CHAPTER 4:MEET THE SQUAD

DREW.

"This is all so adorable! And little Drew looked precious with those chubby cheeks," Maya exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight. But then she tilted her head, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "But why the ancient custom?"

Laughter erupted in the sitting room, an infectious chorus of chuckles that echoed around me. Even my dad, who had just strolled in with his bodyguard trailing closely behind, couldn't help but join in the merriment. I snorted, shaking my head before responding.

"I'm hot and sexy, thank you very much! Not freaking cute. And that's Andrew to you!" I retorted, using my full name to remind her of the formality I preferred, especially coming from her—my audacious nickname-giver. A smirk crept onto my face as Mom affectionately pinched my cheeks, her face lighting up with pride as she gushed about how adorable her son was. The guys around us erupted into more laughter, clearly finding amusement in my dismay.

Those traitors!

"I will get my revenge!" I silently vowed.

"This isn't some whimsical custom, dear. This picture was taken during Drew's first birthday celebration," my mom clarified, her voice warm and reminiscent.

Maya hummed thoughtfully, processing the information before she continued, "I know that much, but why dress him in an old man's outfit? Surely he could have worn something...I don’t know, more appropriate for his age?"

Can this girl be any more inquisitive?

Mom chuckled softly before launching into a story that surprised even me. "When we got married, David's mother was unable to attend our wedding because we had our ceremony in London," she said, her tone light, though the content carried the weight of a family tradition.

Maya's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she could hardly fathom the significance of what Mom revealed. I found myself equally astonished, especially considering how my father's side of the family placed such a heavy emphasis on tradition. Mom giggled, clearly enjoying reliving the memory.

"Oh, don’t worry, sweetie. We had a traditional wedding here in Nigeria to satisfy cultural expectations, but we planned our white wedding ceremony in London so that all my family members could be present since they missed the traditional ceremony, you see?"

Maya’s mouth formed a perfect 'Oh' shape as she absorbed what Mom had shared, her curiosity seemingly satisfied, but I knew there would be more questions to follow, each one digging deeper into the rich tapestry of our family's history.

"David's mother had reservations about flying to London at that time." Maya looked genuinely intrigued as she turned to me, and I shrugged, thinking, 'Hey, I wasn't even born then!' Besides, I felt I had heard this story countless times before.

“After we had Drew about a year later, she insisted we bring him back to Nigeria to live with her. But we felt it was important not to abandon everything we had worked hard for, especially when nothing was waiting for us back home,” Dad shared, nodding in agreement as he held Mom’s hands gently, conveying deep affection.

It’s heartwarming to see their love endure after all these years.

Mom chimed in, “Since the mountain refused to go to Mohammad, Mohammad decided to go to the mountain,” bursting into laughter at her joke.

“When she arrived in London just days before Drew's first birthday, it turned into quite the challenge! She had a lot of criticisms about my parenting, including our one-year-old son not being able to speak Yoruba yet. Can you believe that?” Mom said, still shocked recalling the experience.

"Can you imagine what a one-year-old sounds like when they’re trying to communicate? It’s like a symphony of excitement and chaos!" Maya interjected, finding humor in the memory, while I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the exaggeration.

“Honestly, it’s just the normal development of a child at that age,” I quietly remarked, and it only made Maya laugh harder, clearly enjoying the story.

“On the day of the party, she even insisted on dressing him in the traditional Yoruba agbada she brought from Nigeria, claiming we were diluting his heritage with Western influences.”

My friends chuckled at Maya’s exaggerated expression as Mom continued, bringing a light-heartedness to the moment.

"That's the look!" Mom chuckled while pointing at Maya.

"My family had the same reaction when she mentioned it. My lovely mother, being a proper British lady, thought it was quite an amusing notion," Mom explained, referring to my maternal grandmother.

That's right—my maternal grandmother is British, which complicates the explanation of my background a bit more than it needs to be.

"That must have been challenging," Maya remarked, and my dad smiled before adding, "You don't even know the half of it." He took Mom's hand, and they excused themselves, leaving us with a spirited Maya who now had another story from my childhood to jest about.

"Hey, bitches!"

A strong voice echoed from the hallway.

"Watch your language, Sasha! Seriously!" Maya called out, throwing a shoe in her friend's direction.

"At least she's going to serve as a distraction from my childhood stories." I thought, as Maya caught whatever was thrown her way and acknowledged the guy who came in with a bright smile and a fist bump. I couldn't help but scowl at him. I had just met him, and I already hate him.

"Wow! How did this little guy transform from 'Hello, Sir. I’m here to take your daughter out on a date,' to even your wife calls me zaddy?" the energetic friend exclaimed, playfully snatching my baby album from Maya and flipping through it as if it held all the secrets of my glow up.

"Well, well, at least your friend Sushi here knows how to tell the difference between attractive and sexy," I said with a smirk in Maya’s direction, who shot me a heated glare.

"The name's Sasha, asshole! And don’t you forget it!" She tossed the photo album at me in mock anger. I managed to dodge it just in time but ended up bumping my head against the sofa. Maya burst into laughter at my misfortune and high-fived Sasha in a moment of playful camaraderie.

Before I could fully process the damage done to my head, Min made his entrance, ever the confident charmer, and asked, "Have we met before, sweetheart? Did we spend the night together, perhaps?"

The atmosphere shifted as both girls turned their attention to him. Sasha stepped closer to Min, popping a piece of gum defiantly in front of him before responding, "Trust me, if we had spent the night together, you would remember my face and my name." She flipped her hair with flair and walked past him, making me chuckle at his surprise.

Sasha then turned on her signature flirting smile as she approached my other best friend, leaning in slightly and subtly showing off her cleavage. I couldn’t help but admire her boldness. This ought to be fun!

Well, what do you know? This day has the potential to improve! I could feel the excitement building as the drama began to unfold.

"Seems you're the only gentleman in the group," Sasha playfully remarked to Hossein, trying to add a flirty touch.

“How about we hang out sometime, handsome?”

She suggested, and I had to as I stifled a cough; I couldn't help but notice how Hossein's expression shifted to one of the shocks, almost as if it were scripted. Maya exchanged an apologetic glance with him before gently guiding the sushi away from his sitting area. Unable to contain myself any longer, I burst into laughter.

"Alright, that's enough of that!" Maya said, attempting to ease the tension in the room.

"Eric, Sasha, I'd like you to meet my cousin Andrew and his friends, Hossein and Min," she introduced, making the introductions flow smoothly.

I shot her an irritated glance, feeling like she had already spoiled the moment for me. It was just about to get interesting, especially when Hossein would have awkwardly stumbled over his words, completely flustered by how attractive he found the girl. Or when he would gently tell them that someone like them deserves someone who would sweep them off their feet into the sunset—acknowledging that he wasn’t that person.

"My name is Drew! And you are not my fucking cousin, snooty face'' I snapped through gritted teeth! It seems like Maya is a bit oblivious to the signals around her. She's so dense!

“Thank goodness he’s not your actual cousin,” her friend Sasha noted.

“Just think how uncomfortable it would be if he were, and he had feelings for you!” She exclaimed, almost as if she'd stumbled onto a breakthrough idea. I couldn't help but notice Maya blush as her gaze instantly shifted to Hossein before she quickly ushered her friends away, maintaining eye contact with him.

I can't help but wonder what’s happening between those two. And here I am, feeling a strong attraction to Maya.

Why couldn't the feelings be mutual?