LOVE & FLAWS | A NIGERIAN ROMANCE |

Chapter 12

“. . . Communicating With Her hasn't been the same ever since then. It's just ‘hello', 'hi', 'how was your day? She pulls out whenever I try to converse with her,” Clint reluctantly replied to Iyke's question.

“Have you tried meeting her physically?” Iyke asked.

“I have met several dead ends on that. She blankly pulls out too,” Clint relayed, “she's cutting me off,” he alleged further.

Iyke took a sip from his glass and dropped it on the marble table. He adjusted himself on the tall bar stool.

“What do you expect after your response?” 

“Yeah, I know. I understand all that. But how do these girls even think? Like . . . whatever,” he picked his glass and sipped from it. He glanced around the lounge.

“Let her be. Probably when she's done dealing with her emotions, she will come around,” Iyke suggested.

“Yeah, I’m doing that already,” Clint affirmed, “I’m not surprised though,” he added. They took turns sipping their drinks, in silence.

“You know that girl really likes you. She must be feeling kind of dejected. That's the least she can do,” Iyke explained, “an..d you, you don't sound any different from her.”

“How?”

“When did you start worrying about people cutting you off?” 

“I'm not.” 

“You and I know you are,” Iyke insisted.

“Fine. Let's end the conversation.” He fiddled with his glass of drink, wearing a faraway gaze.

“I advise you stay off totally,” Iyke chipped in.

It Doesn’t Sit well with Clint, Tina’s attitudes and his worries. If they were to end things, it wouldn't be this way. He had fruitlessly tried to patch up things with her over the past week, but it all got worse. She barely responded to his chat again. “Women,” he thought aloud. He smiled. “I don commit,” he said to himself.

It was about break time at work and he had less on his table to do. He logged on to Instagram using his laptop. He scrolled through his reels when he came across Tina’s video, a forty seconds video of herself riding to work that morning. 

He scrolled past it but it never lasted; he scrolled back seconds later, replayed the video then paused it midway. Subconsciously, he rubbed his eyes with his thumb, index finger and middle finger, thinking of his decisions and indecisions about Tina. 

Impulsively, he clicked on the message button and began typing, but stopped before he could finish. He deleted it on second thought. He wants to visit at the office, but she will decline him if he informed her.

“Come Over Here.” Clint hung the intercom.

Jane walked in, seconds later, in a bright coloured floral top, a red knee-length skirt, and a silver coloured pair of pointed glass heels and finely made up.

“When did we start keeping secrets, Jane?” Jane’s appearance was unusual; she wore a look different from her everyday work attire. He had teased her about it earlier in the day

Jane smiled, “I'm not keeping any, Sir,” 

He smiled, “Not with the glowing look today?” 

“Looking good is my new business. You like what you see?” She winked at him. “For somebody's son though…” She buttressed.

Smiling, “I can see.” 

Clint was happy for her. She has moved on. Only a few months ago, Jane had resumed work one fateful morning, with saggy eye bags, pale and disturbed. Concerned, he called her into his office. According to her, after ruining his shirt with her makeup and tears, her man was cheating on her. She had confronted him severally with no changes. She got so mad and decided to confront his partner. Engaging her on social media, she got the shock of her life. They were engaged. To cap it, he ended things with her to save his other relationship.