10 CHAPTER TEN

I boarded a taxi to Victoria Lounge. It was already few minutes to seven and I hoped for this meeting to be as brief as possible before time runs faster. I got down from the taxi and gave the driver two hundred naira. He looked at the money and then back at me.

"Madam, wetin be this?" He asked in the popular pidgin English. A language known by all Nigerians and most definitely Lagosians.

I looked at him and said agitated if not irritated.

"Sir, its your money. Please have it. I'm in haste."

He got down from his taxi and folded his hands. This man obviously was a drama queen or king rather.

"Come. Come. Who u dey speak English for?"

He asked rather rudely.

"Which kine yeye question be dat? Na ur money abeg. I no get time. I wan hurry go my dorm fast fast as I comot for here or dey go lock me for outside. So oga collect your money make I hurry go where I dey go". I told him and threw the money at him and walked into the lounge.

If you weren't stern with these taxi riders, they would definitely play a fast one on you.

I took the stairs till I got to the first room upstairs. I knocked and Jayden answered from inside. He opened the door and I entered.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked pointing at a couch. I sat on it and dropped my bag.

"What do you know about Mr Johnson's resignation?

What did you do?

And most importantly, who are you?" I asked looking directly at him.

"Is that why you sent a rude text to me earlier?" He sat on the couch smirking as I shifted to the end of the couch. He chuckled at my action.

"Yes, and please, I don't have all the time in the world. I need to return to my dorm before it is locked." I answered and he laughed loudly.

I wondered what was so funny.

"What's the time?" He asked me.

"Past seven. Why?"

"What's today?" He pressed further.

"Friday."

"So don't you know that your dorms are always locked by seven on Fridays?" He dropped the bomb.

"Damn it! I honestly forgot. What am I gonna do now?" I asked myself.

"You could pass the night here. As far as you don't rape me". He said the last part while getting up and reaching for an orange juice in the mini fridge at one end of the room.

"Arrogant fool." I said rubbing my temples with my thumbs.

He handed me a glass.

"I'll pass."

"Your loss." He drank everything on the glass and let out a belch.

Irritating cow

He lay on his bed and stared at me intensely.

" Why you always have to be like that?" He asked.

"How?"

"Nevermind." He said.

I let out a breath.

"I need answers to my questions. That's why I'm here."

"What questions?" He asked in a mocking tune.

"You know what forget it. I shouldn't have come here anyway." I said amist irritation.

He looked at me and laughed for long.

"What's funny?" I asked and he snubbed.

"You know what, you are the most annoying, irritating and most arrogant soul I've ever met in my life."

He got up. Stood directly at my front with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't you think it is really rude to insult a man in his own house?" He asked me rhetorically.

I felt uncomfortable as he stared at me. I looked into his eyes. I saw pain and hurt. Or maybe it was just one of my numerous imaginations.

He averted his gaze from mine and far too casually said,

"The bathroom is that way." He said pointing to door on the left side of the room.

"There's a water heater there also. You should go have your bath. I'd go get something eatable. "

He picked up his car keys and went out.

I rubbed my palms together and went into the bathroom. I turned the water heater on and sat in the bathtub. I saw an unopened tooth brush and I took the toothpaste there also. I brushed my teeth for about three minutes. I stayed in the tub for a while. Ten minutes or maybe more. I couldn't tell.

After I had my bath, I saw a towel on the hanger in the bathroom and picked it up. I dried my body and went back into the room. Jayden was already back and he was sitting on the couch and paying intense attention to his phone.

"You could wear those clothes on the bed." He said not even looking up. I picked up the oversized shirt and a pair of boxers. How nice.

"And by the way, your phone rang. Mimi called." He said still on his phone.

"Oh. Okay. I'd call her back....."

"I answered it" he interrupted.

"Why would you do that?" I asked fuming.

"Relax. I told her you were bathing and hung up."

"You're crazy." I said.

I picked up the clothes and took my phone with me to the bathroom and I shut the door.

I quickly cladded and dialled Mimi's number. She picked at the fourth ring.

"Hello. Mimi."

"Aly, why you at Jayden's house?" I thought of what to tell her. If I tell her the truth, it would lead to me explaining and explaining.

"Um..I got caught up on something and it was already past seven..and Jayden was nearby...so he offered me his house..just for the night."

"Hmmmm..you could have called me." She said.

"I know. My bad."

"All right. Can I speak to Jayden, please?" She asked.

"Just a second." I opened the door and went in to give Jayden the phone.

"Hey sis." He put the phone on his ear holding it with his left shoulder and still playing with his phone.

"Hmm..yeah. she's fine."

"I won't do anything. Come on."

"I'm not that bad" he added laughing.

"You better not, if not I swear I'd castrate you." I heard Mimi yell on the phone.

He gave me the phone back and I said goodbye to Mimi.

"For the record, I don't appreciate people answering my calls for me." I told him.

He only smirked.

"Why?" He asked.

"Scared that I'd pick your boyfriend's call?" He said chuckling.

"What am I even saying? You're too nerdy to have a boyfriend" he said cracking up at his own foolish joke.

I took a pillow and threw it at him. And it hit him on his face. Now it is my turn to laugh. He retaliated and it hit my head. Before we knew it, we were doing silly pillow fights on the bed. We played for about ten minutes and I was exhausted and we both lay on the bed.

"You hungry?"

He asked and I nodded. He reached out to the top of the fridge and opened two wrapped packed foods. He handed one to me and I told him thanks. He brought out an eva wine from the fridge and got two glasses.

"What are we celebrating?" I asked jokingly.

"He shrugged and said, "A new start.. possibly friendship. He said winking.

I laughed and he opened the wine. He poured it into both glasses and offered me one. We began eating. It was jollof rice with variety of offals.

"So..'friend', tell me who you are? What's so special about you that give people goosebumps?" I asked him.

He chuckled and said.

"I promise I'd answer your questions but only if you come with me to a birthday party tomorrow night."

"Hmm..I don't really do parties." I said with hesitation.

"Then, you won't get answers." He said casually.

We ate in silence. After eating, I was feeling dizzy and needed to sleep.

"Don't worry, sleep on the bed. I'd sleep on the couch." Jayden said and I nodded too sleepy to argue.

He collected a duvet from his closet and he lay on the couch, wrapping himself with the duvet.

"Goodnight Hart." He said.

"Night Jayden." I replied.