65

Amina

I just got out of the bathroom and was happy to resume using my phone. I laid in my bed and started to play a game when I heard a knock. O my goodness, Ivan! It had to be him. I sat and started to look around, thinking of what to do. I couldn't let him see and know that I was using my phone to play games. He could get mad at me. I remember I had told him that I would use the phone for studying and doing my school assignment only.

I picked up my books which I was done with and threw them to the bed in an attempt to make it appear like I was reading just now. After I did that, I stood and cross-checked around me to know of anything would give me out and I couldn't find anything so I decided to open the door for him.

"Hey," I said and hoped I didn't sound suspiciously weird.

"I brought you some food, the delivery arrived just few minutes ago." He came inside just when I thought he would hand over the packaged food to me and leave.

"Okay," I smiled appreciatively and followed behind him. He went and kept the takeaway plate on the bedside table near my bed and stood staring at my books after.  Oh no, he wasn't staring at the bed, he was staring at the books I had scattered all over the bed.

"You are still busy with your assignment?" He asked when he looked away from the books and at me.

"Y-yeah," I nodded and smiled to get his attention away from my forehead which was probably embedded with beads of sweat to my smiling lips.

"Isn't that the bubble match mobile game?"He sighted my phone on the bed. Oh shit. The one thing I didn't want him to know at the moment and I just gave myself out. How did I make the mistake of leaving the game on and more annoying on my part, leaving my phone's screen facing upwards.

"How is that showing on my screen right now?" An idea had come to my head; I was going to pretend like I didn't know what was happening.

"I guess the screen of your phone is too sensitive, it most have gone into the game app by itself when you left it on the bed to come answer the door." He said what sounded like the excuse I had in my head to tell him.

"Yeahhhh, that. That must be what happened." I rubbed the back of my neck guiltily before heading to the bed and turning off the phone before things got weirder.

I looked up to catch Ivan smiling snidely."What? What are you smiling at?" I had to ask him.

"Oh nothing." He stopped smiling."The dish I ordered, it's rice, not your Jollof rice though but it's good. It's tasty actually. We call it Polov, there's rice and meat and vegetables, I hope you will like to eat it."

"Okay. Can you leave?" I found myself blurting out nervously. I felt like he already knew what I was trying to cover up. I looked at him and saw that he was clearly surprised by what I just said.

"Okay." He just said plainly and turned around to leave but I couldn't help but stop him.

"Ivan, I didn't mean to sound the way I did just now."

"Okay." He said again.

"I mean it's your house, it's also basically your room right? It's crazy that I am asking you to leave, I just..."

"It's okay. I am making you uncomfortable and you need me to leave, I understand." He said calmly but why did he have to make it sound like that? Now I feel like I am a horrible person.

"I'm not asking you to leave..." I found myself saying, anything to stop feeling how I was feeling.

"I believe your words were : can you leave?" He pointed out so I masked my face with a smile. The smile on my face was the only thing stopping me from screaming.

"..." I was going to say something else but he didn't let me.

"I won't lie I was going to ask if we could eat together, here or in the kitchen but I have some work to do. I really should leave." With that, he smiled and walked out of the room just like he came.

I closed my eyes in faded frustration that I had asked him to leave like that. Now I didn't even feel like returning to the phone and playing the game anymore. I went and sat on the bed, put the takeaway plate to my laps and opened it. The aroma of the meal hit my nostrils and i knew it would be tasty. Not all good smelling dishes tastes as good as they smell but this one seemed like it would be tasty, just like Ivan said.

Ivan. I remembered how I asked him to leave just now. Here we go, I was surely going to think of him through the night now and even when I wake up to pee. At least, it wasn't so bad, the battery percentage of my phone was at twenty eight, if it died, I could spend my time before bed thinking of Ivan since I wasn't given a charger for the phone.

****

Ivan's Pov.

"How is that showing on my screen right now?" She asked like she was unknowing of how the game was displaying on her screen.

"I guess the screen of your phone is too sensitive, it most have gone into the game app by itself when you left it on the bed to come answer the door." I said when I noticed how nervous she was getting, that seemed to be something she was easily prone to being. It was my attempt to make her feel calmer.

"Yeahhhh, that. That must be what happened." She rubbed behind her neck  before heading to the bed and turning off the phone.

I smiled when she did that."What? What are you smiling at?" I heard her ask and stopped smiling immediately.

"Oh nothing. The dish I ordered, it's rice, not your Jollof rice though but it's good. It's tasty actually. We call it Polov, there's rice and meat and vegetables, I hope you will like to eat it." I said and waited for her to ask something about what I just told her so I could suggest us eating together and with that we can talk about the food but her next words were hurtful and curt.

"Okay. Can you leave?"

"Okay." I managed to say and turned around to leave. I couldn't believe she just said that.

"Ivan, I didn't mean to sound the way I did just now." She said when I was almost leaving.

"Okay." I just shrugged and still wanted to leave anyway. Staying after she asked me to leave would be embarrassing.

"I mean it's your house, it's also basically your room right? It's crazy that I am asking you to leave, I just..." She trailed in her words. I knew I should leave sooner, I was just making her feel worse now. It showed all over her face.

"It's okay. I am making you uncomfortable and you need me to leave, I understand." I told her sincerely and wanted to leave again but she stopped me.

"I'm not asking you to leave..."

"I believe your words were : can you leave?" I told her exactly what she had said. I don't know why but it displaced me when she outrightly asked me to leave her.

"..." I waited to hear her say something else but she didn't so I just sighed.

"I won't lie I was going to ask if we could eat together, here or in the kitchen but I have some work to do. I really should leave." I said and smiled afterwards before leaving.