They both arrived late in Eleme, Port Harcourt. Most hotels and brothels had no empty rooms at that time of the night. They managed to get one tiny, small room that was available. Meryl was swearing and was cursing silently as she sat on the empty bed. The room was so small to have in the luxury of a chair or cushion being occupied with a bed and a wardrobe.

"I can't believe that there's a bathroom yet not enough beds, infact the bed isn't big enough." Meryl nearly bursted out in tears knowing what she was in for. A ceiling fan rang out in a creaked havoc's tone...Tewin-tron-tewin-trong....

"It's just for tonight. You don't need to be teary about it." Isma'il assured her as he started taking off his clothes from his suitcase which was placed on the little setee in the tiny room. He was trying to get his towel.
The drive from Lagos to Port Harcourt had been really hectic. Isma'il had driven them both in his Toyota Camry. He had tried making a conversation with her but it had yeilded no fruits. She was always responding in a worded word.

"What are you doing?" She turned to look at him.

"Thank God! You're finally talking to me." He went on with his business ignoring her question. In another minute, he angrily pulled out from his shirt which was clinging to his body. There wasn't enough ventilation in the room.

Meryl continued to feast her eyes with his body which glowed with the glistening swears lingering on his body. His shoulders were indeed broad that she wondered what it would be like to drive her hands down up his shoulders, his masculine biceps to his torso. She didn't realize that she was holding her breath as she swallowed. Why was her heart thudding violently? She never did care about him. Why she she so nervous that it seems to her like it was her wedding night? She hated the way she felt. Isma'il to her was a nobody. Were her old feelings for Isma'il returning? No! Certainly not. It was probably fear or hatred for what Isma'il had done to her in the past. Maybe the traumatic effect of yesteryears, she concluded. She swallowed, again.

"Thank goodness." Isma'il exclaimed once he retrieved his towel and he began to unbuckle at once. Meryl's eyes flew elsewhere, biting her lower lip as she did so.

"Are you alright?" He noticed the way her hands tightened on her thighs. He came closer to her.
She almost fell off the bed, he was bending over her and was staring right into her soul. A towel was draped round his masculine waist.

"I'm alright." She was forced to say.

"I'm off to the bathroom. I can barely sleep in this sweat-soaked body of mine." He turned away.

Meryl sat still, listening to the running waters. Perhaps in her thoughts of Isma'il that she vainfully tried to drown out the images that storm her mind. She groaned as she was fell back on the bed, using a pillow to cover her head from the disturbing images that lingered.

She felt Isma'il's presence when he walked out of the bathroom, heard his clothes rustling as he wore another. Then she felt him when he land beside her on the bed, startled she sat up. He too was shocked as he looked around the room wondering why she sat up so quickly.

"You've just been acting so weird lately Meryl. Are you sure you're all right?" He asked.
She looked down at him and was wondering why he was only in shorts? She was in trouble definitely.

"Are you going to sleep on the same bed with me?" She asked him.

Isma'il looked around the room again and back to her. "Where else am I going to sleep? Please, it's just for one night, afterall I will do you no harm."

She looked at him irritatingly and took her luggage from the other side of the bed.

"It's just one night and you're already behaving like it's our wedding night." He voiced her thoughts that she dramatically faked a cough.

"You should pack up your scattered clothes from the setee, I need the space." She shook his leg aggressively.

"If you're thinking of sleeping on the settee, you know that's entirely impossible. There's enough space for you." He patted her side of the bed as he shut his eyes to sleep.
Until she heard him snore did she feel comfortable to take her bathe.

****

The next morning came and they didn't hesitate any more wasted time. They drove down to the home of Madu, did whatever they came for and the case was solved. The family had taken a liking to Meryl who knew the Igbo dialect remarkably. One of the members had joked that he would soon come for her hand in marriage.

"You've changed a lot Meryl." Isma'il said when they were packing up for Lagos.

Meryl ignored him.

"You certainly did flirt with one of Madu's brothers there. But when I try to talk with you, seems like I've committed an abomination."

She didn't say anything still that he had to grab her hand so she could look at him.
"Let me go na." She looked back at him angrily.

"There, we have it. Do you still have me?" He had to ask.

"You can answer that yourself." She said to him as she pulled her hand forcefully from his grip.

In a firm pull, her body drifted to his body and a gasp escaped her lips. She pushed at his chest when she recovered her self.

"Looks like we've still got the old Meryl in there." He admitted when he saw her expression.

She continued to push but he held on. Slowly, his eyes came down her lips. "I wonder if you have had an operation on your face. I must proclaim you look refine." He slowly had to let go of her.

She caught his smile but that had even made her speechless. She must have forgotten to breathe. Was her heart playing with her? She had even envisioned a kiss! She closed her eyes briefly at the sight of it. She didn't want it to be Isma'il, she just didn't.