Broken | ✓

CHAPTER TWENTY: BORDER LINE

    
 

                        Ireti

The last time I saw Mr Stern-face was Friday, looking at him now in his navy blue suit with his eyes fixated on his laptop and his hands rubbing his forehead. I could have sworn he got a lot more handsome over the weekend.  Engrossed Jide was my new favorite.

“what are you doing?” Ogechi asked forcing me to peel off my eyes from the art that was Jide.

“checking to see if he is busy, I have some papers I need him to sign” I gave her a half truth.

I did need him to sign some papers but the major reason I was standing outside my boss’s office and peering through his window was because I found him really attractive. I had not decided if it was a good thing or a bad thing but what I was certain about was the fact the mere sight of him made me feel things, things I hadn’t felt in centuries.

“it didn’t look like that. It looked like you were checking him out. Are you interested in the boss?” she winked.

“what? Like? Common, we all know I dislike that man” I scoffed.

“you use to dislike me a lot before” she pestered.

“it is ridiculous for you to think I have a crush on Ji… our boss”

“oooo so it is a crush then and did you just try to call him by his first. Hold up are you guys on a first name basis? Is there something between you two?” she bombarded.

I did have a tiny crush on Jide, but I hadn’t gotten to the confession stage and what I was feeling was probably because I hadn’t gone out with anybody in a while. It was probably a crush birthed by loneliness and Ogechi was the last person I was going to tell that to. She was one for gossip and there she was looking at me with curious eyes waiting for my reply.
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out, it was if something swallowed my voice. My fingers began rubbing each other in a bid to comfort me as my heart beats increased rapidly.

“hey Ireti” Mike called removing me from anguish.

I finally released a breath, a breath of relief.

“hey Mike, I was about stopping by your office” I dragged him away from Ogechi and her questions to his office.

“what’s up? You were in a hurry to leave Ogechi back there” Mike inquired.

“it was nothing, she was trying to start up a gossip session. We all know how Ogechi can be with the gossip”

He nodded.

“so why did you want to see me?”

“huh?”

“you said you were about coming to my office” he jiggled my memory.

“ooh yeah, uhmm. i… uhmm.. I wanted. to. know. if …. you .. were… free for dinner this evening. Yes! I wanted to know if you were free for dinner this evening”

“oh wow I was going to ask you the same thing. It is as if our minds are in sync” he smiled.

***********
I sat in front of the mirror in my red off shoulder flay gown, getting ready for a dinner date that was never on my schedule all because of a tiny crush.

My phone rang, it was Mike calling. I sighed and picked up the phone.

Me: Hey Mike.

Mike: Hey Ireti, I’m outside. Should I come in?