When sparks fly.

Customers at Kings Club are very familiar with Wale; he was known as the life of every party. He would spin tracks, get everyone bumped for the night and he was just too good with his job as a PRO. There was never a dull moment around Wale, and so many people always looked forward to meeting him every night.

Around 10am one particular Friday night, a lady approached Wale after he had finished performing. She insisted on buying him any drink he wanted, but Wale hesitated, and after much persuasion, he agreed to take just a bottle of Smirnoff.

"Isn't that too soft for someone like you? I bet you need something stronger," She teased Wale who just smiled while opening the bottle cap.

"This is strong enough for me, and I really appreciate it," Wale replied, sipping from the bottle.

"Really? With all you did up there," She replied, pointing at the stage.

"That's how we roll and I hear that a lot. My alcohol tolerance is low so I don't do strong drinks," Wale replied.

"Oh, that's interesting. It's hard to believe though," She replied, signaling the bartender for a glass of tequila.

"How come we haven't met before because I know almost every customer here," Wale stuttered staring at the lady gulp down a glass of tequila.

"Me?" She grabbed the lemon slice served with the whiskey and squeezed it into her mouth.

"Yes. Are you a first-timer?" Wale asked, sipping from his bottle again.

"I love this," She smacked her lip in satisfaction and pushed some dollar notes to the bartender.

"Keep the balance," She whispered to the bartender and turned to Wale, "it was nice meeting you, sir."

"Same here and thanks for the drink. Can I at least know your name or have your number," Wale asked.

"Is that necessary? You can just call me AJ," She replied and left while Wale was still introducing himself.

Wale watched her exit the building and he felt a spark in him. It was an unusual feeling, so he turned to the bartender and asked a few questions about AJ. The bartender claimed to have seen her twice and Wale can only hope that their paths crossed again.

Every night during his job, Wale would always scan the crowd for AJ, but he never found her. He gave up after a while and stopped looking.

A month had passed when Wale arrived at work and met AJ at the bartender's counter even before the party started.
She was halfway done with a Jack Daniels whiskey, and Wale wondered why she drank so heavily.

"Hi," He said immediately after he got to the counter.

"Hi, Wale. How have you been?" She asked.

"Am doing great. It's been a while," Wale replied.

"Yes, I have been very busy with work. I just wanted to unwind here tonight," She replied.

"That's great but I don't know if you will still be around in two hours," Wale asked.

"I do be long gone by then," She replied, and Wale, after much persuasion, succeeded in getting her contact this time.

He texted about two hours later to be sure she had gotten home and their communication grew stronger. They went from just saying greetings to checking on eachother and now, they spend up to an hour chatting via call or text.

AJ became a regular at Kings Bar because of Wale and he always made sure they saw eachother before she left. Wale has grown feelings, but he was really scared of being rejected, so he bottled up his feelings. He didn't stop communicating and they eventually became fond of eachother.

AJ got really tipsy one night, and Wale insisted on driving her home, but she couldn't even give a description of her place.

He pondered on what to do and concluded on lodging her in a hotel nearby.

He couldn't leave her there, so he had to spend the night at the hotel as well. Wale spent the night watching over AJ, and when she woke up, she was shocked to see Wale on the couch dosing.

She felt terrible and called him to sleep on the bed but Wale turned down the idea. AJ couldn't thank him enough for the help later in the morning and considered him a perfect gentleman.

In return for the help, AJ decided to honor Wale's invitation to his house. Wale felt happy and made preparations ahead of the visit.

"You've got a beautiful apartment. I was looking forward to a flashy place filled with guys," AJ said immediately after she arrived at Wale's place. It was calm, serene, and simple, just like his personality.

"Really? That's not my style," Wale replied.

"The life of every party living solo and barely drinking alcohol; I hope you are not trying to impress me?" She asked staring at a kangaroo portrait in Wale's living room.

"That's just me," He replied.

"We will see," She said jokingly and settled in.

It was a great visit and after the whole fun, Wale asked if AJ could be his girlfriend.

"Really? I am not a fighter," She stuttered.

"I don't understand what you mean by that," Wale replied.

"I see a lot of girls running around you at the club and I know you have lots of them in your care. I am not that type of girl," She replied.

"They are just customers who enjoy what I do?" Wale replied, moving closer to AJ on the couch.

"You have a sweet mouth but it won't work on me. I have to go now," She replied.

AJ left some minutes later, and Wale wished he didn't share his feelings with her because it might affect their friendship, but it didn't. Nothing changed, and even AJ visited him too often without prior notice, all in the name of seeing who Wale was.

---

Wale's birthday was approaching, and AJ kept asking for his plans, but he had nothing in mind.

On his birthday morning, AJ went with food, cake, and some gifts. She was surprised to meet Wale still sleeping, and she got really confused as to why he had a completely different personality away from the club.

"The club pays my bills as their PRO and I just have to step out of my shell every evening to do my job," Wale told AJ why he was doing the job even though it doesn't fit his personality.

"I see," AJ whispered and went to get some drinks from Wale's fridge.

She prepared the dining and waited for Wale to freshen up.

"Do you still mind me being your girlfriend?" AJ asked while they were eating.

"Are you serious right now?" Wale stuttered, gently pushing his plate aside.

"Yes, I am but you have to say those words again," She replied, grinning from ear to ear.

Wale reached for her hands across the table and closed his eyes for a few seconds. His heart pumped up and he felt this adrenaline rush in his veins. He looked straight into AJ's eyes and asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"You aren't passionate about it," AJ muttered.

"To the prettiest in the universe, the woman who stole my heart from the first hello. Please be my girlfriend, the woman that completes me," Wale sounded sincere and romantic.

"Yes, I will. I have always loved you from the first hello, but I was scared. My previous relationship ended badly and I had to depend on alcohol," AJ's voice trembled.

Shsss! Wale interrupted her.

"That's all in the past and I promise to make you the happiest person in the world," He replied.

Unsplash