

T HE JOURNEY WITH LOVE

Olaide Taiwo

THE JOURNEY WITH LOVE

Copyright © 2020

Olaide Taiwo

All Rights Reserved.

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Thank you for your support.

Cover Design:

Olutayo Abel

Editor:

Conversation Series (Lagos, Nigeria)

conversationseriesng@gmail.com

Smashwords Edition

Further information &enquiry:

Olaide Taiwo (Nottingham, UK)

olaidetaiwo2018@hotmail.com

'Deji Adeyemi (Lagos, Nigeria)

dejiadeyemitcs@gmail.com

This book is dedicated to Jesus, the Ultimate Love.

And to every individual with the desire for a Godly and whole relationship. I salute you!
Acknowledgement

My very first word of thanks is to the Lord; my God, the real source of love-LOVE personified. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of creative imagination and for giving expression to the imaginations. It's all You, Lord.

Due respect to my parents, for investing in me. To the ones who work, day and night to make sure we are comfortable, I am grateful. Thank you for everything.

Special thanks to my friends: Muyiwa Odubela, Onifeloluwa Adebajo, Ibukunoluwa Sokoya, Ebunoluwa Soyinka and Praise Adeyemi. Thanks guys, for taking time out to read the story in its crude form. Your honest reviews brought the best of out of the book. Thanks to Mrs Precious Adeyemi, for your encouragements and advice. God has blessed you.

Thanks to my mentor, Mrs. Oreoluwa-Adesegun, for the clear and careful explanations on what to do to about dealing with sexual temptations. I am grateful for you ma'am.

My sincere gratitude is extended to Olutayo Abel (Abelceler), who gave the book a beautiful cover design. Thanks to you, everyone is proud of The Journey with Love. Don't judge a book by its cover, but we know the cover really matters. Thank you!

Several rounds of applause to Mr. 'Deji Adeyemi (Conversation Series), for the beautiful makeover you've given to this work. Editing, formatting and publishing, was smooth thanks to you. I appreciate you for coming to my rescue in presenting this to its audience in a refined form. For your timely corrections, review and work on this book to the very end, a very huge thank you wrapped in beautiful kudos to you.

Finally, to everyone who has been part of my journey, God's Vineyard Ministries, Christ Image Assembly, NTU Library (for the days my laptop crashed), I say thank you.

This book came to be because of you!

And to you my dear, reading this book, I am grateful for you. I know you will enjoy flipping through the pages of this book and be blessed. I look forward to hearing from you.
First Contact

LOVE: The climax

Craving to be loved?

Desiring real affection?

This is for you

I know 'a love'

That would give anything

He gave everything

All of Him, so you could have everything

The climax of love, with insecurity melting

Allow Him dwell in your heart

It's an experience of incomprehensible love

Peace that surpasses understanding

And all other things will be added

Delight in the Lord,

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

-Yours in love,

Olaide.

Table of Contents

Dedication  
Acknowledgement  
First Contact

Chapter 1 10

In the Moment

Chapter 2 17

Michal Daniels

The ultimate love

Chapter 3 25

New phase

The journey continues...with Phil

Back to the real love...

Chapter 4 34

Connections...

Meeting a new friend...

Back from memory lane...

Chapter 5 41

Oluwalonimi Adefarasin

Chapter 6 51

Hanging out... was it a date?

Chapter 7 57

Could it be Sam?

Can I serve you?

Chapter 8 67

At the restaurant...

The drive back home...

Chapter 9 76

Going to church together...

Praying...

The past came hunting...

Chapter 10 85

The kiss...

Empowered to break free...

Chapter 11 94

Facing Tobi...

Apologies and forgiveness...

Chapter 12 100

Meeting the parents...

The family introduction...

Chapter 13 108

Michal's birthday...

Did they forget? Even Nimi?

The proposal...

Chapter 14 117

Engaged...

Preparing for wedding...

The wedding...

This novel, The Journey with Love is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, events and incidents are products of the author's imagination.

Any resemblance to actual persons; living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
CHAPTER 1

In the moment...

It was one of those cool starry nights of spring. Michal and her husband, Nimi enjoyed each other's company on one of the sectionals at the private roof terrace of their house. It had been a busy week and the nature of their professions didn't help matters. Although they lived together, it seemed as if they hadn't seen each other for a week. They had just finished a delicious dinner of semolina and African vegetable soup (efo-riro), garnished with assorted meats. Being busy had never been an excuse to neglect their home duties.

Nimi loves food and unsurprisingly, doesn't fail at making them, even though he was raised outside Nigeria. The dinner was a surprise to compensate his wife for her hard work during the week. He decided to come home early, make dinner and spend the rest of the weekend alone with her. Michal loved her man and his sweet romantic gestures.

Gboluwaga Michal Daniels was born in Nigeria but moved to the United Kingdom for her higher education, where she met her husband, Oluwalonimi Adeoluwa Adefarasin. Their backgrounds were quite different in many ways, but they were not without similarities. Nimi was born in the United Kingdom but had been to Nigeria for holidays a few times while Michal lived in Nigeria for almost eighteen years and only gone to the UK for holiday once. She has been opportune to travel to New York, California, London, and Vancouver - thanks to her family.

Michal is a beautiful, intelligent, and dark-skinned twenty-eight years old Christian lady in the fourth year of her resident training to be a cardiovascular surgeon. She makes beads and wireworks accessories whenever she was free, sometimes for sale. Nimi, meanwhile, is the kind of guy in most girls' fantasies; dark, tall, handsome and a rich Christian gentleman. Although his parents were wealthy, it was never an excuse to be lazy.

He is the Managing Director Tech Global Systems, a fast-growing Technology company that deals in cybersecurity and software development, mainly games. Nimi and two of his closest friends started the company eight years ago as university undergrads from the success of their game projects and it grew to become one of the most attractive firms for investors. Nimi and Michal had been married for eighteen months; after four years since first meeting at a mutual friend's party.

That night on the terrace, the couple snuggled under a blanket for warmth as Michal looked at the sky admiring the beautiful night view. The house design was one of Nimi's multiple talents and the idea of a roof terrace was Michal's. The trio (Nimi with his business two partners and friends) secured an exclusive estate with space for just three single-family homes in Notting-hill, West London. Nimi ensured to carry his erstwhile fiancée along and integrated her opinions throughout the renovation of the house. It was built with his wife, bearing in mind their unborn kids and the rooftop was one of their favourite spots. It offered them privacy without covering and the views of the surroundings were lovely, especially at night.

Michal was called back from her thoughts as her husband called her called her attention to something on his laptop, which he had been working on for quite a while. Although he was home with her, he had an important software update that was due for that midnight. He showed her the finished work with a smile on his face after he had sent it off to the app maintenance team that oversaw testing and finalising the update. She was proud of him and found him amusing every time he glees from satisfaction after completing a task. He seemed like a little child at moments like this and she couldn't help giving him a hearty hug. Finally, they could talk.

"I am sorry, Treasure. I had to finish that before Carl chops off my head on Monday. He is with his team at the office waiting to test and upload the software. How was work today? You didn't say anything when I asked you in the kitchen. Is everything alright?", Nimi said, almost breathless out of concern that he left his wife to herself for too long. He adjusted her hair and carefully tucked it behind her ears.

"Nothing much, just that it's been hectic at the hospital these days. I think the sudden change in temperature is affecting a lot of people, especially those with heart and lung diseases", Michal said, looking right into her husband's eyes.

She was trying her best to hide her emotions about what happened at work and looking away from him would give it away more easily.

Nimi was always sensitive to other people's needs and feelings and he could especially see right through his wife. He knew her too well and was certain something was wrong. He decided to lead the witness.

"Awn, it must have been tiring, sorry about that love. But, did something happen? Did someone hurt you? Did a patient die?", he looked really concerned.

As soon as he said that, she broke down into tears and covered her face with her hands as he has seemed to touch a nerve. She was going to keep cool about this, but it was never going to work with the way Nimi gently probed her. He was surprised. He knew she was tender-hearted about people but had never seen her cry so hard because of work. She was strong and persevering, and those were some of the qualities that attracted him to her. He pulled her close and gave her a warm embrace, allowing her to soak his jumper with her tears.

He prayed for wisdom to handle this under his breath as he waited for her to calm down. She pulled away from him as she stopped crying and looked away. She was embarrassed at that point; not because she cried, but because she felt like she had failed.

"I lost a patient for the first time today." She explained amidst sobs.

"She was just fifteen years old. Paramedics rushed her into the hospital due to atrial fibrillation, but she died during the maze surgery. I was assisting the surgery and I didn't think she was going to die. It was a huge shock she died. Still is. We tried everything but it was not enough, I guess. I feel like a failure for losing a patient, I feel so insufficient", she sobbed.

Nimi understood how she felt, and his heart ached. If there was anything he couldn't bear, it would be watching his wife suffer. He hated it. He pulled her closer yet again and stroked her hair; she always calms down when he does that. She was still looking away from his eyes, and he held her shoulders.

"Look at me, babe", he said softly but there was no response.

"Look here, Gboluwaga", he spoke more firmly and this time she looked. Nimi seldom use her names, as they had several 'pet names' and he only call her Gboluwaga, when he wants to say what he considers serious. He held her gaze as he spoke.

"You know this isn't your fault, right? I mean, you said your team tried their best to save her life. I can understand that you feel broken because this is the first time you lost a patient under your care but think about those that have lived since you've held the knife. I'm not saying the girl's life is not important. Just that God knows why He allowed that to happen. I would not like it if you are going to break down every time you lose a patient. I am not saying you'll keep losing them. You are one of the best surgeons this country has got." Gboluwaga smiled at this and snugged closer to him as if to dissolve into him.

Nimi continued. "I am just trying to say this is one of the downsides of your job and it may happen occasionally. Your happiness matters to me. I earn enough for us, so you can stop working if you think it's really that hard". He knew she didn't like that idea and that was going to make her respond. She gave him a light punch on the chest with a slight frown.

"Why would I give up on my job? I love being a surgeon, and you know that".

He was right, she thought. She shouldn't let this break her. She was still at the beginning of her career and there's probably more of that to come. It is something she must deal with, no matter how skilled she was. And there was no way she was going to leave her job and rely on a man for her upkeep, even if that man is her husband.

Nimi earns a lot, but that wasn't why she married him. She enjoys her work and won't stop just when she was almost a specialist. They had spoken about that issue during their courtship and she won, partly because Nimi loved her a lot and was convinced she is happy with her job. He would do just about anything to ensure she was happy.

She smiled at that thought and was brought back to reality when Nimi asked if she was now alright. She nodded and rested her head on his chest taking it away suddenly because of the wetness.

"Did I cry a lot?", she asked in surprise.

"Well yeah. Enough to wet my clothes", he replied. He took the jumper off, leaving him with only a vest on, which revealed his firm arms. Michal looked at them and trailed her eyes over him until she reached his face. She watched him smile before repositioning her head to rest on his chest, wondering how she found a man who could make her completely open and vulnerable yet secure.

She allowed herself to drift back to the memories of her younger years before she met Oluwalonimi. She's had quite a journey with love.
CHAPTER 2

Michal Daniels...

Although Michal was born with a silver spoon, she was never one to flaunt her wealthy background. She had always preferred simplicity in everything, including her clothes, hairstyle, and makeup. Her parents were Christians and took their children to almost every church activity they attended. They had busy professions but always took time out to spend with their family. That was why Michal believed "business" is not an excuse to slack at home. You simply needed to set your priorities right and manage your time effectively.

Her dad owned a reputable hospital, which had smaller branches across three states in Nigeria. Her mum owned a chain of pharmaceutical stores, which were affiliated with several hospitals. Her elder sister, Iyinoluwa, holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Analysis and is now the Director of Quality Control at her mum's company. She is in view of taking over when their mum retires. Her younger brother, Moyinoluwa, was also training to be a general surgeon at a hospital in Manchester. Everyone in the family had something to do with medicine.

The Daniels used their wealth to give their children the best upbringing possible. They attended one of the best private schools throughout their primary and secondary education and they all went to university in the United Kingdom. Their dad firmly believed giving his children sound education was the best legacy. They also had a very good moral upbringing; the type of strict upbringing that made sure you grow up responsibly.

However, they never taught their children about love, any kind of love. They went to church and prayed together as a family, but that was about it with their religious upbringing. No one dared to talk about a relationship with the opposite sex, as it was a taboo in the house. Unfortunately, they learnt elsewhere, and many things had to be unlearnt.

Michal remembered her aunt saying she would get pregnant if she ever talked to a boy. This was one of the first things she was told when she started menstruating. She was sent to a single sex high school to prevent her from dating anyone, which in contrast, was where she learnt all sorts of things about sex and love. Some of them were right, at least nobody gets pregnant from just talking to a boy. Many of them were wrong.

She learnt how to masturbate and was introduced to boys from other schools. Tobi was one of them and they dated briefly before she discovered that he was a "playboy" that was only interested in her because she was smart and rich. She wondered how a boy could be so cunny at such a young age. Then Isaac came along. She met him during one of their school trips. She was representing her school's team and he was representing his school's team, but they ultimately had to pair up to win against the other teams. She liked him because they had so much in common and their schools were not very far away from each other.

So, her weekend permits were spent with Isaac, and they grew so close that she even dreamt of marrying him. She was even more smitten because he never asked for sex and never mentioned her family status. That justified one of the love lessons she learnt from her aunt, "if he loves you, he will wait for you". She strongly believed Isaac loved her and she loved him too. This continued until that Sunday when university students were invited to her school chapel when she was in S.S 2 (Year II).

The ultimate love...

That was a remarkable day in her life. The Sunday began like any other, as everyone at the dormitory woke up at 6a.m. The only duty the students had was to clean up their rooms. Technically, each girl is to clean her bedside and locker area. The school pays cleaners to do everything else, as the policy was that the girls should not be stressed by anything else except studying.

After cleaning up, they were to get ready for chapel, but breakfast was served before service. Michal skipped breakfast that morning, which is typical of her after spending the previous day with Isaac. She was part of the ushering unit, so she went straight to chapel to wait for the ushers' briefing. The girls pretty-much organised everything themselves with the help of the chaplain, Mr. James.

Michal sat on a chair enjoying the music being played by the media unit until the briefing started. When the service started, she was posted by the entrance of the chapel that Sunday making her one of the first set of people to notice the minibus from which people alighted. That was when she remembered the Chief Usher saying they were expecting visitors from the University of Ibadan. She quickly followed the chief usher in welcoming them and escorted them to their sits, thanking God she was ushering that day.

Why? The guy that seemed to be the leader amongst the visitors was good-looking and now that she was standing close to him, he had a nice scent, she thought. She quickly shook it off her mind when she remembered Isaac.

The chapel was a lot more fun than service at her parents' church. At least there was a little bit more freedom and the praise and worships were longer. She grew up being told that God hates sin, so she had long concluded she was a sinner and therefore, God hated her. Nobody at home really told her about the Love of Christ. Therefore, church to her was just one of those routines she grew up engaging in, even though she loved the songs.

Opening prayer went and so did praise & worship, announcements followed, and testimonies were skipped to save time, then offering and finally it was time for the sermon. Ushers normally swapped positions at this time, to relief those who had been standing. But she couldn't sit because she oversaw attending to the special guests, as her position had been changed since they arrived. The "handsome guy" walked up to the pulpit after the introduction of the team by the media team, and Michal was grateful she could have a full view of him for the next 45-60 minutes. This time, she let the thought linger.

The guy picked up the microphone and spoke.

"Praise God! Praise the living Jesus! It is a great privilege to be here with you girls today. My team and I have been looking forward to meeting you all. My name is Michael Folarin and I will be giving the sermon today. As much as I like to interact when I speak, unfortunately, time would not permit us. Should you have any questions, relating to the sermon or not, please write them down and pass them to Michal, the usher in front here to my right-hand side. There is a question and answer session after lunch, come and get answers to the questions then. Shall we pray?"

Michal wondered how he knew her name but kind of liked how he pronounced it. He has a nice accent, she thought. The message was titled "The Ultimate Love". Michal found herself listening to Michael as he preached, initially because she was interested in him, but now because the message was new. She heard words like "it doesn't matter what sin you've committed; Jesus loves and desires that you come to him" and "there is no love that can beat the love God showed us in Jesus."

"Yes, he does hate sin, he absolutely detests it, but he made provision for that sin to be written off. He is not only going to forgive you; he will empower you to stop living in sin. This is called Grace..."

She listened to the sermon attentively and was amazed at how much they missed out in her Sunday school lessons. They told her Jesus loves her and He hated sin, but never really explained anything. Listening to Michael talk about the Love of God was just incredible. How come no one told her these things? Why did they only tell her about God's hatred for sin? Why did they not say anything about God's unconditional love for her? Why did they just let her live in self-condemnation, fear, and resignation from God?

She didn't realize tears were trickling down her face until it dropped to her feet. She blinked to fight back the tears, but it was too late, she was crying hard already. She looked around the chapel only to see many other girls crying.

The other students from the university were now standing at different positions across the room and praying under their breaths. The more she listened, the harder she cried. She was overwhelmed as it was too much for her to take in. She had always wanted to stop masturbating; she hated the guilt and condemning voice she heard after that short wave of pleasure. There were many other habits she wanted to stop but couldn't. She always felt unworthy and sinful, and she believed God must hate her since He hates sin. But right now, she was listening to the other side of the story and she couldn't help but cry.

"Oh, how great the Father's love is? He gave us Jesus to pay the price for our sins, so we can live free of sin and have a close relationship with Him, so we can dwell with Him for eternity", she heard Michael preach. She was now on her knees and for the first time, she prayed with all her heart. Without direction from anyone, she cried out to heaven for forgiveness, she thanked the Lord for that love. She asked for an experience of that love, the ultimate love.

At the end of the sermon, Michael made an altar call for those who desired to surrender their lives to Jesus and almost everyone in the chapel went forward. Michal was not left out, she joined everyone else in saying the salvation prayer and a very wide, almost weird, smile was plastered on her face. She had never felt so light and so warm at the same time. She felt so good and wondered why. Just then, she heard a lady's voice explaining the different kinds of feelings the girls could be having and apparently, Michal's was peace. She was at peace with herself and she loved the feeling.

After lunch, she attended the Question and Answer session, which ended with a series of hot prayers. She asked a question about whether she should break up with Isaac or not and the lady that answered made sure to explain why it was important to break up and how to deal with the break-up. She then approached a different lady that her heart chose for counselling, explained every detail of her life to her including how she was interested in Michael that morning before the sermon.

During the session, she realised the lady, Gbemisola, was his fiancée. She was shocked and quickly apologised.

"It's okay, I am kind of used to it. He is obviously very handsome, so I can understand. That's one of the reasons I go with him to schools, especially secondary schools", Gbemi said smiling.

Michal wondered why Gbemi sounded like she was boasting and so she smiled. "Who will not be proud", she thought. They prayed together and exchanged numbers; Michal promised to call her when she went home for a holiday. They parted but not after Michal received a gift from Michael, a special daily devotional for new converts. Michael explained that he had been praying for the Holy Spirit to show him who the book was meant for and Michal was the one. She was never going to forget this experience. She did keep in touch and the couple eventually got married and resided in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. That was one of her experiences with love, the love of Christ that was underrated.
CHAPTER 3

New phase...

Michal finished high school at age of fifteen and left better than she came. She broke up with Isaac and was shocked to hear his comments about how he was just waiting for her to trust him completely so he could "taste" her. She was glad she broke up and got to see his true colour, and since then found it hard to trust guys. She had a few male friends, but she built a wall around herself that made it hard for any of them to reach her.

Although, she was now born again, yet she still feels guilty about allowing Tobi to deflower her, especially when she attends programmes where they talk about chastity and purity till marriage. She had lost it and can never regain it, and that made her feel bad. Her parents didn't want to release her to study abroad by herself at such a tender age, so she was enrolled into an A-level academy, where she completed her A-levels with distinctions. It was also during this time that she learnt how to make beads and wireworks accessories, play the guitar and worked part-time during the holidays at her dad's hospital to get experience with patient care.

That type of experience would be good for her interview to secure admission into medical school in the United Kingdom. She moved to the United Kingdom to begin her medical degree at Imperial College, London. Just like any other girl, she was nervous and excited about this new phase of her life and her journey with love continued.

Although she was young, she knew what she wanted. The most important thing would be to complete her degree successfully. She wasn't exactly alone as her sister was enrolled at University College, London. Since their campuses weren't too far away, they decided to live together in a flat at a central location.

By the end of her first year, Michal had two close friends and the three of them, together with her sister moved into a four-bedroom flat to reduce living costs. The fun part of their flat was how they would gather and gist about their experiences on campus. Ivanna who was studying Biomedical Science was a "love geek". Although, she was a Christian, she had a keen eye for handsome guys. Not that she dated any of them but in her words "she enjoys seeing beautiful things". It was a bonus for her if she found out the guy was smart or was a Christian.

"We need more God-oriented, handsome and intelligent guys", she often said.

Tomilola, on the other hand, had eyes only for one person. He was a student mentor that happened to be the one assigned to her tutorial group. She spoke to him during the welcome week and was so bent on getting to know him better. She was careful and didn't do anything silly though. Many guys had asked Michal out on dates, all of which she declined, and this made her friends and sisters tease her. It was not long before she found a job as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities. Everything went relatively fine until she met Phil, a white guy. Phil was her classmate although she didn't know him until the 2nd year.

The Journey continues... with Phil

It was during a session at the anatomy lab. They had to work in groups, and the groups had been reshuffled, so there were many new faces in her group and Phil was one of them. The laboratory demonstrators and her teammates were amazed at how well she worked.

"I heard you were really good, but I've always thought you were overrated. Seeing is believing", one girl said.

"There are two brainy members in this group, guys. Phil is here too", another girl said, and Michal was grateful the attention had been driven away from her. This went on for a few weeks until Phil walked up to her one day.

"Hey, you look really tired. Are you okay?", he said with a British accent.

"Oh hi. I am okay, thanks. The sessions just keep getting more hectic each time and that's enough to leave anyone drained", Michal replied.

"If the almighty Michal is saying this, what should the others do?" He continued.

Michal raised a brow and asked what that meant. He then went on to explain how many people knew she was one of the best students. He kept on talking for a while and Michal wondered when he became so talkative. He rarely speaks during the sessions unless there was a question or something. She was surprised at how eloquent he was.

"By the way, you have a nice accent. You sound posh", he said making some hand gestures. Michal was about to reply with a "thanks" when he added, this time almost whispering, "...and you're pretty too". Dumbfounded, she replied with a "thanks" and shifted her attention back to the demonstration. She had missed quite a bit.

Phil eventually kept talking to her and they became lab buddies, then friends, study pals until she began to develop feelings for him. She didn't quite accept it at first. But every time she thought about it, her heart fluttered. Phil was a great guy. He was a Christian, smart and handsome. They both enjoyed playing the guitar and they played many songs together when they wanted to break the ice from studying.

They had become very close and people now thought they were dating, even though they were just friends, or so she thought. She prayed about it, but she just knew she liked him and wanted to be more than just friends with him. He could be trusted since he already told her about his past relationships. She had met his friends a few times and they seemed decent, plus she met his mum too. I mean, what else did all that mean, if he didn't like her? And yes, Phil asked her out. It was one of the best things she's ever heard from a guy. They had just finished an assignment and were going to grab dinner when he offered to take her somewhere.

He lived in London with his family, so he drove to campus from home every day and was more familiar with the area. She innocently agreed and was blown away when they arrived at this lovely restaurant. She wondered if the day was special to him, but he denied calmly. They were halfway into their main dish when he suddenly stopped and looked at her. She felt like his eyes were ripping through her and she decided to play along, dropping her cutleries and looking right back into his eyes. The sparkling hazel coloured eyes made her heartbeat faster.

He reached across the table and held her right hand. And there he said it.

"I have known you for a while now and I believe you are the girl I want. You make me feel complete, you boost my confidence, you make me want to give my all and yes, I will give my all if you would be mine. Michal, will you please be mine?".

Michal was overwhelmed with emotions, she breathed a yes, another yes and then another yes, the yes getting louder each time. Phil came to her side of the table and hugged her. And that was the beginning of another 'love journey'.

Back to the real love...

They dated for over a year. The school's third year came to an awesome end and Phil travelled with his family to New Zealand for holiday. Michal decided to go back to Nigeria that summer since she worked over the previous summer. It was two weeks into the holiday, and she was yet to hear from Phil. He didn't reply her messages even though he read them. His phone number was changed, and Michal couldn't understand what was happening. She looked forward to resumption, so she could ask him what happened. Days rolled into weeks into months, and the summer holiday was over.

However, Phil was absent on the first day of resumption. Why? She had not been able to reach him throughout the summer and wondered if everything was okay. He was present the following day though, but his attempt to act normal failed. She was sensitive enough to know that something was wrong.

That continued until Friday when she saw him giving a girl from another department a peck on her forehead. He rarely hugged her, not to mention a kiss. Okay, that was one of her own rules but that didn't mean he could just place his lips on another girl's forehead. Phil was cheating on her, and she couldn't believe her eyes. Thankfully, her lectures ended early and she went straight home. Her friends were surprised to see her cry, as it was the first of its kind. Like, she was always happy. Her sister wasn't home because she was in Canada for a work placement. She felt lonely and betrayed, disgraced and very angry.

Phil came to her place later that night asking for a chance to explain, but she wouldn't let him see her in that state. She called Gbemi that night and told her everything. And Gbemi asked her the questions that pierced her heart.

"When was the last time you prayed? When did you last study the word of God beyond your devotional?"

Truth was that Phil was the first person she spoke to in the morning and the last person at night. She skipped several days not praying and when she did, they were super brief, but she ignored everything. She thought Phil was a Christian.

She locked her room door after the call with Gbemi, picked up her B ible, went flat on the floor and wept before the Lord. She was sorry for walking away from her ultimate love because of a guy. She was sorry for ignoring the Holy Spirit as she asked for a restoration. She prayed that night, slept off, woke up and continued praying. She resolved not to stop until the Lord spoke to her. And the Holy Spirit dropped a bible verse in her heart.

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness". Glory to God, she thought.

The Lord never left her; she was the one that walked away. She derailed and the Lord had been waiting to receive her back. He would always be there to strengthen her weakness and help in times of need. She remembered Hebrews 4:16 that spoke about boldly approaching the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need. She blessed the Lord for a fresh start and prayed for grace to keep going. That weekend was pretty much filled with a fellowship with the Holy Spirit. She missed His communion and longed for more.

On Monday, she resolved to keep heads high and break up with Phil with immediate effect. She did just that and Phil apologized for hurting her. He explained that he didn't mean to cheat on her, he just didn't know how to break up on a good note. He added that he hoped that their team wouldn't become awkward because of this. She had received grace to move on and she told Phil the same thing adding that she was fine, and everything was alright. She, however, made a resolve in her heart yet again never to trust men, get close to them and not date.

She decided to pour her heart on her studies, her job and most importantly, her relationship with God. There was no "Mr. Right", and she would never settle for a wrong. She even joined the choristers at the youth church she attended with her friends, in addition to the bible study and hospitality team. She soon made amazing friends in the church; many were surprised at how beautiful her voice was.

By the time she was in her final year, she was appointed the Vice President of her fellowship. That was a step up from her position as the Bible Study Coordinator and Hospitality Team Leader. The Lord had found her, and she had given him the wheel of her life – He was her ultimate love after all, the real love. However, there were two parts of her that she wouldn't release completely. She would not open her heart for any man after those experiences and she still bore the guilt of losing her virginity at a young age.

The next phase of her journey with love was about to make her feel something she had never felt. Her story was going to be a tale of someone who submitted to the Lord and He reached those parts she didn't even submit. He wouldn't leave her hanging; He was going to make her completely whole.
CHAPTER 4

Connections...

Michal was doing well, and she just finished her medical degree even more successfully than she bargained. She planned to do her foundation and resident training in the United Kingdom and join her Dad's hospital back in Nigeria. She didn't think the United Kingdom was going to be her permanent home. She was persuaded by friends and families to complete her training in the United Kingdom, with the notion that she would be exposed to better health facilities and more experience. Left to her, she longed to go home.

It was during the second year of her foundation, just after she passed a professional exam. One of her friends from the Computing department of her university decided to organize a reunion get together. Tomilola was one of the few friends she kept in touch with after university. Although they now lived apart, yet they remained close friends.

She had just got back home from work that day and was about to settle for dinner when her phone rang.

"Hey beau, hope you are good?", Tomi's voice echoed across the phone

"Hey, what's up babe! Do you miss me already? I saw you last on Sunday", Michal said jokingly.

"Lol. Is that your confession for me? Don't worry, I know you miss me all the time. So, I'm allowing you to see me on Friday evening". She was used to Tomi's jokes.

"Really, what's going on Friday evening? It's even my day off and I was going to rest at home all day. I cannot come and kill myself from overworking".

Tomi laughed, "Madam workaholic, just please relax, I need to see you get married. Anyways, my fiancé is planning a reunion party for our university friends. It's not anything huge, it's his birthday and he thought it would be nice if everyone met up and celebrated together like "dem" days. I called to inform you, so you won't miss out on the fun. You need a break from all the works, girl. So, are you coming?" She paused a take a breather. "Wait, why am I even asking? You are coming, I mean, it's my fiancé's birthday. Just to let you know, many of the fresh guys from the software engineering department will be there. It's definitely gonna be lit like..."

Michal knew there was no way she was getting out of this even though she was never a partying type, but she had to be there for her friend. They stuck together, through the thick and thins of the university. She confirmed her attendance and they spoke for a few more minutes before ending the call.

The week went by quickly and it was Friday. She had been at home all day, reading through a journal she had been instructed to do a literature review on. At times like this, she disliked the fact that she added research to her training.

At 4pm., she decided to get ready for the party. She scanned through her wardrobe for what to wear as she sang along to the music that played on her laptop. "Oceans" by Hillsong was one of her favourite tracks. She eventually settled for a green front tie printed blouse over a wide-leg trouser, with a black hill and small black cross-body purse. She showered and dressed up. As always, putting on light makeup and small gold earrings. At 5:45pm, she was ready to go. She sprayed herself lightly with a perfume, picked up her car keys and off she went.

In about an hour, she arrived at the venue, which was already filled with guests, mainly graduates of Imperial College University. She heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted Tomi and Ivanna and walked up to them. The ladies hugged each other and walked round the room together, greeting familiar faces.

Meeting a new friend...

Michal had just finished exchanging pleasantries with one of her classmates when she realized her friends had left her.

"I can't believe these girls ditched me, I'm going to fry them when I catch them", she murmured to herself as she looked for a place to sit.

The party was about to start. She blessed God in her heart when she found an empty seat at a corner of the room and rushed towards it before someone else sat there. She sat down, dropped her purse on the seat beside her and concentrated on the MC, who had just finished saying the prayers.

The party continued and she was enjoying herself except that her friends were still out of sight. She looked around the room to search for them again when the guy beside her spoke to her.

"Are you looking for someone? You've been looking around for a while now", the guy said smiling.

She turned to face him, and it was then she realized who he was. Tomi always talked about Nimi when they were at university. He was also a student mentor and always had ladies around him. Not that he was interested in them, but that they were interested in him and always tried to get close to him. Tomi also mentioned how they happened to work together in the computer laboratory once and he was "down to earth". She knew it was him from the picture he took with Tomi in the lab.

"Oh hello. Erm yes, my friends left me to go play by themselves and I am not really a party-lover, so I feel kind of out of place. You must be Nimi, right?" she said with a smile. He really was good-looking, she must admit, and he seemed nice too but, "so what?" she thought to herself.

Nimi replied with a surprise that she knew his name and he confessed he knew hers too and had been to her church a few times. He complimented her voice and worship, explaining that he loved music too, in fact, he plays the guitar and keyboard. They soon started talking comfortably, upon the realization that they had many similarities, including the fact they both didn't fancy parties and were there simply to wish their friend well.

Michal soon forgot that she was without her friends and spent the rest of the party talking to him. He was 'down to earth', with a great sense of humour. Tomi finally found her, and she gave her the gift she brought to pass it on to her fiancé. Michal walked to the parking lot with Nimi after saying her goodbyes.

"You are not following me, are you?" she asked realizing that he walked her to her car.

"Yes and no. No, because my car is parked right here beside yours and yes, because I wanted to make sure you left safely", He replied.

They talked for a few more minutes and she was about to open the car door, when he interrupted her.

"I figured it wouldn't be nice if we just parted like that. Can we be friends? I think you are cool and would make a good friend, that is if you agree", he said.

"Is that the new way of asking for a girl's number?", she joked but he didn't deny and just laughed instead. They exchanged numbers and he waited for her to drive off before he entered his car.

On her way home, she allowed her mind to replay the events of the day, especially her chat with Nimi, He seemed nice though. She thought to herself that it wouldn't hurt being friends with him, they were just going to be friends with many similarities after all. She had no plans to date anyone.

But wait a minute, why was she suddenly thinking about dating? She shifted her mind to the music playing from her car's media player and sang along to the song by Phil Wickham "This is amazing grace, this is unfailing love, that you would take my place, that you would bear my cross..." She retired to bed after changing her clothes and praying. She picked her phone to check her messages and found one from Nimi,

"Hey, hope you had a safe trip home, I am home now too. Oluwalonimi." She replied with a "Yes, thank you." She thought to herself that his full name was nice and made to sleep.

Back from the memory lane...

At the terrace, Nimi asked her what she was thinking about looking so intently at the sky and not responding to all his tactics to get her attention.

She decided to be cheeky and replied, "I was thinking about our first meeting and your eloquence in asking for my number. But seriously, were you always that smooth with ladies? I sometimes still find it hard to believe you didn't date anyone before me, in this United Kingdom for that matter". She was now facing him. Realising what she was doing, he played along,

"Well, I don't remember any time I was not smooth, I just wasn't interested in dating. It was hard to find a lady who understands purpose like you, and I wasn't going to settle with just anyone. Plus, I've always said it that you were made just for me, so it was worth the wait because I got you in the end."

He moved his face so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face. When it dawned on her what was about to happen, she moved back slightly and straightened up on her seat.

"Stop being sly, it's getting cold here and let's go inside", she said, standing to her feet and making her way back into the house. He smiled sheepishly and stood up, picked his laptop and caught up with her.

Hugging her from behind, he whispered into her ears "I've missed you".
CHAPTER 5

Oluwalonimi Adefarasin

Oluwalonimi was an only child. There hasn't been a time in his life when he felt unloved, but he never understood love neither. His dad ran a law firm that was very popular with immigrants for its success with legal immigration issues and his mum owned a Michelin Star African Restaurant, which had few branches across the United Kingdom. She also had a series of shops that sold and transported African goods by cargo into and outside the United Kingdom. They were 'Christians by birth' but never really went to church. Nimi was an answered prayer to his parents because they had been unable to give birth for almost five years before Nimi was conceived.

Because of this, he got everything he wanted and was doted on. Although his parents were very busy, a private nanny was hired for him. The nanny taught him a lot of things, including how to make several dishes from different countries, especially African. He also learnt to enjoy using the computer and other devices from her and having sexual intercourse too. The nanny took advantage of his innocence and curiosity and sexually abused him. It all stemmed from the questions he asked about what his school mates meant by "sex" and she used that opportunity to defile him.

His parents loved him dearly, but they were very busy and Nimi's understanding of love was limited to exchanging gifts. Little did they know that their lovely son was a pro sexually. He couldn't tell them about it because according to his nanny who was a college student at the time, it was more fun in secret.

By the time he was in high school, he knew virtually everything there was to know about sex. But he began to struggle when girls started trying to use him to satisfy their urges in school because he was "good-looking". Like everyone else, he grew fond of a few girls but each time, he found out that they didn't feel the same way about him and just wanted to use him. This experience made him lose trust in everyone, especially girls. He kept a very defined distance from girls and that made people question his sexuality, including himself. What does it mean to love someone anyway? He never really understood.

He lived bearing this brokenness and confusion until one day at school. He was in the sixth form (A-Levels) and had decided to stay in the boarding house with his friends when his definition of love and life changed. The school had received visitors from a church to speak to the students and anyone who was interested could go to the hall to listen to them. Nimi and one of his friends went there simply out of curiosity. And that was where he met the Lord. It was almost as if the program was meant for him. His questions about love were answered and it was different from what the media or his friends said. No answer felt as satisfying as the ones that were given.

He wondered why his parents never spoke to him about these things, not even about church even though his name meant that Lord owned him. He got saved and asked to be prayed for with regards to his broken and confused heart. He never missed every other visit and even started going to the youth services. That was where he learnt about purpose and identity and he sought the Lord for his purpose. By the time he was in his first year of university, he had become very passionate about speaking to and praying for others. He still had his girl problems though.

A lady once walked up to him in church to say she believed he was God's answers to her prayers in search of a husband. As she explained, the only reason she was in church was to marry a good man and she learnt good men are plenty in church.

"Well, I wouldn't marry anyone whose only business in church is to get married", he replied. He decided to open-up to his youth pastor about his past and present girl problems. He knew he wasn't gay, but he didn't want to have anything to do with ladies because of his past which was now becoming his present. He wanted to be whole and be able to handle these situations. There are stories about sexual abuse and harassments towards ladies everywhere, but men face these issues too, including him.

The Lord used his pastor to reach out to him. The times he spent with his pastor allowed him to completely submit himself to God and be made whole. He was prepared to face these issues and help young ones with the same problems overcome them, the God way.

His total submission didn't just heal him, it empowered him to be able to live in peace and joy and above condemnation of his past. He also learnt to appreciate ladies for who they are and instead of hating them. Also, he became friends with them and led many of them to the Lord.

He had a project in his second year in the university where he and two of his friends developed a mobile game, which was a breakthrough. The game quickly became popular across the UK and rose steadily to fame in America and other countries. They started up a company around it. By the time they were graduating, Tech Global was already on the list of fast rising tech companies. He literally had everything and now looked forward to finding love.

His ideal type was simple, or so he thought; a smart Christian lady who understood purpose. He had met tons of intelligent Christian ladies, but not all of them understood what purpose meant and importantly, there wasn't any connection whatsoever. That was until he met Michal.

The first time he saw Michal was when he was invited to a special singles' program in a friend's church. He was about ten minutes late and the worship had started when he got there. He followed the directions of the usher, quickly settled in his seat to say a short prayer and he stood up to see a lady leading the worship.

"This lady is setting the auditorium on fire", he thought as he joined in the worship and enjoyed the rest of the program. He asked his friend about the lady and he got to know she was in her 2nd year of the foundation training in medicine and her name was Michal. Not knowing exactly why he asked at the time, he found himself looking forward to seeing her whenever he attended the church until his friend asked him if he liked the girl.

He never actually thought about that, maybe he was interested in getting to know her. But how did he become interested in someone he didn't really know and surprisingly he didn't dislike the idea. He made a mental note to pray about it and let God have His way. He forgot about it though, as he was caught up with work, and had to travel out of the country for a few weeks.

Nimi got back from his business trip to an invitation by Tomilola to attend a birthday party/reunion. Although he didn't fancy parties, he thought that would be a nice way to unwind after his hectic schedule. He wore a light blue striped dress shirt on grey chinos over tan dress boots with a belt that matched his shoes. He was sitting with two of his classmates and they chatted when a lady walked up to their table. He turned around to look at her, saw Michal and his heart skipped a beat.

He was good at remembering things, but somehow, he forgot about her and he wasn't expecting to see her here. He thought hard about what to do and what to say if they happened to talk. He noticed she had been looking around since she sat and wondered if she was looking for someone. Just then a thought crossed his mind, this was his chance to strike a conversation with her and he decided to give it a try.

Little did he know it was to be one of the best decisions he's ever taken because that was the beginning of something special to him. He enjoyed talking to her as she was fun to be with and they had many things in common. He knew she was going to be a good friend at the very least, but he wanted more than a friend and he admitted that he liked her. They were going to part ways and he almost forgot to get her number. He was not going to lose her this time, so he asked her if they could be friends and exchanged numbers with her.

On his way home, Nimi couldn't quite take his mind off that night's event. He couldn't help but wonder if what he felt really meant that he liked her or if it was just appreciation of meeting someone with a lot in common. He was never the shy type, but he was hesitant this time. Although, Michal knew nothing about his past or his background or anything, he couldn't help but think of the possibility that she may be like the other girls he has met.

"Lord, what are you saying about her? I have never felt like this. Lord, please help me make the right decisions about these feelings. Ultimately, let your will be done, Lord". He prayed quietly as he drove home that night after the party.

He had just been appointed as a minister in the teenage ministry of his church and he wondered if entering a relationship now was right for him. What if he had less time for his ministry? Is she willing to be with a minister? Well, she is a worship minister, but would she be okay with dating a minister? What if he became a youth pastor? Would she be alright with that? He wanted a woman who would actively support his ministry, would that be fine with her?

These were the questions in his mind, and they were very important to him. He decided to send her a text after changing into his pyjamas and hoped for the best. He prayed and had his quiet time that night into the early hours of the morning and the last thing he prayed about was for Holy Spirit to direct him on what to do about Michal.

That week rolled by quickly and Nimi didn't stop praying about Michal. He had met with his pastor on Wednesday and explained everything that had happened over the weekend. His pastor prayed with him and advised him to get to know her more as a friend. That would give him an opportunity to really get to know what kind of person she is and besides, good friends usually make great couples. Friendship is an important part of a relationship, especially one that would lead to marriage.

He chatted Tomilola up and tried to bring up a conversation about Michal as naturally as possible. He spoke about how beautiful she was, her friendliness and how she generally had a great impression, making sure Tomilola did most of the speaking whilst he subtly led the witness. That way he got to know a little more about her from Tomi. On Thursday, he decided to give Michal a call.

Michal had just finished assisting an emergency surgery and was leaving work. She was glad she could still make it to the mid-week service, although half an hour late. She had just driven out of the car park when her phone rang, and she picked the call using her Bluetooth earphones.

"Hello, Good evening, this is Nimi", she heard him say and her heart fluttered. Why was he calling? She wasn't expecting his call, not that she hated it though. What should she say? She was called out of her thoughts when she heard his voice over the line again.

"Oh sorry. Hello. Yes, I know it's you, I saw the caller ID", she replied chuckling lightly.

"I just wanted to ask of your wellbeing and all, you know. I hope that's fine by you", Nimi continued. She chuckled aloud.

"It's absolutely fine by me since we decided to be friends, isn't it? How have you been too?" She replied. They continued to talk for about seven minutes until Michal announced that she had to drop the call because she would soon be getting to church and was thirty minutes late already. They ended the call after confirming that both will be free over the weekend. Michal rushed into the auditorium as soon as she was able to securely park her car.

Nimi thought about the call as he ate dinner. He was normally restrained around someone he just met and that sometimes created awkward situations. But he didn't feel awkward with her even though it was just their second time talking to each other and he felt so familiar with her.

Remembering they were both free over the weekend, he sent her a text, "Hey just wondering if we could hang out over the weekend, maybe on Saturday. We could celebrate the beginning of our friendship too..." He hoped she would agree as he longed to see her again. He realized he was getting ahead of himself and said a short prayer;

"Lord, I believe you've healed me of my past and this is a first for me after knowing You. Catch me in my steps if you won't be involved in this Lord. It doesn't matter how far I've gone. Stop me, Lord if this isn't You." He felt at peace within him and he stood up to clean his dishes.

He was about to retire to bed after his quiet time when he got a message notification. Michal had replied his text. He couldn't help but smile as he read.

"That would be great. Where are we going?" He picked up his phone and sat up to text his reply.

"That would depend on what you want to do. We could go to an arcade and then grab dinner after, what do you think?" He tapped his phone lightly, waiting for her reply.

"Whoa, I haven't been to an arcade since I graduated. That would be so nice, sounds fun already. Looks like we've got a plan already, right?"

He was glad she liked his idea. That was one of the few places he went with his friends to have fun and he thought it would be nice to go there with her.

"See you on Saturday then, at 3 p.m. I can pick you up if you don't mind", he texted.

"Oh nice. That way we won't struggle trying to find each other, see ya!" she replied.

"Great! See you then, Goodnight and sweet dreams", he typed hoping she had not slept off since it was quite late.

"Goodnight and sweet dreams too", she replied.

Nimi was happy with the development, he beamed with smile as he read through their chats again and he had to admit to himself that he was looking forward to seeing her over the weekend.
CHAPTER 6

Hanging out... was it a date?

On Saturday, Michal woke up quite late to a text from Nimi reminding her of their plan. She checked the time and realized she had less than four hours. It would be rude to make him wait for her, she thought as she got out of bed. She stood up to worship and pray, before sitting by her bedside to study the word.

At around quarter past noon, she brushed her teeth, washed her face and had a light meal. To be sincere, she was excited about hanging out with Nimi. No, it's not a date. They were just hanging out as friends, she thought to herself repeatedly. At half past one, after a shower, she searched through her wardrobe for what to wear. She didn't want to overdress and since they would be playing games at the arcade, she had to be comfortable.

She eventually settled for a blue striped button-down shirt on a dark blue skinny jean over a pair of white sneakers and a black leather ring handle shoulder bag. She paid extra attention straightening her hair before styling it into a centre part. Her make-up was light as usual and at 2:35pm, she was ready to go.

She was packing up her bag when her phone rang. Tomi had called to say hi to her friend and gist her about her chat with Nimi. She was quite surprised to find out that the two would be hanging out in a couple of minutes and couldn't hide her excitement. She teased Michal and didn't fail to mention that Nimi was a good guy as far as she knew. They spoke for about fifteen minutes, until she received an incoming call from Nimi. Michal ended the call with Tomi and picked Nimi's. They exchanged pleasantries and she promised to be outside in five minutes. She looked at the mirror one last time, retouched her powder and lip-gloss and sprayed herself lightly with her Calvin Klein's Eternity Moment' perfume. She had this 'thing' for nice scents. In five minutes, she was downstairs and at 3:05pm, they were on their way to the arcade.

Nimi was the first to speak. "You always look good, don't you? I've seen you a couple of times and you look great every time", he said.

Michal simply smiled and said thanks. She felt shy at his compliments and decided to return the gesture.

"You aren't exactly bad-looking yourself. You look great, and stylish and I really have to say this, you smell nice", she said as she gave him a 'full-size' look.

He was wearing a blue check shirt that was left unbuttoned to expose a white t-shirt on blue jean trousers over a pair of white trainers. He smelt like sweet mint and lavender and she could also make out some vanilla scent as well and she wondered what kind of cologne he used. They continued talking until they reached their destination, and both would admit they enjoyed each other's company.

"You have to be prepared to lose a lot, I haven't played in a while, but my bowling skills aren't rusty", Michal said in excitement.

Nimi's lips curved into a smile as he watched her talk about the games she enjoyed playing. He had no doubt he was attracted to her. The duo had so much fun at the arcade as they played different games and had a friendly competition with each other. They seemed like they had known each other for a long time as they played and enjoyed themselves. Nimi knew Michal was a cool lady, but this lively part of her was something he didn't expect, not to mention f the fact that she was also very good with words.

"I didn't think you were this playful. Like seriously, you are a bundle of energy", Nimi commented as they walked towards the restaurant, which was only a short walking distance away from the arcade.

"I love to have fun when I can, I don't get to do this very often because everyone is busy but playing helps me relax after all that work-load. Don't tell me you were expecting a boring lady who only knows medical terms?", she replied, slightly squeezing her face as she turned to look at him for an answer to her last statement.

Nimi laughed out loud as he told her that he knew she was fun but just didn't think she would be that energetic.

"I've always had this refined image of you being cool, calm and quiet. I am surprised, seriously", he added.

"You better shed that image off. I can get really hyped, it just depends on the person and how comfortable I am with them", Michal said as they entered the restaurant, where a waitress directed them to a table for two.

The restaurant had an elegant feel, judging from the well laid basic table d'hôte settings and the comfy seats around them. The dim lights with separate lamps for each table accompanied with soft jazz music playing in the background added a romantic vibe to the setting.

Nimi was delighted to know that Michal was also comfortable around him. He hoped she would like the food served at the restaurant as one of the few things he learnt about her was her unusual taste. That restaurant was his choice because it wasn't too formal and had a nice vibe, considering he didn't want to put pressure on her on their first outing. He decided to continue their conversation whilst they await their orders.

"So, after analysing what you said earlier, would it be right to conclude that you don't find me uncomfortable?" he started. He was a little bit startled when Michal laughed at what he said and couldn't hold back from asking for the reason behind her laughter.

"Oh sorry, I just made a diagnosis that computer guys have a habit of analysing. Tomi does it and you just did it too. It must be a professional habit", she chuckled lightly as she spoke.

"Oh, and yes, I don't find you uncomfortable. I think it's because we have similarities, and it actually feels like I've known you for longer", she added.

Michal knew he was fun to be with and he had a way of making people feel at home with him. She found it easy to relax around him and that was quite unusual considering she had very few friends. She couldn't help being self-conscious this time though, and she hoped she wasn't being too forward. They had just met as friends and that was it, she reassured herself.

They chatted in between their meals and by the time they finished dessert, they had discussed a lot including work, church and background. They became closer than they were that afternoon. As they relaxed after eating, they exchanged social media accounts and laughed together at some posts.

"Thanks for making my day, I absolutely had great fun hanging out with you", Michal said as Nimi parked in front of her house.

"Thanks to you too. I really enjoyed myself today. We should definitely hang out more. I must confess, there is no dull moment with you", Nimi replied, gesturing with his hands. He hoped they could spend more time together, partly because he wanted to see her again but also because she had a very lively personality.

"Yes, and please, let's bring our guitars next time, I'd love to do a freestyle medley with you", Michal said. They talked for a few minutes before Michal alighted and Nimi drove off.

Back in her apartment, Michal smiled as she replayed the day in her mind. It was funny how neither of them could win a gift from the claw machine after several trials and how a young staff mistook them for a couple. She paused in her thoughts. It was true that she wasn't ready to release her heart to anyone just yet, but she couldn't deny the chemistry she had with Nimi. She wondered if he felt the same way and thought of the possibility of them becoming a couple. It doesn't feel wrong, but she didn't feel right either.

She has had enough with guys and it was probably best to concentrate on her training for now since Nimi was just a friend. As she prayed that night, she asked the Lord to lead her in her relationship with him and for the Holy Spirit to guide and guard her heart so that she is enabled to make the right decision according to the will of God. She couldn't help but think of the hurt she's been through. As she prayed, she heard a voice in her spirit, "He that the son sets free, is free indeed" (John 8:36).

Nimi on the other hand, also prayed, especially about his excitement. He felt led to talk to the teenagers about relationships on Sunday. He began to prepare for his discussion and was surprised at how much he needed some of those messages himself. He wasn't going to jump the gun, he had to be steady and should only go ahead when he was completely certain. If she wasn't the one, he shouldn't miss the potential of a good friendship.

"Help me, Lord", he thought. He picked up his phone to send her a text but changed his mind, when he realized it was late and decided it was best to call her the next day. "Holy Spirit I really need your help", he breathed as he closed his eyes to sleep.
CHAPTER 7

Could it be Sam?

Michal and Nimi blossomed in their friendships. They've been friends for about seven months now and hung out on several occasions, in groups and privately. Michal was surprised to learn that his appreciation for languages motivated him to learn how to speak Yoruba fluently. He would love to learn more but hasn't been able to make time for that. They practically had become best friends, and people had begun to question their relationship. To Michal, she was simply waiting for him to talk about it and Nimi was also simply waiting for the right time, whenever that was.

Michal had just concluded a meeting with the hospitality and protocol team when Sam asked to talk to her privately. Sam was one of the Sunday school facilitators and he was about the same age as Michal. He always wore a cheerful look and seemed friendly with everyone, which made Michal wonder why he looked so serious talking to her. His first question after they exchanged pleasantries was unexpected.

"Michal, are you single? I am sorry if it looks like I'm intruding into your personal life, but I just really wanted to know because I have noticed that you've been coming with a guy for the mid-week services lately. I just couldn't help but think something was between you guys and I thought I'd ask", he explained. Michal was dumbfounded, although she answered his questions.

"The guy is my friend and my church is closer to his workplace compared to his church, so he decided to attend midweek services here whenever he could. He is a really close friend", she made sure to emphasize the 'close' and completely skipped the answer to whether she was single or not.

"But why did you ask?", she quipped.

Sam took this as a cue to complete his mission and he told Michal about his feelings for her, carefully explaining how he discovered her and the beginning of his affection and laid emphasis on the fact that he prayed about it and he was sure of what he wanted. Michal was speechless. She just looked at him as he talked without saying a word and had to be called out of her daze.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I... I just don't know what to say immediately coz this is out of the blues. I must be sincere, I don't have an answer to give you immediately, can you please give me time to think about all of this?", she said. They agreed to talk over dinner on Wednesday evening, and Michal would give her answer.

Tomi stayed at Michal's place over the weekend, which meant that they came to church together. On their way back home, Michal was unusually quiet and occupied herself with thoughts. She had just received a 'love confession' from Sam. Most ladies would be grateful to have him as their partner.

He worked as a Medical Research Associate at University of Kent, a white guy with a very lovely personality, a Christian, quite tall and handsome. She allowed herself to think about his positive attributes until Nimi crossed her mind. She sighed heavily as she thought.

She began to question what she felt for Nimi and she was soon comparing the two guys. She gave another sigh as she drove into the parking lot of her apartment when Tomi who had been watching her quietly decided to speak.

"Hey, what's with these sighs and unusual quietness? You didn't say a word till we got home, and you look like you need a break or something. What's up?" Tomi said.

Although Michal was generally calm, that was simply a contrast to how talkative she could get. As far as Tomi knew, they both can't be in a place in total silence because they always have something to say.

"I do need a break because my head is running wild", Michal replied facing her friend as she relaxed on the slightly reclined car seat. She explained everything to her friend, adding that she had never doubted her feeling for him and she believes he feels the same. But now that Sam was in the picture, she was beginning to doubt that belief and doesn't know what to do. Tomi smiled and led the way to the apartment.

As the girls ate lunch, they discussed the issue at length. Tomi advised her friend to pray again and carefully assess what she wanted in the two men. She shouldn't however be concentrated on just the physical, God is interested in everything about His children, including their relationships. She reminded her that God knows what was best for her and so she should turn to Him for direction and help to make the right decisions.

"But seriously, I am almost 100% sure Nimi likes you, he is probably just waiting for the right timing. But wait o, this is funny, I still can't believe Sam was straightforward. That guy is bold, lol", Tomi joked as they cleaned the dishes together.

"Seriously, I think I won't be wrong to say, 'Get behind me, Satan' at this moment because it's like you are adding salt to my injury", Michal replied half serious. They continued to gist about other things but not without Tomi's teasing at intervals. Their discussion shifted when they began to argue about what to eat for dinner.

They were disrupted by Michal's ringtone and she checked the caller ID to see if it was her mum as she had been expecting her call. Her face tensed momentarily when the caller appeared to be Nimi, even Tomi was surprised he called right at that time. Michal answered the call and tried to sound as normal as possible, but the tension didn't go unnoticed by Nimi.

"Are you sure everything is okay, Gboluwaga? You sound tensed". He asked with a concern that was very evident in his voice. Michal smiled and blamed fatigue for the tension, she ensured him that all was well. This caused Nimi to go straight to the reason he called to allow her rest.

"So, are you free on Wednesday? There is something I would like you to see. It's really cool, I promise..." Nimi said in excitement. He was disappointed when she said no, and his heart sunk when the reason was because she would be meeting a guy for dinner. Tomi gave her a 'he doesn't have to know' look and Michal agreed when she sensed the dip in Nimi's voice. Why does he seem disappointed? He sounded like he was not happy, why? Was he being jealous? These were the thoughts that ran through Michal's mind and she didn't hide them from Tomi after the call. They were currently just friends, so what was his deal?

Nimi couldn't help the way he felt after that call. Was he being jealous? Well, anyone in his shoes would, he thought. No man would be calm and cool about the fact that the girl he likes was going on a dinner date with another man. She didn't say it was a date, but technically, that was what it was. It took him a lot to refrain from asking about the details of the outing. Michal usually declined date offers, so why did she suddenly agree to go on this one. He realized he was overreacting when it crossed his mind again that they were just friends by definition and unless he told her about his feelings, he would continue to be in the friend zone. And he made a resolve to talk about it the next time they met.

He said a short prayer and allowed his mind to drift off to something else, although he couldn't help thinking and planning what he was going to say. He knew he loved Michal and was convinced in his spirit that she was the one for him. He sent her a text to know when next she was free and after exchanging a series of texts, they both agreed to meet on Friday evening as he would be out of the city on Thursday morning and won't be back until late night.

Michal thought about the whole issue for the rest of the day and she concluded that allowing the unrest of having to consider Sam's feelings for her was wrong. She admitted that she knew her answer already, she had been praying about Nimi and she was sure of the answer she got to her prayers. She was sure that the Holy Spirit was leading her aright. She shouldn't entertain unrest in her spirit, and she sent a message to Sam. After confirming that he was available on Monday evening, they both agreed to meet on Monday instead.

That Monday, Michal made sure to do everything she had to do for the day at work as quickly as possible. She went to the dinner venue in good time and found Sam waiting for her at the table.

"I am sorry, Sam. I don't feel the same and I thought I shouldn't waste your time when I know my answer. You are a good person, Sam and I believe you would find someone who loves and appreciates you much more than I do. I wish you all the best".

Sam couldn't hide his disappointment but wished her well and they parted ways after dinner. He really believed Michal was a good fit with him and ladies like her were hard to find. He shrugged as he drove back home that night believing the right one for him would come although, that didn't stop him from feeling sad over the rejection.

That night, Michal felt at peace within herself, she didn't know why she even gave Sam's proposal a thought but at the very least, it confirmed what she felt for Nimi. She hummed to the song by Hillsong worship playing on the radio, "There is a peace far beyond understanding, may it ever set my heart at ease...". Tomi who had been waiting for the gist of how things turned out with Sam, was a little confused to see Michal all bright and different from the way she left home. Not that she disliked it but she wondered what exactly happened to her friend. As they ate dinner that night, Tomi refused to serve Michal more giz-dodo until she explained what happened.

"Like seriously, I am about to explode from curiosity, and you are just eating and grinning from ear to ear like a six-year-old girl. Babe, talk na", she complained.

Michal decided to tell her friend what was going on, even if it's for the sake of that spiced up gizzard and plantain.

"Why does it feel like I've just sold my birth-right for food? I seriously can't believe you...", she said, as she explained her ordeal. Tomi was surprised at how quickly her friend's decision was and she didn't hide her concern.

"I know what I want, I have prayed about this a lot more than you probably think and I believe God is in this. Why should I waste the guy's time if I already know what my answer is? Besides, the unrest I felt within me after considering Sam was lifted right there when I told him how I felt about him. God's will for his children is peace even when the outside is stormy. So why should I allow unrest, when I know the cause? I am fine and I believe God is having his way".

Tomi sighed as she listened to her friend, if she was this confident, then it would be fine.

"You are cooking tomorrow, Michal. I miss your sensational vegetable soup. Any Nigerian swallow food would beg to be eaten with your soup, but it's Amala I want", she said, changing the topic. Michal simply smiled, not surprised at her love declaration for food.

"I am going to bed because I need to sleep, I have a very long day tomorrow", she yawned as she stood up to go to her room. She thought of Nimi again that night, smiling as she closed her eyes to sleep.

Can I serve you?

On Friday, Nimi waited in his car in front of Michal's apartment to pick her up. He arrived 15 minutes earlier than they had planned because he had not seen her for over a week, neither did he call after Sunday, except for the brief text to remind her of their date. He spent most of his time during the week alone, thinking seriously about her and his feelings for her. He prayed and was now certain that he could take this relationship further. He shouldn't keep her waiting and unless he made his feelings known, he didn't have a right to feel bad about whom she was meeting. He anticipated meeting her tonight and he had to admit, he really missed her.

He smiled trying to hide his nervousness, he was quick to dismiss the thought that she could decline, and he searched through his music library for a song in a bid to calm himself down. He settled for 'Beautiful Day' by Jamie Grace and sang along as he waited. When Michal came out of the building to meet him, he was smitten by how graceful she looked. They've been out together several times but this time, something about her was different. She had a different hairstyle; her make-up had a kind of glow despite its simplicity and her dress that night was beautiful to say the least.

She wore a nude coloured knee length dress which was pleated and slightly flared from the waistline down to the knee over a 3-inch nude pump shoe. She used a thin light pink belt and carried a clutch purse of the same colour. Her long black hair flowed down to her shoulder, which created a kind of contrast to the light-coloured outfit. Her face glittered as the streetlights shone on them and her smile exposed her white set of teeth. Nimi couldn't take his eyes of Michal as she approached him.

He came out of his car and went to the other side to open the door for her. She looked especially attractive tonight and he liked it. "There you go my lady", he said as he gestured with his hands, allowing her to get in car before closing the door. A special kind of excitement welled up inside him and he loved the feeling.

"You look like a queen tonight, a graceful queen", he complimented. Michal said her thanks and they exchanged pleasantries. He glanced sideways at intervals as he drove. He was amused at how much energy she had even though she probably had a stressful week. He laughed at how hyped she got as she danced and sang along to the song by Tauren Wells that was now playing. Your love is holding on and it won't let go, I feel it breaking out like an echo...

"You seem excited tonight. Is there a specific reason for that?" He asked when she calmed down a little.

"Oh, let's just say it's the Holy Ghost kinda joy plus this song gets me excited 100% of the time I listen to it. So, yeah, I am excited". The next song was 'Undefeated' by the same artist and she sang along enjoying herself as she moved to the rhythm.

"I know this doesn't match my fashion, but you know, I love these songs and that's all it takes for me to get excited", Michal explained. Nimi chuckled at her gestures and nodded in agreement. He liked the fact she was comfortable enough to be herself around him and he admired her lively personality. They continued talking about music until they arrived at the restaurant and Michal suddenly became quiet as she watched him turn the steering wheel. She allowed her eyes to move from his hair to his shirt, which was rolled up to the elbow, to his arms...

"You are going to bore a hole through me if you keep looking", Nimi said. Realizing she had been caught staring, she looked forward and commented on his shirt and scent. "This man is my man", she thought to herself and smiled. He was wearing a different scent today and she loved it. Nimi saw her smile and smiled too but wondered why she smiled in the first place.
CHAPTER 8

At the restaurant...

Michal thanked God for her outfit choice, when they entered the restaurant. It was a 3-michelin star restaurant in London, which served French Cuisine. She began to wonder why he chose that restaurant and why she even dressed that way in the first place.

"When did you make reservations, Nimi? I thought you were busy", she spoke as they entered the beautifully decorated restaurant, with gold chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling to lit up the tables. A waitress led them to their table and gave them the menu after introducing herself to them. As they waited to be served their first course, Nimi started a conversation.

"The game we launched last week was a success and I wanted to celebrate the success with you because it was your original idea. This is in a way a token of my appreciation but there's more", he explained.

"More?", Michal questioned but he just smiled and changed the topic. They were just starting the second course meal when he brought up the serious discussion. He started by asking her about her views on romantic relationships, listened carefully as she spoke, and commented in reply, "Any man would do anything to have someone as pure as you". Michal dropped her cutleries on the now empty plate and allowed the waitress to clear the table before talking,

"Why do you think I'm pure? Wait, what do you even mean by pure? Because, if it's what I'm thinking, then I'm far from that." She looked everywhere except Nimi's face because she suddenly felt embarrassed to look at him. She wasn't pure, not after her first boyfriend.

Nimi was confused as to what she meant, so he asked her. She dismissed the questions and they continued chatting. After dessert, they took pictures together, making several poses. Their date however didn't end without Nimi's expression of his feelings.

"Gboluwaga, I am thankful for meeting you. I feel so blessed that you are my friend. Sincerely, I think my life became livelier knowing you. Your friendship has drawn me closer to God and has allowed me to explore sides of me that I never even knew existed. Michal, you've given me so much as a friend and I want to give you something in return. I want to give you my self in return, I want to love and serve you for the rest of my life. Will you allow me?", he said, looking right into her eyes, as if the answers were in them.

Michal was speechless, she expected this but didn't expect the style and manner with which he spoke and the effect that had on her. She saw compassion in his eyes, she saw affection, she saw happiness, she saw stars in those eyes as they glistened in the dim lights. She knew he loved her and felt the same way but wondered if that would not change if she told him about her past. Would he still be able to look at her like that if he knew her experience, she questioned herself. And she said that out loud enough for him to hear before realizing it. Maybe it was for the better, she thought.

The waitress brought the bill and Nimi paid before leading teary-eyed Michal out of the restaurant. He was sensitive enough to know something was wrong and he looked at her with concern. He didn't know whether to ask about it, if she was ready to talk about it or to just let it be. But he couldn't ignore it.

The drive back home...

The drive back to Michal's place was quiet, but not awkward. They were both in thoughts and Nimi prayed for help under his breathe. It dawned on him that night, that he hated seeing her cry as his heart ached because of the tears.

Michal smiled at him, thanked him, muttered a goodnight and was about to open the car-door, when he held her hand out of impulse. Maybe not out of impulse, because he came to terms that he would not be at rest if he allowed her to go that way and he decided to ask her again.

"Gboluwaga, please talk to me. Why are you crying and what did you mean when you said those words both about the purity and when I asked you out too? I am confused but even more worried if it's something enough to make you cry. Hon, please say something...", he continued.

Michal could no longer help herself as she broke down in tears, crying hard. "I'm just sorry", she managed to say amidst her tears. Nimi reached out for her hands and held them tight as she cried, with a concerned look on his face. He waited for her to calm down and when she finally did, she told him everything without leaving anything out.

"... that was why I said I am far from pure and I couldn't help but think you might not want to have anything to do with me again if I told you. I felt ashamed of myself and sorry to you", she sniffed as she finished. Nimi listened attentively to everything she had to say.

He was surprised she had gone through that, but it was her past, before she knew Christ, so why does it matter. As far as he was concerned, her past was her past, she had been made new in Christ and that was what mattered. He smiled and brought out his phone. He opened the bible app on his phone to 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21 and asked her to read it aloud a few times.

"I believe I don't exactly have to explain that to you but I'm going to say this. If God is saying that He has forgotten your old life, and has given you a new one, who am I to judge you with your past? If the bible says that Jesus was made sin for you so that you can be God's righteousness in Him, who am I to call you unrighteous? Michal, I would be lying if I say I don't understand those feelings because I've been there, and I can guess what you are feeling right now." He paused as he looked deep into her eyes.

"I need you to know what the bible says in Revelations 12:10-11; that the accuser of the brethren has been cast out. It says that you have overcome by the blood of the lamb, the blood of Jesus and the word of your testimony. I don't and will never judge you with your past, so don't allow the devil to rob you of your freedom. God says you're free and forgiven and I know you know this. If you are sorry to me, then you have nothing to be sorry about because you are no longer the girl of that time. I see a believer with overflowing grace upon her life, I see a powerful woman carrying the Holy Ghost."

"Like I said, I've been there too, so I am not oblivious and I completely understand this, but we both must be whole before going into this relationship and God has made us whole...", he explained, whilst holding her hand.

Michal felt light and free having shared her story with him. Listening to him made her feel like a burden had been lifted and, in a way, he made her feel secure. But she also wanted to know what he meant when he said he had been there, and she asked him. Nimi took his time to explain his childhood experience, without missing any detail and Michal felt sorry for him.

"I really am sorry that happened to you, but I am happy you've grown through it and even happier that you met Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation for 'us' who are in Christ Jesus. That just dropped in my heart and saying it out loud kind of makes me feel empowered again and I hope it does for you", she said, smiling brightly as she looked at him but couldn't help getting angry at the fact there are people out there taking delight in abusing others, especially children.

He reassured her that he was fine, and they prayed together. After the prayer, Michal made to go out of the car, when Nimi stopped her. He had this curious look with a raised eyebrow, "Really, is that all? Don't you think you are missing something out, Doctor Michal", he said.

Michal tried to feign ignorance and she replied with a blank face, "What am I missing out? Mr. Oluwalonimi Adefarasin", she played along.

"Like are you being sarcastic? I asked you a question at the restaurant and it's still hanging. C'mon stop doing this to me, please", he was almost begging. Michal asked if she had to reply that night and Nimi told her the only reason she wouldn't want to answer is if she doesn't have an answer yet, but she had an answer.

"Okay, I feel blessed to have you too. That name suits you well, Adeola. You are rich in character and words. As a friend, you are that one that the bible says sticks closer than a brother. Anyone will be privileged to have a friend like you, and I am proud and blessed to have you, not just as a friend, but as my man. Well, you've also given me so much for a friend, and if you want to serve me, then that makes two of us in service because I want to do the same. So, it's a yes from me. I love you, Oluwalonimi Adeolami Adefarasin", she said holding his gaze throughout.

Nimi reached out to hold her hand again and the two just looked at each other in silence for a few minutes. They were leading different lives in different ships before now, but now they were in the same boat, on the same journey of love, with God as their sailor.

Nimi broke the gaze and laughed. "I love you too, Michal. But I don't want to go home yet, I'm so happy", he pouted.

"Like seriously, you better stop kidding, I have to go. It's almost 1am., dear and I'm working tomorrow from 10a.m. until night", she replied as she reclined on the seat.

"Does that mean I won't see you tomorrow, what should I do?" he whined. Michal laughed and shook her head as she said goodnight, this time getting off car. She was just by the entrance when he pulled her into a hug,

"I just wanted to do this, for the new and free you and for sharing your heart with me. I am grateful for you. Goodnight, treasure", He said in a low voice and released her from his embrace.

"Is that like a new pet name or something", she said. He shrugged and gestured for her to go in before making his way back to his car. He felt joy from within that night as he drove back home and replayed her reply in his mind until he slept off.

Tomi who saw his car driving into the compound was all ready for the gist and couldn't hide her excitement. She occupied herself with some work as she waited for her friend. Michal was shocked that she was still awake and just knew she wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

"Tomi, chill and ask me one question at a time before you bombard me, okay?", she tried to calm her friend down. They talked until around 3a.m. when Michal announced that she was going to sleep because she was going to work in the morning. They prayed together and she allowed her mind to replay the day's event with a smile plastered on her face. This was another phase of her life and she was sure God had her back. She muttered a 'Thank you Lord' and drifted to sleep; a peaceful sleep.

Michal woke up to a cheesy text from Nimi and called him after her devotion. He was having breakfast when she called, and he assumed she must have just woken up. They spoke for about half an hour and agreed to meet on Sunday morning, because Nimi wanted her to attend service at his church. He was not going to be at the teenagers' class, so they could stay together in the main auditorium.

"Lest I forget, Ade, can you stop being cheesy with your texts? They don't really suit you. We've been friends for a while, so just be yourself, please", she said on a lighter note. However, the only thing that registered on Nimi's mind after the call was the way she called his name. He blushed as he re-echoed it and rushed to his room to prepare his Sunday's attire.

Finally, all those sisters will leave him alone, since he was now taken. 'Taken?' He smiled again. He had fallen deep in love and didn't want to fall out. He looked forward to seeing her on Sunday and couldn't help the sheepish smiles that crawled up his lips thinking about her.
CHAPTER 9

Going to church together...

On Sunday, Nimi picked Michal up and they got to church just before Breakfast Class began. The topic was 'The Mind; Who You Are' and she enjoyed every bit of the session. The coordinator talked about how the state of the heart defines a person. It defines their speech, actions and way of life. He referred to Luke 6:45, "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of".

You can't give what you don't have: that is why it is necessary to go through 'the renewing of mind process,' according to Romans 12:2. He mentioned that renewing the mind helps to qualify our thoughts. According to Philippians 4:8, those thoughts should be true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good reports. This process also helps with guarding our hearts if we allow God to help us renew them through His Word. Interestingly, the beautiful thing about His Word is that He is an embodiment of His word. So, whenever we spend time studying the Word, we are drawn even closer to Him.

The coordinator explained a few steps to renewing the heart and allowed time for questions and answers. The session ended after about an hour later. During the thanksgiving, people couldn't stop looking towards Michal and Nimi's seats. Nimi was known to be friendly quite alright but the way he related with Michal during the service made people sense something was different about their relationship. And Michal's contribution during the Breakfast Class ruled out the option of her being another new convert invited by Nimi.

After service, Michal waited for Nimi as he exchanged pleasantries with people round the church. At some point, Nimi looked at her as he listened to the lady he was talking to. She decided to make a call and stepped out of the auditorium and she signalled to him to inform him. When he finally came up to her, he apologized for keeping her waiting.

"Did you even listen to what that last lady was saying, coz your eyes were elsewhere", she said playfully mimicking his actions. They both laughed.

"She was asking if I was single and that she would like to have dinner with me sometime", he replied. Michal gave him this look that screamed "What did you now say?"

"So, where is she?", she asked when he won't say anything more but just kept smiling.

"Why?", Nimi questioned.

"I want to officially introduce myself to her, so she can know what's up". Nimi laughed so hard and couldn't help himself. He eventually said he was just joking and explained that the lady was also a teenage minister and was informing him of the teenage program they were planning, since he wasn't at the teenage class that day.

They eventually got to meet the pastor and he welcomed them pleasantly. They informed him of their relationship and he prayed for them. He spoke at length with them about things they should begin to talk about and things they should not do. He also encouraged them to make good use of the family life scheme they had in their church and many more.

By the time they left, it was almost 3p.m and they decided to stop by a restaurant for lunch. At the restaurant, Nimi decided to tease Michal about the incident that happened at the church.

"I didn't know you could get jealous too o. But seriously, were you really going to meet the girl and introduce yourself to her?", he asked as he chuckled.

"Hey, I wasn't jealous! Okay yeah, I was kind of jealous (she rolled her eyes) but what girl would not feel that way when her man is being asked out by another person. But for real, I would have introduced myself to her, just maybe not today. It's called defining your status or marking your territory", Michal replied.

"Really?!" Nimi laughed as he mimicked her gestures, repeating her last statement - "defining your status or marking your territory". He reached across the table to hold her hands and assured her that she would always be the one for him and he would be there by her side, which made Michal smile.

"I am telling Mummy and Daddy about us tonight, you should do too", Michal said.

"You are behind me on that, treasure. I already told them, even before I asked you out. Plus, I spoke to my cousin on Saturday after you gave me a yes. I'm not doing anything in secret", Nimi replied winking at her.

"Whoa, so you've been talking about me behind my back?", she said folding her arms as she looked at him.

"Is that even grammatically correct?", he smiled glancing sideways to look at her briefly before concentrating on the road. He dropped her off after they arranged a meeting with her pastor for Thursday afternoon. Later that night, Michal called her parents and told them about Nimi.

"Shey Christian ni, t'ode sure?" (Is he a Christian? And you are sure?), her mum asked. Michal reassured her parents that Nimi was a good man and she was convinced that he is a Christian. She explained that, moreover, she's been praying about him before he even asked her out because of the way she felt, and she had a witness in her spirit that he was the one for her. They decided to meet him during their next visit to the United Kingdom, which would be in three months. Michal also told her siblings and cousins in their WhatsApp chat room and everyone trusted her decisions.

"Ah Gbolu, me I must meet him before everyone else o, because we are only a train ride apart". I'm coming to your house this weekend. Let's meet then", Moyin wrote on the group chat. As she settled to relax before going to bed, Tomi and Ivanna called. Apparently, they had been waiting for the gist of how it was going to Nimi's church and decided to make a conference call, so she won't have to say it twice.

"So, have you guys decided on whose church you would be going when you get married?", Ivanna asked.

"Hey! We just started dating officially two days ago. Yes, with marriage in view but let's take things slow, hon", Michal replied. She didn't think about that, but she thought that was important as she had been prompted and made a mental note to talk about it with Nimi at some point. She didn't want to get ahead of herself though. The girls called it a day and ended the call after over an hour and a half. She felt lead to pray in the spirit that night instead of her normal midnight plan and she did. She eventually went to bed around 1 a.m.

Praying...

The urge to pray in the Spirit went for over three days and she told Nimi, who reassured her that all was well, and she should just keep praying.

"You know, when we pray in the Spirit, we pray the mind of God and there must be a reason for the promptings, so keep praying. I'm sure in due time, God will reveal why. I've also been praying lately, and the Holy Spirit helps me to simply pray in the Spirit. This is all for a reason and we'll know in time", he explained.

They both continued to pray, and they prayed together whenever they could. They believed, that if their relationship had its foundation in Christ, then their home was sure to continue this way. Nimi, especially was always amazed when they studied the word together. He admired Michal's depth of the Word and never failed to express the way he feels. Michal on her part, once told Tomi and Ivanna that the most attractive thing about him is the way he leads her through when they studied together. She confessed she sometimes lost concentration thinking about this.

"Nothing is more attractive than a worded and praying man", she said. He had a way of making her feel secure and confident in herself. Her past experiences although she had come to let go of, sometimes made her feel insecure. However, whenever she felt like this, she always reminded herself that God was leading her in this. She would declare to herself repeatedly that the hand of the Lord is leading her, and His right hand is taking hold of her (Psalm 139:10). The Lord is her security... (Proverbs 3:26). Nimi and her both knew that their pasts would crop up sometimes in memories, but they believed they have been healed and each one is whole and complete in the Lord. But Nimi still made her feel secure; he was her best friend to say the least.
The past came hunting...

Michal had finished from work quite late that Friday, she longed to go home, eat and sleep. Just when she thought about food, she couldn't quite figure out what to eat and decided to order from a Chinese restaurant when she got home. The weather was quite cold, so something spicy would be perfect. When she got home, she placed her order, and went straight to the bathroom to have a shower, finishing in time for the arrival of her food. It's been long she ate a Chinese dinner and was about to dig in when her phone rang. "Ademi (my crown)" was the caller ID and she smiled as she picked it up. She was waiting for his call. They talked as she ate and kept talking until she finished cleaning the plates. When they switched to video call, Nimi broke a news to her.

"I have been contemplating whether to tell you this or not, but I have to tell you. Guess who I met today at one of the clients' meetings at my office". Michal wondered who and after many failed attempts, he said it.

"I don't want this to affect you in any way possible but if it does, I want you to always remember that I'll always be right here with you and for you. I love you and nothing is changing that fact". Michal was worried, the way he talked seemed like something was wrong.

"Ade, is everything okay? I'm worried with the way you just spoke. Who did you see?", she said wearing a really concerned look.

"I met Tobi", Nimi said without mincing words.

"Which Tobi? Tobi of Fountain High School? The Tobi that I told you about, right? No, it can't be the same! Wait, what's the surname of the Tobi you met?", She bombarded him like a robot in panic mode. She didn't want to believe what was happening.

"Tobiloba Faramola, that's his full name", Nimi said, worried that he was wrong to have told her. Michal felt the like the earth stopped moving. Her head ached, she suddenly felt nauseated, every part of her felt a kind of pain. The memory of her secondary school days came flooding and tears flowed as she remembered what Tobi had done to her.

Yes, she was ignorant then, she didn't really know what she was doing. But Tobi was the guy that deflowered her. He didn't just do that though, he made sure to tell the world that he had broken the walls around the infallible Michal. He placed a bet with the most precious thing she had then as if it was a joke to him. He toyed with her emotions and her body and he left her torn. His words re-echoed in her ears as if he was saying them to her again.

"Rich girls like you are naïve and don't know anything about the world and I decided to help you see the world in its real colours. You are not the first girl I'll take her virginity and you won't be the last...", She sobbed harder as she remembered that day. She suddenly felt like throwing up and rushed to the bathroom across the living room.

Nimi who had been watching all this through the video call couldn't bear it any longer and he picked up his car keys to drive to her house. Maybe he shouldn't have told her, he thought to himself as he wheeled into the road. He prayed as he drove, for Michal to be safe and sound. He prayed for strength and grace for her to get through this. He prayed for wisdom for himself, to handle this situation. He prayed that the Lord will take control and preserve his relationship. He continued to pray in the Spirit until he reached her house.

He knocked on Michal's apartment, and a very weak and frail Michal opened the door. On setting eyes on him, she began to cry all over again. Nimi was speechless, and worried. Feeling pained himself, he hugged her while letting her cry on his shoulders. All he could do was pray, and he prayed under his breath whilst patting Michal's shoulders. Come to think of it, why did Tobi come to his place earlier that day? He hoped this was simply a coincidence.
CHAPTER 10

The kiss...

Nimi held Michal until she regained her composure. She sobbed for almost an hour while recalling memories of Tobi. She told the story all over again to Nimi, who simply listened and embraced her. After calming down, she apologized to Nimi who reassured her that he would never hold her past against her.

"You don't have to apologize to me for this. It is your past and it happened before you knew Christ; before you knew me. I am grateful that you trust me enough to tell me about your past. I don't and will never blame you for it, so don't apologize to me. I love you Michal and will treasure every bit of us", he spoke softly, only loud enough for her to hear as he held her gaze, looking right into her eyes.

Michal moved closer to him, she saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before and it made her feel open to him. Nothing else seemed to matter in his embrace. She allowed herself to inhale his scent as she took a deep breath. Nimi pulled away to look at her one more time.

"It's okay, we are in this together", he whispered. His eyes scanned through her face as he thought of what he could do to comfort her. He used his thumb to wipe the tears on her cheeks and somehow his eyes came to rest on her lips. He looked from her eyes to her lips a few times and leaned in to kiss her.

Michal, although surprised, responded to the kiss, which led to several minutes of kissing. She leaned further on the sofa until she was lying down. Suddenly, she snapped. She pulled away from the kiss and pushed him off her, immediately standing up from the sofa. Nimi was now fully aware of what just happened, and he regretted his actions.

He stood transfixed to a spot in shock of what he had just done. After a very long period of silence and quiet sobs, Michal was the first to speak.

"You don't have to explain yourself. I shouldn't have let my guard down too. I'm sorry. Please leave", she said as tears streamed down her face. Nimi looked up at her, opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find his voice. He walked out of the door without saying a word. Michal locked the door behind him and she sat on the floor; resting her back to the door as she wept.

"How did we allow that to happen?", she thought.

Nimi had to park his car by a roadside on his way home as he couldn't concentrate on driving. He normally had good self-control; he had never let his guard down around anyone ever since he became a Christian. He couldn't understand how that happened and the thought of what could have happened if they continued stabbed his heart. He bowed his head on his wheels to pray but he couldn't. He thought of who to call and he called his Pastor, who happened to be in the church premises at that time and told him to come.

At church, in the pastor's office, Nimi cried hard. He explained what happened to the Pastor amidst tears. Knowing her ordeal, he couldn't help but wonder what she would think. Would she think he took advantage of her vulnerability? What if she decided to end their relationship? These were some of the questions in his mind and he voiced them out to his pastor. The Pastor encouraged him and spoke to him.

"I am glad you called me, Nimi. That is a great step to prevent anything of such from happening again...", the pastor said. They prayed together and he was encouraged to talk to her as soon as possible. He also gave both an appointment to meet him on Tuesday, after the weekly leader's meeting. Nimi went home that night in despair.

Back in his room, he fell to his kneels to pray out his heart, for himself, for Michal and for everything that included Tobi. His cousin, David, who happened to be at his place that night, wondered what happened that made him look so dejected.

Michal, on the other hand, called Gbemi and explained what had happened. Gbemi made sure to say uplifting words to her and advised her to not break away from him, instead they should take this as an opportunity to discuss and set out the unspoken boundaries in their relationship. She explained their reason for communication as resisting the devil in their relationship and encouraged her to reach out to him as soon as possible to ensure they both get through this together and come out stronger than they were.

The call ended after Gbemi urged Michal to attend the marriage counselling and family life planning programme at church as this gives them people to be accountable to, within a closer reach. That night, Michal couldn't exactly pray, her fellowship seemed more like a discussion and it lasted for over an hour. By the time she was done, she was glad she didn't keep any of it to herself and made a mental note to call Nimi the following day.

She admitted that running away from God when we do things wrong does not make them right. Instead, it robs us of our joy and peace of mind. God is ever merciful and will always be there to help us get over situations and empower us to live above sin, but we must approach that throne of Grace.

She recited that verse to herself again – "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of Grace" (Ephesian 1:7). She also meditated on Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...". By the time she settled in to go to bed, it was almost 3a.m.

Michal didn't wake up until half past eleven and she thanked God it was a weekend because her supervisor would never tolerate anyone showing up at work after lunch break. She decided to clean her house and put everything back to order. Although, she was generally tidy, she had been very busy recently and have not been able to deep clean. Cleaning her house and arranging her things made her feel good, like she's got everything in control.

She really needed that feeling that morning has she thought about how to bring up a discussion with Nimi either by text or by phone call. She remembered the look on his face when he walked out last night and could tell that he was deeply sorry. At around three in the afternoon, she ate a light meal and picked up her phone.

"Hey, do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?", she typed to send to Nimi on WhatsApp but cleared the text. She tapped her phone in anxiety as she thought of the best way to chat with him. Just then, her phone rang and her heart skipped many beats when she saw the caller ID – only Nimi could make her feel this way. She was glad he called first and she picked the call with a big smile on her face. The duo talked about what happened, made mutual apologies and discussed the actions they both took after it happened. She was happy to learn that he also didn't keep it to himself. They talked for almost forty-five minutes and the call ended after they both agreed to meet Nimi's pastor after church service on Sunday, if possible, so they wouldn't have to wait until Tuesday.

She felt liberated as she thought through the whole story and she failed to hide her smiles even after she visited Tomi. Later that night, she remembered what happened in the first place -Tobi was back in her life. She prayed quietly,

"Lord, I believe you will empower me to face this and give me wisdom to handle it correctly. She prayed for Nimi as well, that the both of them would be able to make a strong front line and be prepared for whatever Tobi's agenda was this time. She went to bed after sending a goodnight GIF message to Nimi. The weekend had been eventful, and she deserved a good night rest.

Empowered to break free...

On Sunday, Michal and Nimi went to church a bit late, they missed the breakfast class and were just in time for the call to worship that signified the beginning of the main service. The pastor's message that day was in season for them. He titled it "Empowered to Break Free". He talked about how many believers are dealing with issues in their lives that they have been given power to break free from. However, some are in denial whilst some are just not ready to let it go. This in turn gives the devil a chance to make the problem seem overwhelming and bigger than it actually is.

He mentioned self-pity and explained that it is important to never allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity as this gives rise to a kind of mentality called Victim's Mentality. That mentality makes the person think that they deserve sympathy and attention from everybody else and prevents the individual from taking responsibility and allow God to help them heal and break free from situations. He further mentioned that people with this kind of mentality never admit their own faults; they blame everybody else and expect everybody else to solve the problem. This doesn't give room for total freedom and it only leads to frustration.

He talked about ways to break free from situations and emphasized that the process won't always be smooth, but that victory is sure because in Christ we are more than conquerors. He encouraged the church to practise positive thinking, and disciplined thoughts. He also encouraged people to reach out for help if they feel like they can't do it alone. Reaching out is the first step to breaking out of the shell. When light is shed on the devil's handiwork, and it is no longer in secret, it loses its potency.

He made points on practising forgiveness and that was the part that really stuck with Michal. She believed she had been healed from her past, but maybe she never really forgave Tobi, which would explain why his presence anywhere near her was such a big deal to her. It shouldn't be like that, she thought. She held Nimi's hands as she prayed under her breathe for God to help her to completely forgive and let go of not just Tobi, but everyone who hurt her in the past, present and future. Nimi who saw her lips move thought it would be wise to pray for her, and he prayed in the Spirit.

After service, they went to meet the pastor and fortunately, he was available to meet with them. The pastor invited his wife, who asked that they share the story again. Nimi and Michal were encouraged again to set boundaries and have accountability partners, whom they would be able to talk to comfortably about things like the one that happened. The pastor's wife made it clear, especially to Michal that it is important for her to recognize that people are often not as strong as they think they are, especially with sexual temptations and that was why the bible literally said to flee.

She also made a point that in most cases, allowing emotions to overwhelm you when alone with your spouse should not be encouraged. As comfortable as you might want to be around them, it is important to look out for clues or hints that could mean it is not advisable to be alone and those hints should never be ignored. It takes a lot of actions than prayers and should be taken seriously if they really mean to wait until marriage. They prayed together and Michal was glad she came. Nimi drove Michal home afterwards and they had a lot to talk about.

That afternoon, they decided to talk about the dos and don'ts of their own relationship, with regards to them – their personalities, beliefs and many times they consulted the scriptures to reach an agreement.

"By the way, you haven't told me about your meeting with Tobi since that day. I'm fine now, we can talk about it", Michal said. Nimi explained how he was scheduled to meet a client representing a Nigerian company at his office and Tobi happened to be the one, together with a woman presumed to be his assistant. He further mentioned that he didn't even realise who Tobi was until his phone screen flashed and Tobi commented on his wallpaper, mentioning that he went to the same high school and was an ex-boyfriend.

Michal told Nimi to extend her greetings to him, when Nimi said they were meeting again on Monday.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'extend your greetings'?", Nimi asked wearing a surprised look.

"Oh, yeah, just tell him I said hello. I prayed during the sermon at church for God to help me forgive him and everyone else, so I guess that's a good starting point. I don't want to continue living with a burden I can drop. Let's just say I am in the process of laying aside every weight. I'm cool really and God is helping me get through this", Michal said with a bright smile on her face.

Nimi was glad she made that step and he didn't hide his feelings. He looked forward to giving Tobi the answer to the question he asked on Friday: "What is your relationship with her?" He decided to answer that with confidence and extend Michal's greetings.

"Monday, here we come!", he said aloud in his car as he drove home.
CHAPTER 11

Facing Tobi...

Nimi resumed work on Monday, looking cheerful. He had a bright smile on his face that made him look more handsome in his striped dress shirt with its sleeves rolled three-quarter up the arm, worn over a pair of navy-blue trousers with dark brown shoes and belt to match.

"Thank you, Mr. Adefarasin. I really appreciate your efforts and time. I look forward to our cooperation as we create a safe cyber space for our service users", Tobi said as he shook hands with Nimi. Their meeting had just ended, with Nimi accepting a contract to work with Tobi's company on cyber security for their server.

"Just a quick question." Tobi chipped in. "This isn't work related, but would it be possible to have a cup of tea with you? There is something I'd like you to know". Nimi accepted the offer out of courtesy and they went to the cafeteria together. As they ate snacks, Tobi began to explain why he was curious about Nimi's relationship with Michal. He talked about their relationship and mentioned that they used to be "really close". He continued to talk about some of his experiences with Michal during their high school days, completely omitting the fact that they had sex, until Nimi interjected.

"I was expecting you to say something about her, but you didn't say anything about the fact that you deflowered her. To be precise, you played a game with her pride. Or am I wrong?", Nimi said, not smiling.

Tobi was shocked, to say the least, that Michal had already told someone about him, and he decided to defend himself. He began to mention some of the things Michal did, in order to prove his point that she wasn't innocent. And this time, Nimi got angry. He couldn't bear listening to someone speak ill of his woman. It took him a lot to maintain his composure, but he made sure to stop Tobi.

"I never said she was innocent, and I am not denying the fact that she did those things. But yeah, she told me everything already and she is no longer who she used to be then. That was her past, so I'm not exactly bothered by it. She is now a responsible purposeful lady, who is pouring her heart into helping people and serving God. I don't know what your reason for telling me all this is, but your plan just failed." He paused to catch his breathe.

"Therefore, I ask that you to stop carrying bad reports because they are no longer needed. I will make sure to introduce her to you at the dinner you invited us to this weekend. I would have said it's a pleasure meeting you but... enjoy the rest of your week.", Nimi said, with disdain in his voice. He stood up to leave but turned again.

"One more thing; and she is not just my girlfriend, she is the woman I am getting married to. And she sends her regards to you, I almost forgot. See you soon, Mr Faramola.", he finished and left the cafeteria without looking back.

Later that day, Nimi met up with Michal for their planned date and they discussed what happened.

"Tobi actually did exactly what we expected him to do and he had a lot to say", Nimi said, holding Michal's hand as they walked into Westfield shopping centre.

"That's his way of life really, but hope you were alright", Michal said, thanking God in her heart that she already told him about her past. She couldn't imagine what could have happened if Tobi was the first to tell him about them. Nimi gave an account of what happened and took time to recall his reply to Tobi with a face that spelt victory. He reassured Michal that Tobi would not be able to break their bond, because the bond was built on a solid ground.

"I am especially delighted to know that you have forgiven him and have moved on from the past. Others may think this isn't a big deal, but I understand this is important for you. It is important for me as well and I'm glad we are putting this behind us", Nimi added, with a glint in his eyes, looking compassionate.

Michal simply nodded as she thought of how blessed she was to have this man in her life. Most importantly, she was thankful that they both were no longer broken from their past – their relationship now has two whole individuals. They continued to talk about the events of the day as they shopped.

Apologies and forgiveness...

On Saturday, at the dinner, Nimi couldn't be any less proud considering the number of compliments Michal got as they went about saying hello to people. He was even more satisfied when he saw the look on Tobi's face as he and Michal approached him. Michal wore a bottle green Bardot dip hem dress with black flower embroidery on the left side of the chest on a pair of rose gold 4-inch heels. Her jewellery and her purse matched her shoe. She extended a hand to Tobi.

"Hey Tobi! It's been ages since I last saw you. Hope you've been good", she said with a pleasant smile. Tobi, although surprised, returned the pleasantries and couldn't help complimenting her look.

"You look great tonight, Michal. It's good to see you again", he said as he gave her a full-sized look that got Nimi's attention, who immediately joined them. Tobi ushered the couple to their seats, and he introduced them to his uncle. As they made to leave, Tobi asked if he could get Michal's phone number and although she declined, she mentioned that if he had anything to say to her, he could reach her through Nimi. Whilst it is true that she had decided to let go, she wasn't sure if she was ready to invite him back into her life. Realizing that this may be his last chance to make amends, Tobi decided to what he needed to do.

"Michal, this is long overdue, but I hope you accept my apology. I am sorry for everything that happened in the past and I ask that you please forgive me. I didn't plan to tell your fiancé any of those things I did. I was just surprised you already told him everything and I got carried away being defensive. I am sorry, believe me I have changed. I am getting married in a few weeks and after I met my fiancée, I thought about all the things I did, and I figured it would be best if I apologized. I am sorry once again", he said, and to the couple's surprise, he seemed sincere.

"Oh well, it's alright now. I forgave you already and I'm glad you understand that those things were wrong, and you've made efforts to be a better person. It's nice seeing you again. By the way, my regards to your wife-to-be and I hope we'll be invited to your wedding.", Michal replied with a smile.

Tobi gave the couple a copy of the invitation card to his wedding and bid them goodbye. Nimi, who simply observed during the discussion, was glad about the turnout of events. He said a short prayer of thanks for Michal before holding her hand with one hand as he used the other to drive.

Michal was about to alight from the car when she remembered her parents will be visiting her from Nigeria and their arrival would be on Wednesday. She told Nimi this and he froze on his seat, looking astonished. He had been looking forward to meeting her parents, but now that they were going to be around, he couldn't help his anxiety. Michal, who noticed his reaction, burst into laughter as she alighted from the car. She texted later that night to reassure him that her parents were nice and were also looking forward to meeting him.

"Your reaction earlier was cute", she texted before sending the usual goodnight GIF. Nimi didn't reply; he thought of what to wear, what would be appropriate and otherwise, what gift to buy, whether it would be wrong buying a gift. At this time, he disliked the fact that he grew up and was more accustomed to the British lifestyle.
CHAPTER 12

Meeting the parents...

Michal took the rest of the week off to spend time with her parents. She had not seen them since her graduation from medical school. That Wednesday, she drove to the airport with Moyin, who spent the night at her place. The siblings were elated to see their parents after a long while.

"Michal, you've lost a lot of weight since I last saw you. Hope you're not overworking? And do you cook healthy meals?", Mr Daniels asked, looking at his daughter as they walked towards the car park.

Moyin replied instead, "She skips meals a lot. Don't be deceived when you see cooked and fresh food in her freezer at home, it is because you were coming", he said, which earned him a smack from Michal.

"By the way, what about your suitor abi (or) boyfriend? I thought he was going to come with you to pick us today", Mrs Daniels questioned.

"Oh, he sends his regards, he had to do something at his workplace today, so he'll be visiting tomorrow. He has been looking forward to seeing you. Although, daddy made him nervous when they spoke on the phone", Michal answered. Moyin, having met Nimi several times decided to back her sister up, by telling their parents about him. Being the last born has never stopped him from getting overprotective of his sisters, especially Michal, whose naïve image, he couldn't shed off. He liked Nimi and already called him brother-in-law a few times, so anything to add some extra points will help, considering how traditional their parents were.

On Thursday evening, Nimi came to visit Michal's parents and the experience sealed the deal even tighter for him. He was delighted to meet such disciplined yet loving parents. Although, speaking to Mr. Daniel on the phone got him nervous. He remembered how his confidence melted after the very brief discussion. That made it clear to him that the man does not joke with his daughter. On the contrast, spending the evening with them was lovely. He was served a meal cooked by Mrs. Daniels and the family made him feel at home. He couldn't help loving them like his own parents and he looked forward to spending more time with them. Listening to their stories about their youth was fun and he imagined himself and Michal doing the same to their children and their spouses.

That evening also gave him an opportunity to get even closer to Moyin and he laughed when he remembered Moyin say "Our souls are knitted like David and Jonathan". They had a lot in common except for their opposite interest in mathematics. Moyin simply disliked maths while Nimi loved maths. They could however make up for that with their interest in online games and love for ball games, especially basketball. He also spoke to Iyinoluwa through a video call and if anything, it felt like he was a part of the family. He loved the warmth with which they received him and how he was treated. He now looked forward to getting married to Michal and somehow, he wanted it to be soon.

It's been over a year since he met her, and he couldn't have asked for more. She was just 'it' for him – the girl of his dreams. Before leaving that night, he had a discussion with Michal about when she would want to meet his parents formally. And if possible, it would be great if the two families got to know each other soon. They parted ways after setting dates for the meeting.

The family introduction...

Michal couldn't calm her nerves as they planned for the family to meet. This meeting meant a lot as it would determine if there was going to be any kind of union between the two families. She couldn't imagine getting married with a rift between both families. They planned for the meeting to hold at Nimi's parent's home considering that it was bigger and more appropriate for a proper introduction. Nimi's parents were already fond of Michal and looked forward to meeting her family. They tried their best in preparing for their guests and the couple had to make sure the setting was not too formal, but very welcoming.

On the day of the introduction, Nimi stayed at his parents' house making sure everything was in place. His parents lived in a four-bedroom single storey house at Sevenoaks, Kent. He heaved a sigh of relief as he looked around the living room for the last time before he went out to wait for Michal and her parents, who had called to say they were five minutes away. The living room décor looked simple, typical of his parents.

The walls were painted mist grey and floor was covered throughout with white carpet. Two art works hung on the wall on opposite sides of the room, a family picture, a picture of the parents and a single picture of Nimi were arranged neatly on a side of the wall. A ceramic wall clock framed out of another family picture hung just above the fireplace. The fireplace roughly divided the room into two equal halves. Two black leather sofas were placed adjacent each other, with a lamp table between them. A glass centre table seated comfortably in the centre of the room, a white flower bouquet on it. The cream coloured curtains were opened to allow maximum flow of natural light into the living room. A TV and media set were situated in front of the room. He made sure the sofa pillows were arranged properly before heading out of the room to join his cousin as they waited the arrival of Michal's family.

He approached the car upon arrival and attempted to give a traditional greeting to Michal's parents, which made everyone laugh. His parents joined them outside, and everyone exchanged pleasantries as the guests were ushered into the living room. Michal was visibly nervous, and she quietly prayed everything run smoothly as she followed Nimi and his cousin to the kitchen to make sure the gifts landed safely. The couple already met each other's parents individually a few times, but she couldn't help but wonder what their parents' impression would be after the meeting.

Nimi held her hands as soon as he noticed that she was anxious as the two asked to be excused whilst the parents get to know one another.

"I can't actually believe you are nervous. As you can see, everything is alright and everyone is happy, so calm down", Nimi said, in a bid to get Michal to relax.

"I'm just really worried about any kind of culture clash, considering that your parents have been in the United Kingdom for a long time. My mum notices those things easily and she can be very direct with the way she speaks about things she doesn't like", Michal replied as she peeped inside.

She was pleased to see their parents smile and joke as they talked. It was of high importance to them that their families get along regardless of the differences and seeing that happen was delightful. They were caught off guard when Mr. Adefarasin called them both in only to ask when they would like to get married. Michal was surprised.

"We haven't thought about that yet because we feel it is important to get to know each other more before going to the altar. Besides, Michal is preparing for some professional exams and a research project. Considering all that and many other factors, we still need a little bit more time", Nimi explained cautiously. He didn't want to say anything wrong to the parents, but he did want to give off any impression that he wasn't ready either. As much as he would be happy to get married to her, even on the following day, he understood that they needed more time and he had to be considerate of Michal too.

His attention was drawn back to the room when Mrs. Daniels spoke, "We are not exactly in a hurry, but speaking from experience, there is no point in courting for too long".

"I am looking forward to Michal joining our family. She is a lovely young lady", Nimi's mum added. Michal simply smiled and gestured politely that she understood what was being said.

"We should be the ones going to visit you, but you came here instead. We are sorry about that and are very grateful for your daughter. She is a delight to us already", Nimi's dad commented which was a timely distraction for the couple. Lunch was served and everyone chatted comfortably as they dined.

The 'children' loaded the gifts from Nimi's parents into the car as the parents enjoyed more time chatting with each other. Moyin and David did not hold back from teasing the couple as they relaxed at the patio in the rear of the house. At around 7p.m., the parents came out, signifying that it was time to leave. Nimi tried to prostrate again and this time he did it right but didn't fail to make everyone laugh. The guests finally made to leave after exchanging phone numbers and several goodbyes.

Nimi accompanied Michal and Moyin to drop their parents at the airports. After checking in their luggage, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels embraced their children, Nimi inclusive. Mrs Daniels embraced the couple together and prayed for them. She continued to admonish them like any African mother will do.

"Don't forget the child of whom you are. Don't get into unnecessary conflicts and remember to remain close to your God. I trust that you all are doing fine in your relationship with God. So make sure you hold on to that. Everything you need is in Him...", she said almost shedding tears as they parted with the children when their flight was announced.

Nimi held Michal's hand when he realized she was about to drop a tear and Moyin burst into laughter.

"She cries like this every time our parents visit. Nimi, you are getting married to a big baby", Moyin said as he teased Michal, who pulled him into a tight headlock until he apologized as they walked towards the car park to begin their journey back home.

He had a plan...

It was a weekend and Michal went with Nimi for a special youth programme at his church. Their relationship had blossomed so much that there was no excuse to not take it to the next level – marriage. It has been about two years since they started dating, and their bond grew stronger by day.

"I wish we could get married before I am ordained as a youth pastor. I am excited to see what God is going to do through you in the youth church...", Nimi continued talking as he drove into Michal's street. He stopped when she didn't reply and asked her if everything was alright. Michal gave an affirmatory nod.

"I'm fine. I was just wondering what kind of man in this 21st century talks so confidently about marriage without a proposal. I didn't even say I was going to marry him yet", she said, rolling her eyes as she whispered the last part, before looking out through the window. Nimi heard her clearly and smiled, pretending to ignore what she said.

If only she knew, he thought to himself and his smile broadened. Tomi already told him out of good will, about Michal's ideal proposal. He wasn't sure if he could meet that standard. Girls can get creative with their imaginations and sometimes the bar can be too high. However, he had a plan.
CHAPTER 13

Michal's birthday...

Michal's birthday was different that year. She would be presenting a research proposal on behalf of her team to the other members of staff at a conference and this would determine if their research would be funded or not. She stirred on her bed as the alarm rang. It was 5:45a.m. When the alarm rang again 15 minutes later, she knew she had to get up if she didn't want to be late to work. She sat up on her bed for a few minutes before getting completely off the bed to begin her morning devotion. She smiled when she remembered it was her birthday and her worship session lasted a bit longer than usual as she thanked God for the year she just ended and the one ahead.

As she did every birthday, she asked the Holy Spirit for a word to hold on to this year and picked up her pen to write as words were impressed in her heart. By the time she finished her devotion, it was 7:15 a.m. She immediately began to prepare for work. After breakfast, she went to her room to pick up her bag and fix her make-up. She looked at the mirror one last time and she was ready to go. She wore a white front neck-tie blouse and a burgundy cardigan on black bootcut pants over a pair of black wedge heel court shoes. She also wore white stud earrings and a black leather wristwatch. She picked up her bags and walked out of the house.

Did they forget? Even Nimi?

The presentation ended well and earlier than planned, so Michal decided to check her messages and replied to as much as she could. She bore a disappointed look when she realized Nimi didn't send her any message. She was worried because he never forgets her birthdays. Instead, he was always the first person to send her a message. She checked her call logs for his missed calls but there was none. She was brooding over the possible reasons why Nimi was yet to send a message when she received a call from Tomi.

"Hey, you didn't forget I'm coming to your place today, right? I am on my way already, is that okay?" Tomi said as soon as Michal picked up.

"Oops, I actually forgot. This research thingy has been putting me under a lot of pressure lately. It's over though, at least for now. You can come here for the keys on your way", Michal replied. They talked for a few more minutes and Tomi didn't say a word about her birthday. Nimi didn't wish her happy birthday, neither did Tomi.

"Did they forget?" she thought to herself.

The day went by quickly and Michal didn't spare a minute after closing hours before leaving. She was fuming. How can her best friends do this to her? Wait, Nimi was more than a best friend and he did this. Not even a single call and it's past 7p.m. Like really? She thought as she made all sorts of expression on her way home. She was prepared to give them several hands-full of speech when she gets home.

Was Nimi even going to be at her house? It doesn't matter. Just then she remembered there was one more person that didn't call or send a message.

"Moyinoluwa of all people, my very own brother. Can you imagine?!" she blurted as she parked her car.

She reached into her bags for her keys when she remembered that she gave them to Tomi, and she pressed the bell. Her lights were off, and she sensed that something wasn't right. Tomi couldn't stand staying in the dark for a minute and she wondered if she fell asleep.

As the doors opened, she was surprised to see Moyin behind the door.

"What happened? What are you doing here? When did you..." She was cut short as Moyin pulled his sister into a hug with a loud, "Happy Birthday!" As in on cue, the whole room burst into lights with shouts of "Happy Birthday!" flying around like bullets with plenty hugs. She stood transfixed, but with a smile plastered on her face. So, this where they all are! David, Tomi, Moyin, Ivanna, everyone was in her house; except the only face she will give anything to see, Nimi. They all sang a happy birthday song for her. They were planning to surprise her, and it worked.

After several hugs and cheers and agonizingly beautiful moments, Michal looked round the room.

"Where is Nimi?", she asked no one in particular.

"Did he say he was coming?" Tomi asked wearing a plain look. David simply shrugged as he ate his meal. And Ivanna had no reaction. Moyin stood up instead of replying and walked towards the smart TV. That was when Michal realized the position of her media set had been changed and she wondered why. She stood up sluggishly and went into her room to change her clothes. She was... not happy.

Nimi was nowhere to be found and she couldn't understand why. Even if he forgot, Facebook never forgets to send notifications about birthdays on your friends list. "What was going on?" She thought as she changed her clothes. She settled for a white knee length dress on black flat shoes.

The proposal...

"Why did you guys turn the lights off again?" She said irritably as she re-entered the living room. Someone, presumably, Tomi held her hand in the dark and guided her to a sit as the TV screen lit up the room.

"Are we watching a movie?" she spoke again, this time earning a keep quiet look from Ivanna. She shrugged and concentrated on the screen. Sound came on and it was her voice; from a video Nimi took. She remembered telling him to stop filming that day as she sang but he refused. Then a soundtrack came on as more pictures, videos and GIFs were displayed.

She knew that soundtrack but couldn't place where or how she knew it. When the first line of the song played, she sprung to her feet in disbelief. This was the song she and Nimi composed when they were just friends. They were playing with their guitars that day when Nimi began to strike some notes off his guitar and somehow, she complemented it. They eventually wrote down the notes and made lyrics for it.

Although, the music was mediocre, the lyrics were meant to express their feelings for an object of their affection. She had completely forgotten about it and didn't think Nimi would work to make it better. That meant Nimi was somewhere in the house and she smiled. Tears flowed amidst her smiles as she looked at the pictures and videos that played on the screen. Nimi swept her off her feet with this and she was ready to fly.

At the end of the video, a note came on:

"The first time I saw you, you were singing. So, I started this video with you singing. Every picture, every video, every GIF of you makes my heart flutter and being with you in person, makes me long for more of you. Memories of you boost my energy and thoughts of our future gives me confidence. You brought me out of my shell into a world that is 'us', governed by the Sovereign Love. You are a treasure, a very rare gem, and the most expensive gift I've ever received. I will always be grateful that you came into my life, but the truth is..."

The slide changed;

"The truth is... that I don't want you to leave. You have a place in my heart that's irreplaceable and I'm sure of this, that ours will never end, I love you forever. Happy Birthday, Michal Gboluwaga Daniels. But I really want to call you by my name. So, ..."

Another slide;

"Will you be my wife?"

Michal's legs gave out and she sat down on the closest chair to her. Just then, the lights came on and Nimi walked up to her with a ring box in her hand. Like a gentleman, he went on one knee and opened the box whilst holding Michal's gaze. She was transfixed to her seat.

Something about Nimi dazzled; his eyes seemed to sparkle, and he looked more handsome than ever. Her attention was drifted back to reality with the voices of their small audience. She smiled and nodded. She was yet to recover from being speechless, so she stretched out her left hand, beaming with joy as Nimi slid the aquamarine platinum ring into her left middle finger. He stood up, pulled her up and gave her a hug.

Their audience cheered and Tomi hugged Ivanna, "I knew this day would come. I have been waiting to see this happen. I feel like a proud mother", she said, feigning tears. Everyone laughed.

Moyin asked the couple to pose for more pictures, when they became aware of their surroundings. Moments before, it seemed like the world was made up of just the two of them as they locked gazes. The song was then played a few more times without the video and everyone resumed celebration.

"...I love you from my core. My heart flows out from its deepest source. Look at me, I'm sure; that we are meant for each other..."

"I seriously thought you forgot about today. I was mad at you until that video was played", Michal said, when the duo finally got some privacy at the balcony. Nimi laughed when he saw her face and he laughed harder as he imagined her signature expression of anger. His laughter was subdued after several "stop, it's not funny" from Michal. He took her left hand and stroked the ring as he spoke.

"I could never forget such a day after all you mean to me. Do you know I think of you for most of my days; every day", he said, which made Michal clench her right fist, wondering how guys find it easy to say things like that.

"It took me a lot to not text you at midnight, but Tomi's determination helped me. She told David to steal my phone. And as soon as I got here, she took the phone herself. It was hard, seriously", Nimi continued. They continued chatting until Michal was called to cut the cake.

"We should have done this before now, we forgot", Ivanna said in her soprano-like voice. David joined Nimi as he watched her walk in. "We need to get married soon, my heart is going wild", he told his cousin who couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Stop being dramatic. By the way, are you friends with that Ivanna girl? I kind of want to get to know her more", David said, earning a strange look from Nimi, before they went back in to take pictures with Michal.

At around 11:30 p.m., everyone was ready to go to bed and fortunately, it was a Friday. Moyin decided to go home with the other guys so that the girls could have some more space. After several goodnights, the girls escorted the guys to their cars. Moyin left his car and joined Nimi and David in Nimi's car.

"Why is Nimi not driving?", Tomi asked.

"I have to get home safely tonight, and with Nimi's current condition, allowing him to drive will be too much of a risk", David said.

"That's called driving under influence; just in case he is under hormonal influence, not alcohol or drugs", Moyin joked.

"Goodnight girls. Goodnight, Ivanna", David said before driving off.

The girls waited for the car to taxi out of sight before attacking Michal with teases as they walked back into her apartment.

"Less I forget, Ivanna, is anything going on with you and David? I could sense a great deal of chemistry, physics and biochemistry going on between you guys today", Tomi said.

"Creep! Are you a witch? How do catch on to these things so quick?" Ivanna said.

"Well, it's just very obvious, isn't it, Michal?" Tomi replied.

"Yeah, he actually asked about you from Nimi, although Nimi refused to tell me why", Michal added.

"What did Nimi say? Wait, he was serious! Oh!", Ivanna said with amusement written all over her face.

"Serious about what?" the other two girls chorused. Tomi answered the question after a brief pause, "I've found a love for me", she sang gesturing like she was emotional. "Darling just dive right in and follow my lead", Michal sang the next line of the song by Ed Sheeran, also acting emotional and the girls laughed hard. They continued to gist until the wee hours of the next day before falling asleep, one after the other, with Michal falling asleep last. She thanked God for her day as she drifted to sleep, with the ring on her finger.
CHAPTER 14

Engaged...

The sun smiled brightly as its rays kissed the earth. It was a perfect demonstration of that song, "the day is bright...", which Michal hummed as she drove to work. She was filled with joy that morning, with a radiant look and lips that seemed to have been permanently sculpted into a smile curve. Her colleagues commented on her mood as she greeted them; her patients noticed it too and an elderly woman even mentioned it.

"You look really happy and beautiful this morning, Dr Michal".

"Yeah, I feel real good today. Hope you are okay too?", she replied with a pleasant smile as she picked up the patient's chart to check. That was when he saw her ring,

"That looks gorgeous. Did you get engaged over the weekend?", he said.

"Thanks", Michal replied adding that she just got proposal, which earned everyone's congratulations. One of the younger nurses even took a picture of the ring because it looked beautiful. After work, she sped back home to prepare for her meeting with Nimi later that evening.

Nimi could barely wait for work hours to end as he was excited to see his fiancée. Hmmm... fiancée, he smiled at that thought. He had been practical walking over the moon since his proposal. He chuckled when his table clock chimed closing time. Without wasting a minute, he packed his bag and headed home. Michal already told him of her schedule, so he didn't bother to call her on his way home. At home, he flung his closet open to pick what to wear and he eventually settled for an army green bomber jacket over a white t-shirt on blue jean trousers and a pair of white sneakers. He picked up his purse and car keys and went to Michal's house.

Outside her house, he leaned on his car as he waited for her and he smiled at what he saw when she emerged from the door. She wore a dusky pink long sleeve wrap top on high-waisted skinny jean trousers over a pair of black heeled boots. Her accessories were silver, and her hair was packed to the back with a black bow. She looked beautiful and had a nice scent, which Nimi took time to inhale as he opened the car door for her.

"Hey, you look great tonight", he said before walking round to his own seat.

"Thanks, you look good yourself", she replied with a smile that exposed her white set of teeth. The date was the beginning of their journey into planning seriously for marriage.

The couple spent time going for marriage counselling, seminars and even reading the same books about building their homes. One of the issues they discussed was finance management, which brought to an agreement to keep a joint account, separate from their personal accounts. The joint account was like their savings and they agreed to put a percentage of their income in the account monthly.

Another issue they discussed was the number of children. Michal was initially adamant about just two regardless of their genders but was convinced by Nimi who loved children to increase it by 3. The discussion about whose church to attend took a while, but they eventually agreed that Nimi's church was the one for them after prayers and considering Nimi's ministry as a youth minister. The duo also decided to reduce their indoor meetings and opted for more outings instead, reason being that, they did not want the engagement and the fact that they would be getting married make them indulge in premarital sex.

They maintained their alertness whenever they were in private. Nimi and his friends also secured a secluded area for their families and renovations were made. He ensured that Michal's opinion was considered in the renovations, especially in areas such as the kitchen, the roof terrace and the living room.

Preparing for wedding...

Finally, after several consultations with both families, the wedding date was picked. Because Michal's family were based back in Nigeria, they decided to have their wedding in Nigeria. Preparations for the wedding was in full fledge until the wedding venue was to be decided. Nimi's parents, although, were not heavy drinkers, didn't see anything wrong with entertaining guests with alcohol.

However, Michal's parents frowned against anything of such and there seemed to be a clash about the decision of serving alcohol. When Nimi's dad mentioned it to him, he told them that Michal and himself would make the decision about the venue and entertainment as such. And since neither of them drank alcohol, they decided to pick a reception venue with a 'no alcohol' policy and made a list of the mocktails, soft drinks and food menu to be served. That way, they were able to prevent the families from having a conflict.

They also made sure to arrange for the wedding gown and tuxedo to be bought in advance and delivered closer to the wedding date. Since they would be travelling out of the UK, Michal decided to use her annual leave to take a break from work, so she could have enough time before and after the wedding. She arrived at her parents' house in Lagos, Nigeria about two weeks before the wedding and Nimi arrived with his parents a few days later at an accommodation provided by Michal's parents. An entire six-bedroom house and a smaller guest house was used to accommodate Nimi's family and his close acquaintances throughout their stay in Lagos.

The Wedding...

That Saturday was a beautiful one. The air was fresh thanks to the slight shower of rain the night before – wet enough to soften the atmosphere and enough not to cause a mess of flooding. Neither of the soon-to-be couple had a good night sleep due to the excitement. Nimi got out of bed as early as 5a.m to pray and start preparing. He looked forward to seeing Michal, whom he had not seen since the traditional ceremony on Thursday.

He opened the window of the room he was lodged in at around 7 a.m. The sky looked like an arranged palette of different shades of blue with the sun in the centre giving off its orange blaze to begin its eternal task of lapping up the wetness from the rain. His friends soon came to join him. By 9:25a.m., they were on their way to church for the Holy Matrimony.

Michal, meanwhile, couldn't sleep a wink over the night. She was engulfed in mixed feelings; excitement, anxiety and joy amongst them. She woke up early with her friends to get ready for service. At 9:35, everyone was on their way to church.

The auditorium of Cornerstone Church, Lekki, Lagos was beautifully decorated, to match the colour themes. The pews were decorated on the sides to the aisle with gold and purple fabrics. The church entrance had an arch with flowers of the same colours, matched with pocket flowers of the grooms and his men and the bride's bouquet. The aisle runner was lined with a champagne gold carpet reaching the altar. The service started with the groom's men's procession, after which the bride was walked down the aisle by her dad.

Nimi couldn't take his eyes off Michal. She glowed in her beautiful gown, which had a heavily beaded sweetheart neckline and cap petal short sleeves with a trumpet skirt and zipper back buttons to the end of the train. Her hair was held in place with pins in order to fit the veil. Her make-up was simple. He smiled at her when their eyes met, and she smiled back. He was the happiest man on earth that day. The service soon ended, and 'Boundless' by Phil Wickham, the recessional hymn whistled as they walk out of the auditorium - special request from the couple.

As they walked out of the church hand in hand, Nimi thanked God under his breath. He had a lot to be grateful for. His pains as a child, his ordeals as a teenager made him dislike the idea of 'girls', but God worked in him and here he was, getting married to a woman he loves so dearly; a lady with an understanding of the things of God, intelligent and beautiful. He smiled and waved in unison with Michal as he spotted Tobi and his wife among the people. "God's love is boundless, I can attest to it", he thought as he placed a kiss on Michal's forehead at the back of the BMW car that will be taking them to the reception venue.

Michal was overjoyed. She allowed her train of thoughts to drive her back to the beginning of her love story, how she learnt forgiveness, the people that became a part of her life – Tomi, Ivanna, Gbemi to mention a few... and Nimi. To her, Nimi was an evidence of God's love. She couldn't be any less appreciative of this man she has come to treasure. He was her gift. A gift she couldn't have earned. She recalled that verse of the Bible that said, "Delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart desires". This can only be God.

Her attention was called back when Nimi kissed her forehead and she rested her head on his shoulders whispering "Ademi" as she closed her eyes. Her journey with love continues, but with one man till death do them part and with their Ultimate Love.

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