EVA.
Where are you?
The text from Axel popped into my phone and I didn't even pretend to ignore it.
At home. Why?
We're supposed to pick Omar up. Did you forget?
Oh.
I have to remind you that we're picking your best friend up today? Really, Eva? I thought he was the one that got drunk.
I narrowed my eyes at the screen. So he was back to his usual infuriating self. I should have known that the last night version of him wouldn't last long.
I thought I was going alone.
When he'd said 'we' yesterday, I hadn't thought he meant it literally. I was shocked he was even helping at all.
You thought wrong.
The bubbles showed that he was still typing. In curiosity, I clicked on his profile. He had one new post. He was dressed as he had to the party so he'd definitely taken the pictures last night but the house in the background was different. Maybe he'd snapped them at his house.
I squinted, pinching on the picture, trying to zoom in so I could see the house clearly, but it was all blurry. I gave up, going back to our chat to reply his message.
When are we going?
I noticed how he put the 'we'. I'd never met a more relentless person. He could be quite unstoppable when he wanted to have his way.
I was thinking maybe an hour or two from now.
Okay, I was lying. That was what I told myself an hour ago when we came back from service. The truth was, I dreaded ordering a ride to the hotel. I'd entered the app several times and exited again, unable to make up my mind. Sitting in a car alone with someone I didn't know would be so uncomfortable for me to bear. And what if they decided to strike up conversation? Dear God.
Maybe Axel going with me wasn't really a bad idea.
Why? Are you busy now?
His quick replies baffled me. Was he truly that jobless? I barely pressed send on the texts before he replied back. It was like he gave all his attention to me when we texted. But just as easily, he could also be like that with everyone else he chatted with. Right.
Yes. I'm reading.
Shelve the books. We're going now.
So annoying. Who did he think he was to order me around?
I said in an hour's time.
His reply had my eyes widening.
Tough shit. I'm already at your gate.
Tell me you're joking.
But he wasn't. He wasn't at all. I knew the crazy boy well enough to know that he was currently parked in front of the estate, not-so-patiently waiting for me. I could just picture him sitting back in his car, obstructing every other person wanting to come in, one hand thrown carelessly on the steering wheel and the other holding his phone as he texted me, with a nonchalant look on his face. And why did I picture him chewing a gum?
I wanted to yell at him, curse him out for being so annoying, but I couldn't do that over text. Adrenaline fueled me as I hopped off my bed, marching over to my closet and flinging it open. I shoved my hand in, blindly picking out joggers and a hoodie. I didn't even have to search; they were almost all I had in there.
I heard the ping that told me he'd replied back, but I didn't care. Shoving my feet into oversized slides —which I would later regret, mind you—, I grabbed my phone, my tiny black wallet, and stormed downstairs. Mr and Mrs Lawson were rarely home lately and other than me, there had been no one else in the house. Everyone left after they changed from their church wears.
I'd never seen Zoe walk with anyone at school or even be visited by anyone so I didn't really know where she spent all her free time. Probably at Dexter's. And I could guess Abi had gone to see Laura or some other person from her study group. Yes, she had a study group. I'd wanted to join, but they interacted a lot, so no.
Laura and I had not been able to talk about where I went that night and I knew she must have been worried so I'd called her several times but her number wouldn't connect. I figured I would see her in school tomorrow after all.
As I stormed down between the row of trees just outside our compound, I caught sight of Axel's car in the distance. It gleamed under the afternoon sun, shiny and luxurious.
1-4-7-1
I recited the code in my head as I typed it into the pad. I did that every time. I always felt like I would forget it one day and get stuck. It was always a relief to see the gate sliding open.
Axel's car was tinted everywhere so I couldn't see his reaction as I marched straight to his door and pulled it open. "You're such an asshole. Do you know that? "
I hadn't used the word 'asshole' before, but it seemed fitting now. I didn't even have to think about what to tell him, the words just poured out of me.
His eyes widened in shock and he actually drew his head back, looking marginally scared at my outburst. "Well, if I didn't before, I do now. "
"And you're so bloody annoying. What the hell is your problem? "
"I don't really know for certain. " his eye darted between mine and he seemed to be measuring his words carefully. "Can you get in the car, Cg? "
Again with the smart-ass replies!
"Stop telling me what to do! " he shifted farther away from me. "You. Do. Not. Have. The. Right. To. Do. That. Do you understand me? "
He seemed to have gone into a trance so I snapped my fingers in his face, leaning into the car and closer to him. "Yes or no? "
"Yes, ma'am. "
As I turned to leave, I heard him mutter, "Although for the record, I asked a question. I didn't order you. "
My head whipped around and I glared at him. He instantly mimed pulling an invisible zipper over his lips. I didn't relent in my glare even then, because I needed him to understand just how serious I was. I didn't appreciate being ordered around. Especially by him. When he didn't say anything, I assumed that he had finally gotten the memo.
With that cleared, I felt better all of a sudden. I took a step back as I closed his door, breathed in deep, then rounded the car to get in on the passenger's side. I felt better. I really did.
Silence wrapped around us like a thick blanket. It wasn't quite comfortable —mostly on his end; he was shifting around in his seat, fidgeting with the car stereo, but I was okay with it. Loud music filled the car suddenly and he hurried to reduce the volume. "Shit. Sorry. "
When he wanted to reverse, he didn't drive backwards until he reached the tarred road. Instead, he climbed right on top of the high carpet grass, causing the car to tilt, and almost hitting the tree before he stopped, then he turned the wheel, now reversed. We were on level ground again.
I gazed at him in puzzlement, wondering how he could be so..... rough. How did he work? What went on inside his head?
"How did you and Omar meet? "
He just couldn't stay silent, could he? Well, I guess that was the difference between us, while I could keep my questions to myself, he couldn't.
I should have known he was going to ask sooner or later. It wasn't a secret that I was adopted. He knew it was only my first month living in this state, yet I'd told him that Omar and I had been friends for a long time. Being the curious person that he was, he was bound to ask questions.
But I hadn't talked about my time at the orphanage with anyone. Not that they'd tried to ask. I'd always assumed they could care less, although sometimes when Abi introduced me to new things, I caught a question or two in her eyes, but she never voiced them.
"I'm surprised you're taking your time to come with me. Especially with how you reacted yesterday. " I studiously changed the topic and surprisingly, he followed through.
"What? You think I'm going to miss the verbal ass beating you're going to give him for his massive fuck up? " When I didn't say anything, he took his eyes off the road, glancing at me. "You are going to give him a verbal ass beating, right? "
"Why would I? "
"Why would you give him an ass beating for getting drunk, spilling his guts on the dance floor –literally, for everybody to see, possibly ruining your reputation and making you go through the stress of dealing with him alone if I hadn't been there when it was pretty late, mind you and you were wearing that dress? " sarcasm dripped from his every word. "No. Really. Why would you? "
So he noticed my dress after all. He hadn't said anything about it yesterday.
I looked out the window. "Unlike you, I understand that he's probably going through a lot right now and that's what must have pushed him to drink like that."
He snorted. "Right. "
It was understandable that he would think I was mad at Omar. His performance last night had been shameful and saddening, but it wasn't his first. It was typical Omar behavior to stay out late and come home drunk. That was how I had met him after all; sneaking back from a party. He had been fourteen at the time. He probably got worse.
"What the hell are you wearing, Cg? " Axel asked wide-eyed as we walked inside the hotel.
"What? " I frowned. Sure my hoodie and joggers were quite baggy, but they were in good condition. The best even. Mrs Lawson paid for quality and quality was what I had on.
"Your feet. Jesus. " he groaned, dragging his hand down his face like he was experiencing physical pain.
Oh that. I glanced down at my huge slides sheepishly. They were really big and very noticeable. Why had I worn the color orange? I could care less about what I was wearing, I just felt bad for his sake. I tried not to feel too bad. It was his fault anyway.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Am I embarrassing you with it? "
"Yes. " he stated.
"Good for you. " I walked ahead of him, heading straight for the elevator and then pausing when I couldn't remember what floor Omar was in. Shit. I would have to ask Axel and he would definitely gloat.
He gave me a patronizing look when he found me waiting for him. "When are you going to admit that you can't do anything without me? "
I hissed, shaking my head. And then laughed when I replayed the scenario in my head. He was so predictable. A small smile touched his lips as he watched me through hooded eyes. I suddenly felt a strange urge to run my fingers through his hair. I shoved my hands into my pockets to stop myself from doing anything foolish.
Omar was eating when we walked in. A salivating meal of fried eggs, several pieces of sliced bread and a hot cup of tea. Yet no matter how yummy it looked, I couldn't be moved to actually want a taste. I had no idea why I was so averse to food.
He looked up when he saw me, a slow grin taking over his features. "Now, this is the girl I know. Only still..... slightly different. " his eyes trailed behind me to Axel. "Hey, man. "
Axel rolled his eyes and made to sit on the only couch in the room, making it quite clear he was ignoring him.
I sat on the bed next to Omar. "How are you feeling? "
"Better. " he grunted. "I felt like shit this morning. "
"How–" I hesitated.
"Huh? "
"What? "
"Why are you mumbling? I can't hear you. " he frowned.
"Shut up. " I hit him on the thigh, glancing at Axel and saw him watching us avidly. Ugh. Why couldn't he turn the other way.
Omar followed my eyes, saw who I was looking at and he sighed, then he proceeded to announce loudly. "I can't talk to you if he doesn't leave. "
Axel didn't even pretend that he didn't hear him. "Good thing I don't give a fuck then. "
"Can you at least turn the other way? "
"No, I cannot. "
Omar stared at me in confusion. "Why is he such a stubborn piece of ass? "
I watched them warily.
"He is sitting right here and he isn't deaf. " he shot back.
Omar cocked his brow, looking between the two of us and then slowly, deliberately slowly, he turned back to his food, eating in silence. A fine act. If Axel didn't leave, then he wasn't talking to me.
I schooled my features before turning to Axel, shrugging as if to say 'well, you heard him'.
His mouth fell open in shock. "I cannot believe you. You're sending me out? " I shrugged again. He looked completely floored. He probably wasn't used to not having his way. "Wow. " he blinked, before getting up and storming out of the room.
"By the way, you're paying for my breakfast. " Omar shouted after him and I swear I could literally hear the slew of curse words Axel threw at him. I laughed lightly.
The truth was, I wasn't really comfortable hashing stuff out and while Omar had seen that part of me several times already, he knew that I still hated doing it, and I could never when we had company.
So when he'd asked Axel to leave, it hadn't been for him. It was for me.
The first thing I asked was. "How come you were at that party last night? "
"I should be asking you that. One of my friends that I'm in town with, got invited and I tagged along with him. "
I blinked, puzzled. "That you're in town with? You don't live here? "
"What? No. " he threw a piece of bread into his mouth. "But this is where you live, isn't it? "
I nodded, but I was having a hard time processing what he was saying. He was in town with a friend? That meant he didn't live here.
"Where do your foster parents live? "
"Lagos. " his eyes widened. "Eva, you wouldn't believe it—"
"You came all the way from Lagos to Abuja to visit your friend? " I cut him off.
"Well, no, not really. We all decided to vacation here, in Abuja, and one of the guys has a friend that owns a house here that would contain all five of us, so that's where I've been at. I'm supposed to leave tomorrow. "
Thousands of questions went through my mind, but I didn't know which I wanted to voice first. He pushed his plate away, done with his meal, and sipped his tea, watching me.
"How did you get your foster parents to let you travel this far? "
He shrugged. "They don't know. "
"What?! "
His expression didn't change.
"You didn't tell your foster parents that you're traveling to another state? "
"Correct. "
"What the the hell is wrong with you? " I snapped.
"They wouldn't know. They think I'm at school. "
"School? "
"Yes, Eva. I got accepted into Pan-Atlantic University. "
I slapped my hand over my mouth. "Oh my God. Congratulations, Omar. "
"Thanks. " he dropped his now empty mug on the tray. "Everything's okay. Don't you see? "
I shook my head slowly, so incredibly disappointed in him. "It's not, Omar. It's not. "
"That's your problem. "
"I'm so disappointed in you. "
"What about you? " he shot up from the bed with a sneer. "Turns out I'm not the only rebellious one. Do you want to talk about how you look? That party? That guy? " he shook his head like he was the one disappointed in me.
"Rebellious? " I breathed. "My foster parents knew I was going—"
"That's not what I mean and you know it. "
"I don't. " I muttered, feeling incredibly small.
He was doing it again. Pushing everyone away when he didn't want to face the truth. And it hurt that he was doing it to me too. He had a tendency to shut everyone out and retreat into his own little shell whenever he went through something that he couldn't handle. He called it a coping mechanism. I called it self destruction.
"The Eva I know –knew, wouldn't have attended that party. " he cut the final thread. "You changed, I changed, let's accept that and move on. "
I stared up at him, letting him see how disappointed I was and hurt by his behavior and then suddenly, unable to be around him anymore, I walked to the door, pulling it open.
I just had to find Axel and get out of here.
Omar grabbed my hand before I could walk out, turning me around and pulling my body into his, hugging me tight. He placed his chin atop my head, muttering something under his breath.
"I'm sorry I'm being an ass. "
The anger left me in a breath and I hugged him back. I couldn't stay mad at him. The longest I had, was a day. And what a horrible day it had been. "Maybe Axel was right about giving you a verbal ass-beating. "
"Axel. That's his name? "
My face went hot. Thankfully, he couldn't see it right now. I nodded.
"I don't like him. " but I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Really? I couldn't tell with all the arguing. "
"Still a smartass. I'm glad that didn't change. "
At the word 'change', I tensed and he felt it because he released me, sighing. I took several steps away from him, folding my arms.
"I could blame everything I said on the hangover, but I would be lying. And you don't like it when I lie to you. I'm also not sure hangovers do that to people. "
I didn't know why but I felt the need to explain myself. "The party last night, was a one time thing. I just wanted to know what it felt like to, you know, just be......." I trailed off, searching for the right word.
"Free? " he supplied.
"Yeah. " I nodded. "You should know that I didn't go alone. I went with my friend. She–"
"You have friends now? "
I shook my head sharply. "Just the one. And she's actually my foster sister's best friend. She's just really easy to be around. "
His brows shot up. "You have a foster sister? "
"Two. " I paused. "Do you have siblings? "
"Yes. She's still in primary school, but she's great company sometimes. "
"My foster sisters are twins. "
He pushed his built shoulders off the wall, going back to sit on the bed and he waved me over with a flick of his wrist. "Tell me more. "
I did. We talked for almost an hour. Me, telling him how nice my foster parents were, how good Abi and Laura were to me, how Zoe was, about the school in general and the advert. He was truly happy for me, joking here and there and then giving me shit about Axel.
"You didn't even talk about him once. " he narrowed his eyes. "I think you deliberately avoided bringing him up. "
"I didn't. " I did. But why bring him up unnecessarily?
"Okay, tell me one thing about him. "
I gave him a blank look. "Like what? "
"He goes to your school, right? "
I nodded.
"He seems like a player. "
"I know he seems like that type of person, but he's really not. " I surprised myself by rising up to his defense.
He eyed me. "Why are you defending him? "
"I'm not. I'm simply saying the truth. "
But was it? My mind wandered to the first time I met him in the boutique bathroom with that girl. Then in the cafeteria with those girls around him. There were also the comments on his pictures on Instagram.
Why was I defending him?
Omar saw the look of conflict on my face and he shook his head, laughing. Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen before swiping.
"What's the name of this hotel? " he mouthed to me. I shook my head at him, telling him I didn't know. Then I saw the card on the tray carrying his food and I picked it up, showing it to him. The Wells Carlton. He nodded, relaying it to the caller.
"Okay. I'll wait for you outside. " he spoke into the phone before ending the call.
"Do you need to start leaving? " I asked and he nodded.
"I'll definitely see you more. " he tossed his phone to me before collecting his shoes and shoving his feet into them. "Your contact, please. " he grinned.
I giggled, saving it into his phone as Eva before handing it back to him. Before we walked back down, I stopped him.
"Omar, I know that you're an adult and you can do what you want or go where you want without necessarily letting anyone know, but please, I'm begging you, don't do that to your foster parents. Do I need to remind you of what happened last time? " he opened his mouth to argue but I talked over him. "You can't keep making decisions about your life without thinking about the people that love you. It hurts, Omar. "
He sighed, dragged his hand down his face, looked at me, then sighed again. "Okay. I hear you. "
When we got outside, I immediately spotted Axel's car parked right in the middle of the parking lot. A white Benz drove in with startling speed, parking roughly. Was that Omar's ride?
I glanced at him warily. He scratched his close cropped hair, looking slightly ashamed.
"Listen, I know that I said some mean things that you are definitely going to overthink later, which is why I want you to know that I didn't mean them. I was just lashing out. " he started. "I want you to know that I'm very proud of who you are now. You've come a long way from the girl you were six months ago and I'm proud of you. So proud. You did peek out of your shell, Eva, now I want you to strut like you own the motherfucking place. Okay? "
I smiled, feeling emotional as hell.
"You need to show them that you're strong. Promise me you'll do that. "
"I promise. "
"And don't let the mean people make you change. " he tapped my nose, before pulling me in for a quick hug. "I love you, Eva. "
I swallowed. It was so hard saying those words back. But I did. For him.
"I love you, Omar. " I whispered.
He pulled away and I watched him disappear into the car. Sighing, I walked over to where Axel's car was parked and got in. He had the engine running and the AC was on.
He glared at me, placing his phone in the center console, before driving out of the hotel.
"I've been un-fucking-believably nice to you, Eva. Don't you think? "
I glanced at him. He was staring straight ahead, seemingly focused on driving and he didn't sound angry.
"You have. " I agreed and he nodded.
"So I'm assuming I wouldn't be asking too much when I say we go to an eatery before I drop you off? Cause I'm really fucking hungry right now. "
My breath caught. "You wouldn't. "
He grinned at me, all cool and collected. "Great then. "
And that was how I ended up going on a not-date with Axel Arthur.
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Okay, I take it back. This is definitely the longest chapter yet.
It's 4k+ words. I'm sorry. I just couldn't cut anything.