CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Daniel arrived at Aisha's apartment on Saturday afternoon wearing a simple shirt and a hopeful smile.
She opened the door and looked him up and down.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere you won't have to interrogate me."
"That's a very suspicious answer."
He laughed. "You'll see."
He took her to a small restaurant in Lagos, far from the places they usually visited for meetings about the investigation.
They ordered food, teased each other about their school days and talked about their individual dreams.
Aisha told him she wanted to lead a major creative team at her company one day. Daniel explained that he hoped to expand his own business and build something that would survive beyond him.
"You've always been ambitious," she said.
"So have you."
"Do you remember when I wanted to become a journalist?"
Daniel smiled.
"You interviewed everyone in our class and wrote their answers in that terrible little notebook."
Aisha gasped.
"Terrible? That notebook was precious!"
"It had a broken cover."
"It was vintage."
Daniel laughed, and she threw a napkin at him.
For a few hours, they were simply Aisha and Daniel again—not two people caught between old family secrets and unanswered questions.
After dinner, they walked along a quiet stretch of the waterfront.
Daniel stopped and turned towards her.
"I want to ask you something."
Aisha smiled cautiously.
"If this is about another secret, I'm going home."
"No secrets. I want to know what you need from me as we build this relationship."
She considered the question.
"Honesty. Patience. And communication. If something bothers you, tell me. Don't disappear and expect me to guess why."
"I can do that."
"And I need room to keep growing. I don't want either of us to lose ourselves trying to make this work."
Daniel nodded.
"I want that too. I want to support your dreams, not compete with them."
Aisha smiled.
"Then we're starting well."
He took her hand.
"Can I kiss you?"
She rolled her eyes playfully.
"You're still asking?"
"I intend to keep asking."
She leaned towards him.
"Then yes."
Their kiss was soft and familiar, but it carried something new: the comfort of two people choosing each other with open eyes.
As they walked back to the car, Aisha felt lighter than she had in weeks.
For once, their evening had belonged entirely to them.
Then Daniel's phone rang.
It was his father.
Daniel answered, and his smile slowly disappeared.
"What's wrong?" Aisha asked when he ended the call.
"Robert has withdrawn part of his earlier statement. He says he was misunderstood."
Aisha's heart sank.
The truth was coming out, but Robert was still trying to control how it was told.