Maybe, You Will See Me Now

026

Suddenly, she shut her eyes tightly and withdrew her hand away from her lips. Ijeawele was flabbergasted at how little she was able to take charge of her feelings. The moment she opened her eyes, she hurried out the door in an attempt to get a last glimpse of him. But he was gone. Deep in disappointment, Ijeawele walked back into her apartment and gently closed the door. She slumped on her couch and spent the next few minutes spaced out. As much as this new feeling brought some excitement, it also dug up her very real doubts and fear. She could see and feel that Andrew was different from her ex, still, it was hard for her entire being to process, accept and give into that understanding. There lies the problem.

While Andrew took a shower later that night, the event replayed in his head repeatedly and his smile grew wider each time. At intervals, he chuckled in disbelief that he was able to do that. Well, Andrew was the type to never step outside the rules of appropriateness. It might not look like it but that step was the wildest thing he'd ever done in his life.

Ijeawele turned several times on her bed. Finally, she sat up and sighed louder than normal. It was hard for her to sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, it was like she was kissing Andrew all over again. That set her heart racing and hence laid her restlessness. Ijeawele got off the bed, switched on the light and began pacing around her room. When nothing changed, she went out to the living room to switch on the television.

She didn't want to think about what she would do when they meet at work tomorrow. How was she going to handle their situation from tomorrow onwards? The thought of diving into another relationship gave her the jitters and yet, the thought of doing that with Andrew filled her with mixed emotion. As badly as she feared it, she desired it. Ijeawele shook her head to ward off the thoughts. She laid on the sofa and tried to focus all her attention on the movie she was watching.

The next day, Ijeawele found herself actively trying to not run into Andrew. She hadn't made up her mind on what to do next, so, until then, her plan was to avoid contact with him. Earlier than usual, she came into work and was stuck in her office most of the time. When her colleague, Radha suggested lunch, she had politely declined. Ijeawele was aware how pathetic her actions might be. Still, this was the only solution she could stick with for now.

Ijeawele had earlier forgotten her meeting with the marketing team. It meant she was going to see Andrew after all. Panic filled her momentarily. It meant all her effort all day to avoid him was futile. She sucked in a deep breath and decided to be professional. Ijeawele stepped into one of the smaller boardrooms and to her surprise, Andrew was the only one already in the room. A quick contemplation went on in her head about making a straight U-turn right out of the room. Instead, she decided to pretend like she wasn't the least bit affected. Then went ahead to leave her laptop and phone on the table before sitting at the very head.

Andrew was standing in front. He'd come in earlier in order to prep the screen ready for the meeting. All day, he hadn't seen her. Rather than upset that she was clearly avoiding him, he felt amused. In fact, he expected that from her. Through a series of old patterns, he'd come to understand Ijeawele a bit more. He could predict her possible actions depending on whatever he does. It was amusingly cute.

Andrew hid a smile when he turned away from her while rounding up what he was doing. Then he walked to his seat which was the first seat on Ijeawele's left. Ijeawele burrowed her gaze onto the screen of her laptop but in her head, she was screaming at the fact that she hadn't realised his stuff was displayed in front of the seat next to hers. Andrew, now seated, watched her for sometime and could see how hard she was trying to keep her cool. He didn't like the fact that she was feeling very uncomfortable around him. It wasn't his intention to put her in such a spot. More than anything, Andrew wished she would be herself around him and maybe even smile at him.