Getting a Life Ch. 04

"Who did you say she was talking to?" Chuks asked later that day as he and Linda made dinner. They had dropped Selly off earlier in the day and promised to check on her the next day after making sure she was feeling better. Now, Linda was telling Chuks of the stranger she saw with Selly.

"Some guy, I asked her about him, but she avoided my question, like she didn't even hear me." She replied as she popped a slice of carrot into her mouth- she could never resist eating what she cooked while it was being prepared.

"Hmm." Chuks thought to himself, that was weird, Selly usually didn't avoid questions. His thoughts went to the tall Asian man that had followed Selly few minutes after she went to the rest room. He had only spotted him because he was pretty big, it was almost impossible to miss the big Asian dude in the room since there weren't a lot of big Asians to start with. He figured the guy to be around 6ft.1", about 2 inches shorter than his 6ft.3" height, they were around the same size in stature, but the guy was leaner. His thoughts hadn't ventured toward the reason the man followed Selly, he hadn't even thought he was following Selly, but now that Linda mentioned it, maybe he should've paid a little more attention.

"Was he Asian?" He asked as he took out the casserole and placed it on the counter carefully.

"Yes...some big dude that looks kinda like that cartoon guy, what's his name...?" Linda clicked her fingers, her own way of thinking up the name of the character she was referring to.

Chuks chuckled, his thoughts had gone in that direction too when he saw the guy, "..Samurai Jack?"

"Yes! Him."

Chuks shook his head, "It sounds weird to compare a human being to a cartoon character." He went about getting the plates they would use to eat.

Linda shrugged, "He looks like him, that's not my fault..." She sighed and turned toward Chuks, she watched him place the plates on the counter, and then go to the cupboard to get the cups, he was in a pair of khaki shorts and a white singlet, an apron tied around his waist, whenever they were in the house, he loved to walk around in shorts and a singlet, displaying his bulging biceps and the outline of his muscled torso. When they had first started living together 5 months ago, it had been cool, he had agreed to move in with her after she told him she was afraid of living alone, he had been the nicest flatmate anyone could ask for. For a guy, he wasn't messy, in fact, she thought he was cleaner than she was, he cooked too, he liked to try out various recipes from different continents, sometimes the food was nice, other times, there was a consensus never to try that recipe again.

5 months later and Linda found herself thinking more and more about her best friend, she had tried to stop thinking of him in an intimate sense, but it was becoming more and more difficult as the days passed. She wondered if he knew she liked him romantically, he was certainly aloof about it- he was aloof about everything, he didn't even know how hot he was, or how cute the dimple on his left cheek looked when he smiled, or how totally sexy he looked when he walked around the kitchen in an apron, or how downright fuckable he looked whenever he decided to torment her by walking around the house in his towel, showing off his ripped body and toned abs, sometimes she thought he was doing it on purpose, but she knew he wasn't a tease or a flirt- he sucked at flirting particularly. She wondered if he would ever see her as more than a friend, she didn't think she was all that bad looking, hell, a lot of people thought she was pretty and she never had a problem getting free drinks from guys at the club, she wasn't very tall at 5ft.6", but her legs gave off the illusion that she was, she had a nice pair of 30C breasts, she thought them her best assets- well, apart from her eyes. Generally, she was pretty decent in the looks department, and she got attention from lots of guys- just not the one whose attention she wanted.

A longing sigh escaped her lips, pulling his attention, he raised his head up and gave her a weird look, a smile dancing on his lips, "Are you okay?"

She immediately caught herself and turned around quickly to finish the salad she was preparing, "Yes, yeah, um...so, you think I should ask her about that guy again?" She asked to divert the conversation.

His eyes remained on her for sometime, considering her words and at the same time wondering if he should go along with her little diversion or insist on knowing her problem, he settled for the latter, soon enough, she would tell him why she had been acting so weird the past months, maybe she didn't feel comfortable with him around anymore. That thought saddened him a little, he loved spending time with her, she was fun and free-spirited and save for her sometimes very disorganised escapades, he learnt a lot from her.

He shrugged, "She'll tell us when she's ready, no need to begin questioning her, she just got out of the house recently, we don't want to send her back."

She nodded, though her thoughts had left Selly and her mystery man, she swore she had to do something about Chuks, ignoring him wasn't an option anymore, he was always in her face, she just had to confront her feelings, soon she would tell it all, and hope her feelings were reciprocated.

*****

Tai stared intently at the design he was drawing, Mina was looking to expand the restaurant and she needed more designs on the wall, as usual, she ran to him for that and was quick to pull out the "I'm your elder sister" card if he even thought to refuse her. It wasn't that he didn't love creating the designs for her, it was just that she had a thing for being present when he was working and she was a huge distraction, she usually used the opportunity to ask him random questions and butt in on his life.

From the intense look she had been giving him the past ten minutes, he just knew that it was only a matter of time before she started asking questions. He tried to think up the possible questions, but she was pretty unpredictable in that area, so he thought it best he focus on his work, perhaps if he was able to finish on time, he would avoid her questions.

"Well?" She began.

He sighed deeply, well, he never got lucky enough to escape her questions, "Well, what?" He asked, curving his pencil delicately so as not to ruin the perfect flow of the drawing.

"Aren't you going to tell me about her?"

He paused and stood straight up, he turned toward his pint-sized elder sister, it was almost difficult to convince some people that they were related, he had inherited his father's huge stature and she had taken their mother's smaller one, some of his friends used to ask why she wasn't taller, he thought she was perfect this way, when they were younger, he got a kick out of raising things high above her head and asking her to grab it if she could, sure, it had gotten him a few bite marks whenever he took things too far, but it never stopped him from doing it again another time.

"Her who?"

She frowned at him, she was pissed at his attempt to act like he had no idea what she meant, he always acted this way whenever she asked about a new lady in his life, "Her. That black woman you followed to the restroom at the restaurant two days ago. I know you followed her, I saw that look in your eyes when you stood up."

He leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest, "What look? What are you talking about Mina?" He sure as hell wasn't about to start spewing his guts out to her, even when she was giving him that death glare she thought intimidated him. He didn't think she'd ever realise that he was almost a foot taller than she was and more than twice her size, hence, her attempt to intimidate or scare him had zero effect.

"That customer that came in two days ago, the one who was choking. I saw you follow her to the restroom, I saw the way you looked at her so don't deny it. Do you know her from somewhere?"

Tai raised his brows and then smirked, "And how will that information help you pay me more for all the work I do for you in this place?"

Mina frowned, "Don't change the subject Tai, do you know her?"

"And if I do?"

"Is that a yes or no?"

Tai sighed in exasperation, "Mina, you need to stop interrogating me concerning any woman you think I'm interested in, it's not like I ever ask you about you and your husband's sex life. Now please, if you don't mind, let me finish this thing you have me doing so I can return to the job I'm actually paid good money for."

"You mean the pornography job?" She sneered.

He rolled his eyes dramatically, "First off, it's not pornography, it's called adult movies, secondly, yes, I mean that job, you may not like it, but like I said, I'm being paid good money for that job and I don't plan on leaving it anytime soon."

"You were supposed to be an accountant, not a porn artist." She spat.

He swore she would never drop this argument, yes, their parents had wanted him to go into accounting so that he could help in the family business, but accounting was not his passion, he thought it boring and he honestly sucked at Math anyway, his degree would've been disgraceful at best, "I repeat, it's not porn and it's not like I'm lining up the restaurant with paintings of naked men and women, as you've seen, I'm pretty good with other branches of art." He argued.

She scoffed, "And you choose to do porn instead."

She just would never understand, "Call it whatever you want Mina, I make good money from it and it's legal, that's all I'm interested in."

"So, you won't tell me about that woman?"

"You don't need to know anything about anyone sister, whenever I choose to tell you, I will, but for now, leave it as is." He knew that was asking too much of her, fine, she would probably let it go for now, but he could bet she would bring it up the next time he was here. He just hoped he wouldn't have to be here in a long time.

She huffed and walked out of the room, thankfully. He looked at the drawing, it was almost done, he smiled to himself, once he was through, he would definitely be visiting his new favorite person.

*****

Selly picked at the peas in her plate as she watched the latest episode of Spongebob Squarepants, the cartoon distracted her from the food so that she was able to eat it without really noticing she was eating. She preferred to have her meal in the sitting room, the dining table was a no-go area for her, she couldn't bear to sit there and re-live the many happy memories she had had in that part of the house. It had even been quite the task cooking in the kitchen, another area that brought fond memories. She had moved out of the bedroom they shared a month ago and locked it up, choosing to stay in the guest room instead.

She thought she was slowly making progress towards moving on....slowly. 'Yeah right!' A voice said in her head. She pushed it back, instead, a flashback of herself and Tai came at the forefront of her mind, how he had kissed her, how good it felt being in his arms, the heady smell of his cologne, the way every touch of his caused an electrifying effect on her body, and even the words he had spoken. Those words. She swore they haunted her every thought, even in her sleep, she heard them, she saw him, she saw his eyes, the sincerity that lay beneath those eyes, the desperation. She had tried unsuccessfully to banish thoughts of him, but it was damn near impossible.

The worst was, Chuka hadn't visited her since the last time making her wonder if he was staying away because she was thinking of another man, had her thoughts perhaps pushed him away? She didn't want to think so, she didn't want to believe he was gone, maybe he was busy or something, he would be back soon. There was no way she could have offended him in any way, she missed him.

She sighed, her eyes went to her answering machine, Chuks had left her a message this morning, and then Linda, both asking her to call if she got their messages, she was yet to do that, she would eventually, she just wasn't ready yet. Her thoughts wandered to Tai, if she had given him her number would he have called? Did it matter? She hadn't given him for a good reason- she didn't want to maintain contact with him....right? Then again, whether she gave him her number or not was inconsequential, he knew her house, if he wanted to see her so bad he would drop by.

Her eyes went to the window, had he passed by? How many times? She shook her head, she needed to stop thinking about Tai and start thinking about Chuka, why hadn't he shown up?

She stared at her plate of mashed potatos and peas, was it just her or did the food taste like sawdust? She wondered what Linda and Chuks were eating, she could bet it was much better than this and tastier too if Chuks was involved in it's preparation.

She groaned and got off the couch, she went into the kitchen and dumped the rest of the food in the dustbin. She took her time washing the plate, she really had to call Chuks and Linda, maybe she could spend the night at their place, they did say they had started living together. She didn't ask why, she had given them the odd looks since they weren't all that close before the death of Chuka, she assumed something had happened during the months she had been locked up, whatever it was, it seemed the living arrangement affected Linda more than it did Chuks. She thought he acted pretty normal about it, Linda was a little more evasive.

She barely made it to the couch when she heard a knock at the door. She almost smiled to herself, maybe Chuks and Linda had come by instead, she ran to the door, eager to have some company and flung it open. Her smile faded once she saw who was waiting at her door.

It wasn't Chuks or Linda, it was Tai. What the hell was he doing here? She glared at him, she had been wishing for company from friends not this bug.

"Wow, so eager to see me, are you? I'm flattered." He gushed, placing his right hand against his heart, "And a nice welcome it is too." He added, his eyes raking over her body.

Her eyes followed his and she almost had a heart-attack at what she saw, she hadn't remembered that she was dressed in just a white tank top and pink shorts that just scraped past her bum, she didn't even have on a bra. She gasped loudly and slammed the door shut.

She placed her back to the door, damn it, she had been so stupid. She listened keenly, hoping he'd drive off soon enough, she had banged the door in his face, that was more than a sure sign that she didn't want him around.

The sound of laughter came from the other side, "Really Selena? Running like a child?"

She wasn't running, she just didn't want to see him. How true was that? Hadn't she been thinking of him just now? Hadn't she wondered if he was passing by? How could she say with conviction that she didn't want him there?

He knocked at the door, startling her out of her thoughts, "Selena, I'm sure you must have put on a robe by now. Kindly open the door please."

A robe, of course! Why hadn't she thought of that? Where did she keep her robe? It would take forever to find it. He had seen her already, what would she lose if she just opened up? Nothing. She pulled herself off the ground and opened the door.

His eyes widened in pleasant surprise, "Ooh, an early Christmas present?"

"Shut up. What do you want?"

He gave her a lopsided grin, "Well, I thought I told you before..." He stepped closer until he was at the threshold. She stepped back into the house instinctively, "..I want you." He said softly, his hand caught a strand of her hair and twirled it.

Selly stared up at him, entranced, God, the man was beautiful! The way those eyes bore into hers, she felt like they bored into her soul, it was unsettling. She couldn't stop her eyes from drifting lower to his bow-shaped lips, she bit her lower lip as she thought of how good those lips felt against hers.

Her action brought his eyes to her lips, he found himself stepping closer, this time, she didn't step back. Her eyes remained on him, a little apprehensive, but she didn't look scared, that was good. He leaned closer, his eyes skimming her pretty face, he had never seen anyone look so innocent and still look hot as shit, he cradled her left cheek, his pale hand contrasting with the dark of her soft skin. Her lips full and inviting, he knew more than anything how soft they were and how good she used them too.

Selly watched him move closer, her thoughts too hazy to make sense of what was going on between them, his lips grazed hers slightly making her shudder. That touch made her realise just what was going on, she pulled away before he could move in for a proper kiss. She stepped back, her eyes lowered. She didn't want to look him in the eye- they were too familiar.

He sighed, dropping his hand by his side, "I...I'm sorry."

She raised her eyes up at him, why was he apologising? She never pegged him as someone who apologised, for all his cockiness, he did have a sober side, it was good to know, "What for?" She could barely believe those words were leaving her lips, she didn't need a reason, he had apologised, she ought to have told him to leave and slammed the door for effect, not ask his reason.

He gave her a look of surprise, had she just asked him why? And without hostilities? He found he preferred her voice when it was soft and feminine, "Well, it's obvious you didn't want to kiss me. And I have been taking you unawares, it's just...I like kissing you, I like touching you and I like being around you." He shrugged, reminding her of a teenage boy confessing his feelings to a girl he had a crush on, sans the swinging of one foot.

She sighed and buried her face in her palms, "You don't know me." She needed him to get away from her. How hard was it to understand that she wasn't ready for a new relationship with anyone?

"Help me know you, I want to know you." He took her hands in his and stepped closer, "Am I asking for too much here?"

He needed to stop looking at her like that, like...like he used to. She looked away and walked off, "Listen, Tai, you're really nice..." She caught herself, no, he wasn't nice, he was an irritant, a stalker, that wasn't nice, that was creepy. He was giving her that look like he was just waiting for her to take those words back, and she wasn't about to disappoint him "...okay, maybe not. I'm sure someone would think of you as nice, not me. You're hot and all, but I'm not interested, okay?" She looked up at him like she expected him to understand, he didn't seem like he did.

"And why is that?"

"I don't have to give you a reason." She replied as she folded her arms across her chest defiantly.

He raised his brows, how quickly she went from soft and feminine to defiant, he liked the switch, "Well, since I did give you a reason for apologising earlier, I think I also deserve a reason for being rejected."

She stared at him, waiting for him to take his words back and walk out peacefully. He wasn't moving.

He folded his arms, mirroring her stance, "Well?"

She raised her chin up at him, he wanted to know her reason? He would. She marched to her bedroom and retrieved a picture of Chuka. She returned to him and shoved the picture in Tai's hands, "That is my fiance, he's dead, because of me. Do you want to die too?"

Tai looked at the picture of the huge black man, he thought he was handsome, and his eyes were arresting, a bit like his, but on a different face. Her words shocked him a bit, she killed her fiance?, "What? How do you mean?"

"You don't need to know my meaning, just know that if you love your life, you need to stay away from me." She snatched the picture from him.

He shook his head and chuckled, "And if I don't?"

She stared at him like he had gone bunkers, well, he had to be crazy if a threat of death didn't deter him, "If you don't, you'll die!"