Arrangement : with the gang leader

40

The ride to the designer was a comfortable silence. We mainly just listened to music and exchanged a few words here and there when really necessary. That's one of the things I like about being around him - I can just be me, in my own world and still exist with him simultaneously. 

"Is there anything else you'd like to add or change to the currently outfits?" Yuri, the designer, asks.

"No, she's fine." Damien answers for me. He's so annoyed because we've been here for probably the past two to three hours.

"But what if I had something to say?" I huff at him. 

"Kodwa baby we've been here for hours now and you haven't even had food. We'll come back tomorrow if it's really serious" he says, getting my stuff. 

"Awe that's so cute! You guys are such goals" Yuri says and I immediately start shaking my head. 

"You aren't toge- oh" you can tell he feels so awkward after realising he's wrong about us.

Damien scoffs, "Can you stop telling people we're not together. You're my women, get that through your stubborn head princess". This man even rolls his eyes at me.

Haike ngok. What's happening to Damien? 

Yuri just smiles at us and leads us outside his studio. 

"You'll call me if there's anything else that you may need Lera" he says waving us off. 

"Thank you so much! You're work is incredible. I know you won't disappoint." I say with a smile.

"Thank you so much for the bonus sir. I've been wanting to go on a vacation for a while now" he says twirling around. Mind you, Yuri is a straight man.

"Bonus?" I quiz and Damien drives off. 

"Damien? What is he talking about?" I face him, arms folded.

"Leave it" he says, fully focused on the road. 

"You paid for the outfits?! Damien, we were going to pay for them ourselves." I shout at him. 

"Lower your tone when addressing me, Love. I'm not one of your friends. " he says and I try to control my breathing. 

"Damien, I'm serious. You didn't have to all that. We had it under control." I say.

"I'm not letting you pay for shit while I'm around. Just leave it. It's not worth us arguing" he says and I just sigh because I know there's no winning with him. 

"Fine" I say, dropping it. 

He takes my hand in his and kisses the back of it. I let him but when he turns to look at me, I pull back and face back front. 

The drive home is once again filled with just music and vibes. The closer we get home, the more anxious I get. It's back to reality. Sometimes when it's just him and I, I forget that he's a gangster with a whole gang. It's just Damien. 

When we're with everyone else, it's Shadow. The cold, withdrawn man with a gun. The guy that people fear. 

"Well well welll, you sure did take your time with MY man" an annoyed Ade says when I get to the kitchen with some of the stuff I was carrying from an errand we had mad. It was just some documents so nothing really heavy. 

Damien didn't want me lifting a finger when it came to the heavy stuff, even the groceries. He got the guys to come help him. It seems like everyone was back from whatever they needed to do and it was just him and I that was left. 

"Hopefully we got everything that was needed but if we didn't then we'll just tell Damien to get it tomorrow" I say, ignoring Ade.

She pulls a face as if she's seen a ghost.