Ex Gratia (#1 EX TRILOGY)

Chapter 10

Akoma groped for her phone on the table with her right hand without looking and clenched her jaw. Her heart started to beat fast and she felt utterly scared. Nii had never expressed any suggestive romantic feelings towards her since she moved in, and it was news to her that he would ever complain of being zoned. Besides, there had not been any proper proposal that Akoma would deny as something that never occurred.

Nii closed in on her slowly, and finally Akoma found her phone and held it between their faces while pretending to type something in a chat. From the corner of her eye, she realized Nii had stopped, and just before she could move the phone away to check the disappointed look on his face, Nii rather reached for something beyond her, which made her move out of the way only to see Nii picking up a pack of chewing gum that was in a corner of the sofa. Akoma sighed and moved farther from him.

“What?” Nii asked and tore open the pack to pick one of the gums. “You thought I was going to do something to you? You see the way you think?”

Akoma frowned. “Are you serious?”

“A friend of mine says he’s got the latest GoT season. He’s got more movies. I can talk to him,” Nii simply changed the subject and turned to look at copying progress on the laptop. “You want GoT?”

“I will think about it,” Akoma said while staring in awe at Nii. She was confused about the sudden switch. She decided not to bring the matter up for the next couple of minutes and just hoped that the files would be done copying quickly and Nii would just leave. In view of this, she agreed to forego some of the movies she had thought of copying and silently truncated the visit.

“What’s your schedule tomorrow?” Nii asked.

“I have a wedding tomorrow,” she replied.

Just then, Akoma’s phone started to ring and she moved it quickly before her eyes only to find out that it was Gracefield.

“Akoma! Are you home?” she asked.

Akoma smacked her forehead. “Don’t come o! I will be a bit occupied this evening. Please.”

“Oh really?” Gracefield’s voice dropped, “OK. I thought – you – never mind. We’ll talk later.”

“Is it urgent?”

“Later. Bye.” The call ended.

Akoma frowned and tossed the phone on the sofa between herself and Nii, who turned his head to look down at Gracefield’s caller photo before it went off the phone screen. Nii raised his eyebrows and picked up the phone. Akoma looked shocked.
“That’s a fine woman,” Nii said excitedly. “Can I see that picture? Please?”

Akoma rolled her eyes and muttered, “Men,” taking the phone back to unlock the screen to open the photo gallery. Nii took it from her and scrolled through the album named after Gracefield, and Nii stared in a very unusual way. It did not look like a look he would give if he had no recognition of her. He was watching with keen interest. Akoma took the phone back quickly and locked the screen.

“Do you know her?” Akoma asked.

Nii shook her head and packed the packages on the table. Akoma attempted to take them from him but he insisted and went to throw them away into the bin in the kitchen. She checked the clock again and felt impatient about keeping Nii around by that time. She looked around her and felt the room did not feel tidy and joined Nii in the kitchen to pick a broom. Nii smirked at her and stared after her as she walked towards a corner in the room next to the door to start sweeping.

“She never swept her room before I visited. Ei life!” Nii muttered to himself and clapped her hands softly. “Wonders.”

Akoma shot a disapproving look at him and swept towards the other end of the room close to the windows, and then she drew nearer to the side of the sofa and started pushing the curtains apart. She heard movement behind her and looked up to see Nii staring closely at her. She quickly checked if any part of her clothes was revealing anything unintentionally and continued, but she paused when her phone started to ring, and she felt excited because it was Rich.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“I told you 7, right?” Rich asked.

“Mm-hmm. Are you cancelling it?”

“Oh no. Come on. I am not. I was going to meet up with someone about something I wanted to buy from her, but fortunately it got cancelled – I guess – fortunately. That’s why I said 7, because by then I’d be done.”

“So –“

“Your place is the one with the – um – black gate, right?”

Akoma blinked. “Huh? Where are you?”

“I am following the exact directions you gave me. Coming straight, and turning left.” There was a pause on the line, and then Rich said, “Aha! I see your door. Should I come in?”

Akoma opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. She started to click her fingers nervously and looked wildly around her. ‘Few more things to do, and then that’s it’, she thought and reached forth a hand to try pulling back the curtains – exactly where Nii had placed the digital recorder.

“Akoma, wait!” Nii shouted.

Akoma looked up at him in shock and shut her eyes. “No,” she muttered.

“Akoma, is someone with you?” Rich asked.

Akoma muted the call and grimaced at Nii. “Are we done here?”