DARA'S POV
There are many things in life I can handle:
NEPA taking light during my shower.
Lagos traffic whispering "you're not going anywhere today."
Vendors mixing orders.
But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared me for seeing my ex standing in the reception area of BlackShield on a Monday morning.
Tega.
The man who left me for someone "more convenient."
The man who said I was "too ambitious."
The man who promised me forever and delivered one month.
He had the audacity, the boldness, the spiritual confidence to show up here, in a building owned by the man whose almost-kiss was still living rent-free in my mind.
He smiled when he saw me.
"Dara," he breathed, like we were in some cheap Nollywood scene.
"You look… different."
"Of course," I replied.
"It's called peace."
He winced, but quickly recovered.
"I've been calling you. You blocked me."
"Yes," I said. "For my sanity."
He stepped closer.
Way too close.
"I made a mistake," he said.
"I've been thinking"
"That's new."
He blinked. "Can you be serious?"
"No," I replied. "Next question."
He exhaled deeply.
"You're trending everywhere with your… fiancé. But I know you, Dara. You can't tell me you're really marrying that CEO. You? Engaged to a billionaire? Come on."
Ah.
There it was.
The insult hidden inside "concern."
I tilted my head.
"So what do you want?"
"To talk. To see you. To fix things."
Fix what?
The sadness he caused?
The heartbreak?
The disrespect?
I was about to give him a well-deserved speech when a familiar warmth pressed into the small of my back.
A familiar scent, expensive, calming, washed over me.
A familiar presence swallowed the space beside me.
I didn't need to turn.
I knew.
Kamsi.
He placed his hand on my waist not gently, not lightly, but firmly.
Possessively.
Tega's eyes widened.
"Is… is this him?" he stuttered.
Kamsi didn't smile.
Didn't greet him.
Didn't pretend to be civil.
He simply said,
"Who is this?"
His tone was calm.
Deadly calm.
"An ex," I said before Tega could introduce himself as something more important than dust.
Something flickered in Kamsi's eyes.
Something dark.
Hot.
Dangerous.
Tega swallowed.
"I came to talk to Dara. Privately."
"No," Kamsi said.
"That won't be necessary."
Tega frowned. "Excuse me?"
Kamsi stepped slightly forward shielding me behind him.
"I don't know what conversation you think you're owed," he said, voice low,
"but she doesn't belong to your past anymore."
My heart.
Stopped.
Started.
Restarted again on a different frequency.
Tega scoffed.
"So she belongs to you now?"
Belong.
The word vibrated between us.
Kamsi didn't flinch.
Didn't back down.
He looked Tega dead in the eyes and said,
"Yes."
Every molecule in my body combusted.
Tega blinked rapidly.
"This is ridiculous. Dara, we used to be—"
Kamsi cut in again.
"You used to be. Past tense."
His hand back on my waist.
"She's not interested," he added.
"Walk away."
Tega's pride deflated like a puff-puff gone wrong.
He scoffed, turned to me, and said,
"You don't have to hide behind him, you know."
But I'd had enough.
"I'm not hiding," I said.
"I've just moved on. Something you didn't expect me to do."
He opened his mouth to reply
but I was done.
I took Kamsi's hand on my waist, intertwined our fingers, and held his hand boldly in front of my ex.
Tega inhaled sharply.
His ego wanting to explode.
Then he turned and left the building like someone had unplugged his confidence.
Silence filled the lobby.
For a full five seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
Then
"You dated him?" Kamsi asked, still staring at the door Tega walked out from.
"I was… younger," I said.
He nodded. "You were kinder."
I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you let people close who didn't deserve you."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Loaded silence.
His hand was still holding mine.
His thumb slowly unconsciously stroked my skin.
I swallowed.
"So… that was… intense."
He looked at me..
"That's what jealousy feels like," he said simply.
I nearly fainted.
"You were jealous?" I whispered.
"No," he said.
My chest sank
Then he added,
"I'm possessive."
My knees.
Actually.
Buckled.
He stepped closer.
"Dara," he murmured,
"If he shows up again…
Tell me first."
"Why?" I whispered.
His jaw tightened.
His eyes darkened.
"Because I don't share."
Lord.
Have.
Mercy.
The rules?
The contract?
The boundaries?
All of them were slowly catching fire.
And I didn't want to put out the flames.
KAMSI'S POV
I wasn't looking for her.
Not consciously.
But the moment I stepped out of the elevator and saw the back of her head near reception, something inside me eased.
Like my day had just found its balance.
Then I saw him standing in front of her.
And every part of me… sharpened.
Dark jeans.
Cheap cologne.
A smile that was trying too hard.
I didn't like him immediately.
Worse, she looked uncomfortable her arms crossed, her shoulders tense, her eyes darting around like she wanted to escape.
Who the hell was he?
I took two steps forward.
He stepped closer to her.
I took another two steps.
He leaned in.
And something territorial began rising in my chest.
I didn't analyze it.
Didn't try to be reasonable.
I just moved.
By the time I reached them, I was already annoyed I hadn't reached sooner.
I placed my hand on her waist.
Not gently.
Not politely.
Firmly. Mine.
She stiffened for a second then relaxed into my touch.
Something in my chest clicked into place.
I faced him.
"Who is this?"
Her voice was flat.
Cold.
Dismissive.
"An ex."
Ex.
The word burned.
He looked between us with disbelief, confusion… and something uglier.
I recognized it.
Entitlement.
He actually thought he still had a right to speak to her.
He didn't.
He straightened, trying to sound important.
"I came to talk to Dara. Privately."
I felt a cold anger slip into my bloodstream.
"No," I said.
"That won't be necessary."
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
I moved slightly in front of her without thinking blocking him, shielding her.
Because he didn't deserve even a second more of her time.
"I don't know what conversation you think you're owed," I said,
"but she doesn't belong to your past anymore."
Her breath caught.
I felt it.
He scoffed.
"So she belongs to you now?"
Yes.
The answer came instantly.
Naturally.
Without thought or hesitation.
But I didn't say it for effect.
I said it because it felt true in a way that scared me.
"Yes," I said.
His face cracked.
He wasn't expecting that.
He turned to her, trying one last pathetic attempt.
"You don't have to hide behind him, Dara—"
Before he could finish, she reached for my hand on her waist
And intertwined our fingers.
My heartbeat stuttered, then pounded heavier.
She chose to stand with me.
She chose me.
Tega's expression shattered.
He spat something under his breath and walked out of the building like someone whose ego had evaporated.
The moment the door closed behind him, I exhaled slowly.
Too slowly.
Because my system was still humming with adrenaline and something darker.
Possessiveness.
Jealousy.
Want.
But she was still holding my hand… gently… almost like she didn't realize she hadn't let go.
I looked down at our joined hands, then at her.
"You dated him?"
It came out sharper than I intended.
I hated the thought of her with him.
Hated the thought of her hurt by someone so… mediocre.
"I was younger," she said again.
Hesitant.
"You were kinder," I replied before I could swallow the truth.
She blinked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I met her eyes fully.
"It means you let people close who didn't deserve you."
Her breath hitched.
Her lashes fluttered.
She heard what I didn't say:
I want to be close to you.
I want to deserve you.
I want you.
But I didn't trust myself to go further.
Not here.
Not like this.
Not with my pulse still beating like I almost punched her ex.
Still, the truth slipped out before I could stop it.
"That's what jealousy feels like," I said quietly.
She froze.
"You were jealous?" she whispered.
"No."
I paused.
Then added, lower:
"I'm possessive."
Her knees wobbled.
I saw it.
I felt it.
And I realized something terrifying:
If she asked me to burn the entire world at that moment,
I might have said yes.
I stepped closer just enough for her to feel the truth in my voice.
"If he shows up again," I murmured,
"tell me first."
"Why?" she asked voice breathless.
My jaw tighten.
My voice dropped.
"Because I don't share."
She shivered.
And I knew
whatever this thing between us was…
It was becoming unpredictable.
Too real.
And I didn't know how to stop it.
I wasn't even sure I wanted to.