“I said no.”
That was Sophia, her voice firm. The backyard went completely silent.
The blonde she was talking to didn’t seem to realise he was the focus of everyone’s attention, his voice unbearably loud as he said, “Come on, don’t be a wuss—”
He abruptly wrapped his arms around Sophia’s waist, his grin wide and feral, his eyes dancing with mischief as he lifted her into the air.
Everyone seemed to know instinctively what he was about to do.
“Hey!” more than one bachelor, including Obiora, yelled, already making their way quickly across the backyard.
“Put me down,” Sophia said, her voice cold. She’d gone dangerously still.
Ejiro hated confrontations. He felt sick, dizzy, but his feet took him in Sophia’s direction as well, his worry for her overshadowing his fear.
“Come on—” the blonde was cajoling, turning in the direction of the pool, his arms tensing, getting ready to throw her in.
“Yo, did you not hear when she said to let her go?” Obiora growled, his voice dangerous.
“Maybe you should mind your business,” the blonde taunted back, his grip on her tightening.
The tussle was quick. More than one person grabbed the blonde’s arms, while others pulled Sophia out of his grasp and led her to safety.
“Jeez, I was only playing,” the blonde said, but Ejiro could clearly see the discomfort in his eyes, the realisation that he’d gone too far.
The men sneered at him.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.”
There were too many people surrounding her.
“Can I have some space, please?”
The men immediately backed off. Sophia looked shaken. She turned and stalked back into the mansion. Some of the cameras, along with Ameri, quickly followed after her. The rest remained to film the aftermath.
Ignoring the cameras, the bachelors rounded in on the blonde.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Ejiro took that as his cue to back off.
He glanced in the direction of the mansion, but knew Sophia needed her space, so he didn’t approach it.
He was drawn to the greenhouse, leaving the bachelors arguing behind. Later on, when he’d do his commentary during the cutaway, Ameri would ask him why he hadn’t said anything to Chad—of course the donkey’s name was Chad—and Ejiro would admit he was awful at confrontations; besides, the other bachelors seemed to already have it covered.
The greenhouse was a thing of beauty, even from the outside. The doors were locked and it was dark, but Ejiro could faintly make out the colours of the variety of plants and flowers within. It would make a really romantic spot later on in the competition, which was probably one of the reasons Ameri must have chosen this mansion as the location.
His mind went to the comic he was writing on Patreon and Tapas. Things between his MC and love interest were building really slowly, but what if they had a moment in a greenhouse like this? Dubem worked in a flower shop, so it wouldn’t be too farfetched. What if, when he finally asked Efe, his love interest, on a date, he took her to a greenhouse? And they had their first kiss?
Excitement made his blood race as the scenes bloomed in his imagination, bright and vivid—petals and greenery surrounding the couple in a tender embrace—and Ejiro’s hands itched desperately for his drawing tablet.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
Ejiro jumped. Sophia laughed.
“Whoops, sorry,” she said, still giggling. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
