Chapter 12
643 Words
When No means No
David’s room was small but organized in a way that surprised Chandeline. Bed made, clothes folded, laptop closed on the desk. A stack of property documents sat on the table next to a framed photo of his parents. No bottles, no mess.
“Sit,” David said, patting the edge of the bed.
Chandeline sat on the very edge, purse on her lap, posture straight.
David closed the door behind him. Not locked. Just closed.
He went to the table and picked up the documents. “Look at this,” he said, holding them out like a prize. “I bought a plot in Karshi. On loan. Should be done paying in two years.”
Chandeline took the papers, scanning them without much interest. She wasn’t impressed by land she hadn’t seen. She was impressed by consistency, by the way a man treated people when there was nothing to gain.
“It’s good,” she said, handing them back.
David sat beside her on the bed. Not too close. Not yet.
“You’re different from the girls I meet,” he said.
Chandeline looked at him. “How?”
“You don’t laugh at everything. You don’t ask for money. You actually listen.”
She didn’t reply.
David’s eyes dropped to her chest for half a second before he caught himself and looked away. He reached out, slow, testing, his hand moving toward her shoulder.
Chandeline shifted back half an inch.
“David,” she said quietly.
He stopped. “Yeah?”
“I just met you yesterday.”
“I know,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve known you longer than that.”
She stood up. “I should go.”
David stood too, frustration flashing across his face. “You don’t trust me.”
“I don’t know you,” Chandeline said. “There’s a difference.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not some random guy. I’m serious about you.”
Chandeline nodded. “Then act like it.”
The room went quiet. Outside, Daniel’s voice drifted up from the kitchen, talking to someone on the phone about stop-loss orders. A generator somewhere down the street roared to life, then died again.
David exhaled. “Okay. I’ll take you home.”
Chandeline didn’t say thank you. She picked up her purse and walked to the door.
On the way out, she did something without looking at David. She opened w******p, selected her best friend Queen, and typed quickly:
David’s house. Karu. 12B, Terrace B. If I don’t text you in 1 hour, call me.
She hit send and slipped the phone back into her purse. She didn’t feel paranoid. She felt careful. David had been polite, but polite men could still have dark rooms. And David had eyes that lingered too long, hands that moved too fast. She liked him, but liking wasn’t a security plan.
Downstairs, Daniel was waiting. He saw Chandeline’s expression and said nothing. He just handed her a bottle of water.
“For the road,” he said.
She took it.
David walked her to the junction. The street was busier now, with private estate kekes painted red and black (The colour of the Nigerian Army) weaving through traffic, okadas are not allowed in plush estates like this for security reasons
He flagged a keke.
The driver stopped, he already had two passengers inside and there was room for one more. He didn’t ask “Where to” because all the passengers were headed to the gate of the estate and from there they will find their way.
Chandeline went inside.
“Oya now, we’ll talk later” David said
He didn’t pay the driver, he just blew her a kiss and the driver sped away. He watched until the keke turned the corner.
- Writer
