“A week, but—and don’t freak out—I slipped into a coma after transferring the powers. Woke up a few days ago. That’s why I didn’t reach out till now,” Niyi says breezily with a sheepish smile, as if it’s no big deal.
Unsure of where to begin, I ask, “Are you okay now?”
“Moon, another cousin, healed me. We weren’t sure of the consequences of breaking the commitment, but luckily, since I wasn’t in tune with my powers for very long, it was easier to detach.”
“You’re gonna have to re-explain all of this with charts and diagrams,” I say, not bothering to hide my confusion.
“Absolutely.”
A final question pops to mind. “Prove it. How do I know any of this is true?”
“Thought you’d never ask. Come with me? Please? I’ll show you.”
We walk back inside, and Niyi heads straight for my table with the girls.
“Everything good?” Sewa asks.
“TBD,” I respond as Niyi grabs the open wine bottle, along with some empty glasses.
“Hey!” Anjie protests.
“I’ll bring it right back, Chef,” Niyi says.
We find a quiet spot in an adjacent room away from the rest of the event. Niyi pours one glass, and I take my first sip of the night.
It’s a very basic wine. Despite the caliber of the event, it’s cheap. It’salways cheap.
Niyi laces his hand around the body of the second glass, and I wait with bated breath.
Niyi takes about the same amount of time as he did in his room, except this time his eyes don’t gloss over, his breathing doesn’t slow, and he doesn’t slip into a frightening comatose state. Once done, he hands me the glass and watches as I tip it, waiting for the wine to reach my tongue.
Do me this solid, please,I beg whatever forces are out there. In the moment it takes for the wine to run out of the glass and reach my tongue, I realize I want Niyi to be true. I wantusto be true.
The wine touches my tongue, and a smile takes over my face.
“It’s shit?” he asks.
“It’s shit!” I respond, absolutely overcome with emotion.
“Any more questions? You can also ask Vee and Merc to confirm. I know they’re related to me, but you can ask. I wouldn’t be offended. I don’t want any more secrets between us.” He looks at me breathlessly. I wonder what he’s thinking.
I force down my smile. I want to scare him a little. “Two more questions.”
He looks petrified but accepts.
The first question is a thought I’ve had ruminating that might change things, but I need to know.
“We met when you were Saturn, ruler of my seventh house. How are you sure you’re the one for me? And question two: how are you sure that once this attraction, lust, infatuation, or whatever you want to call it, is all out of your system, you won’t be done with me?”
Niyi doesn’t even take a beat. “Because like every other bit of astrology, the stars have to align perfectly. People have to align. I’m sure I made hundreds of mistakes—trust me, I was a horrible Saturn—but the stars brought me to you.”
He edges closer, hesitating, before he grabs my hand. I’m ready for him to touch me again. “Everyone has a birth chart, but when I was Saturn, you were my life chart. I was living on autopilot, trying to be someoneI was not, until we met. The first time I unlocked my full powers, I was thinking about you. You helped me realize I didn’t have to be Saturn, I could just be me. You are my Sunshine. You helped brighten up the darkest time of my life. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
His forehead touches mine.
“To answer your second question, I could never be done with you even if I tried, Moyo. It’s like asking if we’ll ever be done with oxygen. Until my dying breath, I will be yours if you’ll have me. And lastly, only you can say if I’m the one for you. But I know that you are the one for me, and I’ll work every day to make sure I’m worthy of you.”
The tears in my eyes threaten to fall as I process his words. For the first time in my life, someone can’t stand to lose me. I’m not the only person fighting for this relationship. The foreign sensation leaves me stuck.
