Chapter two: FRIENDS FOR BENEFITS

Bolu watches Teni move aimlessly in her room, rummaging her cosmetics in search of God knows what.

Left to her, Teni is already set for work but she keeps checking her wardrobe, adjusting her outfit, thoroughly searching everywhere with disregard for the way her stuff was arranged.

She isn't always like this. She's very articulate, neat, calculated. The way she's acting now, not getting herself together is going to be a huge problem and it's definitely not good for the both of them.

"Teni," she decides to break the silence but gets no response from her. "Teni." She tries again, since she hasn't stopped wandering to and fro without direction.

"Teniola!"

"Yes! Yes?" Teni snaps out of her reverie, looking confused.

"What are you doing?"

She looks around, trying to understand what she was actually doing. She stares at her now disarranged cosmetics. "I was... arra- trying to- this place looks... weird."

"Teni..."

"Yes?"

She wraps her hands around Teni's tall, slender frame. "I'm sorry."

"It's just eight months. No big deal. I mean people break up after six years you know, ten, twelve. You know..." She starts blabbering, still hugging Bolu. She scoffs. "I'm okay, I'm fine."

Bolu sighs, pulling her closer to her thick body. "It's okay to feel this way Teni but you know you have to take care of yourself. It doesn't matter the period of time. Heartbreak is heartbreak. You were looking into marriage with him."

She releases her, intertwining her fingers with Teni's. "It's okay to feel disappointed. Just be gentle with yourself through the process. It'll be fine eventually."

"Yeah yeah. It'll be fine."

Bolu nods. "Ready to go?"

"I need to get dressed." Teni steps away from her, heading towards her wardrobe.

"You're dressed Teni. You have a whole outfit on."

Teni drops her head, seeing that she has had the orange silk blouse with black skirt and black heels all this while, she clears her throat and motions to the black Chanel handbag in the rack. "Bag."

Bolu nods. "Yeah, bag. Let's go now."

Teni picks up her bag, heading out of her room and out of her house before Bolu.

"Samson! Sam!"

"Yes ma," Samson, Teni's gate man bolts out of his room. "Ma! Ah you're looking fine today o. You too madam bolu..."

Bolu chuckles. "Thank you Samson. Please, the gate abeg. We're running late."

"Yes ma." He charges towards the gate, opening it with an exaggerated force.

Bolu smiles. "Always dramatic. This guy. Madam," she turns to Teni, opening her car door. "Your chariot awaits."

Teni reveals a small, almost invisible smile and boards the car, slamming the door close after her. Bolu walks around the car, boarding the car as well and driving out of Teni's compound, onto the highway.

                                 ♠♠♠♠♠

Teni stares into space, sitting in the comfort of her well-furnished office. Thinking about the other night.

I'm single again.

If I believed in supernatural or external forces, I would have said they are doing me.

This can't be it. There has to be something I can do, just something to change all of this.

Should I call him?

I can call him. She stares at her phone, remembering Bolu's words.

"Don't call him. If you call him, I will know."

She had rolled her eyes when Bolu said that this morning. She was about to enter the building when Bolu pulled her back.

"I'm serious Teni. Don't call him. For your sanity."

She picks up her phone, about to dial his number when the door busts open revealing an overly excited and extremely good looking Jonathan. "Tens! What's up!"

Okay maybe this call isn't supposed to happen.

"Jonathan leave me alone abeg." She begins to dial Femi's digits but her phone gets snatched away from her hands in less than a second. "Hey!"

"What are you doing with this your phone sef? Ehn?" He looks at the screen and back at Teni, giving her a scrutinizing look. "Femi...your boo boo. You just can't go a day without him. Let him call you first at least."

"Jonathan give me back my phone."

"I can't."

"Why!?" Teni slams her palms on the table in front of her.

"Woah. Easy o abeg. Bolu told me to make sure you don't call that, in quotes, scumbag. So I can't afford to enter Bolu's wahala. She will kill me."

How the hell did Bolu get Jonathan to agree to seize my phone? That woman is unbelievable.

"Did you guys break up?" Jonathan makes a cute adorable look, batting his unbelievably long eyelashes at her.

"Ehyaaaa. Teniola Davis is now single." He continues. "Is this good or bad news though? I mean Femi was a douchebag."

Teni glares at him, eyeing him from head to toe. "And you're not?"

"Ouch."

"Nathan give me my phone now."

He motions with his forefinger, his nails shining like he got a manicure done. "Come and get it."

Teni charges towards him, almost knocking herself down in the process because of how tall and hefty he is. "Can you stop?" She delivers weak punches to his rock hard belly.

He chuckles. "Try again."

She tries so hard to reach his outstretched arm that has her phone. "Seriously Jonathan." She turns to his face to glare at him but he won't budge.

"Just relax Teni. Come on." He drops his hand and tucks her phone in his back pocket. "You need to focus on you. Your work," he clears his throat. "Me." He smiles, pointing at his chest.

She scoffs at him and returns to her seat, dropping her head on the table. "It's not so easy. I mean it was just eight months but I did have plans for us. You know,"

Jonathan sighs deeply, taking a seat in front of her. "That's the problem Tens. Having a plan for both of you is- was his job. You're the woman, you deserve someone who knows how to take care of you."

"I'm never going to find someone like that."

"Uh. Helllloooo, I'm right here. Me. See me?" He waves his hand in her face.

Teni let out a small laugh. "Go away jhoor."

"I'm serious." He shrugs. "You keep friend-zoning me like... Just see see me. You're missing out on some hot, sizzling chocolate fantasy." He jokes, wiggling his perfect eyebrows.

"I have enough chocolate in my life."

Jonathan nods his head, laughing. "Your choice. Oh yeah!" He snaps his fingers. "Mister Dele said you should call him. He couldn't reach you or something and he's out of town."

"Oh. Mister Dele. I forgot to tell him I changed my number. What did he say?"

"Probably pleased with the work. He liked the last minute detail and has another job for us. A nephew's house or something..."

Teni nods, grinning proudly. It's not the first time she's getting praised for her work. "Perks of being an interior designer." Jonathan stares at her, smiling from ear to ear. "What?"

"This suits you. Getting yourself together. Getting the bag you know. This is the Teni I know."

"You need a girlfriend Jonathan."

He throws his head back in a fit of laughter. "I hate you I swear. Just collect the compliment and go." He looks at her for a moment. Damn, she's perfect.

She has been so easy to work with. Beautiful, driven, articulate, can be annoying with her mood swings but Teni is Teni. He has tried to cover the whole thing with jokes and humor because apparently, he only deserves "leave me jhoor" anytime he brings it up.

He snaps back to reality when he hears her clear her throat and call his name.

"I need to go check that building at Ajah tomorrow, see how the team is doing. Come with?" Jonathan nods, "and can you help set up a meeting with team B for the Daniels project, please? I have some ideas I'd like to share."

He blinks, smiling. "When did you get that done?"

She smiles back. "I might have gotten dumped yesterday but I do have some creative juices still bottled up inside, waiting to bust out."

Jonathan stares at her. Should I tell her? He sure doesn't want to get rejected because if that happens, it will definitely be awkward around her. He would bounce back of course but Teni is literally the Queen of awkward.

Tell her. Be serious with how you feel this time. No jokes.

"Uh, Teni..."

"Yes!"

Huh?

He creases his eyebrows, confused. Did I say that out loud without knowing? "Ye- yes what?"

"I got the perfect structure in my head. I was just trying out something here last night..." She hands him an unfinished sketch of her idea on how the complex is supposed to look like. "This is the vision. Daniel would love this! We have to get this to the team right away."

She pulls herself up, gathering her sketch book and her copy of the documents that would be needed in the meeting. Jonathan still rooted in his seat, stares at her wordlessly.

"What are you waiting for? Come on!" She pulls him by the hand and he dramatically stands up so they can get to the meeting as soon as possible.

                               ♠♠♠♠♠

"Babe, what's up?" Teni says, after picking up the call from Bolu.

"Hey, just wanted to check up on my girlfriend. See how my baby's doing."

Teni chuckles. She spins herself in her office chair. The meeting turned out great, they got a plan already and now her best friend is calling her. Maybe the break-up is not that bad after all.

"Your baby is doing fine. Oh, thank you for sending me a babysitter o. You do well. Imagine Jonathan?"

Bolu laughs, clearing her throat. "No now. I was just looking out for you baby."

"Naso. That guy, I can't help but feel like he is really happy about my break-up with Femi. He's such a tease."

"You know how guys are now." She laughs.

"I know but Jonathan is a big case."

"I find it very hard to believe that you're not attracted to him. You're all about men."

"All about men? Come on, that's certainly not me, and Jonathan... Jonathan really... I mean he is good looking and all that but physically, he's not my type. He's really tall and those muscles are just too much for my size 10 body. He should not go and kill me in bed."

"Woa, is that happening anytime soon?"

"No but I like to plan for the future now. I'm not planning to date someone I can't get married to. It's not like when the time comes now, I will be running away from what I cannot collect."

Bolu laughs. "Ah Teniola...I swear you're a case. See where her rotten mind is going to. You these virgins ehn...nah you people spoil pass." She laughs again.

"And the non virgins... How far?."

"Ahhhh...It's me you're talking to like that? It's not your fault o. Just so you know, I'm taking things slowly now."

"So you and Emmanuel haven't..."

"Not yet. Ten years of friendship down the drain, you still don't know me."

"Ah I do but who knows what you guys do in secret? And you're a beautiful woman. Emmanuel definitely has eyes."

"Nah. He is okay with nothing yet and I'm just happy with him. The issue of sex has not come up at all."

"But you're far away from him. Only God knows what he's doing."

"So what are you saying? Emmanuel is a cheat?"

"Ah no o." She puts her hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying the long distance Sha but I'm sure he is a good guy."

"Of course he is. We've been dating for two years and he's not been linked to any problem or cheating or whatever. I trust him and I know he's the right one."

"No need to get defensive on top man now."

"You were judging Teni."

She clears her throat. "Okay fine. Let us change the subject before we fight. Are you done with work? I'm hungry and I didn't pack lunch. Shey you'll come and pick me up?"

"Don't worry. I have plans already. Emmanuel will be coming over to my place. I bought groceries here for your house so you have to come pick them up. I already asked Jonathan to drop you off."

"Jonathan again. Are you upset?"

"You're annoying Teni. See how you just spoilt someone's mood and I'm seeing him soon."

"Sorry now. Ah! Did I know that he was going to be there?"

"Whatever Teni. Just come and take the groceries from this place and if you like, don't come. Waste it and waste my money o. Bye bye." She hangs up right after.

"Ah oga o. On top ma- hello? Hello? This girl hung up on me sha. Fine! She'll meet me here after the fairy-tale boyfriend leaves her." Teni places her phone carefully beside her. Jonathan walks into her office.

"Hey," Teni nods at him. "You ready? I can drive you home."

Teni frowns. "You be doing life guard up and down o. Mister bodyguard."

Jonathan chuckles and helps her pack her documents into her bag. "Let's go abeg."

She yanks her bag from his hands. "I'm not handicapped okay? I can carry my bag myself."

He shakes his head and throws it back in disbelief. "Teniola. Abeg, let me drive you home so you can eat except you want us to hang out so I can buy you food."

"Eh, it's not you people's fault o. I should have brought my car today. I don't even know why I didn't bring cash along. That bolu..." She trails off, breathing heavily.

He stares at her. "Are you done?"

"Go away!" She eyes him and walks out of her office. He follows her, laughing his heart out.

He's positive that he'd end up buying her food. She will put up a fight because she likes handling her bills but in the end, it will be white rice with ata dindin and plantains for her. Her favorite.

Drama Queen. Teni is Teni.