SAVED BY GRACE- Episode 4

 AKILAHYEL’S POV

The room was still dim, early morning Abuja light filtering faintly through the blinds. For a few seconds, I allowed myself to exist in that quiet space where memory hadn’t yet caught up with me.

Then it did. Today was my thirtieth birthday— A day after Baba’s 9th remembrance.

I lay still, staring at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the air conditioner and the steady rhythm of my own breathing. Every year, my body remembers before my mind chooses to.

I don’t celebrate my birthdays. I choose to be still and enjoy solitude. 

A soft knock came at my door. Before I could respond, it opened slightly. Naya’s head peeked in. She looked sleepy, hair tousled, oversized hoodie hanging loosely over her small frame.

“Arise and shineee!!!!” she half screamed.

“Hyelnaya…..” I groaned.

She smiled, pushed the door open fully and walked in, dragging her feet slightly like a child who refused to accept that the world demanded seriousness today.

She climbed onto the edge of my bed without asking permission.

“Happy birthday, big bro,” she said and hugged me. 

“Thank you, Naya” I had to place a peck on her cheek as I did not have the energy to answer her many questions as to why I looked sad or was not affectionate.  

She turned and studied my face carefully. Then reached behind her and pulled out a small gift bag.

“I know you don’t like celebrating,” she began carefully, “but I am not celebrating the date. I am celebrating you.”

I didn’t respond immediately.

She placed the bag on my chest.

“Open it.”

I sighed quietly but sat up against the headboard and reached inside.

First, I pulled out an army green t-shirt.

Across the chest in small, neat lettering were the words:

Captain Gaya❤️.

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

Before I could process that, she handed me a small velvet box.

Inside was a custom pendant. Silver engraving on the inside.

I flipped it over.

A photo of I and my dad on my 10th birthday. 

I swallowed hard.

“Naya…”

“I know you pretend like your heart died,” she said quietly, her voice trembling slightly, “But it didn’t. Just so you know, you’re still my role model, my first love and the sweetest human I know”

I stared at the necklace longer than necessary.

She reached out and fastened it around my neck herself.

“It looks good on you,” she whispered.

I didn’t trust my voice, so I simply nodded.

She leaned forward and hugged me suddenly. I stiffened instinctively. Then forced myself to relax.

Her arms tightened around me.

“Happy birthday, Captain AkilaHyel Gaya” she said against my shoulder.

I stared ahead with a frown on my face. “Thank you,” She pulled back and studied me.

“You could try to smile.”

I almost did. Almost. But before I could respond, my phone vibrated on the bedside table.

I glanced at the screen.

Unknown number.

I let it ring once. Twice.

Something in my chest stirred. No one calls this phone except those in my close circle and that, is my family. 

I reached for it.

“Hello?”

There was a pause.

“Akila.”

The world tilted. No one else calls me Akila except her— Almeera.

My fingers tightened around the phone involuntarily.

Her voice hadn’t changed. It was still so soft and feminine.  Familiar in a way that made my bones ache.

For a moment, I forgot how to speak.

“Happy birthday,” she said gently.

I closed my eyes.

“How are you?” she asked when I didn’t respond immediately.

“I’m fine.”

My voice sounded steady but it was not.

There was silence between us, thick with years we never properly buried.

“I wasn’t sure if I should call,” she continued. “But I always used to wake you up first on your birthdays.”

You used to sit beside me and make me smile when I didn’t want to. 

I thought but couldn't say it out. 

I swallowed. “You didn’t have to call.”

“I know. But I wanted to.” she sighed 

“How have you been?” I asked finally.

“I’m good,” she replied. “Married life is… different. But good.”

That word hit harder than I expected.

Married life.

Of course she was married. I knew that because I attended the wedding.

I stood there in my uniform, composed, watching the only woman I ever loved walk toward another man.

And I didn’t move.

Because I wasn’t ready when she asked. Because I thought I had time. Because I chose my anger over her patience.

“Are you happy with him?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Yes, Akila. Yes.” She sounded firm and happy.

“And you?” she asked gently. “Are you happy?”

Happiness. I almost laughed.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

She sighed softly.

“You always hide behind that word.”

“I still remember when we first met,” she said suddenly.

“You were tough, focused and guarded. You were twenty one,” 

I smiled remembering the first day I saw her at my mom’s shop .

“And you were twenty and convinced that love was a distraction from your academics.” I added. 

I couldn’t help it. A small breath escaped me that almost resembled a laugh.

That was the thing about Almeera. She was the only person who ever got close enough to see behind the walls.

For five years, she had stood beside me.

Through my training, my rage, those nights when I woke up from memories I never spoke about.

She didn’t flinch nor push. She just stayed.

Until I didn’t choose her.

“You didn’t want marriage,” she said softly now.

“I wasn’t ready, Meera.”

“You were never going to be ready,” she corrected gently. “You were waiting to feel less hurt than you did at that point and I doubt there's been any change. If any thing, it got worse”

I didn’t respond. Because she wasn’t wrong.

“You know, I cried so much when we ended,” she continued, voice trembling faintly. “You were my best friend.”

I couldn't bring myself to say a word. She was my best friend too. She still is. 

That confession sat between us, heavy and late.

“Why didn’t you fight for me?” she asked suddenly.

The question punched the air out of my lungs.

“I didn’t think I deserved to,” I said honestly.

“I would have stayed,” she whispered.

“I know and that was the problem. I thought you deserved someone lighter.”

“You weren’t heavy,” she replied. 

I closed my eyes.

“I carried a lot of baggage. I still do. You didn't deserve that.”

“Nine years,” she murmured softly. “I thought you're now a bonafide Christian. Once in Christ, old things have passed away and all things become new.” 

She continued “Akila, allow Jesus take this hurt completely. You cannot tell me you are a man in Christ and you still carry so much baggage. The father is ever ready to help lift that burden.” 

“Ameera, I love Jesus but the burden is mine to carry and I will carry it for as long as I live” I said.

“I don't think you love him as much as you claim. I doubt you even know how much he loves you.”

I didn’t challenge it. I had no strength to. 

“I should let you go,” she said finally. “I just… I didn’t want the day to pass without hearing your voice.”

“Yeah.” I dragged.

“I’ll always care about you, Akila. Feel free to reach out whenever you need a friend. I am here for you and I'll be praying for you too.”

“I know.” I replied

“And I hope you allow yourself to love again. You deserve that much.”

“Mmmm” I hummed in disbelief. I did not deserve any love at all. 

She exhaled slowly.

“Goodbye. Have a great birthday celebration.”

The line went dead. I lowered the phone slowly and caught Naya watching me.

Her eyes were soft. I did not even realise that she was still in the room. 

“That was her, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Almeera.”

“Yes.”

She moved closer on the bed.

“Do you still love her?”

The honest answer sat heavy in my chest.

“I never stopped.”

She inhaled sharply.

“Then why didn’t you fight?”

“Because I was not ready. I am still not ready.”

“That’s not how it works,” she whispered.

“Can we just allow this slide? I am already stressed and I need to go to the office soon.”

She placed her hand over mine.

“You deserve happiness too.”

I didn’t respond. Because I wasn’t convinced.

My phone buzzed again.

Effiom.

I cleared my throat and answered.

“Captain,” he said warmly. “Happy birthday, my brother.”

“Thank you.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.”

He chuckled lightly.

“I’m in the office. Shey you dey show soon??.”

“Yes. I’ll come by.”

“Oya na. Till you show.”

After the call ended, I sat there for a long moment.

Naya rested her head lightly against my shoulder.

“Are you going to church today?” she asked gently.

“Yes.”

“I’m coming with you.”

I looked at her. I felt super proud of her.

“That is amazing, Naya. You will love it.”

“Mmmm. I hope so. I just wanna spend your birthday with you.”

I stood from the bed and caught my reflection in the mirror. This man had gone through the toughest time of his life but here he was still standing strong. 

---

The corridor outside Effiom’s office was quiet.

I had already had a long morning. Birthdays do not sit lightly on my shoulders. They feel like weight. Like something pressing against the back of my ribs. And this one was worse.

Almeera’s voice still lingered in my head from earlier. I had not expected it to shake me the way it did.

I adjusted my cap slightly before knocking once.

“Come in..” he replied

I stepped into Effiom’s office. He was standing near his desk, relaxed, one hand braced against the edge, smiling in a way he rarely does around colleagues.

And someone was sitting in the chair opposite him.

Long hair cascading over one shoulder with her back straight.

The air had shifted before I even fully crossed the threshold.

Effiom was mid-sentence when I walked in.

“Captain…”

The woman seated across from him stiffened.

The moment she saw my face, she practically vanished beneath Effiom’s desk like someone responding to incoming fire.

I froze for half a second and lowered my gaze slowly.

There she was. Curled beneath the desk.

I remembered her..

The roadside girl.

The one who had stared at me like I was the villain for questioning her. The spoiled brat. 

Our eyes had locked and I could see panic in hers.

And embarrassment so deep it looked physical.

I did not react. I did not blink.

Effiom frowned.

“Soteria?”

“Soteria,” he repeated, this time in parade-ground tone.

A muffled voice came from beneath the desk. “My phone fell.”

Effiom looked down.

“Under my table?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not even holding anything.”

She hesitated.

Then slowly, awkwardly, she crawled out from under the desk.

She stood up, brushed imaginary dust off her dress, adjusted her hair, and tried to recover whatever dignity she thought she had left in that moment.

She did not look at me. She avoided my gaze but I looked straight at her.

Her dress was fitted but decent. Mesh sleeves. Elegant. Expensive without screaming for attention. She carried herself like someone who knew rooms turned when she walked in.

Interesting.

Effiom glanced between us.

“Oh. I guess you two haven't met before so let me do the introductions.”

We both stayed silent. If she wanted to pretend she had never seen me before, I would let her keep that illusion.

He pointed casually. “Soteria, this is Captain Gaya AkilaHyel, my colleague and acquaintance."

I resisted the urge to stop him from introducing us. 

“And this,” Effiom continued, “is Soteria, my baby sister.”

Sister.

She finally turned to face me.

There it was. I could see the recognition on her face but she hid it quickly.

She extended her hand with practiced poise.

“Officer Akila,” she said smoothly, eyes deliberately staring at mine, “Nice to meet you.”

Officer Akila.

Effiom raised a brow slightly.

I took her hand firmly. Her palm was soft and warm.

She tried to pull back almost immediately but I did not let go.

Not yet.

“Captain AH-KEE-LA-YELL,” I corrected evenly.

Her eyes stayed on mine. Bold and unflinching. 

“Captain Akila,” she repeated, like she was testing the weight of it. “Nice to meet you.”

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. 

“Do not call me Akila. You either call my name in full or don't.” I corrected. 

“I will call you what I want to.” She smiled sweetly like the devil's incarnate that she was. She was trying to rile me up. I could tell. 

Effiom cleared his throat sharply.

I realized I was still holding her hands and so I released it. 

“You will address me properly,” I said as I put both hands behind me.

Her lips curved faintly. “Is that an order?”

“Yes.”

She sat down back into her chair, crossing her legs, completely composed now.

“Hmm. Officer Akila.”

I felt something tighten in my jaw. “It is Captain.” 

“Ah.” She tilted her head. “So many titles.”

Effiom burst out laughing.

“In all my years of knowing Captain Gaya,” he said, still chuckling, “I have never heard him talk this much in an hour unless it’s operational.”

She glanced at him.

“Really?”

“Really. So please stop being a brat and do not stress my friend.” He cautioned.  

She looked back at me again but this time with a look I could not place. It felt like she was disappointed or trying to decode me. 

She was looking at me like she was trying to really understand my kind of person and that unsettled me.

She leaned forward slightly. She studied my face like she was searching for cracks.

I remained still. 

“Are you always this rude?” she asked suddenly.

Her voice was soft. But there was challenge in it. She was bold to ask me this stupid question. 

I scoffed and held her gaze but didn't say a word. This woman riled me up so much. I had better things to do than stand here and reply to a spoiled brat that doesn't have any self respect. 

Effiom coughed and I shifted my stance slightly.

“Captain,” Effiom said, switching tone slightly. “My apologies for this. My baby sister has no filter in her mouth.”

She gasped lightly. “Effiom!”

He grinned unapologetically.

I kept my eyes forward and didn't move.

“Alright. I got you something.”

He walked to his drawer and pulled out a small box.

He handed it to me.

“Happy birthday, old man.”

I stiffened slightly.

“Man!! You did not need to.” I argued.

“Of course I did. It’s your 30th. Even if you pretend it’s just another operational day.” he added. 

She blinked. “Today is your birthday?”

I did not answer her.

Effiom nudged the box toward me.

“Open it.”

I did.

Inside was a simple leather key holder with my initials embossed.

“Thank you,” I said with a slight nod.

He clapped lightly on my shoulder.

“Why are you at work on your birthday?” she asked. She was now watching me with curiosity.

This lady was too sharp mouthed for my liking. Was it not obvious enough that I disliked her? I do not want to have anything to do with her. 

“None of your business.”

I held her gaze long enough for the message to pass without words.

Do not push.

Her smile faltered slightly.

Effiom looked between us like he was watching a silent exchange in code.

She opened her mouth to push further.

Effiom shot her a look and she leaned back.

“Fine.”

“This conversation is over,” I said calmly. I saluted Effiom, picked up the gift box and  left his office.

But even as I walked down the corridor, boots echoing against concrete, I could still feel her stare.

Soteria’s POV

I don’t like being disliked.

It sounds shallow when I say it like that, but it is the truth. I like being received well. I like warmth. I like walking into a room and knowing that eyes follow me for the right reasons. I like smiles, admiration, and the quiet shift in energy when people notice me.

So when he walked in, noticed me and didn't even react a tiny bit, for some strange reason, my chest tightened.

He had looked at me as if I was irrelevant. He acted like I was a pest he could not wait to get rid of. I even tried to rile him up by calling him by a different title. At least I was able to elicit an emotion from him– even though I didn't like the emotion.  

When he walked out of Effiom’s office, the air followed him. Effiom shook his head lightly.

“Soteria!!!” he said. “What was that?.”

I tried to sound casual. “Nothing. I just don't like his attitude. Is he always this stuck up?”

Effiom’s expression shifted slightly. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

He hesitated and I leaned forward.

“Effiom.”

He sighed. “Drop it.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You cannot just say it’s complicated and expect me to drop it.”

He rubbed his forehead. “Soteria…”

“Why does he act that way?”

He exhaled sharply. “Because it is none of your business.”

The words landed heavy.

“Oh.”

“Yes. Oh.”

I swallowed. And suddenly I felt… bad.

I leaned back slowly.

“He doesn’t like me,” I murmured without thinking.

Effiom gave me a look.. “What do you mean?”

“He looks at me like he hates me.”

Effiom snorted. “He looks at everyone like that.”

“No,” I said quietly. “Not the same way he looks at me.”

Effiom studied me for a moment. “Why do you care?”

I shrugged, pretending indifference. “I don’t.”

But I did. And I didn’t like that I did.

“Where’s his office?” I asked suddenly.

Effiom blinked. “For what?”

“I just want to know. Nothing serious."

“Soteria…”

“Effiom.”

He groaned. “Why are you like this?”

I leaned across his desk and pouted. “Pretty pleaseeee. I'll be on my best behaviour.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re about to do something foolish.”

“Me???” I sneered. “I am not.”

“You are.”

“I am not…….” I defended dramatically. 

He held my gaze for a few seconds, then gave up.

“Second corridor. Last door on the right.”

I smiled triumphantly. “Thank you.” He couldn't say no to me. 

“And do not be rude. Avoid sounding like a spoiled brat too.”

I waved dismissively and stood up. “Whateverrr, Captain Effiom.”

As I stepped into the hallway, my heart beat a little faster than normal.

I paused halfway down the corridor and looked down at myself.

My dress was already fitted and elegant. I adjusted it slightly at the neckline so a bit of cleavage will show. I don’t know why I did that.

Maybe I wanted him to look at me the way other men do. The way Ayoola does.

The way men at parties do. The way strangers do without trying.

I wanted to see something shift in his eyes.

Anything.

I reached his door and I did not knock. I pushed it open gently.

He was seated behind his desk, sleeves rolled slightly, head bent over paperwork. The room smelled faintly of his cologne and something clean and masculine.

He looked up immediately. His eyes hardened.

“What are you doing in my office?”

I swallowed lightly. “I came to see you.”

“Who let you in?” he asked, eyes hard as stone. 

“Your door was not locked.” I shrugged.

“Why did you not knock?” His voice was not loud.

I stepped further inside and he frowned slightly.

And then I saw it. His eyes flickered once.

To my dress.

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly but he did not stare nor linger.

Anyways he noticed. I felt a small, strange victory.

“Why are you here?” he repeated.

I walked closer, deliberately slow, and sat on the chair opposite his desk.

“I just said. To see you.”

He leaned back slightly, folding his arms.

“I don't have time for your childish antics.”

His tone hit harder than if he had shouted. I tried to smile. He won't break me. 

“Happy birthday, Captain Akila.”

He stared at me. No response. No thank you.

Nothing.

Then he looked back down at his file and continued working.

It felt like I had been dismissed. Just like that.

The silence stretched painfully.

I cleared my throat.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you so stuck up?” My patience was running thin. 

His pen stopped moving. Slowly.

He looked up again. His eyes were colder now.

“Can you get out of my office?”

“What??.”

He inhaled once. Sharp.

“I said you should get out of my office .”

The air shifted and I felt smaller at that moment. But stubbornness rose in me too.

“I am going nowhere. This is government property and I can stay for as long as I want,” I said defiantly and crossed my arms.

He did not respond. He just went back to his work.

Whooshhhh!!! That hurt. So bad. No man has ever treated me like that.

Men usually leaned forward, smiled, adjusted themselves. He didn’t even try to notice me. What did I do that was so bad?

I stood up slowly.

“So that’s it? Because you saw me on the road in an awkward position, I am now irritating to you? Don’t you know that life happens to the best of us?” I asked and he ignored me again.

I felt heat rise to my face. My eyes became watery. 

Embarrassment again.

Why was I always embarrassed around him?

I stepped closer to his desk. He tensed slightly.

“Do you dislike me?” I asked.

“Yes. I dislike people who are full of themselves.” he answered almost immediately. 

The honesty shocked me and I retreated. He said nothing again.

I waited. Nothing still.

I felt foolish. Very foolish. I have never been this foolish before. What was even wrong with me? Why was I trying to be friendly with him?

I turned toward the door.

“This should be the last time you come into my office uninvited,” he said calmly.

The certainty in his voice both annoyed and challenged me.

I stepped out of his office, banging the door behind me.

My chest felt tight.

I walked back down the corridor with my head high– the last thread of confidence I had was already very thin.

I did not go back to Effiom’s office, instead I headed to my car but my mind was still in that office. Still standing in front of his desk. Still hearing the way he said, “Get out of my office.”

No man had ever said that to me. At least not to my face. 

By the time I got to my car, my irritation had already grown claws.

It was ridiculous.

Ridiculous that one man with an unreadable face and a voice like controlled thunder could get under my skin like that. Ridiculous that I was replaying his words. The way he said ‘none of your business’. The way he held my gaze just long enough to make it clear that I did not move him.

---

I slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door harder than necessary.

The silence inside my car felt different from the barracks silence. This one was mine. Soft leather. My perfume still hanging in the air. My lip gloss in the cup holder. I adjusted the mirror and caught my reflection.

I looked fine. More than fine.

My hair was laid. My gloss still fresh. My skin glowing in the afternoon light. I looked like someone who should not be ignored.

I started the engine.

“He doesn’t like you,” I muttered under my breath, testing the sentence out loud.

It sounded stupid.

The thought irritated me more than his indifference.

As I pulled out of the barracks, my phone buzzed on the passenger seat. 

Ayo mi❤️‍🩹

Of course.

I stared at the screen for two rings before answering, softening my voice automatically.

“Hi, baby.”

His voice came warm and easy through the speaker. “Baby…Where are you? I thought you said you were seeing your brother today.”

“I did,” I replied, merging into traffic. “I just left his office.”

“I thought you'll sleep over. You didn’t tell me you were coming back today oo. That’s wickedness.”

I smiled despite myself. 

Ayo always said things like that. Dramatic but playful. “I was going to tell you.”

“Na so.” He laughed, low and satisfied. “Come over.”

“With that tone?” I teased lightly.

“With that tone,” he confirmed. “I’ve missed you, baby.”

Missed you.

The words settled over me gently. Ayo always missed me. Even when we saw each other two days ago. Even when I left his house that morning. He missed me every time. 

I should have felt warmed by that.

“I’ll pass by,” I said.

“Pass by?” he echoed. “You’re not sleeping over?”

I hesitated for half a second.

“I’ll sleep over, babe” I corrected.

“That’s my girl.”

I hung up and tossed the phone back on the seat.

The drive to Ayo’s place was familiar. Same turns. Same security gate. Same guards who greeted me with knowing smiles. They always knew me.

“Aunty, welcome,” one of them greeted, already opening the gate.

I waved lightly. Everyone always knew me.

That thought should have comforted me.

Instead, it reminded me of a man in a uniform who looked at me like I was background noise.

I shook my head sharply.

Stop it.

By the time I parked in Ayo’s driveway, I had already rearranged my face into something softer. Something sweeter. I checked my lip gloss again before stepping out.

The door opened before I could knock.

Ayo stood there in grey joggers and no shirt, his grin immediate and unfiltered.

“There she is. The absolute love of my life.”

He pulled me into him without waiting, arms wrapping around my waist, lifting me slightly off the ground like I weighed nothing. I laughed automatically, hands bracing against his shoulders.

“You’re dramatic.”

“And you love it.”

He kissed my cheek, then my jaw, then finally my lips, slow, warm, familiar. The kind of kiss that had history in it. Three years of knowing each other’s rhythms. Three years of inside jokes and shared trips and weekend escapes.

With Ayo, there was no guessing.

He wanted me.

He closed the door behind us and guided me inside, his hand at the small of my back.

“I have missed you. I wish you were my wife already so you didn't have to go home,” he said casually as we moved toward the living room.

“Soon…” I replied quickly.

Too quickly. He paused.

His hands slid to my hips and he tilted his head slightly, studying me. “Why is your face like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like someone annoyed you.”

I scoffed lightly and stepped away, dropping my bag on the couch. “You’re imagining things.”

“I know your moods.”

I turned to him with a smile that should have convinced him. “I’m fine.”

He watched me for a moment longer, then shrugged, accepting it. Ayo was not a man who forced conversations. He believed if something mattered, I would say it.

And usually, I did.

He stepped closer again, fingers brushing my arm lazily. “Come here.”

I let him pull me back in.

His hands roamed like they always did, confident, unhesitating. My body responded on instinct. It always did.

Ayo knew exactly how to make me melt.

And for a few minutes, I let myself sink into it.

Into the solid weight of his hands. Into the comfort of being wanted without effort.

He lifted me easily and carried me toward the bedroom, laughing when I swatted his shoulder lightly.

“Put me down.”

“No.”

He laid me on the bed gently, hovering over me with that same look, like I was the only thing in the room worth seeing.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, brushing hair away from my face.

I smiled up at him and pulled him down for another kiss.

And yet…

Halfway through, as his breathing grew heavier and the rhythm between us deepened, something in my chest felt… off.

Like I was present physically but floating somewhere slightly above the moment.

My mind flickered back to a pair of dark, unimpressed eyes.

I stiffened slightly without meaning to.

Ayo noticed. He always noticed. 

He pulled back just enough to look at me properly.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Where did your mind go?”

I blinked, forcing myself back into the room. “Nowhere.”

“You just disappeared.”

“I didn’t.”

He brushed his thumb along my cheek. “Talk to me.”

I exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling for a second before looking back at him.

“Someone annoyed me today,” I admitted.

His expression shifted instantly, protective and attentive. “Who?”

“It’s not even important.” I shrugged and adjusted to a sitting position with my back on the head board. I dragged the duvet to cover my body. 

“Clearly it is.” he sat beside me on the bed. 

I hesitated.

How did I even explain this without sounding foolish?

“There’s this… person,” I began vaguely. “He just… has this attitude.”

“What kind of attitude?” he asked, clearly concerned. 

“Like I don’t exist.”

Ayo frowned slightly. “What?”

I rolled my eyes, suddenly embarrassed. “It’s not that deep. He’s just rude.”

“Did he say something to you?”

“Not really.” I shrugged. 

“Then what?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

What was I supposed to say?

That he didn’t look impressed? That he didn’t smile? That he didn’t soften?

Ayo searched my face carefully.

“Baby,” he said gently, “not everybody is going to like you.”

The sentence landed heavier this time.

I laughed lightly to cover it. “Excuse me?”

He smiled. “You’re used to being everybody’s favourite.”

“And?” I was genuinely confused. 

“And it’s fine. You are a lot. In a good way.”

“A lot?” I repeated, narrowing my eyes.

He chuckled. “I mean that as a compliment.”

I stared at him for a second longer than necessary.

Not everyone is going to like you.

The idea unsettled me more than it should have.

“But I didn’t do anything to him na,” I said quietly.

Ayo brushed his lips against mine again. “You don’t have to do anything. Sometimes people just don’t connect.”

I didn’t like that answer.

He kissed me again, deeper this time, like he was determined to erase whatever expression had crossed my face.

And I let him. I let myself sink into the familiarity. But I hated that I didn’t like it as much as I used to. 

I did not expect to see him in my father’s living room.

That is the only reason I froze.

If I had known, I would have prepared myself. Adjusted my face. Adjusted my breathing. Adjusted the way my mind behaves when it sees him.

But I walked in casually. Laughing.

My hand was hooked through Ayo’s arm.

Still smelling faintly of his cologne and last night’s champagne.

And then I saw him.

Captain AkilaHyel.

Sitting upright on the single-seater couch opposite my father.

In his perfectly pressed uniform and polished boots.

His back was straight and his jaw locked.

He didn’t look surprised. He didn’t look ‘anything’. He always looked too composed. 

My steps slowed slightly.

Ayo kept walking, not noticing the shift in my body. He was still whispering something about brunch when my father’s voice boomed across the room.

“Unwana baby!”

Daddy stood up immediately.

He always stands when I enter a room. He opened his arms wide like I had been gone for years instead of one night.

I forced myself to move again.

Forced my face to melt into the smile he loves and walked into his embrace.

He pecked my forehead.

“My little general,” he murmured proudly.

I inhaled the familiar scent of his aftershave and cologne and safety.

I tried not to think about the pair of eyes watching I and Ayo. Why did I come back to the house today of all days, with Ayo, wearing same clothes I wore the previous day. 

Of course, he will see me as a whore who sleeps around and doesn’t have enough clothes to change into. 

Urghhhhh……

“I missed you, Daddy,” I said softly.

“I saw you yesterday,” he laughed.

“That doesn’t count.” I grumbled against his chest. My daddy was my life. I love him so much. 

He held my shoulders and looked at me like I was his sun.

Then his eyes shifted to Ayo, then he said warmly.

 “Ayo! My boy!! Good to see you.”

They shook hands firmly.

“Good afternoon, Major,” Ayo greeted respectfully.

Daddy smiled approvingly. “I can see that you are taking good care of my daughter”

“Yes, sir.” Ayo smiled shyly. His beautiful dimples on display. 

“Good, boy!! Good..”

Then Daddy turned back toward the couch.

“Captain Gaya.”

My spine straightened. I didn’t look at him yet. I felt him stand. I felt the movement in the air.

“Sir,” his deep voice answered.

Why does his voice always sound like that? Gravelly calm and controlled. 

Like he swallows emotion for breakfast. I sneered internally. 

Daddy gestured casually. “This is my daughter, Soteria and her boyfriend, soon to be husband, Ayoola.”

I almost fainted. Soon to be husband where?????

I finally looked at him and saw him looking at me.

No flicker of recognition in his expression.

Nothing at all. Just respectful neutrality.

“As you already know, she's my only daughter and a successful Interior decorator and a Philanthropist,” Daddy added lightly. 

My father chuckled, completely unaware of the emotions coursing though me.

“She has her own company and they're doing very well. In case you have any jobs, feel free to contact her.”

“Yes, sir” Akila said evenly.

His eyes never softened.

“I am sure you've seen her at the barracks.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve crossed paths once or twice.”

Crossed paths.

Is that what we’re calling it? I felt heat crawl up my neck.

Ayo glanced between us, curious.

I forced a laugh. “Small Abuja. Everybody crosses paths.”

AkilaHyel gave a single nod.

Nothing else. No greeting beyond protocol.

He didn’t even greet me properly.

He just stood there like I was furniture. Like I was irrelevant.

My chest tightened.

Why does that bother me so much? 

I sighed. I need to hop on a call with my real girls– Amara and Zainab before I lose my mind. 

Daddy waved toward the chairs. “Sit, sit.”

I sat beside Ayo. But even without looking, I could feel him. 

He resumed his seat slowly.

Daddy continued speaking to him about something operational — deployment rotations, security reviews, something about northern corridors.

I wasn’t listening. I just sat there. 

Ayo leaned toward me slightly.

“You okay?” he whispered.

“I am fine,” I said automatically.

But my eyes betrayed me.They drifted back to him.

He was speaking now. Very confident and professional.

All his arrogance, sharp tongue and cutting sarcasm, gone.

Nothing like the man who barked at me in the barracks or on the road.

His tone with my father was respectful but firm.

He disagreed once, gently offering a strategic alternative.

Daddy listened and nodded slowly. He was impressed.

“Good thinking,” Daddy said.

My father rarely says that lightly.

Ayo absentmindedly squeezed my knee gently.

He was proud sitting there. And I should have felt safe.

Instead I felt like I was being examined.

Except that he wasn’t looking at me. That was the problem.

He wasn’t looking. Not even once. 

After some minutes, Daddy clapped his hands lightly.

“Alright, Captain. We’ll continue this later. I need to have some alone time with my baby girl.”

AkilaHyel stood immediately.

Ayo stood too, out of respect.

I stayed seated.

Maybe because I wanted him to look at me.

He saluted my father sharply.

“Sir.”

Daddy nodded. “Good work, Captain.”

Then his eyes finally moved toward me.

Just a brief, measured glance.

And something about that tiny shift made my stomach flip.

He nodded once in acknowledgement.

Then he walked toward the door. Boots echoing against the tile.

I hated that walk.

I hated his confidence, that he didn’t falter.

The door closed behind him. And only then did I breathe properly.

Daddy turned to me, smiling. He looked very proud.

“Captain Gaya is one of my finest officers.”

Of course he is.

“Very serious young man,” Daddy continued. “He does not joke with duty.”

I hummed in response. 

Ayo wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“He looks very intense and tough.” Ayo said to daddy. 

Daddy chuckled. “You children like unserious people. But disciplined men like this build nations.”

“So tell me, Ayo, when are you coming to officially take my daughter. Don't think I don't know what you kids are up to these days oo. It's time to make her your wife instead of having sleep overs every time.” Daddy added. 

“Ahhh!! Major, the ball is in Soteria’s hands. Whenever she's ready for me, I am ready for her, sir.” Ayo added as he gently brushed my knees with his. 

I smiled warmly “Yes daddy. I want to focus on building my career first before we talk about marriage.”

“That's good. I'll be here tho. Do your thing and don't forget to stay safe ooo. I don't want grandkids before you get married. I want my grandkids to be legally born.”

Hi babiesssssss🤭🤭🤭

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that Akila is a thorn in her flesh and Soteria is an extremely spoiled brat cause what do you mean everybody must like you??

Also, let’s start choosing hashtags for Ayoola and Soteria’s wedding oo.

#SAyo26 #Soyo26🤭🤭