Dedicated to diamond__rubies ❤️❤️❤️, the ship finally sailed, almost officially sha.

Who saw this update coming?? No one! No one!!

                             ~ADAM~

My hand was still cupping her cheek, lips hovering over hers, eyes fixated on hers and I could feel and hear her shaky breath. I leaned even closer, my eyes still not wavering from hers, hers still not wavering from mine.

"Kunmi...."

My voice sounded so much like a breathy whisper and she tensed at that, her eyes dropping to my lips. I smiled, liking this, loving this effect on her.

"Do you want me to kiss you?"

My thumb was now hovering on her lower lip, my eyes still fixed on hers and I could hear her shaky and sharp intakes of breath. Her eyes involuntarily dropped to my lips again and I could hear her swallow before she subconsciously ran her tongue on her lower lips, my eyes following that movement but I still couldn't bring myself to kiss her.

Until she leaned in completely and she pressed her lips against mine.

I became a frozen statute, my heart flipping a thousand time and a million fireworks exploding in my chest at the gentle brush of her lips on mine.

I angled my head, my lips moving slowly and softly against hers and I became a mess of andrenaline rushes, incapable of thinking or feeling any other thing at that point, it was just the both of us with every other thing fading into the recess of my mind.

My tongue brushed against her lower lip and she sighed, moaned.

That became my undoing.

My other hand left hers so I could cup the other side of her face, my thumbs moving slowly, caressing her cheeks while my tongue traced the seam of her lips. I got lost in the pool of endless ecstasy, what I felt just kissing her was unexplainable, I could as well be flying or floating in the air with all the beautiful emotions constricting in my chest. I kissed her like she was all the air I needed and she was.

She sighed again, her hand fisting around my shirt, pulling me closer, driving me over the edge, her lips slightly parting and my senses exploded. Her mouth was sweet, enticing that I could get lost in the haven that it was. I continued to kiss her slowly, my lips stroking hers, tongue flipping against her lips. I nibbled, pulled, sucked her lips and she allowed me, her hand pulling me closer.

The kiss felt perfect, like the first ray of sunlight after the a long rain, the cool breeze of a summer evening, the first rain after a long drought.

I sucked on her lower lip, teeth gently grazing and pulling, tongue flipping against her lips, silently seeking entrance. Her free hand pressed against my chest and I tensed, that single touch doing things to my body and driving my senses over the edge. And she wasn't even touching my bare skin but it felt like she was.

It felt even more intimate.

I've never felt anything like this before, not even close to this.

My teeth tugged gently on her lower lips, tongue tracing her lips and a moan that sounded so dangerously arousing made me made me still against her, made me pull back even though everything in me was screaming otherwise.

My forehead pressed against hers, mouth still tingling from the kiss, heart still racing in my chest, my palm still on her cheeks when she opened her eyes, slowly. Her eyes met mine, deep brown pool of eternity that was now darkened and there was a glint in them, a beautiful kind of glint that I couldn't decipher.

I smiled, not trusting myself to say anything because talking, spewing actual words after what we both shared would reduce it to mere aesthetics.

She smiled back, her face lighting up, eyes still locked on mine and God, she was beautiful, she looked too beautiful that it was almost ethereal. I could make job of looking at her face all day. I smiled so brightly that I could feel my lips starting to tear. My chest was a constricting with outs of beautiful emotions, too beautiful emotions.

My eyes involuntarily dropped to her lips again, slightly parted pink swollen lips and I started to lean in again..

"Adam, ain't you bored staying at home alone?"

I frowned at my cousin's words and I moved slightly away from Kunmi who looked like she was trying to hold herself from giggling or laughing. My brows arched up as I stared at her curiously, wondering what was funny and it seemed like my expression broke her resolve and she actually started giggling or laughing, the sound doing things to me.

Giggling sound doing things to me. I think I've gotten it real bad.

"Adam?"

Came Tari's voice again and I turned towards the direction of her voice. She stood at the entrance of the patio, arms folded on her chest.

"So you had company? And I was thinking you'd be bored. Sorry to interrupt you guys."

Was all she said before she walked off and I shook my head, wondering if it was possible for any of my cousins to even become more weird than they were already.

I looked back at Kunmi who now had her head buried in her palms and still giggling uncontrollably. I looked at her curiously. I could listen to her laugh and giggle and do all sort of things all day but I really needed to know why she was giggling at the moment. Did girls go around giggling like this?

"So, you're going to tell me why you're giggling?"

My voice still sounded husky, deeper and slightly tensed?

Wow! On God.

She finally looked up at my question, her face still full of laughter. I watched her expressions, watched as she tried to control her laughing but she failed miserably and soon enough, she was laughing again.

Oh wow.

I watched her, definitely amazed by the fact that she was laughing even though I had no idea why she was laughing. But it was a good thing, wasn't it?

She was finally able to stop laughing even though her face was full of open amusement. I just stared at her, still full of awe.

"So?"

"You looked like you wanted to murder your cousin."

I shrugged casually.

"That's because that thought did cross my mind at that time."

She giggled again, softly, girlish.

"Why?"

She asked casually, her voice dropping an octave and I was sure I did not just imagine that.

I leaned even closer than I already was.

"I'd rather show you."

And that, I did.

**********

Mom kept looking at me strangely. It was the Monday morning and I couldn't count the number of time I had caught her looking at me, brow arched up, a pleasantly surprised look on her face since we returned to the house on Sunday.

We were in the dinning room and we were supposed to be eating but I couldn't even eat because of mom's scrutinizing gaze. I met her eyes for the umpteenth time that morning and I finally gave up and I dropped my toast on the plate.

"Mom, I won't be able to eat of you keep staring at me like that."

She actually scoffed. Like, my mom actually scoffed, her right brow arching further upwards.

"You weren't eating in the first place. You've been smiling to yourself ever since we started eating."

Ohhh. I started to smile again before I remembered that I shouldn't be smiling to myself.

"I'm done eating but there you are, you've barely even touched yours."

She continued and I looked down at my plate. She was right. My two toasts were lying there, barely untouched.

"And you've been doing that ever since we got home yesterday, to the point of moving around the house in dance moves. I don't remember giving birth to a dancer."

That made burst into laughter before I could stop myself. What? Dance moves? Oh come on, it couldn't be that bad.

"I don't know what you were fed in your Aunty's place but it's good to see you this way even though it kind of creepy. I don't even know when you became a dancer."

"Oh mom, please, relent on this dance thing. I wasn't dancing around the house."

"Oh, you weren't, you were only breaking."

That made me laugh again. This woman ehn! She said nothing afterwards, she just continued to look at me as I ate my toasts.

"Are you going to be home earlier today?........"

I started nodding.

"Your dad is coming back today."

I stopped nodding immediately. Dad was coming back today? How did I even manage not to think of dad during the holidays?

"And he wants us to have dinner together."

Mom concluded with a tiny, almost unnoticeable smile on her face. She looked hopeful and sort of happy? Even after everything? I dropped the toast, completely losing my appetite now.

Dad was coming back and he wanted us to have dinner and mom looked happy? For whatever reason?

Mom's eyes met mine and something flashed in them, recognition, like it just dawned on her what she just said. She probably forgot that I knew and that I wasn't one of those sons that idolized their dad.

"Korede....."

"I should leave now if I don't want to be late for school. I'll see you in the evening, for the dinner."

The dinner came out with so much indignation that I almost wished I could it back because of her expression.

"Korede..."

"I'll see you later mom."

I replied, cutting her off again and walking out of the dinning room and the whole house before she could say anything.

Whatever I was feeling before mom brought up dad seemed almost alien now and I seemed like I wasn't the one that had felt those feelings. I'd completely forgotten about dad and all the headaches that came with him.

Or rather, I had managed not to think about him because my thoughts were occupied with other important things but it took just a mention of his name to get rid of all the other good thoughts and to reduce me to this very terrible and dark mood.

I hated this.

The driver soon drove in through the towering gates of Cresent High and I could see students miling around in twos and threes, talking excitedly, laughing and whispering and bonding and filling each other in.

I was too paralyzed with that dark mood to even think to feel any other thing.

I wanted to walk towards the academic block but I found myself walking towards the Arts Studio instead.

Like always.

**********
~KUNMI~

The first thing I remembered when the driver drove into the large expanse of land that was Cresent High's compound was the first time I stepped into the school's compound. It seemed like a long time ago and what I felt then even felt like a long time around.

I stepped out of the car, feeling the rush of air as it hits me all at once. I could hear the exaggerated and excited screams of other students as they exchanged hugs and pleasantries.

There was this huge grin on my face that I couldn't seem to wipe off my face and this feeling coursing through my veins that made me feel like I was floating rather than walking.

And when I think back to last Thursday even though I tried really hard not to but it was all I've thought about.

The kiss.

I felt myself shiver at the thought and a smile finding its way to my face. That wasn't me.

That couldn't have been me.

That was an alter, the other Kunmi.

"Care to share the good news, fat girl?"

I was almost at the senior block when I heard that. I turned towards the direction of the voice to see Rahmon leaning against the wall, arms folded on his chest, his lips turned up in a disdainful smirk.

He looked ugly, too ugly.

Why did I never notice that before?

I looked away from him, his words fading to the recess of my mind. Infact, it was almost like I did not hear them or they weren't directed at me.

I walked away, leaving him to deal with himself. It was almost when I was about to enter our class that I realized what just happened. It was the first time, the first time ever that I did not feel down or bad or allow someone else's words to get to me.

"Comrade."

I swirled back to see Alex who was about to say something. His words seemed to die in his throat and he moved back, a confused expression on his face. My left brow automatically arched up, wondering what the look was all about.

"Well, this huge smile on your face is something. Is there......"

"Kunmi!!"

Came Aminah's voice, interrupting him and cutting off whatever he was about to say. I looked away from him to see the former walking towards us, a smile on her face. Alex disappeared to God knows where even before Aminah closed got to us.

"Kunmi, happy resumption. How're you? Well, I can tell that you're fine with the smile on your face. I thought you were talking to someone just now. Who was that? Adam?"

God! Trust Aminah to say a thousand words in a single breath. I smiled at her just at that same time the bell went off, signifying the time for money devotion.

Adam did not show up for the morning devotion and even when we saw Kunle, he wasn't with him.

And he did not even show up for the first period.

And the second and the third.

***********
~ADAM~

"It's the first day of resumption, shouldn't you be in class or something?"

I stopped drawing, the pencil in my hand hovering over the paper. I thought I was the only one in the studio. I had no idea that Mr Adiza was in the studio with me. I dropped the pencil and I turned to look at him. He was looking at me with something like a worried expression on his face.

He looked away from my face to the canvas and something I couldn't decipher flashed in his eyes.

"The theme of this week is motherhood?"

He said, the statement sounding more like a question and I shrugged.

"Yes."

"And how is your painting related to that?"

I looked away his face to the painting. It was a painting of an haggard looking woman with a knife stuck into her back breastfeeding a tiny baby who was hungrily suckling on her breast.

What the woman doesn't know was that the baby would forever be hungry if she doesn't get rid of the knife and the wound before feeding him?

And that was exactly how I felt about mom.

"I think it's fit it perfectly, the theme of motherhood. Mothers would go through extreme measures just to protect their kids. It's just perfect."

That was from another person, Tolase. When and how they both got in, I had no idea.

Mr Adiza looked away from the painting to Tolase who was now sitting on the stool beside me, eyes fixed on the painting.

"I'm just saying, it's motherhood and to celebrate mother's love, it doesn't have to be that sad."

"Ohh. Art is already sad. We shouldn't even go down that lane today. Most artistes are sad people. Writers, photographers, artists are more prone to depression than any other person. Why? Because we tend to overthink things."

Tolase continued talking, hands moving around in gestures. Was that it? Most artistes are sad? Well, I wouldn't doubt that.

"Ehn ehn, do you guys know N.H?"

She asked again and I looked at Mr Adiza because of the way she just referred to him but he doesn't seem to mind as his eyes were furrowed together, probably trying to remember where he had heard that name before. At times like this, he was more like our mate than our teacher.

"N. H? Who's that? Is he an artist?"

I doubted that. If he was an artist, I'd know him especially there was this low respect in Tolase's voice when she said his name. That meant he must be very good hence, I'd know him but that name was as alien as anything.

I wasn't even sure if he was a he or she.

"Noo, he is a photographer. He took this picture that's trending online. Let me show you guys."

She swiped her phone's screen up and in no minute, she turned the phone's screen towards our direction and I saw one of the most disturbing pictures ever.

It was a picture of three bony boys in a refugee camp; they were so bony that I could count the bones in their body. That wasn't even the disturbing part of the picture; the disturbing part was the fact that they were bent over a small fire and they were roasting a lizard.

From the eager looks on their faces, they couldn't wait for it to be done; for a lizard to finish roasting.

I didn't know how someone would see this kind of picture and not overthink life.

I didn't even want to start to think of things from the photographer's perspective. I wondered how he'd be able to sleep with himself at night after taking pictures like this?

"His name is everywhere on social media with his other pictures, even deeper pictures than this but nobody knows his name except his initials and his Gmail which he never replies. He doesn't even have a social media account despite his mad talent. Mehn. People are talented."

N. H. He sounded so much like a mystery. He was probably among those artist who'd never want to be associated with their works. I found him intriguing which was weird because I hardly find people intriguing.

Except Kunmi of course.

Kunmi! She was probably somewhere in the school right now. Oh God! How much I've missed her.

You saw her just two days ago.

Well, it felt like two years ago.

I was so eager to come to school this morning because I was going to see her but it took just the mention of dad's name to even forget about that.

I hated that.

Hated the fact dad still made me feel like that.

"I'm leaving now. You should complete your painting. It's actually very nice by the way."

I nodded at Tolase, barely understanding what she just said. She left immediately afterwards and Mr Adiza left too, after patting me on my shoulders.

Sometimes, I liked the way he looked at me; like he was too proud to have me as his student but most times, I hated the way he looked at me; like I needed to see a therapist.

I heaved a sigh and I picked up my brush to continue painting but I couldn't even concentrate. I came here to get distracted from my thoughts but now, I needed something more.

I needed to feel whole and only one person would be able to make me feel that.

I stood up, packed my brushes and I was arranging them on the cabinet when the door opened and Kunmi walked in.

My lips parted slightly in surprise at the fact that she was really here while she only looked at me warily, a frown marring her beautiful face.

She looked worried.

"Hii."

I smiled at how my voice came out. Would I ever be able to have a normal conversation with her without sounding that way?

She still said nothing in reply to my greetings and what she did next surprised me. She actually turned back and she started to open the door.

The rate at which I crossed over to where she was surprised me. I'd probably be the World's best runner if I should use half of that speed on the field.

I successfully stopped her from opening door but that only made us to end up in a very compromising and dangerous position.

Her back to the wall with me directly in front of her with zero distance between us.

Zero distance.

I should move back but I did not want to, especially when I could hear her not so subtle breathing, her sharp intakes of breath and her scent that was everywhere.

And then, her slightly parted lips.

I should move back.

Move back.

Move back.

I did not want to move back so I did not.

I moved even closer.

"You obviously came to check up on me. Why were you just leaving?"

"Because I've confirmed that you were fine?"

"No, I'm not."

That made her look up at my face, her expression turning into a worried one.

"Really? What's wrong? Is there something I...."

I cut her off by pressing my lips against hers.

Jesus!

I don't think I'd ever get used to how electrifying and intense and passionate this felt like.

I kissed her slowly, lips moving gently and softly over hers. I angled my head, lips stroking hers, mouth exploding with her sweet flavors. I teased, nibbled, sucked, getting lost in this utter bliss that was better than any other thing.

My teeth slightly tugged on her bottom lips, tongue tracing the seam of her lips and asking for permission to go deeper. Her lips parted slightly and my..

"Oh, my innocent eyes and virgin lips! What did I just walk in on?"

A million curses for who just entered!!!!

You all know that person. Of course, who else would say something like that if not...........

Someone should please beg Kunmi ooo. Adam became a dancer because of girl!!! Oluwa, wetin dey occur?? He can't be saved. Forget, he'll just die if Kunmi should ignore him for two seconds.

Well, well, well, they finally kissed and knowing Adam, they'd kiss for like 600 more times before the book ends and trust me when I say Kunmi doesn't know herself, mehn, it's just to be observing.

Four updates in a day! I overworked myself during the week so If I did not read your update during this week, I was too busy and I'd definitely read your chapters ❤️❤️

Please, don't skip the next update, it's really important and it's up already ❤️❤️