Side Effects Include

Part 7.

He was casually strolling through the aisles while trying to keep an eye on Wema at the same time, who was going crazy on the grocery list she had made roughly for dinner.

"This is good..this is good." She murmured to herself as she picked the onions and other vegetables and he stopped to watch.

Aren't they all the same? He wondered. What they say must be true then, women are picky...

She seemed to know what he was thinking so she sneered at him while pulling him closer to dump everything she was holding in the basket he was carrying.

"When was the last time you did shopping, they is nothing but junk in your house." She scolded.

"I live alone.." he fumbled with his excuses but she just shook her head. "Besides, I didn't expect you to camp at my house.."

Thinking came second after the words had already spewed from his mouth, and he stood there wishing he hadn't said it when she turned away, the radiant smile just now fading into a thin line. He wanted to apologise to her, but that also didn't seem wise.

"Maizemeal, veges, milk, sausages, blah blah... I think that's all." She said after she was done, mentally crossing everything off the list.

"Give it here, I'll pay, just wait outside." She wanted to grab the basket from him but he refused to let go. He looked down at their hands clasped next to each other, her elegant delicate looking ones made his rough ones look awful.

"I'll pay." He said, forcefully removing her hand. She wanted to resist and keep arguing but he intertwined their hands instead and started towards the counter, keeping her close at his side.

Wema smiled to herself, then upon looking around the room at the glances they got from people, she only drew closer to him. He didn't seem to mind how close and troublesome she was, rather he didn't make her feel like she was. Running away from home was something she had decided after finding herself in his bed this morning, but even when her subconscious kept telling her she was being silly, the longer she stayed, the more it seemed right.

Nothing nor no one pressured her here,she didn't have to be anything or worry that the people she trusted more than anything else in the world were just putting on an act. But she did know one thing, all her worries were like a cloud or rain held above the skies by a supernatural force for now, sure to fall on her at once when the time came and she had nowhere to run to.

"Do you like it that much." He asked as they waited for their uber outside the tuskey's supermarket. She was enjoying a mega lollipop added to the list the very last minute rather loudly, slurping and all.

"I haven't had one in a while." She said with it in her mouth, pushed on one side of her cheeks, "always thought it was childish."

She looked cute, he thought to himself. Carrying her to his apartment, dealing with her drunk, overcoming a crazy encounter with a client, grocery shopping and now watching her blurb about candy. It had just been a day, but she had changed up his daily schedule a whole lot. Importantly, his brain hadn't found an opportunity to pull him into loneliness.

After being dropped off at his apartment, they argued over who would pay for the uber for a long time which made the middle aged man quite displeased, but in the end he let her win. She quickly paid with mobile money, then helped him carry the groceries upstairs.

She kept complaining on the way up, asking him why he lived on the very last floor, but the words were all mumbling since her mouth was stuffed.

"Wow.." she gasped when she walked inside, as though it was the first time he was seeing his house. It was cleaned and organised.