NOT YET

Seven: That Girl

  Subtle. Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood.

   She had let him in. Edwin was what Vera thought about all the time. They had started talking and honestly she did not care. She let him on everything about her. Her daily routine, her best books, her favorite food. Everything.
   
    They had switched to video calling, chatting nonstop. Edwin would try his hardest to not sound strained whenever he saw her in her sports bra and sleep shorts that seem to grab her thighs and make her butt look bigger.
    She was a lazy one. He'd noticed.  Always in her room and waiting to be called. She loved to eat almost every time and he found she had great taste in music and a voice to match her consistent sing along.
  She also had a love hate relationship with her siblings and mother. She threw insults at her elder and younger brother any chance she got and that would earn her one herself. She never backed down from a fight and they often ended up having their parents intervene, them scolding whoever was the oldest in the argument about being too grown for things like that. Vera's elder brother was the same age as Edwin and around the same height but he was quite intimidating and had a body builder of a boxer, but Vera always measured up to him not caring that he was older and taller.
     She often referred to her mother as 'that woman' when she's wasn't in the room, reason being the was a time when she and her dad had an argument back when they were younger and her mum ran away from home. Her father would say "that woman" when he wanted talking about her even if he was sad inside. She said she caught her dad begging her mum on the phone to tell him where she was, not knowing she was staying in the boys quarters all while and only she knew that because she saw her once. She kept it to herself because she thought it was a game her parents played. Like hide and seek and her father was failing at it. Badly.
  Vera wasn't a lovely quiet girl as Edwin had thought. She loved to argue and almost never agreed on things. And that was what made Edwin like her further. And she also wasn't very innocent. Far from it. She loved to talk dirty sometimes and would randomly flirt back.

"You have a nice ass". She'd tell him.

"Yours are nicer baby".

"Oh yeah, wanna spank it?". Vera simply believed in go all in.
  
  To Vera Edwin was a simple person, he lacked drama in his life and was always on his computer. His room was always neat unlike her messy one. He loved to play loud music while he worked and always looses his attention on her when he was busy. She did not mind though, she liked watching him work. And then when he notices she had gone quiet from not rambling all the time, he'd look at her, a frown on his face and ask;

"Are you good?"

She would nod and smile like the hopeless idiot she was. He loved pizza and would order it every two days.

"You are spending a lot of money on those nonsense things". She'd tell him.

"I don't know what you are talking about". He'd tell her with his mouth full.

   Edwin was a forex trader and had acquired alot of money from it. She did not want to ask how he got the money to invest in it because she did not want to know what it took, but he cleared her suspicion and told her it was his elder brother who lived in Dubai. He had shown her a picture of him and his family, they were rich. She told him she wanted to try it too and he told her she wasn't going to have that kind of patience and she agreed. She was pretty lazy.

"Spend that time with your mum in the kitchen instead you lazy woman". He'd say.

She'd fake gasp, hand on her chest dramatically. "Are you trying to say something?"

"Do you know how to cook ma'am? No".

"I know how to cook I just don't wanna". It was a lie. She was a terrible cook and knew how to cook noodles and fry whatever it is you wanted her to.

"Maybe I'll just marry your sister, she's so good".

   And that wasn't a lie. Tamara was chef. She could make any and everything. Including meals outside and intercontinental. She had a whole account with almost half a million followers  where she showcased her cooking talents. And that's why her restaurant was one of the finest in Calabar.

"Is this your way of telling me you have a crush on me sister. It better not because I do not approve". She answered him.

"I have a crush on you".

And then she'd blush, if she could. Edwin was totally her type. He was everything and yet nothing. He wasn't too much. And definitely did not do too much. She atleast knew everything she needed to know of him and he knew of her and that was more than enough for her to decide that maybe they could be more than just friends. Besides what could a little feelings do. She did not understand what she really felt anyway. It might have been a start of something bigger or simply nothing.

  It was two weeks since they'd gone into a steady flow both in and out of school. They met up in school if they could and even when they could not. Vera's would force ice cream on him and he'd scold her for not caring about her period. They talked and laughed together almost all the time, stealing subtle touches of each other when they could  The rumors quickly spread again that they were dating. The WhatsApp group and anonymous messages bustling with comments.

"Guys they look so cute" "So it was all a lie, they were dating" "Maybe they are just friends" "Abeg make person tell me why Loner gree give Ed, no be like say the guy fine pass me o"
"Dem don nack?" "Loner fit be virgin" Tah you no see as she slim, she go sabi nack well well" "Oi, that bitch be fine bruv" "I hate Loner. With passion"

   Well they duo did not care and just as quickly, the forever busy body school moved on to something else.

It was the third week since they'd settled. And they were seated in their favorite bench as usual, eating ice cream because Vera could not help herself.

"I can't believe that dumb lecturer tried to hit on me, I mean look at his pot belly, even my dad's isn't as big".

Edwin chuckled. "Yeah well that's just how fucked up the school system is. It's never going to change".

"Well I hope he knows who he messed with because I won't sit still if he tries anything funny". Her eyes were focused and a pout on her face.

He patted her thigh and she felt a jolt of electricity shoot up her spine.

"I hope not, because you are mine for the taking". He smiled.

"Yeah you wish".

"Let's go on a date". He dropped. And she swallowed, the cold beverage putting her brain on freeze mode.

"Ummm...". She chuckled nervously. "How come?".

"Wetin be how come again". He laughed. "I said let's go on a date ma'am".

Well damn.