Girls Who Dreamt of Castles

Chapter Eleven

        "The world needs more love at first sight."
                      - Maggie Stiefvater.

Crossing a busy road on a hot afternoon was not something Ndlidi quite fancied. The painful journey under the sun was unbearable. She was sweating profusely and cursing with every chance she got.

She did have a car; broken down somewhere at her place. Her father had offered to get it fixed but she was too stubborn to agree to him, as she didn't want to come off as a daddy's girl. And also, public transportation didn't sound like a bad idea.

There were times when she asked him for money, of course, that was her father, but she also liked the idea and action of working for it. She almost walked into someone when she saw what was up against the billboard that day.

No one crossing the Marian Bridge by car, bus, or foot could miss it. It had Adira's face on it and she wasn't smiling. She looked aggressive: like she was daring you to do something, anything. Or maybe she just wanted the people who saw the picture to buy the product she was modelling for.

Ndidi's face was a rictus of sheer delight. She felt like a proud mother. She should feel that way. She was friends with a celebrity. It made her feel like a celebrity herself. She kept moving as the minute went by, each one incredibly hotter than the one before it.

She stood at a halt in front of a big shop. The sign read: 'Makeup'.

She didn't even smile. She just stood there moist from the hot sun, reminiscing. It was the name Anna sarcastically gave to her makeup shop when she was too lazy to bring up one. Many people thought it absurd, which it was, but who cared anyway?

There were lipsticks in the market that came in the shape of small penises and people bought them regardless.

Ndidi Edika was fun but when it came to her employees, she kept a straight face. It was one of the ways to show how serious she was with her business. The way she carried her face at work, made the people around her assume she used words like 'solipsistic' and 'hyperventilating' and 'eponymous' in her daily vocabulary because she studied English and her father was a well-known lawyer in the state. But they were all wrong. She used words like 'fuck' and 'shit' and 'bitch' and felt no shame.

She pushed the door to the shop open and because she wasn't looking at where she was going, she ran into something. The body was hard, making her fall, her buttocks hitting hard on the floor.

"Fuck! What the - Who put that there!?!" she asked in infuriation.

Everything went silent.

She looked around the pink room in anger. When she looked up she realized that it wasn't a thing, it was, in fact, a person and she felt utterly stupid.

"I'm sorry," the hard figure apologized. "I'm guessing you didn't see me," he smiled.

Ndidi stared at the man. He was cute. Real cute. His smile was so innocent that she couldn't help but reciprocate. But not the sexy one she easily pulled off, she gave a megawatt smile. Isaac Newton would be so proud. She didn't want to shutter so she just nodded praying it was his sister or maybe his mother he brought for a makeover and not his girlfriend.

"Uhm..." he cleared his throat and becked to his hand that had been hanging in the air for God knows how long.

She grimaced before grabbing his hands, they were soft and sweaty, which was a turn off for her. She disliked sweaty palms. She got to her feet and wiped them on her jeans. On second thought, that's wasn't at all a bad thing. Someone was nervous. Knowing that she had more control of herself.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"No problem," he stood tall. "Just watch where you're going. You might hurt yourselves next time."

"Okay. Thank you, sir. I promise to watch my step," she pressed her lips together. She was trying to get his attention by being bratty and it usually worked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. I apologize again."

"No problem," she looked up. "I forgive you for the second time."

He laughed. "Well, thank you. Again. I don't think I've ever met a woman so merciful," he smiled again and Ndidi smiled in return. They seemed to have forgotten that they were in a public place. Everyone's eyes were on them.

"I have somewhere I have to be and it seems to me that I'm wasting your time."

"That's a weird thing to say. But no, you aren't wasting anybody's time."

"Oh, that's good to hear."

She didn't know how long it would take for him to stand and stare at her. She was used to the staring. It didn't make her feel uncomfortable in any way but she wanted more. If she let him go, she might not see him again.

"Can I have your number?" she asked. "I don't want to take much of your time."

"Sure," he smiled again and brought out a small card from his pocket. It was scented with Fougère. His cologne was steep.

Ndidi lifted her eyebrow. She liked men who took their time to smell nice.

"I love the colour pink," he exhaled. "Call me."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I will."

With that, he left and she watched. Every girl in the room did. He walked with so much confidence even after being abjured, and that was the sexiest thing Ndidi had ever seen.

When she turned, all eyes were on her. She put on the straight face. "Get back to work, busybodies!" she said and they all turned and faced their work.

Looking back again, she realized she'd lost track of the mystery man. They didn't even exchange names. She looked at the card. His name was Frederick.

She didn't want to handle any customers. She had come to work solely for supervision. Her glorious, manicured fingers required rest.

She was preparing her team for a swell job she got through connections - because to be real you couldn't get anywhere in the business without connections.

It was going to be her biggest job, she needed the rest. She was hipped by her father. He told her about a Senator who was giving his only daughter out for marriage. He already spoke to the Senator, so she and her team were the makeup artists for that day. Anon, she remembered her thoughts earlier about not wanting to come off as a daddy's girl.

Who was she fooling? Her father did everything for her. She was a daddy's girl.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you for reading.

I know it's short but I promise the next chapter will be longer.

Or the one after that.

Or the one after that.

Your vote and comments will be really appreciated. Keep reading, you're amazing as always.

Much love.