Twenty three

When I came back down, Nick wasn't there in the dining room anymore, it was just Uche sitting on one of the chairs and waiting. I guess he was done talking with Uche but he didn't look as happy as he was earlier.

"I'm ready to leave." I told him when I reached the base of the stairs, he looked up at me from where he sat with a smile.

"Alright, let's go." He came up to me,"Now your hair looks better." He chuckled lightly making me smile

....

"So what's your favorite food to eat?" Uche asked when we were now a little away from home."I know for sure it's not cereal,"he added making me grin because I remembered that night when he came home with a wasted Nick.

"Noodles," I replied him,"yours?"

"No way." He started laughing.

"Whattt?" I asked, wanting to be able to join him in laughing.

"Noodles are also my favourite and believe me, I'm not just saying this so we have something in common or have the same favourite dish, I really like noodles."

"Well, that's believable, isn't it?"

"I also like spaghetti, but I won't call it my most favorite because I only eat it when it's made to my taste."

"Oh, how can it be made to your taste, what's your taste, do you eat it with like tomato sauce or what do you....?" I trailed off after not knowing how to specify my question.

"Yeah, with tomato sauce but it has to be added while the pasta's still cooking in the pot, the whole thing mixed together to turn it to a jollof meal."

"Jollof? What's that?"

"You know like jollof rice?" He said like that was supposed to make me magically know what JOLLOF meant.

"I don't...." I stopped walking and shook my head, "I don't get."

"Jollof; it's when you make a stew out of tomato paste and then cook it with rice or spaghetti but rice mostly."

"Oh, so that's jollof?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know that." I said honestly and he smiled.

"It's like an African dish, very famous back home in Nigeria," he said and we both resumed walking again."And Ghana too." He added.

"Oh."

"Yeah, there's usually like this online argument about whose jollof tastes better, Nigerian or Ghanian jollof."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's unending."

"But which of the two actually tastes better?" I wanted to know.

"Nigerian, not because my dad's from there or anything but I mean...." he trailed off, laughing.

"Tell me, have you ever tasted the Ghanian jollof?"

"No." He was still laughing and I think I knew why.

"So how do you know Nigerian's jollof is better?" I laughed too.

"I mean.... it's Nigerian." He laughed more.

"So you like your pasta like Nigerian jollof?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, but can you make it to your taste? I mean can you make it by yourself?" I asked because knew I couldn't even make noodles.

"Yeah?"

"You can, really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." I just said. There was another thing he was good at; cooking. He's probably as good at cooking like he's good at math.

"Maybe I can make it for you someday." I heard him,"You do enjoy spaghetti right?" he sounded like he needed to be sure he wasn't offending me by mentioning spaghetti like we weren't just having a conversation about it. It made me laugh.

"Of course, I enjoy spaghetti. I like spaghetti, I like noodles, I don't like rice that much but it's food, I'd still eat it," I shrugged."I like sweet potatoes, I loveeee meatballs, especially with spaghetti." I stressed on that and it made him chuckle.

"Who doesn't?" We both chuckled uniformly after he said that and then we went quiet. He was walking with his hands in his jean pockets all the while I just held on to the strap of my handbag.

"Do you like doughnuts?" He asked after a while and I nodded quickly without thinking. I was just glad he asked something else because I wasn't good at starting topics and that was why I nodded.

Truth is, I don't really likeeee doughnuts, I mean they are good, I eat them, yes I do but I didn't really like them as much as I sounded but I was ready to give them more chance if Uche liked them(doughnuts).

"Do you want to eat one?" He asked again after I nodded.

"Huh?"

"Look," I turned to where he pointed, "It's Terry's doughnut cart, he's pretty famous for his doughnuts, they are the best, let's get some?" He wanted us to get some doughnuts.

"Okay." I smiled and he took my hands, which was a little surprising because I wasn't used to anyone taking my hands like he just did. I must remind myself, I'm in a relationship now, a real life relationship and not the ones I had with fictional book characters.

He warm hands still holding mine, we both crossed the non busy road. I won't lie, I wasn't even keeping my eyes on the road while we crossed, my eyes were on him the whole time while I let him cross me to the other side of the road like I was a six-year old.

"We will have two of your doughnuts." Uche said putting his hands into his pockets."Do you like sprinkles on yours?" he then asked me, I think he wanted to know if to instruct the man putting the doughnuts in little paper bags know.

"No." I said shaking my head and mentally preparing to eat a doughnut. I watched him pay and take the paper bags from the man.

"Let's sit here?"I saw Uche walk over to one of the benches on the sidewalk. When we both sat, he handed me one of the paper bags.

"Thanks." I said and he smiled.

Here we go, Julie....I told myself before taking a bite from the it. I started to chew while trying to avoid actually tasting it. It wasn't bad, it was very good, really but I didn't like it enough to want to take another bite off it. Maybe I should have just told Uche to let the doughnut man to go ahead with putting the sprinkles.

"You don't like it?" Uche asked in a concerned manner after noticing that I wasn't chewing on mine.

"It's okay...I just wished I had agreed to add some sprinkles on mine."

*****

Heyy, it's your author geni. Please note that everything written here is nothing but fiction.Please vote as you read, comment your thoughts and don't forget to leave a review, I am very open to constructive criticism. I'm on all socials as @genika3na.