It's Date Night!!!
The night that she have been waiting for like her life depended on it. The whole day have been going so well that she felt nothing could go wrong.
She ditched her 9 am class scheduled for today to go to the mall for a new dress. She felt that all the dresses in her wardrobe wouldn't match Walter's taste. She needed something exquisite. Something different. Something unique.
She knew that he must have been on numerous dates but she wants hers to stick in his head forever. Something he would remember forever.
As early as 8 am, she phoned Teni. She needed someone to accompany her to the mall. She could have easily asked Vivian but she wasn't ready to answer her endless questions.
She thought about how awkward it would be to ask Vivian to accompany her to get a dress so she can go on a date with her Ex. It sounded so absurd. So to let sleeping dogs lie, she reached out to Teni instead.
She can't risk their friendship going down the drain again. She'd just keep it all a secret till whenever.
After shopping, she stayed in Teni's room for the rest of the day. She carefully sorted out her shoes, her underwear, the bone straight wig she was going to where and of course, the dress.
She sat in front of Teni's mirror and began her makeup session. Teni was just keeping herself amused with the energy Ndidi was putting in the date.
Never has she seen someone prepare for a date like it was her wedding day.
"Hei!! This is serious oo." Teni clapped dramatically as she watched Ndidi aggressively apply the brown powder all over her face. "That's enough brown powder naw!! Do you want to finish the powder ni?" She yelled at her. It was her makeup kit though.
Ndidi paused what she was doing and sent her a death glare but that didn't stop Teni from munching on the cheeseballs she was holding.
"Teni!! Teni!!!" Yelled Ndidi as she clenched her fist tightly. She felt like stabbing Teni with a dagger because she kept on making her feel as if she was doing everything wrong. If not, for one thing, she would have carried out her plans.
"Ogini? What is it?" Teni asked in a failing Igbo accent as she licked the crumbs off her snack off her fingers.
Ndidi sighed tiredly. This makeup journey was not going so well for her. She wanted simple and perfect but it's turning the direct opposite. "Leave me alone. Allow me to do my makeup in peace." She said as she turned back to the mirror and continued applying her powder.
Teni stood up and walked towards her. "But that's enough powder naw! Just look at..." She dropped her snack on the table and lifted her face with her left index finger then she shook her head pathetically.
"Your face is way brighter than your neck. You look like those fresh secondary school girls that are applying make-up for the first time." She commented and Ndidi squinted so hard at her. She turned back to the mirror and she could see the truth in what Teni was saying. Not only was her neck and face different shades, but her face was also of different shades. Her cheeks were lighter than her forehead and her jaw did not look like it was touched at all.
Frustrated with the whole makeup thing, she grabbed the wipes right in front of her and began wiping the whole thing off. Maybe she could have just gone all-team NATURAL.
"Ahh! Why are you cleaning it naw?" Teni queried as if she wasn't the one that discouraged her in the first place. Ndidi ignored her and continued cleaning her face. "Should I help you?" Teni asked again and Ndidi bit her lower lip so hard. She was trying her best not to fling her tiny body through the window. "Maybe that powder is not your color," Teni commented again and Ndidi couldn't take it any longer.
"TENI!!!!" She screamed
"Why are you screaming my name? Is it that sweet on your lips?" Teni shot back immediately.
"Get out!!!" Ordered Ndidi with so much red in her eyes but Teni bursted into hysterical laughter instead. She found her outburst funny.
"Allow me to prepare in peace. You know this date is very important to me." She said again and continued wiping her face.
She popped another piece of her snack into her mouth and licked her fingers again. "I know. That's why I want to make sure you look your best." She said and collected the wipe from her. "Let me help you." She offered as she carefully began wiping off the makeup from her face.
Ndidi shut her eyes and kept quiet for a while. She didn't want anything to go wrong with her date. She wanted everything to be perfect and not being able to do her makeup was already enough reason to kill her zeal. She didn't want him to ever catch her unfresh. She just wanted to be perfect.
"I don't know why I'm feeling so nervous. It's not the first time but I feel like a thousand fireworks are going off in my body." Ndidi blurted.
Teni smiled lightly. "That means you must really like this guy." She commented absent-mindedly as she paid close attention to Ndidi's right eyebrow that she was carving.
"Hmmm...You don't know about it." Added Ndidi. She closed her eyes so that Teni could do a good job on her brows. "Draw that brow well oo. I want a perfect arc." She said.
Teni raised one side of her lip in disgust as she eyed Ndidi dangerously. "Perfect ko. Perfect ni." She spat and hissed loudly. Then she pushed her head roughly. "Keep your face well jare!" She yelled in her face. Ndidi pushed her hands away from her face and squeezed her face.
"You know I didn't beg you to do this makeup." She said.
"If you talk too much now. You will just carry your half makeup and go." Teni shot back.
Ndidi turned to the mirror and grinned widely at her reflection. Her brows were just right. The arc she wanted was such perfect, slightly elevated. She just couldn't wait to see the finished result of the makeup but Miss Teni has decided to showcase her drama.
Ndidi pouted and blinked cutely. "Oya Sorry. You too like shakara." She said and Teni smiled proudly!
"I just hope this date will be the start of a new beginning between you two." She chided.
"Amen ooo!!" Ndidi cooed.
Teni continued with the makeup. She applied the primer evenly around her face, then she applied the foundation.
She took her time to apply everything evenly. She really put in her all.
"Hopefully, Vivian won't kill you before then." She blurted
"Wetin bring that one now?" Ndidi half yelled as she removed her face from Teni grip. Teni opened her palm and her mouth dramatically. She wasn't expecting such outburst.
"It's her loss oo. Walter is the man of my dreams and I won't let any motherfucker take him away from me." Ndidi added and Teni smile grew like an Iroko Tree.
"Mama!!! I dey feel you jor!" She hailed with both palms in the air as she applied a nude lipstick on Ndidi's plump lips. Then she did some final touches on her face.
"She won't even know about it sef until we are official." Said Ndidi.
Dropping the makeup brush. Teni smiled and said. "Take a look at the mirror."
Ndidi smiled and turned to the mirror. "Wow! I look pretty!" She screamed excitedly as she admired herself more. She couldn't help but smile. "And the makeup is light." She said again.
"Teni why have you been wasting your talent in this school?"
Teni crossed her arms on her chest. "Is that the 'thank you' you are supposed to say?" She queried.
Ndidi slapped her jokingly. "Don't be angry jor. Thank you, my dear friend. I really appreciate." She made a kissy face and continued admiring her new face.
§§§§
"So what time should I come pick you up?" Vivian's slurry voice pierced from the other side of the phone.
Emeka laid on the bed bare-bodied, staring at the ceiling with both his arms supporting his head. The call was on loudspeaker lying just beside him. "I thought you said 6 pm." He said.
"Alright, babe. I'll be there." Replied Vivian as she hung up the call.
"Babe?!!" Emelda shot out of the blue. She was sitting on the floor just beside the bed with her jaw on the bed. She paid rapt attention to the whole phone call discussion.
"Have the relationship graduated to that level? She now calls you 'babe'?" She asked again but Emeka just turned his back to her and faced the wall to resume his sleep.
"Just leave that girl abeg. I just want to get this done and over with." He murmured.
Emelda stared at his bareback and blinked severally as she turned her eyes away. She held her stomach and scrunched her face. She didn't know if it was her menstrual cramps acting up or her intestines just decided to twist themselves.
Lately, she has been feeling so weird and she could make a definite reason why and the feeling gets worse anytime she's around Emeka.
"Can't you postpone it or something? You haven't even fully recovered yet." She said as she drew her knees to her chest and stared into space.
"What's the time please?". Emeka asked as he turned to her.
She took a glance at her wristwatch and replied. "It's 15 mins past 5."
"Okay. There's still time." Emeka said and turned back to the wall.
She watched as his back muscles flexed in response to his actions and she swallowed hard. Was she already having feelings for her close friend? Or she just loves it when muscles are being flexed?.
She shook off all the thoughts from her head and slapped herself lightly on the face.
"Honestly I don't know why you are going to this extent for a girl who doesn't even give a damn about you. She hasn't even called you all this while." She said in a bid to spark a conversation.
"I won't blame her though. I was really mad at her then." Emeka murmured from his slumber.
"You have feelings for her." Emelda deadpanned and Emeka immediately turned to her.
"What?" He asked.
She looked him in the eyes with a very confident look. "You are just using the fact that she's from your alumni to cover up the fact that you like her." She shot again.
Emeka gave a small chuckle as he carefully and slowly put his legs on the floor. "That's not the case Emelda." He said.
"Care to explain what's actually going on then?"She queried.
He turned to her, studied her expression, and chuckled lightly. Then he reached for her hand and caressed it with a cocky smile. Emelda clocked a smile at him. She couldn't decipher what was in his head through his unreadable expression and she wishes he would stop caressing her palm because it wasn't helping matters at all.
"Why is it that every discussion we have ever had about her always ends up in you asking me the same question over and over again," Emeka asked.
She searched her head for the perfect answer. "Because..." She started. Then she made the mistake of staring at his face. She hated how his smile tends to make her stomach churn. She hated how his touch was so soothing. She didn't want to ruin their platonic relationship with her feelings. What was she going to do?
She removed her palm from his and stared everywhere but at him.
"In short, just forget it." She said.
Emeka tucked his lips and bent his head slightly to the side as he studied her shocked expression. She kept on rubbing her legs. "Are you jealous?" He blurted
"Uhhhh..." She turned to him immediately.
He shrugged and pushed his lower lip out. "Do you like me? Maybe that's why you get so sensitive when it comes to my female acquaintances?" He asked like it wasn't a complicated question to answer. He asked so comfortably while Emelda was boiling in guilt but she couldn't let it show. She rubbed her legs continually as she laughed nervously.
"What are you talking about?" She queried and clapped her hands dramatically. "Heii... See this human being oo." She mocked.
"I mean. That's the only logical reason I can think of." Emeka started as he shrugged again. "I've said this many times that Ndidi is just like a sister to me. I'm 100% sure that I don't have half of the elements she needs in a man plus she has changed so much now. She's different." He explained as he stood up and walked towards his closet to search for suitable wear.
"She's not the Ndidi I used to know." He said again and brought two T-shirts.
"So baby girl. No need to get jealous. I'm not going off the single market anytime soon." He turned to Emelda and grinned at her. "We are in this together. Unless you have feelings for me of course." He shrugged again and Emelda gave a peal of fake loud laughter.
"Get out of here. Big head." She waved it off with her hand. "Don't joke with stuff like that." She warned playfully.
"I'm just being realistic baby." He said as he closed his closet. He held the two T-shirts in front of her. "Should I wear this blue or black?"
"Wear anyone you like. They are both nice." She answered.
He dropped the blue T-shirt and wore the black one. His mirror was fixed on the other side of his closet door so he opened his closet to see how the T-shirt fits.
Emelda sat on the floor and watched him closely. The smile she have been holding in couldn't bear it any longer. It crawled onto her lips.
"Where's Walter?" Emeka asked as he buckled the button of his black ripped Jean trouser.
She shrugged carelessly. "I don't know. Probably on another of his escapade." She replied.
He smirked. "Sharp Shooter." He said inaudibly.
Emelda sighted his drugs on his mini-fridge. "Don't forget to take your drugs," she said as she opened the fridge, brought out a sachet water, and took it to him.
"That drug makes me dizzy." He said unconsciously as he adjusted the collar of his T-shirt.
"I'll just take it when I get back. I don't want to ruin the date." He said. He took the sachet water from her and drank it.
"You sound so excited for this. By the way, why is she picking you up? Aren't you supposed to do the picking up?" Asked Emelda.
"She insisted. Plus, I don't have that kind of money to spend on a girl. I still have Atlas to buy." He replied and placed the now empty sachet of water on her head. She flushed.
"How do I look?" He asked whilst brushing his hair.
She stood up and collected the brush from him. "You can't even brush your hair well." She said and helped him brush his hair properly.
"Ezigbo wife material! Nwuye mmadu!" He hailed on with a thick Igbo accent and she was too busy blushing. "Better do and find a boyfriend so you stop wasting these skills on us." He said and dragged her cheeks playfully.
"I'll be back." He said and left.
As soon as he left. Emelda jumped up and down like a small madwoman, then she bounced on the bed and screamed into the pillow.
If she's having feelings for him. Then there's a big problem.
A/N
I'm not gonna say anything for now until the next chapter. 😂
Hope the suspense is not too much.
Please tap that start at the bottom and drop your comments loves. 😘
Winnieflex out!! 🤗