SHUBU IN "BLIND DATE BOMBSHELL PART 2"

He had the most beautiful hazel eyes shaded by thick perfectly arched eyebrows. Set in a perfectly oval face. His eyes held an unexplained kind of innocence and mystery to them, they seemed to pull me in making me desire deeply to know him more and at the same time, making me feel like I already knew him long before we started to talk. As I settled into the chair I secretly wished a thousand blessings upon Tubosun for setting this up. He was incredibly handsome, he had a light mustache over perfectly formed  pink lips. I had to pinch myself to stop gawking at him.

He sat back down in his chair and looked at me in my eyes, "thank you for meeting up with me even on a short notice, At some point I thought you weren't going to show up" he said. "Oh it's absolutely my pleasure"I said, Turning my charm-o-meter up to a hundred percent! I'm glad I came and so sorry for the delays, I was held up at work". "Not a problem" he said, maintaining eye contact, "you are well worth the wait"... (Oh God..He has flows too?! damn it, i could feel my cynical brain turning into mush) "This is a very nice place" I say changing the topic, "it's amazing to think that since I moved to Abuja iv been to so many places but iv never been here, I've heard a lot about it though, it's really amazing". "I'm glad you like it", he smiles, flashing a set of perfect straight white teeth, "Yes I do, it's beautiful". "It is indeed" he replies, giving me a deep piercing gaze. Owwkay is he talking about me or the restaurant? I smile shyly, yikes I can feel the shyness begin to rise up inside of me, are those butterflies fluttering? (Fuck! I have to squash those bugs!!).

I break away from his gaze, looking out the window, my gaze falls to the massive Olympics size swimming pool twenty feet down from where we are and something about that blue water with the name CASABLANCA lit up at the base of the pool seemed so magical.., almost surreal... Am I dreaming?! I'm sitting next to a super hot guy in a super posh restaurant having a super cool conversation and feeling super chill about it all?!! I better wake up now! I'm about to start pinching myself awake when his voice breaks through my reverie.. "So tell me about yourself" he says I look up and see him watching me keenly, closely as if his eyes could decipher what I was thinking, he had a slight smile tugging the corner of his lips, could he tell I was shy..? Okay Shubu, Breathe..

"Well all you see is all I am" I say smiling "I'm a five foot eight drama queen with a big heart and a big booty" he does a mock gasp as his eyes widen "big booty?! really??! you don't say, well I didn't quite notice that when you walked in, you mind standing up and giving me a little spin?" I laugh "you're funny", he smiles "well you started it". "Yeah yeah" I reply smiling "I'm breaking the ice" I say, he looks around, on and under the table, "Wait the ice? What ice, you mean the waiter brought ice without champagne?! Preposterous?! He says in mock indignation. "Hahaha, would you stop". "Okay" he smiles, "Tell me more". "I grew up here and have spent most of my life in the northern part of Nigeria, I come from a family of seven, five kids and two parents. I'm the middle kid. I am adventurous and I have a deep hunger to change the world. I believe I harbor superman somewhere on my inside but my geeky Clark Kent exterior has refused to be upstaged and won't let the real Superman come out. I'm still working on that though. In the interim, I work as a deputy PRO with Kama-Kazie Entertainment, it's a fun job. I enjoy it because of the challenge and creative freedom it affords me. I like to read in my spare time and I sing a lot too. My sibling, two elder sisters are married with kids, both live here, my immediate younger brother is serving in Lagos and the youngest is in university.I have a best friend who is also my flat mate Amaka aka Lewi. She's a tad bit psychotic but she makes my life incredibly fun. I pause, smiling "that's enough said, your turn"

"Hmm, alright for now, il let you off cos I know there is a lot more but okay..."

Anyway, I'm the only boy in a family of four, I have an elder sister and two parents, I grew up in London and have been there most of my life. The only time I spent a really long stretch away was when I traveled for university in the States. I had been to Nigeria a couple of times before now, once for my fathers younger brother's wedding which held in Kano State and I really appreciated the serenity and quietness of the northern part of Nigeria compared to the hustle and bustle of Lagos which I am more familiar with. When I made the decision to return back to Nigeria I decided to relocate to Abuja and explore another side of the country. I work in construction and I'm an architect. I love art.....  I draw a lot. I'm not too much of a talker, I like to listen, I think I picked that up from spending so much time with my mother and sister. They just go on and on and on and I'm usually in the middle just listening. I'm usually preconceived as shy and quiet but I have my own slice of superman on the inside as well.

He smiles and continues, my mom and sister live in London, my sister is married with three kids and my mom lives very close to her and her family, my dad lives in Lagos. My mother is British and my dad is from Delta state, He tried moving my mother here but that didn't work," he paused smiling "so my dad shuttles between Nigeria and London most of the time.. He's too stuck on Nigeria to live any where else, he's a business man... errm what else... Okay, I read and draw in my spare time and I consider myself very adventurous as well, traveling is one of my biggest hobbies and every opportunity I have to do so, I do. I'm experimental, I love trying new things. I can cook! He grins widely, "stellar chef, no lie also influenced by mom and sister." "I love basketball and would have been in the NBA if all the stars were aligned but that's a story for another day." He smiles and stops "that's a lot about me, why do I feel like I just sold myself to you, I even said I can cook, like this was some kind of  elevator pitch".
"Hahaha, well at least, I know for sure you're a good marketer, if you're selling, Il definitely buy but you would have to prove your cooking skills first."
He laughs, shaking his head, "Well I'm always ready".

So how do you know Tubosun" I ask, "we grew up together, he says. We were neighbors as kids in Lagos before we moved to London, we lived in the same estate and went to the same primary school. Our families were close so as time went on we gradually became really good friends, When we relocated, we managed to keep in touch through our parents till we were re united again in NYU when I got to college. We had a lot of adventures there, he always acted like the big brother I never had... so naturally he was the first person I called when I came back to Nigeria... That's our love story, if you want to hear all about my sophomore geeky days in college, he can give you an ear full".

"Sweeeet! Il definitely ask" I reply chuckling "he's a good guy, I met him about two years ago when I was transferred up north to Kano to do some work for my company. I ended up living there longer than I had anticipated. Tubosun was working at an NGO in Kano as well and we ended up in the same estate. His flat was next to  mine and let's just say he was a breath of fresh air in a very different environment, we became fast friends. He transferred back to Abuja before me and we also managed to keep in touch till my program was over and I returned back here.. He is a good friend.... really good."

I meet his gaze realizing I had been looking at my glass more than at him and he had been gazing at me. Holding my gaze, he leans in. "You are really beautiful you know" he says looking at me unflinching. He didn't smile as he said it, my heart skipped a beat and i felt my cheeks warm "Thank you", I reply, he's still staring and I can't help but break away, cos his eyes seem to be pulling out some kind of secret radiations from my brain. "You have really nice eyes...  is that why you stare so much..? I ask teasingly" He smiles and leans back into his chair, "There's no one on earth who wouldn't stare at perfection..." He replies still looking at me with those piercing eyes.. Jeez now those butterflies were damn near doing back flips in my tummy. "Wow that was a good one, what movie did you pick that up from?"
 He chuckles "you have a good sense of humor, I like that..." "Shall we order, so I don't spend the whole night making you uncomfortable with my eyes" he smiles, a sly slow smile. "Yes let's do that!' (At least the food would be a distraction from your J-Cole looking ass I say in my mind).

I can feel my phone vibrating uncontrollably in my purse on my lap, I know it's Amaka, pinging and calling me to get the scoop on how the date is going. I had told her I'm sure it would be whack and I would be back home before she knew it, hmm, did I have gist for her! Glancing at my watch, I notice another hour has almost passed, wow had we spent that much time talking. It only seemed like ten minutes ago I walked in here. "Do you have a curfew" he asks playfully, "No, but I have to go to work tomorrow". "You work Saturdays?" "Not always but we have a press conference tomorrow and I'm in charge of logistics." "Well that's a damper, I had already planned my whole Saturday out with you in my head" I smile.. Shyly "Well  maybe next week Saturday then.." He smiles back and leans in, "I'm usually very patient, but I don't think I can wait seven days to see this face again..." I smile shaking my head "you're quite the charmer, aren't you?". He laughs "No...not at all, just being honest..."

Damn he is good...

To be continued...

SHUBU IN "BLIND DATE BOMBSHELL"

The restaurant was dimly lit with an exotic air about it. The furniture was quaint and looked very cozy,  floor to ceiling windows allowed a beautiful view of the National mosque all lit up by the night lights,  Faint r and b music floated across the room, it was boys to men.. Hmmm, Impressive, this place was even better than I had imagined, nice. Couples engrossed in conversation, dinner or themselves were loosely scattered across the room.

I looked at my wristwatch, oh snap it's 830 I was already an hour late damn! Lateness wasn't in my DNA but my boss decided we were working late today of all days!! Today when my homie from way back, Tubosun had convinced me to go on a blind date with his childhood friend who was new in town and was looking for good company. "So I'm good company" I snorted "hmph indeed! oh well, there's nothing to lose and I'm bored anyway", "Bored? more like boy friend-less" he said laughing "oh, whatever" I shook my head and laughed. I had never been on a blind date before but I agreed to give this one a try. Tubosun had refused to tell me what he looked like so I was expecting anything from King Kong to Ramsey Nouah (if I'm lucky!). I told him if his mystery friend was a King Kong, our speaking days are over after I'm done wringing his neck! As usual he responded with his lazy drawl," what's the point of it being a BLIND date if I tell you what he looks like? be optimistic my dear..iv given him you're number and he will call you tonight or tomorrow morning. "

Well, here I was, my optimistic self standing at the door of this fancy restaurant looking for my mystery blind date... He had called me earlier today, introduced himself as Tega and we had set up a date for 7:30 tonight at Abuja's high end spot, "CasaBlanca". I had heard of this place but had never been here, it was much fancier than I had expected.

I squinted my eyes to scan the room for a singular male specie (well I'm guessing he would be sitting alone isn't it) Hmm...., I couldn't see any male specie sitting alone or could it be possible that he wasn't here yet. my brain does a mock gasp, the nerve of that!! That will be a zero for first impressions, while I was busy engaging my mental nuances, the restaurant maitre d' walked up to me, "Hello, ma'am are you looking for someone?"  I smiled "Oh yes I'm supposed to meet someone here actually, his name is Tega". He smiles "ahh Mr Osaka, yes he is expecting you, let me take you to meet him". Hmmmm... he must be a regular here my mind volunteers, I thought Tubosun said he is new in town, how come they know him here, Okay now this is getting more interesting, He led me upstairs to an even more beautiful place, there were fewer people there and it was more intimate. We got to the door and he pointed him out, "that's him over there mam" and he turned and walked away, leaving me alone to walk up to him.

Oh wow! I did a double take, That's him?!

Now I wished I hadn't rushed out of the office so quickly, OH EMM GEE!!

He was sitting at the far end corner of the room,  next to massive window overlooking a fantastic view of the city, he was reading a book. A lone chandelier made for a spotlight over his head. He looked dapper in a navy blue shirt, black pants and a reflector blue tie. His golden brown skin glowed and his full head of well groomed hair was neatly in place, he had strong brows and a well chiseled oval face...his features were impeccable, Ramsey who, Ramsey what?? This dude was fine! was it the lighting....? okay..wow!
I stood rooted to the spot thinking I could make a quick dash to the rest room and fix my make up since he seemed so engrossed in what he was reading, I was about to turn around and creep to the restroom when as if on cue he looked up, straight at me and our eyes met. He stared for a split second then figuring out it was me,he waved me over.

I walked forward to meet him, as I approached, he stood up to greet me, "hello" he said with a baritone voice laced with a thick British accent, "I almost didn't recognize you, Tubosun did no justice to your looks," I shook his outstretched hand. I was tongue tied for a second drinking in his over six foot, lean muscular physique. I smiled to mask my speechlessness.. "You're flattering me so soon" I finally said smiling. He smiled back "far from it". "I'm Tega... once again, nice to meet you in person", "same here" I reply, "I'm Shubu", he smiles "Shubu? never heard that before" "Yeah, my real name is actually Shade but everyone calls me Shubu".

He smiles pulling out a chair for me to sit down "okay Shubu, I'm mighty glad to meet you...."

To be continued...