5. Keep your hand to yourself

10 months later.

These past months have been hectic but eventful. Uncle Richard had already written and submitted application to universities before I came over and luckily one university accepted me, Montclair State University where I'm studying broadcast journalism.

Lectures are okay, I really love the university and my program too, my lecturers aren't bad either. I haven't made many friends aside Isabella who I always sit and do everything with. She came earlier than I did so she briefed me on how things are like in here.

I still text and FaceTime with Nessa who'll be going to the England to study neurosurgery. We won't get to visit most of the time because studies but She will fly to Montclair during breaks and holidays to stay with my family here.

Speaking of family my birthday was a month ago, the 12th of October. It was one of my best birthdays ever. My parents back home in Ghana called to wish me when it was 12:05 am like the usual tradition and prayed for me invoking blessings on me.

My family here too woke up early and wished. I had so many presents from them, Chloe didn't know what to gift me with so she gave me her credit card to get myself whatever I wanted.

The credit card is in my bedside drawer unused, I don't know what I want for myself and she hasn't asked me either, I might return it one of these days.

My family during the evening surprised me with a birthday dinner at a a fancy restaurant in Manhattan. I was overwhelmed by the love they showed me and I couldn't back then and can't now ask for anything more than that.

I'm running late for lectures this morning. Thanks to El, I couldn't sleep early the previous night. She literally convinced me to stay up all night to watch Money heist with her, we ended up eating three box of pizza and two large bottles of coke.

I throw on a cream colored blazer after wearing my crop top on my black high waist skirt and wear a black pumps. Perfect outfit for a presentation.

I don't even look at myself in the mirror and ran down the stairs and spot Aunt Bertha. I give her a quick kiss on her cheek, "I'm so late aunt, I'll see you later Alright ?"

"Okay dear be good, may it be well with you today."

I don't reply back and rush outside, I'm sleepy as ever, I need to make a quick stop down my favourite coffee shop and get a cup, it always gives me some sort of energy to get through my lazy days.

El's my ride to lectures most days , seeing my condition I don't think hers is any better, I left her to sleep so you can imagine.

I hail a taxi to the coffee shop though I'm so late, I can't give a presentation in this state. I need to get a hot cup of expresso.

I open my bag and rummage through for my notes, the one I made for the presentation today. It's intact, perfect.

I hand the taxi driver his fare and literally flew out of the car into the shop. I guess today is my lucky day, there a few people in line. I don't pay more attention to then as I tap my right leg impatiently, waiting for it to be my turn so I can order my coffee and get out of here .It finally gets to my turn. Its about time.

"Good morning Ann?" Maddie, my favorite waitress greeted cheeringly, " the usual?"

"Good morning you too and yeah, I'm kinda in a hurry."

"Don't worry, I got you."

She hands me my coffee two minutes later, I thanked her and made for the door.

There are no signs of cabs on the street . Just great. I sigh and take out my phone to order an Uber. All my concentration was on my phone as I walk briskly to the pick up point until I crashed into a hard chest . Ouch.

"Shit!"

I looked up to see the person on who's hard chest I crashed into and was terrified. Looking at me is a pair of emerald green eyes blazing with intense anger and handsome face wearing a scowl.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to crash into you-"

I was interrupted from saying more m, "You do realize you have eyes right? Use them to watch where you're going next time and not spill fucking burning coffee on people!" He barked at me.

I flinched. I'm not used to being yelled at and here I am being barked at by this intimidating man. The caring me taking over, "Are you okay? I hope the hot coffee didn't burn you-" I'm interrupted once again from rambling out the rest of my apology as I tried wiping the coffee on the stained white shirt.

"Keep your damn hands and apology or whatever you call it to yourself." He turned to leave but stopped in his tracks, "and a piece of advice, next time I won't be this lenient, you'll pay for my shirt which I'm not sure you can afford." and with that left.

I was left dumbfounded, how rude and arrogant of him, yelling at me though I apologized. Maybe I sounded like a clumsy idiot to him but whatever I came off like to him, we both crashed into each other. He should have also apologized. Arrogant jerk.

I wipe the coffee that spilled on me which has left a burning sensation on my skin. Unfortunately for me I was in a cream blazer which is now stained with coffee.

I suddenly remember I have a presentation to give and I was walking to my pick up point  after I ordered an Uber on my phone before this whole thing  and about that, I cant find my phone, I remember it being in my hand but it's no longer in it. I look around for it and found it on the floor screen cracked from hitting the floor directly.

I try putting it on but it won't budge it's off. "Oh great my day just got better with a coffee stained blazer and a spoilt  phone." I sarcastically face palming myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walk down the hall done with lectures for the day. The presentation was great, it's a miracle I arrived in time just when the lecturer entered the hall. I'm lucky I got in on time, my group was the first he called.  After I found out my phone was spoilt and couldn't order and Uber, I walked down the street which led to a a bus station El showed me sometime ago and fortunately for me I got a cab even before I arrived at the station.

The driver drove speedily telling me he had a pregnant customer waiting around the university to go for ante natal. I didn't mind as long as I got to the university in one piece for my presentation.

Isabella is beside typing away on her phone before turning her attention to me. "Why do you smell like coffee?"

"I had a little coffee accident this morning." I reply shortly not wanting to go further. I don't want to remember that jerk with emerald eyes, which has been my weakness since forever.

"What coffee accident might that be?"

I sigh, she didn't get the shortness of my reply. Izzy won't stop at it till I tell her so I might as well fill her in. "Let's just say I accidentally crashed into someone spilling my hot expresso on us."

She studied my face, "I know the someone you  crashed into is a man, how cute is he?"

I roll my eyes and face palm myself, girls, "he's not cute, he's a jerk."

"Then he's cute because almost all cute boys are jerks."

"He's not ! He's a total jerk, an arrogant man I don't wanna ever set eyes on."

She paused typing and looked at me as if reading through my soul. "You seem to hate him, what did he do ?"

"I don't hate him but I don't like him either, can you believe he yelled at me to use the eyes that I've got to watch where I'm going and not spill coffee on people when I was apologizing, he yelled at me again to keep my "damn hand and apology or whatever you call it to yourself" I rant out using his exact words at the last part.

"Jerk!"

I look at her face, "I told you and he told me he won't be lenient next time, I'll pay for his shirt which he's sure I can't buy!"

"He's a cute rude jerk then."

"I agree with you on the rude and jerk part."

"Sweetheart you don't agree with him being cute erh, I'm not gonna argue, you'll soon be singing his praises in my ears." She winked.

"In never years, our parts won't cross again even if we do I'll stay clear of him."

"Wait and see, I can't wait to tell you I told you so." Isabella unlocks the door to her jeep and opens it.

She's my ride back home everyday which I'm always grateful for, I can't be ordering Ubers all the time. I might not really need money right now but saving won't kill.

Instead of driving out of the parking lot with caution, she had one hand on the steering wheel and the other typing on her phone texting with God knows who.

"Izzy, I would love for us both to get home in one piece, please tell whoever you're texting with you're driving, you know it's not safe." I told her in the nicest way I could.

"Okayyyy." She puts her phone down on her laugh my eyes catch a name on her screen, Lawrence.

"Lawrence huh ?" I tease, probably her new love interest, she has tons of them every time.

She blushed." We're figuring out where it can lead us, dating or break up."

I saw we just passed by the coffee shop, the memories from earlier find their way into my mind. I brush them away only for the emerald eyes to come vividly in my vision like it has been forever engraved in my heart and mind.

Too bad those pretty eyes don't have a pretty owner. I turn my attention back to Izzy, " that's what you said about Basit Assad."

She gets quiet, she still hasn't told me what happened between them she keeps changing the topic when I bring it up like I'm sure she'll do now. "Honey, it just didn't work out, we're both different religion wise."

"You could have worked it out somehow, you too seemed totally in love."

"Ann it's not that easy as a Christian trying to build a relationship with an Arab who's parents and him are staunch Muslims."

"I know but I've read and seen much romance books and movies to know love overcomes circumstances and gets stronger."

She  looked like she was pondering on what I just said  and after a while tells me, "He told me he can't convert, and I can't convert either so we were better off going our separate ways."

"I hope you and this Lawrence guy last into marriage and aging together."

Her face reddens like tomato sauce. "I'm going to meet his parents this weekend."

"This soon?" She and Basit were over like a month ago and now going home to meet her new love interest. In my opinion it's too soon get to know the man better, he might even be a serial killer or psychopath for all we know.

"They said they want to see us both at dinner this weekend probably to get to know me better  cause their son keeps talking about me, that's what his mom told me."

"His mom told you?"

"Yeah we do talk ."

"Oh" is all I say. So they're that serious in their figuring themselves out relationship. The best I can do is be happy for her. " I wish you the best girl."

"Thanks Ann, I'm a little worried. What if they don't like me?"

"Just be yourself around them , no one cannot love someone like you." That's true, from the little time I've gotten to know her Izzy isn't someone who is selfish or self conceited, she cares about others too.

"I appreciate very much ."She pulls up the gate.

"Thanks for the ride." I open the door and get out of the car.

"Don't be silly." She reversed the car and drove away.

"Hey." I walk into the living room to find El sprawled on the tuxedo typing on her phone frustratedly. She didn't notice me come in to the room.

"Hi, have you misplaced your phone ?"

"No why?"

"I've been calling you since morning and just sent you my tenth message ,I wanted you to get me vegetable steak from the steak house, I've been craving it since morning."

"My phone is spoilt."

"How? your phone was perfectly okay this dawn." She got off the tux, walking with me upstairs.

"It fell on a hard floor in the morning, I'll to get a new one tomorrow."  I take off my pumps and rub the soles of my feet, they're kinda hurting.

"Oh sorry but why do you smell like coffee?"

Oh not again. I groan. "I spilled coffee on myself."

She looked at me weirdly but doesn't say anything. I open the door to my room and we both step inside, El immediately gets herself comfortable on my bed and turned on the tv I hardly use, she uses it the most. It's like she's living in my room with me, she sleeps over sometimes and borrows my dress feeling too lazy to get dressed in her room after bathing at mine.

"Do you have lectures tomorrow?" I inquire, I would need her help tomorrow.

"No why? Wanna book an appointment with me?" She cocked her brows.

"Yes please, I want to the salon to braid and buy a new phone after."  I entered my bathroom to bath and get the coffee smell stuck on me. I can't handle another why do you smell like coffee.

"Talk to my secretary Chloe and book an appointment, I'm a hot cake now ."El says when I get back into the room. I took sweatpants and a white tee and put them on.

I also make myself comfortable beside El and taker her phone beside her typing away. "What are you doing?"

"Booking an appointment like you said."

"Feel free." With that turns her attention back to the television. I log into my Instagram on her phone and send a text to Nessa telling her about my phone.

Tv completely forgotten, El is soundly asleep. I chatted with Nessa for a while and decide to sleep.

I jolt awake when I feel something cold brush my skin. Looking around, I found it's El's hand that hadn't gotten much flow of blood that brushed me when she turned her body.

I yawn and look at my bedside lamp. It's 1 am on the dot. We've been asleep for so many hours, we slept in the afternoon. It's the definitely the sleep we lacked that took over us.

I go back to bed still yawning.

I'm sitting in a salon with El in Montclair right now. The hairdresser is done with my box braids and El's on her phone. She's getting that flushed face and I instantly know she's texting Darrel. I just hope they've added a label this time around.

"Aww this is so beautiful thank you so much." I gush at the braids after she's doing cutting and putting it in hot water.

"You're always welcome." I hand her the fee, shaking her hands.

"I'll surely pass by always for my hair care."

"That's great, you look beautiful too." She complimented me as we get up to leave.

"Thank you."

El's still on her phone, "so what's up now?"

"I'm need to get myself a new phone." I look around to see if I can  find a phone shop around.

"Let's go the Apple shop near by." She takes my hand and drags me to her white Acura.

"And get fries from Mc Ds I'm damn hungry."

I didn't get time to eat breakfast in the morning, we didn't book an appointment so we were kind of in a hurry to come  and wait till all their appointment have been taken care of and have my hair braided. We were very lucky when we came, there wasn't many people around. We met three ladies here who were fixing their hair and soon it was my turn and here we are now, done and looking beautiful.

We drive to Mc Donald's and buy food. We didn't eat it over there. We sent the food away, honestly I don't think I can survive eating it there. I'm itchy and I very much want to get home and take my bath. I wouldn't have gone to the Apple shop if I wasn't in dire need of a phone. We've been given an assignment in groups again and my members said something about texting each other to find the location and time to complete it.

"We're here." El tells me as I kept stuffing my face with fries, she opened her car door waiting for me to get out.

I nearly asked El to go alone and buy it, I'm so itchy but got out of the car anyways.

The shop was cute but beautiful, we told the sales personnel what we were looking for. I was rooting for an iPhone 7 Plus but El being her, said we wanted an X. I let her have her way.  We paid for it and left the shop.

When we got back into the car, I inserted my old sim into my new phone and got started, personalizing things like how it used to be on my spoilt phone.

I installed Instagram, snap chat and WhatsApp, I'll download Facebook and the others later. I logged into my Instagram and notifications came through, there was a message from Nessa which I reply to.

"Will you like to get your license ?" Her eyes still on the road as she negotiated a curve to our neighborhood.

"Yeah I will love to." I wanna get my license so I can drive around freely to the university and anywhere. I won't have to order an Uber or have El or Izzy giving me rides. I don't mind they doing that but it's like I'm burdening them.

We got to the gate, and El drove through, "I'll tell dad about it tonight." She assures me.

I give her a grateful smile . Sisters like this❤️.

We're out of the car walking through the door to the living room. "How's it going with Darrel now ?"

El sits on the tux and takes her phone out, " He asked me to be his girlfriend." Whew finally.

"How do you feel about that?"

"I'm okay, I think I've known him for quite a long time to know he's not the same as him." She says the last faintly. I get what she's taking about, her last  boyfriend  Byron played her with a new student who was transferred and later cheated on them both with the "It girl" in their high school. His reason being he's fed up with being with the same girl for two years. He was an idiot that I was glad El got over, I don't really know much about Darrel but from what El has told me, he's the perfect gentleman who'll treat her right.

I give her a reassuring smile, "Yes not all men are douchebags like him, I do like Darrel for you."

"Really ? I thought you never want me to date."

"Yeah because of Byron, now I'm convinced Darrel is the best choice, no two ways about that."

"Thanks  sis."

"Don't worry I got you always." I go into the kitchen pour water in a glass. "El do you want water ?" I yell .

"No I'm good." She yells back.

"I'm gonna take a quick bath, I'm itchy asf." I inform El who's now on the phone. She doesn't reply and gives me a thumbs up blushing Okayyy I get that.

I leave before I can be a third wheel by just listening to their talk. I quickly get into the tub scrubbing my body very well to get the hair from my skin.  I draped my body with a towel after finishing my bath.

My phone buzzes with a message from Chloe .

Chloe🤩❤️: hey babes💖, what's up!?

Me : hun I just got out from the tub, you?

Chloe🤩❤️ : waiting for El to come help me choose an outfit .

Me : you got a date tonight?

Chloe🤩❤️: yeah 🙈

Me: 😩 I'm I the only single one here😕

Chloe🤩❤️: You'll get your Prince Charming soon don't worry😊.

Me : After university yeah😌.

Chloe🤩❤️ : Baby girl , you don't know what the future holds. Been trying to reach El but her number is busy tell her to call me ASAP, I seriously need her over okay?

Me : Yeah you're right.

Me : Okay b.

Chloe🤩❤️ : Thanks girl💋❤️.

Me : ❤️

I put my phone on the bed and take the towel off my body wondering what to wear. I just stare at my closet. My eyes catch an ash baggy top on a hanger and a blue denim jeans shorts. I put them on and add a choker.

I remember Nessa asked me to send her my first braid pictures so I take a few ones and send them to her.

I decide to post my favorite one on Instagram. It's been long I updated my status there. I only go there to check people's feed and watch videos but never to post.

Liked by har.rry and others

ann_moreee braids and a face like this😩🌸🥀✨

Satisfied with my post, I put my phone in my pocket and head back to the living to tell El Chloe's message.

When I got to the living room, I was surprised to still see El on the phone in a funny position. She was laying on the carpet sprawled on the living room floor and had her legs on top of the tux . She was laughing and seemed to be enjoying herself.

I don't ruin her happy moment, I cahnge locations and advance towards the kitchen and met Carmen by the gas cooker, her back to me like always.

She was a little startled when I closed the fridge after I took a glass cup and poured myself a smoothie.

"Hey honey, how long have you been here?" She stirred the sauce pan which was emitting a nice aroma, it was like goat meat  with ginger and spices.

"Hello Carmen, a minute ago." I sit on the island, "what's cooking?"

"I'm trying to prepare a Ghanaian local soup Bertha taught me." She replied smiling.

"What's the name?" I asked in case I could help.

"Chevon light soup."

Easy, I can help. I get up from my seat and stand beside her, "Can I help?"

She looked at me relieved.It's like she was finding difficulty preparing it. "Yes honey, I was actually missing some details."

I survey what she has done so far, she's currently steaming the meat with ginger and spices. I take garden eggs, onion, pepper and tomatoes  from the vegetable basket and wash them. I add them to the boiling pot of meat and put the lid on it. "So we wait for the vegetables to cook and we allow them to cool for sometime, then blend them."

"And pour them into the steaming meat !" She added excited . "Thank you honey, I kept thinking I have to pour the stock of the meat away."

I shake my head laughing, "no it gives the soup some sort of aroma and taste."

"I'm glad you helped me sweetie ." She gives me a grateful smile.

"No Carmen I'm happy to be of help to you , so what are we going to eat this with?"

"Rice or maybe powdered fufu, any of the family's choice."  She went back to stir the meat. She takes the vegetables seven minutes later and allow them to cool.

I decide to go back to the living room and check up on El. I met her on the way , sniffing the air. "What's cooking?"

"Chevon light soul."

"With ?" We walk back to the kitchen since that's where I was before and El's headed there right now.

"Any of our choice, rice or powdered fufu."

"Carmen it's definitely powdered fufu." She said licking her lips . She's likes food but doesn't much too.

"What about you Ann ?"

I prefer fufu with chevon light soup more than rice so I guess, "powdered fufu too, do you need help with that?"

"Alright girls and no I've got this, now go far away from my kitchen." She shoos is out of the kitchen, chuckling.

We go to my room where I tell El about Chloe's message.

"I've got to go, I'll see you before dinner okay?" She turns to exit my room.

"Okay."