ANAGRAM

The early morning light is filtering gently through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow across the quiet living room. Maida (21)is curled up on the plush sofa, her diary open on her lap, the rhythmic scratch of her pen filling the serene silence. The room, filled with the faint scent of fresh coffee that comes from a mug set at the table in front of her and the soft hum of the refrigerator, is her sanctuary of solitude. As she pens her thoughts, the unexpected chime of the doorbell shatters the calm, sending a jolt of surprise through her. She glances up and puts the pen in between the pages of her diary,then drops the diary on the sofa, her heart quickening as she wonders who could be calling at this hour. After too much consideration, it hits her hard that today is indeed a day of celebration for her, having not had any reason to smile for the past three weeks. This enlightens her heart, and she smiles effortlessly, enlightening her entire face, revealing deep dimples on both sides of her cheecks, adding to her charm.She rushes towards the door and pulls it open. Her smile seems to decrease gradually.At the door stands a muscular six-feet tall man in his mid-20s. His hair is neatly cut short, and his black eyes give an intense and calculative gaze. the man smiles, revealing just a hint of his white teeth as he raises his left brow and brushes his lower lip with his tongue and says mischievously; " Sup, didn't expect me, did u?" Maida is speechless, and she begins to stutter; " I...Uhm... Rip U? here? ...I mean..." "Oh, come on, Maida, at least welcome me! ", he cuts in. "Yea...why not ...please come in, I'm sorry," she says reluctantly, forcing a polite smile. The two awkwardly walk to the living room. Maida rushes ahead of him to clear the sitting area. She picks her diary and places it on the table. He notices that, and he smiles slyly as he sits. Maida seems uneasy. Her hands are shaky, and tiny beads of sweat begin to form on her forehead. She rushes to the kitchen without saying a word, and he is left observing the surroundings. Maida is in the kitchen, pouring some drinking water into a jug. she arranges the jug and a glass on a tray.She suddenly pauses and begins to talk to herself. " What is this feeling? why does Rip always make me feel this way? He is my childhood friend, isn't he? why am I always uneasy around him? I don't ever know what gets over me whenever he's around me. Oh dear Lord, help me!I know Rip is a gem. He has no bad intentions, so just focus, Maida!" She then carries the tray heading to the living room. She smiles reluctantly as she pours the water into the glass. Rip keeps scrutinising her. she hands him the glass of water, and his fingers intentionally make contact with Maida's. Maida withdraws immediately and then sits at the far end of the same sofa. Rip only takes a sip and puts the glass down.Their eyes briefly meet, and Maida looks away as if looking for something. Rip notices her diary. " What's that?" he curiously enquires. " it's uuhh...nothing!" she replies as she grabs the diary. Rip is relentless. " Well I hope it's not about your so-called "Fictional boyfriend " ( chuckles, pause)...know u can talk to me, right?" he assures. Maida takes a deep breath, and then she begins to speak. " I... I thought you were mom and dad... they told me they would come today, " she explains with great concern, then continues. "That's why I acted the way I did. Otherwise, all's well, Rip!" she concluded. " Maida, Maida! come on, girl, stop that now, there's absolutely no reason to worry or be upset about! look here..." he moves closer to her. "You and I are the bestest of friends, right?( she nods), and do you know why I'm here?" " What happened, Rip?" she cuts in quickly, her face freezing in shock. " Hey Maida, relax! Stop unnecessary worry ok...Everything is going well. Just give me a chance to explain, will you?" he says, taking full advantage of Maida's state. He holds her hands, and he keeps making his way beyond. Now, the hands are caressing her cheeks. " Maida...look at you... You are stressed out over nothing. anyway, long story short. first of all, where is your phone?" he asks as he looks deep in her eyes. Maida begins to search her pockets, and she realises the phone isn't with her. " You see!" he added. " You don't even know where your phone is at! The reason I'm here is because your parents sent me to you since your phone has been outta reach since yesterday... they tried to reach you but in vain, and so they asked me to check on you and let you know that they wouldn't make it today..." " What the hell! But why?" she interrupts. " Mmmmmmh... They didn't tell me the reason, but there is nothing to worry about! (pause) And now that you know the story, it's time for me to scold you!" he says jokingly. "What, what did I do ?" she asks in a surprised manner. "Because of you, I left my work halfway and rushed here because Maida..."he pauses as he looks at her in the eyes even deeper in assurance. " When I heard that your phone wasn't going through, my heart couldn't stop pounding... You know how much you mean to me, right..." Maida seems uncomfortable, and he notices. He then continues. " As my bestie, I can't bear anything that hurts you, and before anything bad gets to you, I would give up my life first!" he concludes. " Rip..." she calls out gently but firmly. she then holds his hands . " Don't ever say such a thing! I know u always do your level best to look out for me Rip, and I also know that with you by my side, no harm can ever get to me! I don't know what I did to deserve you Rip but I must say I am the most luckiest person to have ever walked on this earth! nothing can ever happen to me when u are here, nothing at all! ...(smiling)I know the extent you would go for me Rip and for that I don't know how to ever thank you...you have been there for me since our childhood...you are my hero Rip" she concludes as she hugs him. Rip smiles widely and hugs her even tighter. maida can feel his hands going down her waist, and she immediately pulls herself away from his huge shoulders that burried her head. " Maida.. I just want you to be happy...and yes please we agreed..." " No sorries. No thank yous in our friendship!" both say in unison, then they begin to laugh. Rip is happy that Maida doesn't act mysterious anymore. " (V.O) yes Maida!... thank you for making my work extremely easy! This is exactly what I wanted!" he tells himself proudly. " Listen here, Naive Nell!" he calls out mockingly and standing up tall, hands in the pockets. Maida is surprised, and she has something to say. " What are these names, Rip? why do you always come up with names that are hard to understand? Last time, it was sweet pea, and today is Naive Nell, Use my name, please!" she concludes as she walks away, swaying her waist seductively. Rip's eyes linger, he irresistibly watches each movement, conveying admiration, desire as well as intrigue all at once, but he doesn't want those to ruin his agenda, at least not now " alright fine Bestie...it's been about an hour since I came so..." "( gasps) don't tell me you are already leaving!" she interrupts as she suddenly makes her way back to him. " No, madam, boss! i am not leaving any time soon!" he says as he checks his time again. Maida is relieved . " Didn't I tell you that I was purposefully sent here, and so until then, I am going nowhere." he proudly stresses. Maida is utterly silent. She blinks rapidly as if trying to process what she has just heard. "By purposefully... You mean you will be here until my parents come?" she curiously enquires. " Without a doubt," Rip confirms confidently. " purposefully? ( he nodes)....But why, what is the need for you to stay with me, I mean, I already spent three weeks alone in this very house, so what's up now that they suddenly want you to ..." " I am only following instructions please, don't blame me!" he dodges jokingly. " Rip, I am being serious...How can we stay alone in this house...you...you can't be serious! It just don't make any sense!" she stammers, her voice faltering. Rip is feeling way happier. " I'm doing this for us, Maida! I know one day one time you will appreciate me for this!" he tells himself quietly.