EXTRACTION

CHAPTER 2

PREVIOUSLY ON EXTRACTION

"Your days of controlling my life are over.. Jayden!"I spoke to myself
I won't change my number..
I won't hide like the guilty one..
I hate you Jayden..
I hate you so much for causing me so much pain..
"I hate you!!!"I shouted and a lady who walked in looked at me like I'm crazy..
I flashed her by best innocent smile showcasing my sparkling white teeth..
She walked past me while I let out a deep calming breath..
I adjusted my make up before I stepped out of the restroom walking majestically to my reserved table....
Conveniently sitting down on my sit.. I heard a very familiar husky voice saying..
"Nisei"And I freaked out shouting..
"Jayden!!.."

NISSI'S POV
I stared confused at the set of blue eyes looking deep into my eyes..
Thank Goodness we were at a private booth.. All eyes would have been on us right now..

"Emm.."I cleared my throat as I adjust my sitting position..
My butt hurts. the sit suddenly feels too hard and too small for my butt..
"I'm sorry"he muttered staring furiously at me
"Its nothing.. I just em.. I just freaked out.. I'm sorry"
"Who's Jayden???"he asked
"What??"I played dumb..
"Why did you freak out when I called you Nisei???"he asked sitting down opposite me
I freaked out because your voice sounded different..
I was hallucinating..
"How did you know about that name??"I asked changing the topic rather than answering his question
"I viewed your profile and most of your post on Facebook. Most of your friends called you Nisei and you mostly use #Nisei cares, in your post.."he explained
"Ooohhh!!"
"Why did you freak out when I called you Nisei??? And who is Jayden???"he repeated his question counting each words
I'm trapped..
"I'm famished.. Let's order something first"
"Nissi!!"he glared at me..
"We'll talk while we eat.. I'm famished"I stood my ground..
He grumbled within himself as he drew the attention of a waitress who was passing by..
I watched the movement of his lips while he makes an order..
"Kare wa lke Teru ( He is hot )"I blurted out..
"What??"he questioned
And I stared confused at him and the waitress..
He looks like he was waiting for my answer..
What did he ask???
"I'll have the same thing he ordered but i need a pineapple juice"I spoke up hoping not to make a fool of myself..
Luckily, the waitress nods and walked away..
Ooohhh!!!
That was a narrow escape..
"You were absent minded"he pointed out
"Good observation.. You could have saved my ass.. if my answer was wrong I would have publicly embarrassed myself"
"You're a smart lady.."he replied
"Which language did you speak earlier??"he asked
"Japanese"I answered
"Ooohhh!!! Your parent do look like one of them"
"Cut this bullshit.. You've checked my background and I believe you know my parent are Japanese immigrants.. So why are you acting like you have no clue??"I asked
"Because I want to hear it from your lips.. I want you to confined in me"he answered
"That name really suit you alot"he added
"What??"I asked
"Nisei.. It clearly explains your background"he answered
"Yeah that's true.. That's what everyone have been addressing me as ever since I was a child.. Nisei"I added
"Did I remind you of your ex when I called you Nisei??"he asked and I coughed
"Yes you did"I answered sincerely as the waitress called in with our meal
"Thanks for the honesty"he said as the waitress place our food on the table
"Thanks"he said to the waitress as she smiled
"I hope you enjoy your lunch" the waitress said and walked away..

"Do you still have feelings for him??"he asked
"I don't"I stated firmly as I sipped my drink..
"Good.. That's one step to overcome your past.."he said and we dig into our food at the same time.. He stared awkwardly at me as he chewed his food slowly
"Why are you looking at me like that??"I asked covering my face..
And he chuckled..
"What's funny??"I chuckled softly using my handkerchief to cover my face..
He drags the handkerchief off my face as he grib my hand staring intensively at me..
"Who destroyed your smile??"he suddenly asked caressing my hand gently..
"Why are you so determined to hear my story?? Every man gat a story, so seek for other interesting story not some old boring tale of my past that doesn't make sense"
"It makes sense.. I'm not looking for interesting story to spice my day with.. I wanna help you as much as I also need your help"
"I'm sorry but I can't be of help to you"
"Don't divert from my original question.. Who stole your smile?? What happened to you???"he questioned..
His eyes pleading earnestly..
I can't keep my past hidden for long.. it's best I confine in him..
"I wanna help you.. I wanna be by your side as you reconstruct your life. But I can't help if you don't speak up.."he added letting go off my hand..
As he focused back on his food.
As we fell into total silence, eating our lunch
"I thought we were friends"he spoke up, his eyes focused on his food
"We are friends" I answered
And he chuckled!!
"A while ago, you said you don't need a friend and now you claim we are friends.. What should I believe Nissi??"he asked
"I was joking back then.. We are friends.."I answered
"My only friend in the whole wide world"I added and he dropped his spoon and set his gaze on me..
"You don't trust me enough to confine in me.. I can confidently say, a friend of yours in the past betrayed your trust.. And fixing the puzzle together"he paused
"Your ex-boyfriend cheated on you with your best friend"
"Smarter than I gave you credit for"I complimented him and he chuckled
"He was my fiancé, though we've been dating for over 5years..
I was working as his assistant manager.. I was happy with my achievement and I thought my life was perfect.. Until, I caught him having sex with my high school bestie Panel on my own sofa.."I sipped my juice..
"I had it in mind to forgive them but I couldn't after panel bragged that they have been banging each other for years.. it was like a slap to my face and a punch to chest..
It pierced deeper into my heart, and I had to move down here"I explained
"What's ya story??? Heartbreak like mine???"I asked him and he stared blankly at me with zero emotions on his face..
Fabian is a complicated guy with often mood swings..
"My mom had an accident on her way to see her lover and died at the spot .. That was the beginning of my loneliness.. My dad was having had time accepting her death and her betrayal.. He had no idea that his wife was in love with another man and had a son for him.. I gradually stopped communicating with people except my dad..
Then I fell in love with a lady Patricia.. I was head over heels for her until I found out she never truly loved me.. And it was just some silly bet she made with her friends.. She gambled my heart for money, fame and reputation..
I was depressed and dad advised I stepped down from office duties for a while.. I told best friend to manage my organisation for a while but he defrauded me.. He tried to sneak out of the country but he was arrested and thrown to jail.. He was my only bestie..
We shared everything in common..
He could have requested for money but rather he back stabbed me..
I wasn't majorly angry because he stole from me.. I was angry because he couldn't trust me to help him, he was like my twin..
I shared everything with him, including my company and fame..
I've been depressed for a long time until I saw you sitting in that bar drinking heavily in tears.. I felt your pain.. The need to comfort you evolved in my heart..
For the first time in my life, I felt at ease seeing you smile.. It was as if, your laughter commanded peace to the Storm in my heart"he explained
"I felt the same way.."I confirmed
"We need each other.. I'm tired to this dark lonely life.. I'm not asking for a relationship.. I know for sure I won't be falling in love because I have a phobia.. Philophobia to be precise.."he explained
"Fear of falling in love with someone who can't love you??" I asked
"Exactly!!" he replied..
"We could be friends"I suggested distracted my his red lips..
"What kind of friend??"he asked
"Friend with benefits"I suggested plainly
"What kind of benefits??"he asked
"Benefits that gives us joy, it doesn't have to be all about sexual pleasure"
"Benefits that brings back your true smile.. That's all I want"he chipped in..
"Friend with benefits is a lame title..."he pointed out..
"What should be the title??"I asked
"I don't know but the future will determine"he replied
"Okay!!! We should extract happiness from each other's company.. We get to know each other better and assist one another as we reconstruct our new life"
"Great idea!!! We will extract comfort and happiness from each other to rebuild a new life filled with joy and worth living for"he added
"Let's cheers"I requested
"To our new beginning.."he raised his glass

THE NEXT DAY
NISSI'S POV
I sat down nervously waiting for the announcer to call my name for my interview..
This is actually my third interview for today but I'm nervously anxiously waiting for my turn..
Everything feels Weird..

"Miss Nissi Akiko"the announcer called out
I stood up from my sit waving my hand at her.
She smiled and urshered me in..
"Good day ladies and gentlemen"I greeted.. All their names tag in front of them
"You may sit down Nissi"Mr Anderson urged me with a smile on his face.
"Thank you sir"
"How many years working experience do you have??"He asked such a lame question.. Even though the answer is clearly stated in my credentials
"7 years sir"I replied
"Why did you leave your former organization???" Mr Anderson asked
"Personal reasons, I had to relocate back home"I replied not wanting to go to into details..
"It's not advisable for any business man to mix work and pleasure.. So what's this personal reasons you're talking about??"Miss Augusta asked
"With all due respect I don't mix my personal life with my professional life.. My personal life should remain personal"I answered with a fake smile on my face
"Miss Akiko I heard from a reliable source that you were dating your CEO.. Is that true or false??" Mr Thompson asked
"That's my personal life sir.. I'm here for a professional interview not to talk about my dating life"I answered clearly sounding paranoid
"We are just curious to know your reasons why you would leave such a well known technology firm for some personal reasons.."Miss Augusta
"If you read through my file you would know that I wasn't fired nor did I had any compliant from my boss.. I resigned myself..
And point of correction, I was employed by my ex-boss Mr Brown before he retired and his son who happened to be my boyfriend became the CEO.. And if you cross-checked very carefully you'll see that I started working as an internship before I was officially employed as a sales manager and later promoted to assistant manager for the company..
I earned my position with hardwork"I explained holding my head up high
"I'm impressed with your courage"Mr Anderson spoke up
"Unbehalf of any further question, I beg to take my leave"I requested feeling suffocated..
"One moment Miss"I heard that familiar voice and I froze on my sit.
This must be a coincidence..
I warned him not to interfere with my job hunting..
"Good day sir"they all greeted..
"I'm surprised to see you here Sir"Mr Anderson pointed out
"I overheard your interview and I was disappointed but we'll talk privately about that.. Janette dismiss other candidate nicely"Fabian instructed looking furious..
"Miss Akiko, I'm sorry onbehalf of my employees.. They had no right to question your personal life.."He apologized and a bright smile creeped its way back to my face..
"But.. Your egoist attitude is not tolerated in my firm.. We have no forum to tolerate such arrogant behavior.."His words stabbed my heart..
My chest tightened as I forced myself to smile..
I courageously stood up from my sit and walked closer to him..
"I was on my way out of this building when you came in.. I don't plan on working in a firm that have no respect nor regard for my personal life and my qualifications"
"If you're done blabbing.. You may use the exit.."Fabian fired as he glared at me..
"With all due respect Sir, She's the best candidate we have for this job and we owe her our honest apology.. It's just a misunderstanding that can be sorted out.. "Mr Anderson spoke up
"Miss Akiko use the Exit"He commanded and I marched towards the exit not sparing him a glance....
But I could feel his eyes on me..
I should never have opened my heart to accept his friendship..
They are all betrayers..

©Winner Godwin and
Grace Aghedo
February 2020
All rights reserved