven Years Ago
Class had just been dismissed, and 18-year-old Chibuzor packed his belongings in a rush. He was eager to head over to the Marketing Department to meet his best friend, Adaugo. Both were in the Faculty of Management Sciences, he in Business Administration, and she in Marketing.
Although they had initially planned to study the same course, they had agreed it would be more beneficial to their future. Their hope was that, once married, their specialized knowledge would complement each other in building their family's business empires.
As was his routine, Chibuzor always sought her out after lectures whenever their timetables aligned. Today was no different. A small smile tugged at his lips as he imagined her excitement when they stopped for cotton candy on their way back to their lodges.
Their strict parents had banned them from consuming such "unhealthy" snacks during their years at home, so eating cotton candy now had become a rare, weekly indulgence.
Back then, they had to sneak processed foods whenever they craved them, but now, they could enjoy such treats openly, though their self-control limited the tradition to once a week. And today was that day.
Chibuzor arrived at her class and peered in through the window. There she was, packing her things slowly, lost in thought.
He lingered, watching her. His chest tightened, not from nerves but from the secret he had harbored for years. He had been in love with Adaugo since they were ten years old. Yet, he had never confessed his feelings.