A Love Bargain

018: Not a date

Pearl

After a long day, I was finally lying on my bed after eating a plate of noodles and eggs that my brother had made. I rarely cooked, I never liked cooking and I only did it a few times, each month.

My brother, on the other hand, was still in the living room, watching a movie. He had asked that I join him but how could I, after everything that happened today? All my body needed was for me to shut my eyes and let my system get some rest.

Even though Sundays were my rest days, from work and every other thing included, I was going to use tomorrow and work on the outfits I wasn't able to work on today. I never liked working on Sundays but this time around, I had no other option.

I heaved a deep sigh, shut my eyes close and waited for sleep to possess me but the thoughts of Kachi Phillips came, crawling into my mind. Before I could fight it off, it had occupied every space in me. Leaving me to nothing but to think about what Peter, had said earlier about him, having had a rough past relationship.

I wondered what it might be and if he was okay and just like that, I lay on my bed, body weak, mind occupied, worrying about him.

Hell no! I mentally shrugged, fighting the concerned thoughts in my mind. That man had been nothing but rude to me since we met, not entirely rude though but maybe,  ninety per cent of the time. I couldn't help but wonder if the said past had something to do with the side of him, I had to deal with.

After turning from side to side a few times with no atom of sleep in sight, I flickered my eyes open and stared at the ceiling, but it was so dark that I began to feel like I was floating in the air. I moved my hand and there it touched my phone, I grabbed it and moved it to my face.

I unlocked my phone, clicked on the chat app and the first message on the line was from Gee asking if I was back from the hospital. I had texted her earlier but we didn't get to talk much through the day. I replied to her text, with a yes and clicked send before scrolling down my contacts. When my gaze fell on Kachi's chat box, I went on and clicked on it. The last message on it was the one from last night.

I softly tapped my finger on it and stared at the open chat box, why on earth was I having thoughts of texting him and what was I even going to say? Just tell me.

"Don't grow feelings for me."
"You are not my type."

His words, like a warning bell, rang in my ears and I rolled my eyes at them. If only his words were as beautiful as his face, I thought to myself as I clicked on the 'go-back' bar.

Since I didn't get a reply from Gee, I clicked the chat app off my screen and dropped my phone on the bed. But as I shut my eyes closed, the sound of my ringtone filled the room causing me to part my eyelids, once again.

I sluggishly turned my face to the side and lifted my phone from the bed, immediately my gaze picked up the caller ID, my eyes widened and my breath seized for a second. Quickly, I turned my body to the side, with my gaze glued to my phone. I wondered if I was seeing things and if not, was he really calling my phone? If yes, then, why?

Again, I could feel my heart ease up happily but I ruffled it with a quick throat-clearing before picking the call. I clicked on the loudspeaker button and dropped the phone close to me.

"Good evening, Pearl," his deep voice seeped through the speaker, soothing my nerves and just like that, I was lost for words. 

"You called," Without thinking, the words rolled off my tongue. I bit my tongue, hoping that he didn't catch the little excitement in my tone.

"Well, earlier at the hospital, you said to talk on the phone later, right? I was thinking maybe you have something to talk--."

"I only said that because--" I started, cutting him off. "Because of Peter, you already told him that we are together so I wanted it to seem... Real?"