Nine

I walked over there, ready to join in on their talk but my aunt called me before I could say anything to either Nick or Uche.

"Here, keep this on the table." She gave me a glass bowl filled with the food she just made which was surprisingly warm and not hot. I placed it at the center of the table, looking at her to know if she needed me to do anything else, she shook her head.

While we ate dinner, Nick and Uche weren't talking like I expected, so I could chime in, it was all quiet, maybe it was because my aunt was here at the table too. I was in my own thoughts, wondering how I was able to pull having a smooth talk with Uche, I was surprised at myself now that I was thinking of it, sometimes I'm quiet when he is around and sometimes I talk freely like today.

I smiled when I remembered what he said earlier. He said I was cute and I want to know so badly, if he meant it or was just joking with me.

"Baby, you are not eating? Anything wrong?" I heard my aunt ask worriedly.

"No." I shook my head, I couldn't tell her why I wasn't eating, I couldn't tell her I was thinking of Uche so I began to eat to avoid any kind of suspicion.

After dinner, I decided to act fast and take the bowl and my plate to the kitchen sink. I didn't want to be regarded to as that visitor anymore.

"I'll do the dishes." I announced. My aunt looked at Nick.

"What?" He asked.

"It's my choice." I let her know.

"Okay baby." She smiled. She has got to stop calling me that. She went upstairs.

Uche was the last to finish his meal, he came up to the sink where I was standing and doing the dishes.

"Sorry for this." He dropped his plate in the sink.

"It's fine." I smiled at him, he didn't smile back, he just followed Nick up to his room. I sighed and turned back to the dishes I was about to start cleaning.

I know the plates were just a few but I took my time doing them, not that I was lazy or anything but I didn't have to do any of this when I was living with my mum. Most of the time, she would just buy canned food and we ate it directly and if not that there was always pizza or something else to order.

Even when she did make some food herself, we had disposable plates, I never had to do the dishes or cook.

Now that I was done with the dishes, I stood there drying my hands with a towel when I saw Uche coming down the stairs, he held his phone to his ear like he was talking to someone on the phone.

Was he leaving? He definitely was, he was heading directly for the front door. I wanted to wave and say goodbye or goodnight but then I remembered how he didn't smile back earlier, so I didn't. I just stood there and watched him leave, he didn't even notice me standing right there, he just walked by and left.

I ran to the door immediately he closed it. He was still standing at our porch, talking to someone, I could see him from behind the window curtains. I opened the window slightly, for some reason I wanted to know who he was talking to.

"Okay Dad." I heard him say before he put his phone in his pocket. So he was talking to his Dad just now. I still stood at the window, I planned on watching him leave but he wasn't Leaving. He stood there looking somewhat undecided.

He turned back to open the door and I quickly shut the curtain with a reflex I didn't know I had. He came in and I was standing next to the window, this was such an awkward moment. He looked at me for a while probably wondering why I was standing there like that.

"Uhm...I came to lock the door, seeing you just left, I thought I should." I found myself forming an explanation. He smiled, that charming smile.

"Glad you didn't."

"Hmmn?" I asked even though I heard him quite well.

"I said I'm glad you didn't lock the door just now." He repeated.

"Oh, I didn't know you were still coming inside."

"Well I wasn't, I....."

"You forgot something?" I cut his words, why did I just do that?!

"Uhm no." He shook his head, still smiling, maybe it was his smile making me say things before thinking.

"Oh, I will go call Nick then."

"No!" He said stopping me. "Uhm...You are actually the reason I came back not Nick." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say goodnight." He said smiling again.

"Huh? Oh yeah, you too. Goodnight to you too." I fumbled with my words while trying my best to be cool and not scream right now.

"Okay, I will leave now." He nodded then left.

When he left, I smiled widely. I felt like he liked me too, I didn't know, there was no way for me to know unless I asked Nick, but that was not an option for me. It was either I asked Nick or I asked him ( Uche), but what if I did that and he didn't like me and was just been nice like he would be with anyone, then things would become so weird between us.

I didn't want that in anyway to happen, I would just have to play cool and let things go slowly. If he liked me, he would tell me, there was no need to rush things, afterall I knew boys didn't like girls pushing themselves on them.

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Heyy, it's your author geni. Please note that everything written here is nothing but fiction.

Please vote as you read, and comment also. I am very open to constructive criticism.❤️✨