Chapter 30: Chapter 30

"You guys should consider going on a double date," Alex chips in from his spot on Nes' study chair.

"Remind me why you're here again Lex?" I give him a questioning look. He shrugs, dipping another piece of potato in his mouth.

"I'm here to guide you girls. To help you dress up," he states, much to our amusement.

"Says the person who can't even tell a girl he likes her," Nes jives and he frowns.

"Who's talking about that now?" he asks, the frown still marring his features. I chuckle.

"Then go do boy stuff with Jason," Nes replies.

"He's sleeping. Stop talking and focus on your makeup. Don't make Bella smudge something there," he warns, shuffling on the spot.

I'm currently making Nes up for her date. It's nothing serious; just light makeup. I'm dressed for mine in a short dress with white snickers. I stretched my hair and let it fall down my back.

Nes has a short fitted gown on with flats. Her hair is packed into a bun on the top of her head.

"Hmm. That's what I'm talking about," Alex comments when she rises from her chair. For some unknown reason, he has been stalking us. "That Fletch guy will be head over heels!"

We pass him catatonic looks. "It's Fletcher," Nes corrects and he raises his hands in surrender.

"Whatever it is, just be sure to tell him you have two brothers who are always ready to beat the living daylights out of him if he messes with you. That other Etim guy got lucky." Lex has this angry look on his face when he says the name Etim. Nes and I smile.

"I'll do just that," she assures before turning to me. "How's Lima? I heard you talking to her on the phone earlier."

"She's fine. Her mom is home now and luckily, she’s giving her full support. She threatened to throw N.C and his friends in jail if they try to harm her," I explain and she grins.

‘Of course Nes loves threats.’

"Thank God she's okay," Alex chips in and we nod.

My phone beeps and I read Jasper's text.

"Well, I guess I'll see ya’ll suckers later," I say, running out. I hear Nes gasp.

"We're the best people you've ever got!" Alex shouts, making me laugh.

"Yeah," I mutter.

Jasper grins as he gives me the once-over. I roll my eyes at him.

"I love your hair, I love your dress, I love your shoes, I love your eyes, I love your...your―I just love you," he ends the ranting. The last part, though catches my attention.

"What did you say?" I ask with a smile.

"I love your hair?"

My face goes blank. "No."

"I love your eyes?" He's clearly enjoying himself right now but I won't let it last.

"In that case, I'll be honest. I don't like your outfit," I state, going to open the car door myself.

A smile tugs at my lips but I maintain a straight face as I settle down in the car.

"You're joking right?" he asks, fastening his seatbelt and locking his door rather too loudly.

‘Hmm someone wanted to look hot for me.’

"Oh come on, I look hot always."

I don't mind that I said that one aloud. I roll my eyes. "Explains why you took extra time to style your hair," I pass him a side look and espy the shock on his face. The laughter welling up inside is unbearable but I still manage to hold it in.

"I'll just drive." He starts the engines and the ride begins.

‘Ha-ha. Who's laughing now?’

I can't believe he's buying this. It's like he didn't see himself in the mirror. That or he has forgotten what he really looks like. He looks breathtakingly hot in those carton brown sweats and black jeans coupled with a pair of timberlands. And his hair, nothing extra to it. It's still as messy as always but I'll never get used to it. Not that I'll tell him any of that. Not yet.

"Ah, I know that look," he suddenly says, pulling my attention to himself.

"What look?" I ask.

He smirks. "You're smiling. You've been pretending."

"Well, what if I was thinking of something?" I ask with a hard look on my face.

"Oh please. Lying doesn't suit you," he persists and I sigh.

"It's pointless arguing with you," I lament sinking further into my seat. He flashes me a bright smile before focusing on the road.

"How'd you get this car?" I ask, fiddling with the radio.

"My phone is connected. You can play a song with it," he tells me and I nod in response. "My mum got me the car," he answers my question.

"That's really great."

"She was trying to make me feel better. I must say, I owe my mum a lot for all her support when Audrey died." His tone falters a little when he says her name. I smile sadly. I can only imagine what he must have gone through at that time.

"Even though she's always subdued by my dad, she never gave up on me like he did. She constantly reminded me that I was one of the reasons she's the happiest woman on earth." He lets out a sad laugh. "She was disappointed the most when they found out I was into drugs. And then Mary; I've always wondered why she says I'm her favourite. Even when I pushed her away she kept coming back. When she came to the hospital, she kept telling me I'll be fine. The hate I harboured against myself from three years ago came back full force that day." He sighs, leaning back into his seat after parking in between two cars.

I subconsciously rub his arm reassuringly. He signals me to stay put as he rushes out of the car to my side.

I roll my eyes as he opens my door and bows like a chauffeur.

"Madame," he says ushering me out.

"You're crazy," I laugh. He just grins.

I order stir fried spaghetti and chicken with a glass of wine and convince Jasper to try the spaghetti too.

"I told you I don't like noodles. My mum made me hate them," he complains.

"But you loved them when you ate mine right?" I grin.

"That was yours."

I chuckle, observing the beautiful scenery beyond the glass walls of the eatery. There's a large garden of grass and colourful flowers and the Atlantic lies beyond, meeting the sky on the horizon. The yellow hue the setting sun casts across the evening sky adds aesthetic to the environment.

"It's beautiful," I comment.

"It is," he seconds. A young waitress appears with our order.

"Thank you," Jasper says and she passes him a suggestive smile.

‘Seriously babe, I'm right here. I can see that stupid smile on your face.’

They turn to me abruptly. Jasper has a shocked look on his face while the waitress looks at me with revulsion.

‘Okay, maybe this one wasn't supposed to slip. But then...’

"What?" I ask, giving them a blank stare. The girl sizes me up before walking off.

"Now that's the version of you I like," Jasper beams, wiggling his brows.

"I bet you'll love the version of me that'll kill you when next you do that even better," I simper, causing his eyes to widen.

"God, you're mean. I want cute Isabella back," he gripes, tossing some ingredients around on his plate.

"What are you doing?" I frown, looking at his plate.

He shrugs but remains quiet.

"Come on, try it. I promise you'll love it. Look, I'm eating it so it's nice," I coax and he sighs in resignation.

Jabbing his fork into the food, he takes a little and dips in his mouth. He stays silent for too long, making me speak up.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask.

He nods. "It's actually nice." I scoff and he grins.

Within the space of two minutes, we start bickering over some stupid music. Jasper wins the argument though, and he won't stop talking.

I stare at him in silence as he rambles on with a cheery smile on his face. I can hardly see the annoying 'dog' that sent alpha Milo to attack me; neither can I see the jerk who insulted me when I bumped into him in the hallway. Now I see Jasper Lawrence.

‘But I think he's still a flirt.’

"How many girls did you date at a time?" I blurt without considering the fact that he’s still talking. His countenance falters.

Clearing his throat, he asks, "what?"

I shrug. "I mean how many girls did you date at a― seriously, there's no other way to put it. You know what I'm talking about."

He drops his glass of wine and leans on the table. "Why do you ask that?"

"Nothing really," I state looking straight at him. I espy a glint of mischief in his eyes as he smiles. I roll my eyes, breaking into a smile too.

"Just answer!" I probe and he finally lets out the laughter.

"Okay, okay. Just so you don't make a breakup scene in front of these people, I'll answer."

"Did you just say..." I start. He has a knowing look on his face as I scramble for a quick comeback.

When nothing comes to mind, I give up. "Fine, just answer if you don't want a public breakup."

He cracks up. The pride is evident in the way he's acting.

‘You got me on this one Jasper.’

"Okay, but make sure you don't get too jealous. I mean, whatever I'm about to tell you is all in the past. You're a lone wolf in my life right now," he says with confidence.

My brows pull together in pure astonishment but my lips pull to the side as a smile escapes. This guy is annoyingly funny.

"Do you know how weird you are? I mean, has anyone ever told you you're strange?" I ask.

"No," is all he says before reverting to the topic. "Anyway, when I came to Nigeria, I dated a couple of girls including Halim―"

"Oh I think you left Alice out," I chip in, causing mild shock to register on his face.

"Right, you know the whole story then."

"Except the part where Aramide was involved."

"Ah, that part. Let me see..." He wears a thoughtful look and my eyes enlarge.

‘Were they that much?’

"At the time I dated Aramide, I dated basically just Aramide." He deadpans and my face drops.

"What?"

"Don't get too jealous, that was the instruction," he says, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Wait, what about Lima? You went out with her the other time," I say.

He sighs. "You thought I was dating Halim and Aramide at once? Come on, give me some credit Isa. Halim and I have remained close since we dated and yes, she was trying to reignite the whole thing but I made it clear to her. Nothing could happen between us anymore."

"What about Aramide?" I ask.

He looks at me tentatively before responding. "Ever since that night at the party where we kissed in front of her, we’ve hardly called each other. She called last month and we talked for long. I ended it officially with her."

"Why?"

He shrugs, looking down at the table. "I don't know, maybe because I made my choice at that party."

‘Now I'm lost.’

"You made up your mind to break up with her at the party?"

Clearly tired of my questions, he rolls his eyes with a sigh. "Why am I surprised? This is Isabella, the girl who asks too many questions."

I raise my palms skyward, shrugging.

Taking a sip of his drink, he decides to answer. "I didn't make up my mind to break up with her, not exactly. When the whole kissing scene happened, she saw and walked out. I almost ran after her but Kevin made me realize that was the moment I had to make my choice. So I chose not to go after her."

"What did you choose to do then?"

‘Look, I know this sounds like an interrogation session now but...that's just me! Deal with it.’

Jasper face-palms in frustration. "You're going to make me spell it all out, aren't you?"

I lean closer. "Whatever it is you're going to say, I'm sure it's not illegal." I smirk.

‘Take that one dude!’

"Ah, she's using my words against me. Fine I chose you, Isabella. If I left you there that night, I wouldn't have the courage to look at you right now and that...that'll do more harm than good. I felt obliged to protect you and no matter how far I thought I ran from it, I'm drawn to you. And that kiss, damn where'd you learn to kiss like that?"

I'm utterly speechless as it is. I can only feel myself blushing profusely.

"You look like you might kiss me soon so we should go. I bet you wouldn't want your mum or your dad or some older relative to catch you kissing in public. And I'm definitely not missing this kissing session," Jasper says, dropping some cash on the table and pulling me up.

"You're so annoying, it's―"

"Adorable," he completes and I chuckle.

"How do you even think these lines up?" I ask as I fasten my seat belt.

"It's just the power of my brain. You know, the cells work with superhuman speed." He winks at me and I laugh.

"You're so full of yourself. I must say though, I could hire you to be my comedian," I joke.

"Oh I'll gladly be your personal comedian." I shake my head.

A peaceful silence lingers in the car as a nice song streams from the radio.

"I like this song," I murmur, shaking my head to the beat. "What's the title?"

"I think it's ‘I'll Stay’," he replies.

"By who?"

"Can't remember her name. I can transfer it to you so you don't start an interrogative session," he mutters and I pass him a warning look.

I check his phone to get the song. "Oh her name is Isabella!" I grin, looking at him with pride.

"Yeah, yeah."

A few seconds of silence elapse as I scroll through his playlist to transfer more songs. I hear him heave slowly.

"Isa?"

"Hmm? What's up?" I ask half-heartedly, still focused on the devices in front of me.

"I know I'm the most annoying person in the world, I know I'm crazy and you always want to kick me but... What I want now, more than ever is to remain that guy who teases you all the time and makes you blush. To remain that guy you want to kick always."

I stop everything I'm doing as I listen to him with apt attention. For some strange reason I can't look up at him.

"I know my pride gets in the way some times―more like all the time, but I promise to be a better person." He sucks in a deep breath while I hold mine in. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

I finally look at him. He has a serious expression on.

‘Wow.’

"I guess I could use someone to kick whenever I'm in the mood. And when the normalcy gets boring, a bit of annoyance mixed with laughter and sprinkled with blushing should do the trick," I formulate with a smile, lifting the slight tension in the car.

He flashes me a drop-dead smile. "Now where did you get those lines?"

I shrug. "I guess you're rubbing off on me. Bad influence." We both chortle.

"Was that a yes?" he asks. A smile from me is enough to make him look ahead with a satisfied smile.

Listening to the words of the song playing, I realize they match the moment.

‘I never thought this day would come.’

"Me neither," he murmurs, not looking at me.

I turn to him. "Have you ever noticed that I blurt some things without knowing?" I ask.

"No, but I've always known you're outlandish as a whole," he jives.

I glare daggers at him. "I have a strong feeling you're going to be the most unromantic person on earth," I strike back.

"Oh please, I know you enjoyed that kiss in my room. I'm not only the best kisser, I can make a girl flip with just words," he brags.

I scoff, looking away. "Don't give yourself too much credit."

"You know I'm right," he says.

"You're terrible," I mumble.

"I'm your boyfriend."

I shake my head, looking out the window.