Must Date The Chef

|| 46.

I slept today. Not as long as I should have but better than I have done in days. The thought of travelling home tomorrow might have contributed to it, seeing my girls, Jen and Leelee has put me in a happier mood. My siblings will also be back next week, full house with lots of noise and laughter, it will be easy to forget Paul. He can ignore me as much as he wants, I am done chasing him.

A giggle escapes me at the antics of the men on my laptop screen, I shake my head with a sigh. I have nothing doing at work except watch movies and crime documentaries, things I can do at home but home is boring. Boring and lonely. I frown, I do miss him, I miss his cooking too, I don't want to go back to eating out. My shoulders slump, it doesn't matter, by tomorrow I will be in Enugu.

The door to my office bursts open, I jump to my feet and jam my laptop close, letting out a hiss when Chi sashays in like she owns the building. She shoves her hands into the pocket of her long flowing kimono, her box braids sit atop her head in a big bun and I catch a glimpse of her fair thigh when she puts one leg in front. I purse my lips and lower myself back to my swivel chair, eyes set on my laptop as I plug in my earpiece.

For the same unknown reasons I have been missing her calls, I don't want to talk to her. I don't want the awkwardness that comes from being friends with your ex's sibling. She dumps her bag on the couch, I pretend not to see her strut to stand in front of me with her arms crossed on her heaving chest. If I ignore her long enough, she will leave.

She closes the laptop, I groan. Or not. This is Chi I am talking about, she will not leave until I hear her out. She is the only person who makes my stubbornness feel like a joke. I scowl, I don't like her so much right now.

My eyes lift to hers, I take my time to unplug my earpiece and frown. "What do you want?"

Her hands jam together, dry laughter slips past her lips as she shakes her head and scoffs. Pointing a finger to her chest, she asks in a voice laced with sarcasm, "What do I want?" Her mouth parts open, I almost feel guilty until she says, "You are mad. You and Paul are raving mad," my eyes narrow, "I don't know what's going on with both of you but don't transfer the aggression to me."

Our eyes clash, I fold my arms across my chest, lips pulled into a grim line until I can no longer handle her gaze. Gosh. She should have put on makeup, those brown eyes are as penetrating as her brother's. My eyes lower to my plain trousers, I rub my hands on my thighs, gulp and heave a sigh. She is right, I am angry with her brother, not her.

"I'm sorry."

"You better be." I raise my head at the sound of a chair scraping the floor to see her seated. "What's going on? Talk to me."

Playing with the empty bowl on my table, I shrug. "What do you mean?" She directs her usual stare my way, I scowl. "Nothing."

The alarm bells in my head go off when a sultry smile flits to her lips, I grip the edge of my table, ready to tell her off if she suggests something outrageous. I am not the daughter of an influential man, I cannot get away with whatever I want. Her fingers drum on the table, I spot her signature red nail polish, we both love that colour. Me, for my lips, her, for her fingernails. It is perfect.

"Are you busy?"

My head moves right, I stop it halfway from moving left. "It depends," her frown morphs into a tiny scowl, "not really. What is it?"

Training my gaze on her, I watch with mild confusion as she retrieves her mini duffle bag from the couch to dump it on my desk.

"We are going out," she informs me with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "Get ready."

This time, I shake my head fully. She holds a hand to stop me, I close my eyes briefly and murmur, "I need to change. I have to go home first. I can't go out dressed," I make a sweeping motion across my outfit, "in this."