Must Date The Chef

|| 26.

I won't trade Jennipher and Leeleeian, my best friends once upon a time, for anything in this world even if social media is now our only means of contact. They tied the knot before we got posted for Youth service like we didn't have a long list of things we wanted to achieve before settling down. I pepper kisses all over Paul's face when he flicks a finger over my nose and allow myself dream of a future with beautiful, brown-eyed, mini replicas of us. My chest tightens as the images fade to the back of my mind and I try not to let it bother me, I thought I would start a family with Edwin too.

If Jenny, Lee and I are still close, our three member WhatsApp group will be filled with pictures and conspiracy theories on Paul. Since Lee is good at graphic design, she will Photoshop me and Paul in countries of my choice striking sexy poses. I will constantly be bombarded with tips on how to get my man and demands for updates on every single date. As much as I want to share my new relationship status with them, our lives now are different, I don't want to bother them with my single girl lifestyle when they have a family to look after. But I miss them.

A sigh escapes me, it feels like a lifetime ago when three of us sat down at the Tantalizer in Enugu to plan a Girl's trip that never happened to Calabar. It's the main reason I decided to settle here. Jennipher's wedding came first, I saw the invitation card on her brother's status. She was going to tell me, Lee knew she was so there was no reason to stay upset at her for finding out that way. Besides, as women, we must always support each other. Another sigh escapes me, Paul's hands move over my face and I pout. Good thing I have him in my life now. Him and Chi. I have a partner and a new best friend.

"What about Chi?" Sometimes, words slip out of my mouth before I can register them, this is one of such moments. "Did she help too?" His finger that has been playing with the tips of my double cornrows stills for a few seconds and he mutters a small yes. I close my eyes, willing myself to take a deep breath before opening them again. I asked for it and I got it, so I'll deal with it. "Yeah? I keep forgetting you two are best friends."

"We are more than that," he whispers more to himself than me but I don't call him out on it. For now, I want to live in this bubble of joy. "Chi is my..." he trails off, his mouth opens and closes as if he's having trouble voicing out his next words. "Yeah, you are right. She is my best friend, you are my girlfriend, that's all that matters." He pecks my lips. "Let's focus on the present, on us."

"Yeah," I agree though I want to scream out how much I want to be his best friend too. His eyes twinkle as he smiles and I can't help a small smile of mine. Chi is a constant in our lives I will always have to deal with and it doesn't help that she has a boyfriend or is an old friend of his, my imagination won't stop taunting me with wild scenarios.

Na from clap, dance dey take start.

I shove that thought down, not in this case. A guy with a girlfriend can be best friends with a different female and nothing sexual will happen, right? Right, this is one of such cases. Nobody is catching feelings. Nobody.

"What do you want us to do? See a movie?"

Thankful for the distraction, titles of movies float in my head, I have a lot to catch up on. "Yes. Do you have any movie in mind?"

"No," he murmurs as he pats my butt. I giggle and make no move to stand neither does he encourage me to. "You hungry?"

The amount of shawarma I ate is enough to last me the whole day, I shake my head. If he plans to overfeed me, it won't work.

"Are you?"

His reply has me standing, I stretch out my hands and whine until he agrees to give me a piggyback ride to the kitchen. On getting there, he puts me down to retrieve a Tupperware from the long, white fridge and a bunch of plantain from his store.