I'm standing in front of the mirror thanking the man above for who I'm about to be from this day forward. Standing in front of me is a strong black woman who is going to do remarkable things. Today is the day that I finally get to launch my business and I have never been more excited or anxious my entire life. This past week has consisted of me running around like a maniac making sure that my website is set up because I don't have store yet plus I was planning the launch party.

Who would have thought that this simple girl from Nigeria would become CEO of a brand that will become big in the lingerie industry. In all honesty I had my doubts but I'm glad I pushed through and continued to believe in myself and in my dream. One day I was reading comments under an article in a magazine about lingerie when some women shared that they could never find sexy pieces to wear because of their sizes. It was then when I realized that I wanted to have line that would cater for all sizes and make all women feel sexy. It took a year for me to create this line and I'm proud of myself for remaining resilient because there are times that I wanted to throw in the towel.

I finish my morning routine and I head to my kitchen where I fill my Smeg jug with water and switch it on. As I am waiting for my water to boil there's a knock on my door. When I open the door there's a man I don't recognize and he is holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers. He hands me the flowers and I place them on my kitchen counter before taking out the note. It's a congratulatory note from Kofi and I can't help but smile.

Ever since we went on that hike, I have been feeling some type of way about him. Whenever he texts me or calls just to check up on me I get this feeling that I have only had once in my life. I am starting to fall for him and as much as it scares me I like it. Before him, I was a bit reluctant to get in a relationship because of my own insecurities and trust issues but I realized that past could really hold me back from finding true love. Even though he has shown me that he is a good guy, I'm still holding my cards close to me because you can never know someone's true intentions. Enough about me and my feelings for Kofi, let me finish working on my website.

I spend the afternoon working on the Intimates website and it's late in the afternoon when I drive to the venue so I can see how things are going. The venue is twenty minutes away so I'm there in no time. The decor seems to be coming along quite well and the DJ is already setting up his equipment which is good. I leave once I am satisfied that things are starting to look how I had planned for them to look. I head back to my place where I run around like a mad woman because I have less than an hour to get ready and go back to the venue.

Once I am dressed and my makeup is done, I head downstairs where I find an uber waiting for me. I walk into the venue and I can honestly say I am impressed by how everything looks. I almost shed tears because I manifested this dream nearly two years ago and I'm so happy and optimistic that it will be a success. I'm also touched by the turn up of my guests because I honestly didn't think there would be this many people here. When I notice my mother and my cousin among the guests I feel overjoyed. They live six hours away so them coming to celebrate with me means the absolute world to me. After interacting with my guests, I grab a champagne flute and I make my way to the center of the room.

"Good evening everyone. I would like to thank you all for coming, it means the world to me to have you here celebrating this new beginning with me. It has been a dream of mine to start my own business and for me to stand here as a business woman is such a big accomplishment. I decided to get into making lingerie because most companies sell lingerie up to a certain size and I wanted to make sure that women of all sizes would be able to get whatever they want from my line. It wasn't easy but I would like to thank Jackie for helping me create such beautiful pieces. I would also like to thank my mom and my cousin Chi who encouraged me to keep pushing for this dream of mine. Intimates may be a small business now but mark my words it'll become on of the biggest lingerie brands in the world. Now lets drink to my business." I say

Once I'm done with my speech, I go back to my seat and start chatting with the girls when Jasmine looks towards the door and smiles. My curiosity gets the best of me so I follow her gaze and it stops at the man who I was secretly hoping would show up tonight. He looks around the room until his eyes land on me and we smile at the same time.

Watching him stand in front of me makes me get butterflies in my stomach. He stands there awkwardly so I get up so I can show him where to sit. My heart is beating at a mile a minute and my palms are sweaty. His eyes roam my body and I take it he likes what he sees because his smile brightens. Kofi has a beautiful smile, the kind that'll hypnotize you and make you fall for him hard. This man makes me want to commit all kinds of sins and I don't know if that's a good thing or a dangerous thing.

When I hug him, I almost melt in his arms because I feel like I'm in heaven when his broad shoulders engulf me. He smells absolutely divine. He looks debonair in his burgundy suit with a crisp white shirt and his dreadlocks are neatly tied back as per usual. I know for a fact that I am the envy of some women at my event because this man looks like he just stepped off a runway.

"Hi Kofi" I say with a smile.

"Hey Thembisa" he responds.

"Thank you for coming out tonight. You look good" I say.

"Thank you. You know I wouldn't miss this for the world. I apologize for showing up late."

"It's okay."

"You look absolutely beautiful." he compliments and I smile.

"Thank you Kofi and I want to thank you for the flowers."

"You're welcome. I just want to say congratulations on the business and I hope you have nothing but success. I know we are in two different sectors but if you ever need help on how you run and manage things you can always come to me."

"I appreciate that. I hope you don't mind but I have to get back to the ladies that want to buy some of the pieces."

"Alright."

"I'll talk to you later but please find yourself a seat." I say before walking away from him. After serving a number of ladies, my mother and my cousin walk over to where I am standing.

"Thembi we had so much fun celebrating the launch of your business. Congratulations my girl."

"Thank you ma. I really appreciate it"

"Who's that man you rushed to when he walked in?" my mom questions

"He's just a friend" I say and she looks at my cousin who raises her brow.

"He's just a friend you say?"

"Yes Chi." I playfully roll my eyes.

"Well the smile you gave him shows that he's more than just a friend. Is that your boyfriend?"

"No"

"Well the way he looked at you shows that he likes you too"

"But I don't like him like that"

"You don't have to lie to me, I can see it. Please be careful baby, I wouldn't want to see you heart broken again"

"I know ma. He is a good guy, there's no doubt about it"

"Okay. We would love to stay a little longer but we have a long flight and we need to get a bit of rest beforehand."

"Okay, let me walk you out" I say and I walk them out to their uber and wave them goodbye before walking back into the venue. I spot Kofi on his phone sitting alone so I walk over to him.

"Hey stranger." I smile.

"Hey."

"Sorry for not giving you much of my attention this evening."

"It's not a problem. You had people lining up to buy your lingerie and I had to respect that."

"Thanks for understanding."

"So what are you doing after this?"

"I was planning on getting an uber and going home to sleep. Did you have something in mind?" I ask.

"I was thinking about taking you somewhere so we can continue celebrating this special moment."

"Where do you want to take me?"

"There's a 24hr diner around the block and they make amazing food."

"The moment you said food I was sold." I say and he chuckles.

"Let me get my stuff and I will meet you outside." I add and he nods.

I grab my things and make sure everything is set before I head out to Kofi's car. I settle into the car and he drives off leaving us with only the radio playing. It doesn't take long before he pulls into the parking lot of Ms Sherly's Diner. We walk in hand in hand and we place our order. I'm glad Kofi brought me here because I'm starving. The last meal I had was breakfast and the finger foods at the launch party were not enough. We find a booth right at the back and we sit across each other. Old school music plays in the background while we talk.

"I know I said I wanted us to celebrate but there's something else."

"What is it?"

"I wanted an opportunity to finally tell you how I feel about you. I know it may be soon but every moment we have spent together or talking over the phone has made me realize how much I want you. You should see the stupid smile I have on my face whenever your name flashes on my phone or how nervous I get whenever I'm around you. It's a foreign feeling but I like it. Can you believe that a twenty nine year old man gets nervous whenever he thinks of or sees the woman that has his mind twisted? It sounds crazy but it's true."

"Oh wow, I was definitely not expecting to hear that tonight."

"I know it may be too much to swallow but I just wanted to let you know how I feel and also find out how you feel about me."

"I like you a lot Kofi. You give me butterflies and you make me feel happy and that is something I have been longing to feel for a while now."

"It feels so good to hear that from you because I thought you only saw me as a friend. I could do a cartwheel right now because of how happy you just made me." he says and I laugh.

"This wasn't the way I had planned on doing this but Thembisa will you be my girlfriend?"

"Wait what?"

"I would love for you to be my girlfriend. I don't want to beat around the bush when I already know who I want. If you want to wait a bit longer that's okay but I just thought I would try my luck tonight." he gives me a nervous look.

"I'll be your girlfriend." I say and he gives me the biggest smile I have ever seen.

"Seriously? This night just keeps getting better and better."

"I hope you're ready for the mood swings and my craziness. I can be hard to handle at times so I hope that won't scare you off."

"If that's the price I pay for having you as my girlfriend then I wouldn't mind one bit." I smile.

The waiter brings our food which looks absolutely divine. We indulge in the food before Kofi breaks the silence again.

"Do you have any expectations in this relationship?"

"All I ask is that you are honest with me that you communicate with me. If you're feeling some type of way about what I did tell me. If you're feeling low and you need space please tell instead of just giving me a cold shoulder. I just want you to be transparent with me and I want you to accept me and what I come with."

"I hear you."

"What about you?"

"I just want you to be patient with me because I tend to go into a shell at times. I want you to understand that you aren't the problem but it's just how I get at times. I just want you to know that I'm here if you need anything."

"Okay Kofi."

We get back to enjoying our meal and talking about random things even conspiracy theories. He drives me home and he cuts the engine off once we get to my place.

"Thank you for driving me home."

"You're welcome beautiful. It's my job as your man to make sure you get home safely." he cheeses.

"Would you like to come up?"

"Sure baby. Lets head up."