Facade (Romola 1)

34: Cold Thick Zobo

Olumide pulled away first.

Romola remained leaning towards him. She blinked, more surprised at his reaction than hers. She fell back to the pillow and folded her hands, keeping her eyes glued to the bed sheet. What was thinking by trying to kiss a total stranger? It didn't matter what he had done or how her body reacted to him. He was still a stranger.

"Romola," He sounded breathless, even though he remained sitting. "I'm sorry."

"No. It's me. I shouldn't have tried to kiss you. I don't even know you. I don't even know who I am. Or if we have anything," She rambled, tracing patterns on the bed sheet. "in common."

"I don't have a problem with kissing you," he said.

She raised her head, while her heart did cartwheels. She cautioned herself for feeling so affected by his words.

He leaned towards her. "What I mean is, I really want to kiss you right now but I can't. You are... You have amnesia and I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Oh," Her lips parted to form a round shape. His words soothed her emotions but her heart still kept doing cartwheels. She turned to him with fire blazing in the deepest depths of her eyes. She had to know the kind of relationship they shared.

"What are we?" She twisted her body towards him. "What are we together?"

"Romola," He drew in a breath and locked his fingers with hers. "You are very special to me. You are the woman I love and... my.. my girlfriend."

Romola's eyes popped. Vicky would have told her.

There was that overwhelming feeling again, like a wave crashing on the walls of her stomach. The feeling that told her that she didn't belong here. In his world. With him. She tried to shake off the feeling but as he gave her hand a tight squeeze, she felt revulsion hit her stomach walls.

She snickered to hide her discomfort. "You're too... Neat to be my boyfriend."

"I can get dirty if you want," he winked at her.

She tried not to read meaning into his words. It could mean anything. Anything could mean that he wasn't who he said he was.

He continued, "But you're right. I'm not your boyfriend."

"You're not?!"

"Not yet." He displayed his teeth. "I wan to be. I was going to ask you out when I came to the flat but then this happened."

"I don't know what to say." Her eyes strolled back to the bed sheet.

"Don't say anything yet," Olumide replied. Silence reigned between them for a few seconds before she spoke. "Where's Yetunde?"

His head snapped upwards and his jaw fell open but his body remained stoic, unmoving. "You remember her?"

"No. Vicky told me about what she did. I can't believe that anyone would do that to a friend. Why?!"

"I can't say." Olumide squeezed her palm. "Muyi did the same thing to me too. When I found out that he was taking drugs."

"Who is Muyi?" The name seemed familiar striking a memory in her head that felt slightly beyond her reach. She didn't try to force the memory.

"He is... was... my brother. It doesn't matter now. I found out by accident. My mom knew but she was hiding it from my father. Muyi didn't care that I knew. He bought me zobo, cold thick zobo, my greatest weakness. I took it to school and shared it with a few friends." The ghost of a smile claimed his pink full lips.

"I can imagine that the result was disastrous," She relaxed into the pillow propped behind her back as her gaze rested on his face.

"It was terrible for the rest of the school but for me and my guys, we were on top of the world. Dami had it worse because he drank more than anyone. That guy can empty a water tank. We were all suspended and I was nearly expelled."

"It was that bad?" Romola tried to stifle a laugh but lost the fight when Olumide began to chuckle. "What exactly did you guys do?"

"Well there were five of us. Chima was the shy one but you should have seen his Ego boost. He went about complimenting girls then insulting those who people he had a beef with. He wouldn't have been suspended if he hadn't kissed the senior prefect."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes. Then Mohammed. I don't know what possessed him but he striped down to his boxers and underwear and he was running up and down the school. It took three teachers to hold him down."

"Then Esosa, he and I got into a fight with a senior student because the guy was hitting on his girlfriend. We beat him up then beat up before the teacher separated us." He ended his reminisce with a full blown smile.

Romola gaped at him, enthralled by the sound of his voice. She loved to see him smile while he spoke. The twinkle in his eyes beguiled her. "What about Dami? You said he was the worst."