Naya and Vince

6

FRIENDSHIPS

I branched to Richard's place when I got back from school. It was some minutes past five. I knew he would surely be back from the school.

"Naya?"

I shoved him aside tiredly and made my way into his one bedroom flat. I slumped on the couch in his small sitting room.

"God, I need paracetamol. Do you have any?" I said as a greeting.

He took a seat on the single seater opposite me. "It could be the traffic that was on the way that is causing it. You just need to rest," he replied.

"I badly wish I could but I have a shift by six o'clock at work," I groaned.

"Really? You can skip na. Besides it's health first. Don't stress yourself."

"You and I know I have to. Dinma has promised not to give me money for anything again. I need transport fare to go to school and money to buy stuff for myself too."

"Right. I really wish to help," he said giving me a knowing look. I always turned down his help.

"You know I don't like pity or being looked at like a charity case. I'd be okay," I assured him.

He sighed. "I know better than to try dissuade you. So how was your first day?" He asked.

"It started out really bad to be honest. Some idiot tried to intimidate me today."

"Omo I hope you didn't get into any trouble". He was very much aware of my trouble seeking nature.

"I think I did. But I wasn't punished anyways. There's a good part though. I met two brats that I can tolerate and bear to be around," I told him.

He laughed. "Don't you mean you made friends?"

"Not at all. You should know I don't just call anyone my friend. The girl has the mentality that scholarship students are charity cases while the boy is. . .just too much of a joker," I explained.

Richard chuckled. "Nawa. But I want to talk about your socialisation. Why are you scared of making friends or calling anyone your friend?"

"I'm not afraid of it. I'm just cautious of who I call my friend."

Something had happened about six years ago that made me realise humans are unreliable. So I preferred being with just a friend than having a bunch of fake idiots as friends. Bolaji would have managed to be called friend by me but he ruined everything so he was just benefit buddy, nothing more.

"Nairobi you need to make friends. You can't dodge that though. You can't survive alone in this world. I know you are afraid of fake and toxic friends but you can always keep them at arms length. You can't tell me that if you try to make friends all of them would be fake," he tried to reason with me. I wasn't ready to reason with him.

"You are my friend and I think that's enough. Besides I'm tired of you questioning my decisions."

Richard frowned. "I question them because you are my friend and I care about you."

"But they are mine. I don't question why you don't want to have feelings for me," I blurted out. I covered my mouth with my hands when realisation hit me. I bit my lip and avoided his gaze.

"So we're not over that," he said calmly.

"I didn't–"

"See Nairobi, I like you very much. I really do but I can't ruin you. I'm done with my schooling, you still have a long way to go. I can't sabotage that. I'm can't take advantage of your weakness and I'd never," he said calmly. "Now please get that into your thick skull," he added with a smile. I was forced to smile back.

"Thanks," I told him.

I left his place and hurried home. I swallowed some paracetamol tablets, took my bath and changed into an outfit of ripped jeans and a washed SpongeBob T-shirt. I grabbed a crisp two hundred naira note and shoved it in my back pocket. I was not going to eat lunch since I didn't have time to prepare it, so I planned on buying a loaf of bread and soft drink incase my stomach worms started acting up.

I dashed out of the house and towards the other street where my so called work place was located.

I entered the place and loud music filled my ears. It threatened to revive my headache. The outdoor eating space was already filled with men getting high and drunk. It was a hotel and not a very good one at that. It was not the kind of hotel important people lodged in— It was for business purposes. It was where prostitutes hooked up with their clients. Dinma worked here. If she wasn't serving in the restaurant, she was at the club.

Richard didn't know that this was where I worked. He couldn't know. I went to the kitchen to greet the cooks.

"Hanty," I heard my boss call. I greeted her. She didn't respond but ordered me to go and serve drinks after eyeing my outfit. I was too decent for her even if the ripped jeans exposed my thighs by great amounts. The girls that worked for 'madam hips' as my boss was fondly called because of her curvy nature, mostly dressed half naked. She didn't enforce it, it was on their own will but she appreciated it. It meant more customers.

I noticed Dinma walking towards me. I rolled my eyes and as she cat walked towards me. I knew instantly that she wasn't wearing a brassiere underneath. I braced myself for whatever nonsense she was about to mutter.

"So how was today?" She asked. I swear I didn't expect that question.

"It was fine," I answered still surprised by her question.

"Okay," she said and cat walked away. I took some orders from the males who would not stop trying to call my attention. I came back with their orders and dropped it off without paying any attention to the drunk men. To be honest, they kind of scared me. Someone pinched my side and I turned ready to yell at a drunk bastard when I saw Bolaji smiling down at me. I smiled back at him. He immediately led me to out of the crowded area.

The place where he led me to was dimly lit and I could see some other people making out.

"I missed you," he started pecking my lip. "Congrats on the scholarship. You no tell me," he added.

"It must have slipped of my mind. How did you know?"

"Your sister," he answered. Everyone thought Dinma was my sister. "You'd have to make it up to me," he said nibbling on my lower lip.

Bolaji was done schooling but was learning a trade. The dude was really good looking. He was dark skinned and had this really beautiful light brown eyes. We were 'friends with benefit,' so I knew what he meant by making it up to him.

I thought about it. My shift ended by nine o'clock. I hadn't done my assignments. I needed to rest and I'd have to get up early tomorrow. I didn't have the time or strength to get naughty tonight.

As if sensing my hesitation he added, "A quickie. Make I take calm myself abeg," he begged sliding his hand under my t-shirt.

"I still dey work na. I no want madam hips wahala," I told him.

"Since when did you start caring?" His hands were still trailing underneath my blouse.

"Bolaji stop," I told him authoritatively. He sighed and stopped.

"Naya please," he begged again.

I sighed. "You're right. Since when did I start caring." I grabbed his hand, "Come on, let's get a room."

✧෴✧

Naya is not an angel😬

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Ann♪