Remi straightens, his face unchanging. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Lara takes that as a sign that her plan is going well. The thought of Remi shouting at Soma and abandoning her right there in the midst of people, has her chuckling. “It’s exactly as I said. Soma has been lying to you.”
Remi turns his head and cast a glance at Soma, who just bites her lips. He sighs, changing his focus back to Lara.
“Look, Lara. I really don’t have time for all your nonsense.”
That wipes the smile off her face. How could he talk to her like that?
“Because you’re going on a date?” She scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you being for real right now? You rejected me, time and time again, and ended up with her? A nobody?”
“Watch your words, Lara.” Remi’s tone spreads fear into Lara, enough for her to back down from her approach. Even when he had scolded her the last time she was at Obsidian, he didn’t speak to her like this.
It didn’t matter. What she knew was going to open Remi’s eyes and he’d come begging for forgiveness.
She clears her throat. “But I’m right. You deserve someone of your class. And we’ve known each other for years. I have liked you and done everything possible to be with you and you’re just throwing it all away.”
“I didn’t ask you to do any of those things.”
“You don’t need to ask. That’s what liking someone is about.”
“Just because you like someone doesn’t mean you should impose your feelings on them. Or have a right to what they do,” Soma speaks up, removing her hands from Remi’s.
Lara stares at Soma, contempt floating in her eyes as she tilts her head slightly. “Look at you, finally growing a spine because Remi is protecting you.”
Soma rolls her eyes, walking towards her. “Lara, you and I both know that our workplace is the only reason why I never retaliated.”
Lara takes a few steps too, wanting to prove she’s in control. “Really? Oh, I’m scared!” She mocks her.
“You should be.” In the blink of an eye, Soma grabs Lara’s hair, pulling her head to the side. “Because I have a lot of pent up frustration from months back and you stupidly broke the jar that I stored them in when you started running your mouth.”
Lara shrieks from the pain, her braids very close to tearing away from her scalp, but Soma doesn’t let go. Remi just watches it, a fist covering his mouth as he battles between stepping in and staying out of the business of irritated women.
He thought of it. If he butted in, Soma could pass on the aggression to him. He shakes his head. The second option was sounding like the better one, even though there would be a victim.
“Let go of me!”
“Why? Because I shouldn’t be doing this to a person?” Soma says calmly. “Maybe you should have thought like that every time you picked on me in the office.”
Lara looks at her, holding onto Soma’s hands. “When have I ever done that?” she grits out.
“Oh, you have memory loss?” Soma clicks her tongue. “Such a shame this attitude of yours didn’t go as well.”
“You common thing!” Lara spits out. “It’s not like anything I said was wrong.”
“That’s what you think.”
Soma sighs and pulling the braids for the last time for good measure, lets go. By now, a small crowd has started to gather and Soma did not want to be the one providing them entertainment. Lara doesn’t notice and shrieks again, hissing at the pain as she presses into her scalp.
She remembers that Remi should be here and looks for him. When she sees him, still in the same position, but his head turned to the side and trying not to laugh, she bursts, stomping her feet like a child.
“Remi! How could you just stand there and let her do that to me?”
He clears his throat and faces her. “You wanted me to help you?”
“Of course! Do I not mean something to you?”
“No,” he answers with no hesitation. Soma snorts, covering her mouth to hold back her laughter.
“Sorry. It’s just…I’m good.” She lifts her hands at Lara. “Carry on.”
Lara has a dark complexion, but even that did not hide the red fury that had settled on her face. “You think this is funny?”
“There’s a reason why they say You reap what you sow.”
Lara bobs her head. “Fine.” She stares straight at Soma, and the chill that passed through her body was more than the air conditioning in the mall. She didn’t have time to question it because Lara was already opening her mouth to deliver her blow.
“She was at the gala, using another person’s identity.”
Oh my God. Soma closes her eyes.
“Gala?”
Lara turns her stare to Remi. “The one my uncle and aunt hosted months back! The luxury wing? She was there, assuming the identity of Lilith Adebayo.” She glances back at Soma, giving her a nasty eye. “I bet you stole the card and everything from her just so that you could belong in a world that doesn’t fit you.”
“I did not steal it,” Soma fires back.
“Of course you’d say that.”
“How do you know she was there?” Remi asks. “Everyone was wearing masks.”
“True. But some people can recognize you even with the mask. For example, Charles.” Lara smirks at Soma. “Remember him?”
Charles… “Who’s that?”
“Don’t act dumb with me. The guy who had a thing with Lilith?”
“They did not have a thing.”
“Oh, I thought you didn’t know who he was?”
Soma kisses her teeth. She walked into that one. It’s only in situations like this that Lara would be smart.
“You know, Charles and I are friends.”
“Of course you are. Two peas in a pod,” Soma comments under her breath.
“He told me how you didn’t seem to remember him and acted different from usual when you guys met. Almost like it wasn’t you. He became sure because Lilith would never talk to him the way you did and act like she was taken.”
Remi raises a brow. “So that’s why?”
“No.” She wags a finger. “I thought only someone who was close to Lilith would be capable of such. So I checked her socials and found you. And luck would have it, you could pass off for Lilith if the only thing you had to do was wear a mask and keep your presence barely there.”
Remi pivots on his heels, facing Soma completely. “Is that true, Somadina?”
Damn Lara for being such a busybody and terrible person to reveal this right now. All Soma’s plans had been rendered useless. There was no point lying, but with the way Remi was looking at her, it wasn’t going to end well. “Yes. But I was only helping Lilith out.”
Remi nods once, his face unreadable but to Lara, it looked like he was angry at being deceived. She grins at the success of her plan, looking so much like a villainess.
“See? I was right? And you wanted to date her.” she scoffs.
“That’s none of your business.”
Lara’s expression turns into a frown. Why is he still being hostile to her even though she had opened his eyes?
Remi takes Soma by the hand, and until they step outside the mall, stopping by his car, he doesn’t release her. He cages her between his arms, her back resting on the side of his car.
“I’m really sorry for keeping it from you,” Soma says immediately. She tries to read the look on Remi’s face but it’s blank. She sighs.
“I was going to tell you today. That we already met and at the time, I was using my friend’s identity per her request.”
“Why today?”
She pauses. “I had decided to give in to you. But we can’t start any relationship if I’m not honest with you. So I wanted to wait till the project was done and dusted, tell you and depending on that, we can either begin something or…forget it.”
Remi scowls. “You’re being melodramatic. It’s unlike you.”
The words replay in her head and she frowns. “What does that mean?”
He lets out a sigh, rubbing at his temple. “I already knew.”
Soma blinks. Once. Twice. “What?”
“Did you really think I just sat in my office, seeing you every day and developing feelings for you? I told you the day we met again. You were familiar.”
“You didn’t see my face though…”
“You’re not listening to me.” He takes a step closer, nearly canceling all distance between them. “You were familiar. Not look familiar.”
Soma furrows her brows, still very much confused, and he continues. “Everything about you was the same as that night. Even a mask, fancy clothes and makeup is not enough to hide your authentic self. In fact, it’s impossible to.”
“How long have you known?” she asks in a quiet voice.
“It was just suspicion, until you described the exact thing that happened between us in the garden.”
“I did?” She points to herself, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. “So…I gave myself away?”
“Yes. Though after I realized it, I remembered the encounter with Charles. He had called you Lilith. It didn’t take long to put two and two together.”
Soma covers her face, embarrassed at herself “Wow. See me thinking I hadn’t been found out the entire time.”
“You only have yourself to blame for that.”
She removes her hands. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugs. “It’s not like it’s a big deal. If anything, I’m glad you both were the same person. It just proved that we were meant to be.”
“It’s crazy how you reached that conclusion.”
“I fell for you that night, Somadina.” He cradles the side of her face. “I really did. That’s why I said you might be a problem.”
“Oh. And also why you were flirting with me!”
He chuckles. “So you knew I was. Yet you ran away.”
“I wasn’t going to run away with some handsome stranger that I just met.”
“You just admitted to feeling me that night.”
She pauses. “You’re reading too much into things.”
“Am I really?” He leans forward, waiting. “Now’s the time to stop me, Somadina.”
Her eyes were locked on his, unable to escape. And as she stares, the more she wanted what they had. “I don’t want to,” she whispers.
“Very well.”
He closed the inches between their faces and their lips met. Soft, warm, and at last. What started out as tentative, gave room to desire. Remi’s grip on her tightens, and Soma let herself fall, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He pulls away after God knows how long and he rests his forehead on hers.
“Finally,” he breathes out.
“You say that like you’ve been dreaming about this.”
His lips pull up in a slow smile. “I have.” And he goes back to kissing her.
We’ve come to the end! But…we’ll have a bonus chapter. Or two?👀Just as the spirit leads.
Please continue to like, comment, share and subscribe if you haven’t❤️
You can also check out my Instagram for short stories as well: HERE
Read previous chapters here
Read my previous stories:
Awww🤭
It started with a lie but it ended with the truth 🤭🤭
Somebody shout halleluyah