8—Wall of Steel.

Their convoy arrived home quickly, and Aramide was bundled upstairs in between an impenetrable wall of pure muscles.

She was fenced in on every side like a defenseless doe. It was like standing in the middle of an armour fence during a medieval war. The enemy had to go through them to get to her. The implication that they were willing to take a bullet for her or even die for her was daunting.

How much is my life worth? The question came back to haunt her.

Earlier in the day, people had been paid to kill, and just a few hours later, there were so many people willing to do the opposite. To stand between her and death. To protect her from any weapon fashioned against her.

That should have reassured her, but it only made her stressed. It only added more anxiety to her plate.

She stood outside with Folarin while the impenetrable wall of pure muscles went into the house to begin the sweep. Shouts of ‘clear’ rang through the house as they moved from one room to another.

“All clear,” Muscle 2 told Folarin as they exited the apartment.

“Thank you,” Folarin shook his hand and that of the others.

Aramide had no idea how long the process took, but she had moved from tired to exhausted during that time. While they went through all the hoops, sweeping the house like professional cleaners, Ara was ready to crash.

The day had been long and stressful. Both physically, emotionally, and mentally. The stress was finally catching up to her, and she felt drained.

Suddenly, the bed that used to hold her hostage was the only place she wanted to be. And the room that had felt like her prison now seemed like a five-star hotel.

But once they finally settled inside, Folarin didn't let her go to bed. He literally held onto her shoulders as she was about to turn towards her room.

“You need to eat something.”

“I’m not hungry, Folarin.” Her eyes were crossed with fatigue. “Just tired.”

“Okay, but the doctor said—” he said, steering her to the dining room.

“Is that what you were talking to her about?” she looked up at him, curiosity winning over fatigue.

“Maybe,” he shrugged.

She waited for him to say something, but he remained quiet and just stared at her.

She narrowed her eyes. “Why won't you tell me?” Her voice took on a whiny tone.

He looked amused and parked her in a chair. “Because it's for a surprise I have,”

“Oh,” Ara was suddenly excited. She loved surprises, good ones. She hated ambushes and attempted kidnappings (like every normal person), but everything else was fair game.

“Yeah, I wanted to know what you could and couldn't eat. So I don't mistakenly poison you and the baby,” he tilted his head downwards.

“Aww, that's so sweet,” she looked down and saw a plate filled with the best comfort food, creamy pasta.

“I have pepper soup for later if you're not too tired.”

“I’m never too tired for pepper soup.”

“Great, eat up. You have to clear your plate before you get any pepper soup.”

“Okay, Mom,” she stuck out her tongue like a petulant child forced to eat her veggies.

She wiped her plate because it was so delicious, but she was hungrier than she thought. Tiredness had trumped hunger earlier, so all she wanted to do was sleep.

She would have been up at an ungodly hour, looking for a meal when her stomach woke her up begging for food.

“Gimme my pepper soup,” she demanded, stretching her empty plate to an amused Folarin as proof that she finished her food.

“Yes, ma,” he smiled and did as she requested, carrying her plate away and returning with two bowls of pepper soup.

He dropped one in front of her and sat with the other.

She let out a refreshed sigh after her first sip. It was a little spicy, but she loved it. She hummed a merry tune as she stuffed her face with the delicious bowl.

“Thank you for this,” she pushed her bowl away once she was done. “I needed that.”

“Good, I'm glad you did.” he carried their dishes away again. Then called out, “Do you want a fruit salad?”

“Hmm,” she thought about it. The tiredness was creeping in again. “I think I'll pass on the fruit salad. Maybe tomorrow,”

He nodded from the kitchen. “It’s not going anywhere,”

“Unless it grows legs and walks away,” she said with a smirk. She had officially reached the bad jokes stage of tiredness.

“Haha,” he pulled her up from her chair. “Let’s get you to bed. You're getting delirious.”

“Good night,” she smiled when they stopped in front of her door.

“Rest up. Don't want you to be tired for my surprise,”

“I haven’t forgotten,” She practically vibrated with excitement as she went through the motions of getting ready for bed.

She had a quick shower, brushed her teeth, did her nighttime skincare, pulled on her pyjamas, and got into bed.

She let out a soft sigh as her skin settled into the cool linen fabric. She closed her eyes and willed tomorrow to come. Impatient to know what her surprise was.

She started a guessing game, wondering what Folarin could possibly have planned. She ran through a list of all her favourite things, a lot of which were food.

Maybe he wanted to give her a craving list. She could picture all the meals that made it to the list: Iyan and efo riro (Pounded yam and vegetable soup), Chinese Fried Rice, Pepper soup. He already gave her pepper soup tonight. So that was out of the equation.

He could have also planned a safe outing because she was feeling trapped. Maybe a spa day full of relaxation and calm.

Well, whatever it was, she knew she was going to love it. Because it was Folarin, he knew her so well. He was the best. The absolute best.

If only she had known she would be thinking the exact opposite tomorrow.