Enjoy some Friday Fiction from my upcoming book, Freddie Untangled.
Disclaimer:
Please note that Freddie Untangled is NOT a standalone. It is the conclusion to Freddie and Kike's story which began in Freddie Entangled.
Chapter One of Freddie Untangled follows directly from the last chapter of Freddie Entangled.
So if you haven't read Freddie Entangled and wish to do so, this may contain spoilers.
Chapter One - Part One
You can’t leave me and you know why.
Her husband’s threatening words echoed in Kike’s mind as she stood in the oppressive and humid Lagos heat outside a dove-coloured walled duplex in Dolphin Estate. Tightness in her chest made it difficult to breath.
“Here you go,” the estate agent’s cheery sing-song voice floated in the air like musical notes accompanied by the jingle of the keys in her manicured hand.
“Thank you, Donna. Wait for us out here.” Kike forced a smile to hide the apprehension knotting her belly as she glanced at the unlocked front door. Her future lay beyond the maroon-painted wooden slab. A place she would call home if she followed through with her plans.
“Yes, Ma’am.” The lady stepped aside, smile still plastered on her face.
Kike would give it to the younger woman. She always seemed bright and bubbly. The kind of vivaciousness few men could resist. Even Freddie had been attracted to her when they’d met at a party, weeks ago.
The fitted, monochrome-panel, knee-length dress Donna wore clung to slender curves and stylish platform shoes extended her legs, adding to her pretty face.
A glance at Freddie showed he didn’t pay the woman any attention. He appeared to be surveying their environment, his mind probably assessing any potential threats by new their location.
Heat radiated across Kike’s chest. She shouldn’t be so pleased at something so simple. Yet she wanted to do a fist pump that she’d finally met a man who didn’t have eyes for every woman within the vicinity.
An identical building stood next door connected by a structural wall internally and separated externally by a low brick and metal wall. The two linked buildings didn’t share the same entrance gates, which proved appealing to Kike. She wanted privacy even if she couldn’t afford the luxury of a secluded, detached home.
She stepped through the doorway into a short hall. Daylight spilled from the small window of the cloakroom to her left.
“Thanks, Donna,” Freddie said behind her as he followed and poked his head into the guest bedroom to her right.
Kike had brought Freddie to the property she planned to rent. To what could be her new home. The first time she’d taken a step this far in her bid to leave Lekan. She’d never been brave enough. Never been bold enough to share her plans to leave her husband with anyone else, except with her friend, Tolani.
Her hands shook. To stop the trembling, she clutched the leather tote to her left side in a tight grip and fingered the multi-coloured intricately-beaded necklace resting on her collar.
“Have you viewed this house previously?” Freddie asked, his raspy voice drawing her out of her roving thoughts. He probably wondered how she knew her way around the house.
“Yes. Tolani used to live here before she moved to Lekki. She’s just finished refurbishing it ready to let it out,” Kike replied, stepping into a vacant alabaster-walled open-plan living room.
“We can have the sofas over here.” She walked to the far right end near the large slider windows overlooking the side and back of the house.
“Makes sense. An entertainment unit can be set up in this alcove under the stairs,” Freddie pointed to the corner.
“I’d rather have a love seat there. There are going to be books on the shelving unit built under the staircase. It’ll be a perfect reading corner.” She smiled as she pictured relaxing on the chair to read.
“A love seat, huh?” Freddie’s ebony eyes twinkled with amusement and one dark brow curved high.
Her cheeks heated and she lowered her gaze. Gosh! He made her feel like a bashful teenage girl sometimes.
“Well, we won’t fit a full length sofa in there and I don’t want to stuff it with one of those fat armchairs. I saw a beautiful mid-Century style two-seater that I think will fit the alcove.”
His lips parted and he nodded slowly. “You seem to know exactly what you want.”
She lifted her gaze to meet his. For a moment, everything around them seemed to blur, leaving just the two of them. Her breath caught, her skin tingled. She swallowed and worked saliva into her mouth.
“I’ve always know what I wanted. I just haven’t been bold enough to go for it before.” She referred to more than just furniture. He seemed to know it by the way his eyes darkened. She broke eye contact and walked away from him, afraid of what she would do if she stayed close to him any longer.
To be continued...
Copyright 2017 Kiru Taye
Preorder your copy of Freddie Untangled from Amazon
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