Tara: A Baker's Adventure

007

"Quick question. Shouldn't the bank be responsible for this? Picking up the cake?" Tise looked at me curiously. "It's for the Branch Manager, isn't it?"

"They should have done it, but Uche gave his word that he would deliver it," I answered her.

"But where is the Uche?" she pretended to look around, and that caused me to chuckle despite the feeling of unease that came with carrying the box of cake and waiting for a bus to arrive.

"I'm not sure, either," I looked at her briefly, "I just hope he's okay."

"Let me help you carry that," Tise offered, taking the box from me and I immediately felt relief at the feeling that came with her offloading the cake that had weighed me down.

Five minutes must have passed by the time another bus came around. Flagging it down and eventually scurrying alongside two other passengers who wanted to get in, I paused when I felt a body bump into mine.

"Who is this one?" I turned to look at the figure which had fallen in step beside me. A set of unruly eyebrows was the first thing to catch my attention. 

"I have to go in," I tore my gaze away from his. The guy beside me was taller and a bit more fair in complexion. He sported a full beard with a moustache so thick it was a struggle to see his upper lip.

"I was just about to," he spoke, voice deep and somewhat monotonous.

I gripped the door frame of the bus as if trying to assert my dominance, "Jokes on you, my sister is already in the bus."

He bent slightly to look at Tise who was now seated before proceeding to raise an eyebrow at me, "And how does that affect me?"

"I don't have time for this." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"And I look like I do?"

"Please, go and shave your moustache first," I finally rolled my eyes and pushed him slightly in order to get into the bus, but it was an epic fail. I suddenly couldn't move, and I let out a small shriek when I realized that he had gripped my arm. Avoiding eye contact with the passengers of the bus who were now watching in amusement while a few others screamed at the driver to start moving, it was then I noticed that the driver had started the bus.

"I promise you," I looked the guy in his eyes, "if you don't let me go this moment, I will scream that you're a thief."

I could tell that I'd gotten on his nerve by the glare he shot me. Taking advantage of the tightness in his expression and the loosened grip he now had on my arm, I pulled away from him and gave him a once-over before hurrying into the bus and taking a seat beside Tise.

"He looks mad pissed," Tise said quietly beside me. I looked to see the guy still standing outside, a pained look now on his face, and I shot him a smirk right before the bus zoomed off.

"Imagine if that guy now places a heavy curse on you," Tise looked amused, like she couldn't believe I had it in me to speak to a total stranger like that. Well, typically, I wouldn't, but desperate times calls for desperate measures... or whatever it is that people say.

"With a beard and moustache like that, I won't be surprised if he's a traditionalist," I scoffed

"You have to admit that he was cute, though."

"Cute?" I scoffed again. "You didn't see him up close, that's why."

"Says the person who melted the moment she made eye contact with him," Tise laughed as though I didn't know what I was talking about, but the truth was I was close enough to notice that unlike everyone else I interacted with on daily basis, his eyes were a more evident brown— deep, mysterious, and when they caught the sunlight, they seemed to shine. I'd never seen anything like it.