Some people sort their canvas and paint brushes, to de-stress.
Your boy avoided his because, the damn materials were causing me great stress.
My eyes squinted at the floor. I groaned as shame took over my body at what it saw. Folded pieces of paper. Lots of them. Littered on the floor. All with parts of her face.
It happened that I've developed a nasty habit. Which was drawing random things I observed about Didi. Apparently, today, I'd spent my time capturing Didi's expression. The same one she wore when she was looking for her brother.
Folks, I had even found a title for it when I was done. I had planned to call it controlled chaos! Fucking creative I was.
I sighed, groaning into my pillow as I looked at the muted TV screen playing before me. I didn't know what was happening to me. Okay, let's be real, I did know. I just didn't want to fucking acknowledge it.
My art teacher back in high school had gone around one day in creative drawing class. About finding a muse and getting inspired and yada yada... My point? There was no way Didi was my muse. It should have been anyone. Literally anyone. Including Mrs Mary. Not some girl who annoys the hell out of me.
Recently though, she hasn't been annoying. I haven't gotten any of her annoying ass calls or texts or ran into her when I went to the mall yesterday. For once in a long time, I had my peace. In as much as I was loving my new found peace, I couldn't help but think about Didi.
And no, get your mind out of the gutter! I meant, that I thought of what she had said about losing her brother. Everything was different about her that moment. I saw a side I didn't know she had. Right from the moment we thought Naenae was missing.
It was like a switch had gone off. And I saw her in a new light. She wasn't such a pestilent anymore. She was human. Who could feel any other emotion other than misplaced cheerfulness. And figuring another side to her, had me picking a pencil. I'd spent minutes, if not hours, drawing her... Trying to mirror her feelings in the picture. Tearing and tearing away imperfections until I was satisfied with my result.
Like I'd said, I wasn't a creep. I just couldn't help myself. And now, I sounded like a creep. Fuck!
Glaring at the pieces of paper on the floor, I felt an annoying twitch at the untidiness it brought to my room. I stood up and got to picking them up. My mind was still on Didi.
Hope the radio silence wasn't because of what she divulged the day before yesterday. If she thought that I'd go around and speak of it or ask her... Okay, I didn't care. I affirmed, tidying up my room. I didn't care that she hasn't bombarded me with her numerous useless messages. I didn't care that she hasn't called and threatened me to hang out with her. Nope, I didn't care that I haven't heard from her for over twenty four hours.
It was good riddance.
I could finally embrace peace...
A rap sounded on my locked window.
I paused, checking the time briefly, it was still few minutes past nine. Mum had left a while back and Mrs Mary was out as usual after making breakfast to return in the evening. Who the hell was outside my window.
Looking at the music video playing on MTV, I figured the sound wasn't from there since it was muted. I went back to tidying again.
The sound came again. This time it was urgent, causing me to frown in annoyance.
Dropping the waste basket, I walked to my window. Opening it, I looked down but found nothing. Then, I hissed and was about to shut it back close, what I saw had me screaming.
"Dude what the fuck!" Lade whispered loudly, looking around him. "Stop shouting!"
"What the fuck are you doing climbing my window, when there's a door!" I snapped back, feeling my heart beat loudly.
Lade looked around nervously, his big frame clinging to my window like an oversized monkey. "I was just making sure the coast was clear."
My brows went up in confusion. "What?" Looking around him. I found nothing.
"Is Aunty Vee around?" He asked, eyes trying to look past me.
"No," I frowned. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"
"Ma Mary?" He asked instead.
My glare intensified. "Out."
This time he grinned. Disappearing from my sight. No doubt to use the front door.
Few seconds after I'd disposed off the mess, the doorbell rang. I sighed, feeling a light headache build up, I padded downstairs.
Lade wasn't the bearer of good news and I had learnt that the hard way. It was either one trouble or another. Someone's girlfriend or some angry guy he pissed off at the gym. And after what had gone down at the mall weeks ago, he had disappeared...at least, from my presence since Khalid always had news about the boy. Which I never cared to listen to.
Now he was back and I wasn't even in the right mood to indulge him.
"What..." My voice trailed off as I stared at the duffel bag in his grip. "Woah dude. What the fuck?"
He raised his hand up. "This? No big deal. Ran from home."
I did a double take. Excuse me, what?!
"I knew your lone ass was going to be alone." Grinning, he made his way inside, while I was left to close the door after gathering my wits together.
I followed him as he settled on my favorite cushion. "Did you just say you ran from home?"
I hope I didn't hear right.
Lade nodded, acting as nonchalant as they came. "Yep," he stressed. "Had enough." He looked around. "Yo man, any stuff from breakfast. I'm starving!"
I think I heard wrong.
Ogunlade Bademosi, starving? That was equivalent to pigs developing wings and flying into the sunset.
"Dude what the hell? Where have you been?" I whispered, feeling like if I yelled, someone would hear. "And you ran from home? Have you run out of vacation homes in Beechworth? Does your Mum even know you're gone?"
The smile was out in a second.
"Somzy... Look man, I came here because I didn't want nobody finding out where I am."
Alarm bells sounded in my head. "Lade, are you in trouble?"
He scoffed. "I wish I was."
I was getting frustrated in growing seconds. "Man what the fuck!"
He sighed. "Had a fight with the parentals."
Not helping myself, I hissed. "And you decided to be a kid about it?"
"I mean, it's not easy fighting with Pops." He scoffed again. "He'll just throw his money around. I would love to see him try this time." And that was it, he stood, heading to the kitchen. "Any stuff available. Didn't eat last night and this morning. And oh Somzy,"
I glared at his grinning form as he found an apple. He took a bite. "Don't let Aunty Vee know that I'm around."
What the fuck again. "And you think it's possible how? This is her house."
He went ahead to uncover pots and plates. "We'll figure it out. Chill."
"We" did he say We? I shut my eyes as the headache came in full.
Jesus, I sighed. Can't I just get a fucking break?
•••
"Don't you know how to fucking knock?"
Glaring at Lade, I watched him bounce into my room. Mrs Mary's cookies secured in his arm. He'd probably emptied the fridge which wouldn't be a problem on normal circumstances since Mum loved to see people stuff themselves full from her pocket. However, I was looking for a way to explain how the fridge's empty without mentioning the large being responsible for the raid.
Rolling his eyes, he dumped his big frame on the cushion. "Why should I?" He took a bite out of a cookie, leaving crumbs at its wake. "This is basically my room now."
I sucked in a breath. Calm down Soma.
Ignoring him, I directed my attention back to my cellphone. Yeah, the same cellphone that had Didi's message box staring back at me. She wasn't online. She hasn't been for over twenty hours and that was unlike her. Let me tell you, Didi took her online presence very serious. And her nonsense corny jokes she felt was necessary to be shared with me every minute.
Don't ask me how I knew. Sighing again, my thumb hovered over the call button. I could just press call and pretend it was a butt dial if she picks the call.
Or just man up and ask if she's okay you loser! A voice at the back of my head mocked.
I let out another sigh, about to exit the chatroom when;
"Who's Pes...?"
"Dude what the hell!" I let out my second scream of the day when Lade's big head still lingered over my shoulder. "Can you please stop snooping around?!"
I was going to lose my mind for sure and it hasn't even been up to an hour since he arrived.
A grin was stretching the idiot's lips wide. "Who's that? A girl?"
Lade left my shoulder to deposit himself on my bed. "Are you finally hooking up with somebody?"
I cringed at his words, finally shutting off my cellphone.
"Dude... You can't be doing that everytime." I groaned, watching the excited expression still remain on his face. It was obvious that he wanted the tea.
That was why I added. "And I'm not hooking up with nobody."
"But you're about to?" He shifted closer. "Who's she? Rakiya? Ebun? Monét?" He paused before having a lightbulb moment. "Please tell me it's the blasian from Thailand! The guys at the local gym say she's the heater!"
Lade finally stopped when all I did was stare at him.
"Come on dude," he threw me a light punch. "Give me something to work with here."
Sighing, I left my bed to get away from his encroaching form. "There's nothing to work on and dude really." I sighed again. The headache was building up in such a fast pace. "I'm pretty big on personal space."
Rolling his eyes, Lade made himself comfortable on the bed I just left. "Better get used to it. We'll be roomies for life."
His words had me feeling goosebumps creep up my body.
I didn't know how long I was going to ignore this torture, seeing that we were out of options. I would have shoved his ass into one of the guest rooms, however, since he planned on keeping his stay a secret, it was an impossible feat. Seeing how the other day went with bringing Didi and her brother over. Mrs Mary had quickly informed Mum that the room had been used. I had no other choice but to tell Mum the truth.
Which she reacted to with unwarranted excitement. Anyway, I didn't want to dwell on that.
My focus was on how I was going to deal with Lade and his entire situation. I mean, it wasn't even up to an hour and I was already at my wit's end.
"Is it Abena?" Turned out that Lade wasn't done with his guess game.
Hissing, I dumped myself on a lone stool. "Not you too."
His grin grew wider as he took me in. "So Khalid was right then?"
Fucking Khalid!
"No Khalid is never right and you know it!" Then I glared at him. "And if you and Khalid have been getting cosy, why don't you go ask him for help."
Lade paused, a knowing smile on his face. "Dude... Are you jealous?"
Jesus! I almost screamed. What the fuck have I gotten myself into?!
"You know, for what is worth..." The idiot continued. "I can't stay with Khalid. That guy can't keep a secret to save his life. And you know, Mum and Dr Onome are basically besties."
This was beginning to turn into some legit daytime nightmare. I let my eyes trail the cushion Lade occupied minutes ago. The cookie jar was open and crumbs were littered on it. It was a matter of time before sugar ants sniffed them out. To Lade, making himself comfortable on my clean sheet, shoes and all.
I decided that I wasn't going to last long before I kicked him out.
"Look Man, how long are you staying for?" I had to ask, to mentally prepare myself.
"Umm," he thought for few seconds. "Few days tops." Then his voice turned to a whisper. "Don't let anyone know... I'm waiting on the influencer house I applied to."
I was taken aback by his words. Influencer house? Wasn't he going back to his mansion and inheritance after acting up?
"Influencer house? Why?"
A warm smile gathered on his face. He looked almost bashful. Except Lade and bashful never appeared in the same sentence.
"It's just a bunch of tiktokers living together and creating content." He further supplied.
"I've been applying for quite a while, but my followers weren't enough. However... I've got over hundred thousand followers recently, so I'm qualified."
He still wasn't making sense to me. Yes, he had his tiktok obsession and the attention he received there. I myself thought it was just something he did for fun and not something he'd take so serious to think of moving in.
"It's surreal right?" The excitement was too much on him as he smiled.
Nodding, I cleared my throat. "Uh... Yeah?"
This was getting out of hand. "But... Didn't you just have a small fight with your parents? You can just tell them. Uh, your Mum might get worried and contact my Mum..." I trailed off. "You know how that works."
Lade's shoulder sagged at the mention of his parents. "That's why this whole arrangement needs to go through. If not-"
The blaring of my ringtone cut him short as I reached for it.
Giving Lade an apologetic nod, I checked the caller ID.
My eyes widened at the name staring back at me. Clearing my throat and seeing that Lade's attention has gone to the music video on mute, I received the call.
"What do you wan-"
"Woah! You picked!!" Didi's loud, surprised voice filled my ears. Causing me to move the device away from my ear.
"You know, I prepared myself to call you a thousand times then, throw in a little threat here and there." She continued.
And me, I didn't say anything, I just listened to her and my heart beat loudly for no reason at all.
At least, she was alive and being her usual annoying self.
"What do you say?" She said a little loudly, making me realize that she probably asked me a question.
I cleared my throat. "What?"
"Wanna hang out?"
Some how, I felt a smile tug at my lips.
•••
A/n: Y'all asked for Lade on the last Q&A on IG. Here, you have him!
What do you think is going on with Lade?
Thank you so much beautiful people for 3k reads. It means a lot ♥️♥️