Page 70 of Cupid Calling
“Hello! Excuse me!”
They jumped apart like guilty schoolchildren. Obiora’s heart raced.
The woman who’d called after them watched them with amusement. “I’m terribly sorry, but would you mind taking a picture for us?” She held out her phone. Behind her stood what Obiora assumed were her entire extended family, who also wore amused looks on their faces.
Obiora could feel himself blushing. Ejiro looked just as flustered.
“Um, sure,” Ejiro said, clearing his throat when his voice came out hoarse.
He took several photos until the woman was satisfied.
“Thank you. I’ll leave you both to it.” She winked, then turned back to her family.
“Oh my God.” Ejiro hid his face behind his hands.
Obiora burst out laughing.
“Stop laughing!” Ejiro managed to smack him in the arm before he could dodge.
“Come on,” Obiora said with a grin. “Let’s head back.”
Without looking at him, Ejiro walked up and linked their arms again, his fingers pressing gently against the inside of Obiora’s elbow. Obiora was on cloud nine with no way of ever coming back down.
The walk back was much slower, all the urgency gone. Obiora trembled with want; he didn’t want this moment—this day to end.
It felt like it took too long and yet not long enough, when they finally made it back to their accommodation.
There was slight muffled laughter when Ejiro had to give Obiora a boost up the fence, then Obiora had to reach down to pull him up.
They landed on the balcony, no worse for wear. The kitchen was dark, the sliding door closed. Tyler, Jin, and Jack had probably gone to bed already.
They snuck inside, hearts beating in tandem, and heaved sighs of relief when they made it to their room unnoticed.
Obiora flipped on the light. Ejiro collapsed onto his bed, clutching his sketchbook to his chest.
“That was exhilarating,” he said breathlessly, laughing a little. He sat up, looking at Obiora, pinning him there with the earnestness in his gaze. “This was hands down one of the best days of my life.”
The words shook Obiora down to his marrows, every inch of him wishing he could stay in this moment forever.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “Same here.”
Episode 5 – The World’s Most Romantic City
Episode Summary: Noah, the winner of last week’s Red Heart, takes Sophia on a stroll through the University of Oxford’s botanical gardens, then a dinner snack from a roadside kebab truck, ending the date with a spicy and passionate kiss. Ejiro takes Sophia to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and Sophia plants one on him that he seems to reciprocate, but later admits he did not want. Jin takes Sophia for a romantic riverside picnic, then punting down the river itself; he kisses the back of her hand after the date, which makes Sophia swoon. Obiora takes Sophia to lunch, ending his date with a lingering hug.
For this week’s group date, the bachelors and bachelorette are taken on a surprise trip to Venice. The men are given a list of places they tour upon arrival, and are told to pick one place to take the bachelorette on a private date, with a time limit of one hour each. During their date, Sophia apologises to Ejiro for kissing him without consent. Jin is the second bachelor to win the Red Heart during his date; he takes Sophia on a private picnic in a water taxi circling the canal, and reads her a romantic poem he wrote about her. They end up kissing for most of the rest of the date.
Eddie, George, Tyler, and Jack are eliminated.
Click here to watch the full episode on Netflicks!
TWENTY
DESPITE THE FACT THAT OBIORA knew they were going to be filming bright and early today, he and Ejiro hadn’t slept until the wee hours of the morning. After their illicit impromptu visit to the canal, Obiora hadn’t wanted the night to end, and Ejiro seemed to have felt the same way, because they’d spent the rest of the night talking.
Obiora didn’t think he’d ever felt so vulnerable, two of them with the lights off, eyes bright in the darkness, lying on their sides and facing each other, with only an arm’s length of space between them.
The bonding from their time at the canal plus the darkness had felt comforting somehow, which had led to them talking about things Obiora was sure they would never have spoken about in the light of day.
