Excerpt: In the Name of Love by Anuoluwapo Ogunmoroti

May 29, 2025

II: Lust or Love… Go Figure

He was tall and dark, and his hair had sleek waves. His eyes glittered with a foreboding touch of mischief as he smiled at me while assessing me.

In conclusion, he was the perfect description of not my type.

I drew in a deep, and calming breath; I could not afford to get mad… at least not right here.

“What do you want, giraffe-looking boy? I don’t have all day.” My face twisted into a frown.

My words must have struck a nerve in him, because his corky smile dropped, and mine broadened.

I scoffed when he didn’t say anything and proceeded into my car.

Common sense caused him to get off the car. He began to walk away when he suddenly stopped.

I arched an eyebrow as I stared behind my steering.

He turned to me and said, “You’re gonna have to do better than that, that is, if you want to cut the stage play you’re auditioning for.”

I frowned. What the hell does he think he is talking about? He can’t just waltz in here and tell me what I should or should not do. Now… is he trying to make me second-guess my acting skills? How dare he!

“I know,” he said, breaking my thoughts. “The truth stings, doesn’t it, hmm? The name is Griffin, actually, or as you so kindly called me earlier, ‘giraffe’.” He scoffed and walked away, leaving me staring at his retreating figure. Was he offended that I said he was giraffe-looking? It’s not my fault he’s so tall.

“Whatever,” I mumbled to myself. “It’s not like I am ever going to see him again.” I drove out of the parking lot to Tunde and Thalarina’s place on Eastwood Avenue.

Thalarina was my cousin’s girlfriend. She was part Russian, part American — mixed race — but one could easily identify her as Russian by her distinctive facial features. I still ask myself, sometimes, what the hell happened to all the Nigerian chicks in this country, that my cousin had to go for her.

But then again, after chopping premium heartbreak from Nigerian girls, I guess Tunde was left with no choice but to steal a chance at something different. I smiled at this thought.

On arriving in front of Tunde’s place, I turned off the car’s engine and placed a call on Mum.

“Hey, Mum. How are you doing, and how is work going?” I said, right after she picked on the second ring. I could hear some rustling noise in the background before her voice came to life.

“Hi Kori, how did it go? Please, tell me you got the lead.” Straight into business.

I chuckled a little. “Well, Mum, let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet. The audition was fine and I hope for feedback soon, and all hope is not lost if I don’t get any. We’ll keep trying.”

She was quiet for a while, and the rustling in the background continued.

Some seconds passed, and the silence was becoming quickly unbearable.

She spoke again, “Hmm, I know we’ll keep trying, but I just… One of us has to make our dream of being in the theatres come true.”

I smiled sadly and sighed. Mum had always dreamt of being a fast-paced actress — always wanted to be on screen, acting 24/7. Dad didn’t want that life for her, but he did his best to support her while she was still pursuing her career. The moment she got pregnant with me, though, Dad made sure she quit.

“Hello, are you there? Where are you, anyway? The audition was over an hour ago.”

Mum had sliced through my thoughts. And good thing, too, because I didn’t like the train of thought I was on.

“Oh, yeah, I took a detour. I am over at Tunde’s. What about you, where are you at?” I got down from the car with my bag in hand and walked to the house.

“Oh, I am outside taking the dog out for a run. Don’t stay out too late, I won’t either. Talk to you later, hon.”

I chuckled in response and hung up. I stowed away my phone in my bag and just raised my hand to knock on the door when it flew open.

There she was in all her glory; Tunde’s girlfriend. In my opinion, she was the ideal description of “perfectly imperfect”.

She had long flawless legs, round hips, and a waist so slim one might just be able to hold in a grip.

One could get lost in her eyes if one stared for too long. Her nose was pointed and her cheeks were freckled. She was dressed in one of Tunde’s shirts and, dare I say, it looked simply hot on her.

“Are you done checking me out?”

Heat immediately rushed to my face, and I bowed my head, feeling embarrassed. I couldn’t believe she’d caught me checking her out again. Squeezing my eyes shut, I kept my head down and mumbled, “Sorry. Is my cousin home?”

She giggled, but before she could respond, Tunde popped his head out, towering over both of us.

“Ugh, finally! Come on in, little one,” he said, opening the door wide for me and his girlfriend to enter. While his girl went into the room to get dressed properly, Tunde and I got talking. Before I could stop myself, my mouth had a mind of its own, blurting out, “Wow, Tunde, your girl is so hot, the sun doesn’t stand a chance. I see why you went for her.”

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and I immediately regretted it. My cheeks and ears burned with embarrassment — not physically, of course, thanks to my brown skin, but they felt red-hot in my head. I couldn’t help but apologise. “Man, I’m sorry. And before you say anything, no, I’m completely straight — as straight as a line can ever be.”

Instead of accepting my apology, he just chuckled and said, “You know she can literally hear you, right?” I glared at him, even though my face was burning with embarrassment — at least mentally. Sometimes, I just wanted to snap this boy in half. Why did he have to be like this? All he could do was laugh — laughing at my expense.

His girl, Thalarina, walked in just then. “Looks like you guys are having fun. Hey, Kori, you need anything?”

I shot Tunde one last glare to make him stop laughing. Thankfully, it worked. Finally, I looked up at Thalarina and replied, “I think I’ll have a sandwich with lemonade. What about you, Tunde?”

He looked at me, then at his girlfriend, and back at me again, a mischievous glint in his eyes before he responded. “Oh, me? Nah, I’m good. I already ate more than I can chew,” he said, his gaze fixed solely on his babe.

I groaned, a mocking grimace on my face as I exclaimed, “Tunde! Jeez, you pervert.” He laughed, and despite myself, I chuckled a little. His babe, Thalarina, headed to the kitchen to get my sandwich. “So, little one, how did your day go?” Tunde asked, settling into his seat with his legs crossed. I groaned in displeasure as memories of the guy at the car park came flooding back. “Man, you would not believe the day I had,” I said, throwing my hands up. Then, with him watching intently, I began spilling all the tea about my day.

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