A Break Apart

CHAPTER 16. Kiss?

Mum received an early phone call saying she had customers waiting to see her, and so she left without having breakfast.

"Have a great day at work!" I waved at the moving car and jammed the front door, rushing to my room to begin the tasking job on my head.

I spent the entire morning taking down my old braids.

"Freedom," I muttered in relieve after dropping the last attachment on the black artificial hair mounted in tangles on the floor. I then grabbed my shampoo and conditioner from my vanity and went to the bathroom.

My playlist did good to hold my energy up as I wash off the dirt in my hair. I was out of the bathroom after what seemed like hours of hair wash, and then a body scrub, squashing my hair in a towel, which I was going to let air-dry, because I was too lazy and hungry to sit in a chair for eternity with a blow dryer in my hand.

I got dressed in a sloppy gray T-shirt and baggy shorts, and then I packed the man-made hair from the floor and stuffed them in the dustbin, next to the door, before hurrying downstairs to fix myself lunch.

"Oh my God!" I jerked back with a hand on my chest. "You scared me! And how in the world did you get in?" My eyes bulged out.

"Hey!" He topped the volume of my voice. "It's not my fault you didn't lock your door. Know how dangerous that is? You should be more careful." He got up from the couch.

"I didn't lock the door?" I tried to recall, but the wires in my brain weren't connecting.

"I'm sure not a ghost," he deadpanned.

I chuckled, folding my arms over my chest. "You really don't have a life, do you? Because why else are you here this early? Dreamt about me?"

"Maybe," he smirked, approaching me, and then he stopped abruptly when he got close to me, like he just noticed something. "Wow! You look sexy with your hair wet."

"Yuck," I grimaced. "I'll choose sweetheart any day over that, gross comment," I said and proceeded to the fridge, his laughter trailing behind me.

"Are you finally admitting that you love it when I call you sweetheart?" His tone was teasing.

I sighed and turned around, my hand on the handle of the fridge. "Never." I eyed him and turned back to the fridge, opened it, and took out a sealed bag of raw, sliced, potatoe chips.

"And what are we having for breakfast?" He was in front of me like a brick wall when I turned around.

My mouth parted slightly. "Great. What else didn't you do? Brush your teeth? Have your bath?"

"I don't mind using your bathroom." His stupid statement was accompanied with an equally stupid wink.

"Pervert," I cursed under my breath, shoving him out of my way with a hand. He budged, easily stepping aside with just the fragile contact of my fingers on his arm, with a deep humour that shook my ear drums.

                          ××××

He was watching TV in the living room when I came in from the kitchen, holding two plates in my hands. I offered him a plate of chips and ketchup before joining him in the couch.

My stomach growled for food, and I didn't hesitate to fetch a hand-full of chips and shove in my mouth.

I caught his wide stare and paused. "What?" I asked with a full mouth.

"That's how you eat?" His face crumpled.

I rolled my eyes. "Eat your own food and let me be," I said, returning to my plate.