06

EVA

"You think I'm pessimistic. " Zoe shot back.

This was starting to get uncomfortable. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this? Did I shut my mouth and let them argue until one of them grew tired? Zoe showed no signs of backing down and by the look on Mrs Lawson's face, I knew she wasn't going to too.

"Look, now is not the time, Zoe. "

A bitter smile found its way to Zoe's face, "When ever is it the time? "

I glanced at Abi but I couldn't read the look on her face. Oh, hell.

"There she goes again. " Mrs Lawson shook her head, taking several steps inside the crowded room.

"That she is your daughter. " her voice cracked on the last word. And for the first time since I met her, I saw an expression on Zoe's face. Hurt. It made her..... Human.

"And that means your bad attitude should be pardoned? "

I wanted to run. Just get the hell out of there.

Zoe's face shuttered. Where hurt had been a second ago, a blank look now lived. What terrified me was the ease with which she hid her emotions. Masking one's emotions was an art, and Zoe, I realized, was a master artist.

"Bad attitude? " she cried, "I —"

"Have some respect, Zoe. " Mrs Lawson cut her off, "If you're too shameless to have any for yourself, have some for me at least. "

Ouch.

"Mom, it's okay. " Abi finally spoke up. But she was too late.

Zoe turned to Abi, giving me her face in profile. She had that carefully constructed mask of indifference on and I almost believed I had imagined the look of hurt on her face. Almost.

"I'll be outside. " she made it very obvious she was speaking to Abi in particular before walking off.

It was perfectly normal for parents to get into fights with their children every now and then but witnessing Abi and Mrs Lawson argue, threw me off. There had been an underlying tension there, like they had been talking from a place deep inside them and those were bottled up feelings they'd been dying to let out.

I gazed at Mrs Lawson, wondering if my theory was right. Did they have arguments like this often? With the venom in her words and the bitterness in Zoe's, I'd bet they did.

Now is not the time, Zoe.

When ever is the time?

It was definitely not the first time they hashed things out like this.

But........ Why?

Then I realized the oddest thing. They had never had a single conversation in my presence, none that I took not of anyway. Could it be that they had more going on between them than just a mere misunderstanding?

The impenetrable Zoe's mask had skewed for a few long, uncomfortable seconds.

"Eva what do you think? " Mrs Lawson raised a blue gown in front of her, showing me it's full length and style.

It was pretty but, really? Now?

I shook my head, taking a step back from my cart, "I—I need to use the restroom. "

She frowned, taken aback by the abrupt change in subject, "Oh? Well, it's —"

I dashed out of there before she could finish her sentence.

The boutique was huge, the size of a whole mall. Finding the restroom without asking for directions wasn't going to be easy. Although I didn't specifically need the restroom. Any room would do. All I needed was to hide behind a wall. And breathe.

Granted, it was a cowardly thing to do, but that was the only way I knew how to deal with uncomfortable situations.

Shoppers stared at me strangely as I raced past them. They probably thought I was mad and I wouldn't blame them if they did. I tried to imagine what I looked like to them. A haggard five foot four teenager, racing through the Updated Collections with no one chasing her.

What a view.

I skidded to a stop when I realized I was standing in what happened to be a narrow hallway with a door on the right and left each labeled; FIRE EXIT and, thank God, RESTROOMS.

I pushed the door open, walking into a wide hallway with a total of five toilets in it. I wasted no time in trying the door knobs, searching for the unoccupied room.

Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked.

Please let the last one be open. Please God, let the last one be open.

I tried the handle slowly, saying a silent prayer, and yes! Open.

I shouldered in, stumbling to a halt and my eyes going wide at the sight that awaited me. It took me five seconds to process what I was seeing, five seconds to deem it inappropriate and another five seconds for me to turn away because it was somewhat captivating.

There was a guy, with his front to me and his feet planted wide and a girl on her knees before him, who appeared to be.......... servicing him.

The former merely stared at the intruder while the latter threw me an irritated look. No shame whatsoever, when she should have been considering how low she had brought herself. Literally. One look. That was all she gave me before before she turned back around and yep, she was still holding his thing.

The guy, who hadn't taken his eyes off me since I interrupted them, pushed her head away lightly. She pouted up at him.

"Another time, maybe. " he spoke, his voice catching me by surprise.

She rose in one graceful move and my eyes flew up instantly because that meant he was hanging free. Hanging free. Wonder why it was so hard to stop thinking about that.

She shouldered past me and that was when I got a good look at her. She looked to be in her early twenties and apparently, she worked here, in the boutique because she was wearing a shirt with the boutique logo. A long and artistically designed U.

Hanging with a guy when she should have been working. How professional. Well, technically, she had been seeing to a customer's needs but that particular need wasn't among the services she rendered.

When did I get so judgmental? I wasn't even one to talk. Why on earth was I still standing here when in my right state of mind, I would have gotten the hell out of this place?

It must be shock. Of having being scandalized. That had to be it.

The slam of the door ricocheted in the small room, signaling the girl's departure.

I should turn around and leave. I knew I should. I had absolutely no reason staying here. What I'd needed, was an empty room. This one was far from empty, so the normal thing to do would be to apologize, turn around and leave.

But I wasn't normal and I couldn't, for some totally ridiculous reason, pull my eyes away from the riveting male in front of me.

He'd tucked himself in but his zipper still gaped and he made no move to roll it up. Instead, he took one step, then another, and another, then a final one that brought him for to toe with me, right in my personal space. He'd seemed to grow taller with each step and with him standing this close, he dwarfed me. I had never considered myself a short person, but he certainly made me feel like I was now.

"You pissed her off. " he surprised me by speaking again. It wasn't merely his talking that surprised me —it was his voice. It was light, raspy and yes, sexy.

By her, I assumed he was talking about the girl that just left here.

"Are you mute? " he asked.

What a stupid question to ask a mute.

Again, why was I still standing here and why wasn't I freaking out over him standing so close to me? Two very reasonable questions I should be trying to answer.

"My eyes are up here. Stop ogling. It's disrespectful. "

My eyes flew up to his face and with a scowl etched on mine, I glared at him, "I wasn't ogling. "

He blinked once. Twice. Then his mouth dropped open, quite comically, "Fuck me. " he breathed, "You're beautiful. "

If I were shades lighter, I would be the color of a tomato right now. Thank God for my skin tone. The only physical reaction his compliment were my eyes dropping, but even that was short lived because they had way more importantly things doing. For instance, they were currently preoccupied with the model-worthy face of this male.

He was young. Younger than I had initially thought he was and he had all the features romance authors seemed to be infatuated with; sculpted cheekbones, square jaw, straight nose, enviably long lashes, and those pouty lips that I seemed to love. He had every single thing.

It was almost annoying.

A tiny flicker of light trickled in from the only window in the room to rest directly on my face. Just as I turned to shield my eyes away from the burning, he caught my hand, shocking me with that bold move.

Warm, big, hands encircled my wrist and I stared at them puzzlingly as if they had the answers to all the questions running through my mind.

When he spoke this time, his voice was low and filled with awe, "You have the rainbow in your eyes. How's that even possible? "

My breath caught.

My eyes!

I'd been so caught up in the moment, I had completely forgotten about them. About everything that was wrong with me.

Tensing, I tugged my hand out of his grip, which turned out to be surprisingly free, then dashed out of there like my ass was on fire. I regretted not stealing one last look at his face before leaving. Oh, well. I would live.

I sighed immediately I caught sight of Mrs Lawson and Abi. Back to shopping. Sure I was excited for the clothes. Who wouldn't be? It was just the process that killed. Before we'd come to the boutique, we had gone to Abi and Zoe's school, Ivacy High, to get me enrolled in. As at now, I was officially a student of a school reputed to be one of the best in Nigeria. How...... odd.

Monday, I started school. With new classmates, teachers, teaching pattern and syllabus. I was already getting stressed thinking about it so I tried to push it to the back of my mind.

Monday was two days away and I would deal with it when it came. Now, I had to get through this shopping.

Mrs Lawson grinned at me, with a gown —and her eyebrows— raised.

I sighed again, plastering a fake smile on my face.

At least it was fun for someone.