Facade (Romola 1)

46: Breakfast at Olumide's

Romola stared into the pot as she stirred its content. The egg sauce she prepared was almost ready. She wished she had some turkey and cabbage but the gateman had been unable to get any for her. She made the food with the little she had.

She walked away from the double marble sink to the other counter that served as a base for a plate rack. She got a flat dish and placed it besides a soup bowl that she'd earlier brought out. She reached for the metal soup spoon.

"Romola."

She froze. The gateman didn't know her name. Dami was at work and Olumide ought to be catching up on all the sleep he'd lost while watching a series on Netflix beside her on the couch last night. She turned around and watched his chest deflate with a sigh.

"Do you know how worried I was?"

She knew she ought to be sleeping too. Her eyes were supposed to look worse than the eye bags that lined the bottom of his socket but she couldn't find the lethargy to encourage rest. All she had done in the hospital was rest.

Olumide descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. The golden rays of the sun magnified and defined every inch of his skin. Her eyes dropped to his grey V-neck T-shirt that glued his body and then the yellow boxers that ended on his thigh. Her heart raced at the thought of spending another night cuddled in his arms.

He closed the gap between them with a few steps and stared down at her. "You shouldn't have let me there all alone."

"You were not alone. The TV was there."

"I'm serious." His lips formed a firm line. "You should've told me where you were going and what you were going to do?"

"Should I really?" She placed her right index finger on her chin, smiling at him. "You were sleeping like a log of wood. I didn't want to disturb you. Besides someone had to make breakfast."

"It's almost brunch time." His eyes rose over her body and surveyed the content of the tabletop. They widened, resting on the egg sauce. 'Who made all of this?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise." She faked a frown folding her arms. "But you just had to come downstairs."

"Don't blame me. I was worried about you." He stretched his hand towards the bowl of fried chicken.

"Don't touch that. It's-"

"Ouch." He yelped, dropping the chicken and shaking his fingers to relieve himself of the pain.

"Hot."

She grabbed his hand and took it to the sink, placing it under running water and massaging the tips of his fingers.

"What a waste of good chicken." He stared at the offending chicken which lay at their foot.

Romola let his hand go, picked up the chicken and placed it back on the dish. She reached for a white plate on the plate rack. "It is not a waste. You should've waited for the whole food."

He wrapped his hands around her waist and dropped his chin on her head. Her breath caught in her throat as his chest kissed her back. She marveled at their proximity and at her need to turn around and wrap her hands around him but she choose to dish rice in the plate.

"But it is chicken. My biggest weakness." He brushed his lips against her cheek.

"So you're telling me that I can kidnap you with chicken?" She felt the slight pressure of his lips on her cheeks even though his chin had returned to her head.

"Baby, you don't need chicken to kidnap me. I'm yours already,"

Blood stole into her cheeks. She set the rice dish aside and added some egg sauce in a soup bowl. with two pieces of chicken in the rice dish.

"I need to get a tray." She tried to pry his hands off her waist but he refused to budge, choosing to pull her towards one of the cupboards at the right and pulling out a tray.

"Here you go baby, a special tray from a special guy." He smirked.

She placed the tray on the counter. "Who told you, you're special?"

"Would you have made such a feast if I wasn't." He buried his stubless chin in the croon of her neck.

"Who told you I made this for you? I'm just pitying you because you ate pizza last night and not real food."

"Nonsense. Pizza is food."

She rolled her eyes, finally finding freedom from his hold. "Ehn, go and eat pizza. There is some in the fridge."

"You didn't let me finish." He spun her around, so she was looking directly into the golden brown pool of his eyes. His breath fanned her face and her eyes dropped to his full plump lips. "Pizza is food to those who are stupendously hungry like me."

"Abeg, just carry your food before you start to form philosopher," She said, taking a step from him so she could breath and keep her heart racing at a stable beat. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Who dey breetttt? Seems like things are getting really hot between these two. Anyways, what do you think will happen next?