C23 Chapter 23

“Don't tell me you're from around here." Adrian said, showing off his pure white teeth in a wittful grin.

“I schooled here, when I was little, so it made me feel sort of connected to London, I'm from the U.S, what about you?."

“Born and raised here, I went to school here, an Ivy league school,” He said but I didn't ask him what type of school he went, he was just one of those rich bastards. “I just travel a lot these days and I've been staying in America for a while now, my girl lives there." Once again, be reminds me of Melissa.

“So, what would you like my company to do for you?."

With my peripheral vision, my eyes caught Mandy in the door, I completely forgot that I was with someone.

“Mandeline, come in." I said to her.

It seemed like an eternity since I last saw her.

She was wearing a black dress, and her hair was tied in a neat bun, a pen was held behind her ears and she carried a file underneath her arm. She was a lovely sight.

“Good morning, sir, I hope I'm not disturbing anything," she said walking towards my desk

" No, you're not. “ I told her reassuringly.

" I wanted you to check out Edison's idea. I've seen it, I just need your word on it.“

“Okay, I'll check it out later, thank you. “ I said to her and she turned around to leave.

" Adrian, why don't you and I talk about your proposal over coffee. “ I said looking at Adrian but I noticed that Mandeline had halted.

I saw her from the corner of my eye but now I was watching her fully.

I looked at Adrian.

He bore a calculated look on his face and he turned around quickly to see Mandeline staring at him.

I heard her gasp, sharply, her face was like that of someone that just saw a ghost, she looked bewildered.

As if she found her legs, suddenly, she walked quickly towards the door.

I sat in confusion, I watched Mandeline run out of the door, I saw Adrian's face watching mine and I watched him.

“Do you two know eachother?."

“An old friend." He muttered half to himself and he smiled cockily. “About business." He said cheerfully in his Adrian like manner.

About half an hour ago, Adrian had left, and still my mind couldn't peel off from the incident that happened.

I was as curious as a cat right now and in my head, thoughts ran, frenzied.

Why did Mandeline look so frightened, what did he mean by old friend.

I couldn't concentrate on a single thing, I sat on my desk, my hands on my computer, pretending to be working amd I was in a pose that suggested to anybody that saw that I was preoccupied with work but my blood was flooding my brain.

I took off my hands from the computer and I placed them on my laps, my palms were wet, sweaty.

I had generated sweaty palms, and then as if sweaty palms weren't enough, sweat started to bead up on my face.

I stood up, thinking of where I could go, the least I could do was to walk about.

I walked briskly to the bathroom and I bent on the sink.

The bathroom was empty, so I didn't feel ashamed to cry.

I cried hot tears that stung my eyes and made my mouth taste like bile.

I stared at myself in the mirror, what did I see when I look in the mirror.

I saw a brave, strong, smart woman.... No, not right now, that wasn't what I saw now, now, I saw an eighteen years old girl, that was anxious and scared and was beaten, I saw a naive eighteen years old girl staring back at herself.

I turned on the tap and I ran water across my face, I had splashed water on myself but I couldn't help my shaking hands.

I went back to my desk and I tried to think further from the situation, oh god, I remember him so much.

It was evening, those kinds of evenings that the sunset was clear and undisturbed.

Those kind of evenings that was soothing if you just buried your head in a pillow and cried and screamed and hawled.

That was the same kind of evening then, I saw them, each holding bottles of champagne that was flat and tasteless, but, they were all too drunk to notice.

Geoffrey, the alpha male, always speaking, always being heard, was talking to Ralph, Thomas and Adrian.

I stood in the varanda watching them, formerly watching the sun set but now my eyes were fixed on them.

Geoffrey had said something, and they had all laughed, Ralph was laughing when he turned to me.

He whispered something to them, Geoffrey turned to me, he smiled cockily, so did Adrian, but Thomas nodded his head in disagreement and then he had started to say something to make them change their minds.

“What the fuck can you do about it, stay out of my business. “ Geoffrey shouted to Thomas who then looked at me with sad eyes.

I faced the other way but I heard his footsteps as he came close to me.

“Hey, baby." He said placing his right palm on my face and bringing it to face him.

“I and my friends would like something. “ He said like how a drunk man would ask for another bottle of beer.

“Yeah?." I told him.

“Yeah, we want you to do a little dance for us."

“I thought y'all had mamas, you could all call your mas to do a little dance for you."

In a split second, he raised his hand and then brought it to my face and smacked it.

It stinged like hell.

“I ask again, I and my friends would like you to do a little dance for us and I'm not asking, I'm demanding that you dance." He pulled my hand and dragged me to the living room.

“I'll turn on the music." Adrian said and he hurried away, in a short while, the music came on.

After a long while, I still stood there, tears had already dried on my cheeks, I was as stiff as metal bar.

“Dance goddammit." Geoffrey shouted.

I shooked like a baby would shake if it was left outside in the cold.

And then I began my slow, sad dance, it wasn't in rhythm with the music playing, but it was in rhythm with the song in my head.