FOUR

"Ella the cookies are ready, bring them from the kitchen and put them on my big old head" mum said.

"Okay I'm coming" I answered.

"Ella open the oven door, it's time" mum ordered me. "Open it up we have thirty minutes until the visitors come" mum said banging on the oven door. 

Oven door???

What?

Oven door; cookies on mum's big old head?

"Ella open the door; in thirty minutes the visitors would be here...dress up".

"Ella open the door, wake up sleepy bunny, I've asked you to stop locking your room door"

Room door?

Visitors??

Oh My God thirty freaking minutes?! 

And I was busy dreaming of cookies, big-old-fat heads and oven doors.

"It was only a dream Ella, only a dream" I assured myself aloud.

'Knock, knock'

"Who is it?" I asked still feeling sleepy after sleeping for God knows how long.

"Dress up Ella, thirty more minutes and they would be here, just thirty minutes Ella" Mum warned from outside my room door and my dream was trying to pass the thirty more minutes message to me using oven doors and big-old-fat heads.

Yeah, I'm that weird sometimes.

Trust me but I finished dressing in twenty minutes, that is my hair, makeup and all. I should get an award for that right? Well that's by the way because our guests just arrived.

After some minutes, I heard Mum and Dad welcoming the unknown guests.

"Ella!" Mum called out "can you come down, our guests have arrived" mum said probably at the foot of the stairs now. 

"I'll be there in a moment" I answered heading out of my room.

Immediately I stepped into the lobby I saw a very sophisticated looking couple conversing cheerfully with mum and dad who looked equally gorgeous. Once I was noticed, my dad introduced me proudly. 

"This is my daughter Ella" he said and I gave them a very sweet smile. 

"Hello Ella, what a sweet name you have" the unknown woman said hugging me and pecking me on my cheeks. When she was done, her husband took my hand in his and pecked the back. 

"Hello, Ella" he said in a very masculine and fatherly voice and all I did was smile because I didn't know their names.

"Ella meet our new business partner and his wife– Mr. and Mrs. Eros Davids" Mum said grinning from ear to ear.

"Whaaat?!" I was about to scream before I remembered that I was supposed to be on my best behaviour, so I said instead "Mr and Mrs Davids, it's nice to meet you" in an almost robot like programmed manner, smiling because I was forced to do so– you know  best behaviour and all– and I silently thanked God that Ivan their son wasn't here with them but then like always, I jumped into conclusions.

"My son Ivan went outside to make a call, I'm sure he'll be here in a moment" Mrs Davids said almost making me to faint and to worsen the situation, the devil himself walked into the house right on cue.

"I hope I didn't miss much, Angelina" he said calling my mum's name– Lord please don't tell me they are on the first name basis already– that's me praying silently.

On the brighter side he hasn't noticed me yet, so that'll give me a little time to compose myself but like always I jumped off the cliff and dived into the ocean of conclusion too fast –again– because he's smirking in my direction right now and that smirk; looks so devilish and it's sending shivers down my spine.

"You didn't miss much; by the way, this is my daughter Ella and Ella, this is Ivan Davids" Mum said smiling ever so sweetly.

"Ella, pretty name for a pretty girl" he said smiling like he had just won a very huge and important award and that award being my name.

"Hi Ivan" I forced a smile.

"Let's leave them to get to know themselves properly" Mum and Mrs Davids said in unison then they started giggling like love struck high schoolers. 

"I'll be going to the kitchen to do some finishing touches" mum said "I'll come too" Mrs Davids said almost immediately.

"Oh, oh no, you are my guest and you'll wait in the sitting room with my husband and yours"

"All they'll talk about is business without even noticing me, so it's better I avoid that" Mrs Davids complained in a tone that says dear friend, I ain't backing out. "Okay" mum said leading the way, leaving I and Ivan alone in the lobby. 

Somewhere during this discussion, the men found their way to the sitting room.

"So, are we gonna stand here starring after them or what?" Ivan asked stuffing his hands in his designer jeans.

"No we aren't, I was only contemplating walking out on you or showing you to the garden like a proper lady" I said putting a finger on my chin pretending to be deep in thought.

"I would choose a walk in the garden with you" he said smiling sheepishly. 

Actually, truth be told, the smile was in no way sheepish. It was actually cute but I prefer calling it sheepish because if I should start hating him now and seeing him as an annoying and irritating person, then maybe, just maybe I wouldn't fall for him. 

I really hate males at this point in my life but I don't know why some are just hard to resist.

"That was my inner battle and your opinion wasn't needed" I said scowling at him.

"I know it wasn't needed but I decided to give it anyways" he said grinning widely.

'Oh please, shut up would you?' I was about to say but went for "Whatever" instead, as the mature one I am.

I left the house, I had already gone half way when I found out that he –in disgust please– wasn't following me. 

I stopped and asked " Are you coming or not?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm right behind you" he said like he was a bit disoriented while I on the other hand was a bit confused as to why someone who was behaving like he had all the words under his control be stuttering. 

Seriously, If you ask me, I think he's weird, take it from a seriously internally weird girl.

"I want to know, is your name Ella or is something attached to it?" Ivan asked walking beside me as we reached the garden. 

I was headed to my favourite spot in the garden. That little corner with the wide swing designed to look like vines and flowers crawling over themselves. Its my favourite place in the garden because it's beautiful obviously and because it has a swing that I can sit or lie down on. Why am I taking Ivan to a favourite place of mine you ask me; well I have been standing in that lobby for about twenty minutes and I'm so not up for a walk around the garden, I'm up for a sit in the garden and right now I don't even care if it's the devil that I'm bringing to my favourite place as far as I can sit down.

"The name is Nuella" I answered dryly. 

"Nuella, hmm… sounds like Nutella". 

Nope, no.

He didn't just compare me to Nutella! I'm not frigging edible!

"Nutella is sweet and so heavenly and I like the idea of comparing you to something sweet and heavenly" he winked and oh boy does he look so adorable when winking and he just indirectly called me sweet and heavenly and I'm so squealing internally right now.

Slap, slap, slap– and I also slapped myself internally. 

What happened to your make him hate you, make him look irritating then you top the irritation with serious disgust and an extra topping of hate theory?

"I think I'll be calling you Nutella but Nuts for short" he said so happily like it was some sort of genius plan "and all pun intended" he added.

"Nope, no, you wouldn't call me Nuts and no pun intended" I said sternly wearing a scowl.

"It's not up for arguments, Nuts" he pinched my cheeks and smirked.

"Then you'll have to make me answer you when you call" I say rolling my eyes.

"As I was saying earlier, you're a sweet girl" he said dismissing the Nuts argument "but you seem to hate me for some reason" he continued feigning hurt causing me to roll my eyes again.

"But I don't see that as a problem" he said taking a seat at the swing and I mimicked his movements while smiling inwardly because if he says it isn't going to be a problem then it means he doesn't care if I hate him or not and that calls for jubilation on my side but like always he opens his mouth and my joy is short lived.

"Because I'll be living in this town for sometime and I'll probably complete my high school at KINGS HIGH where you study and our parents just became close business partners" he said letting it sink into my head and from what I understand, it means I'll be seeing more of him. 

If so, Noooo!

Knowing that I've processed what he said –maybe from the look of shock and horror on my face– he smiled a satisfactory smile to himself and continued "no one can hate me for a long time, especially when you'll be seeing me everywhere you go, Nuts." He said with satisfaction written all over his face, while on my side all the colour I had went down the drain.

Hey Ella, you can't just stand there with your eyes wide open and worse with no colour on your face like a vampire; do something, like say something.

That's right, thank you brain. I would have said that you just said something reasonable but isn't it your job to process something for me to say??

Yeah, I'm sorry ma'am. 

Don't call me ma'am.

Okay ma'am.

I. Said. No. Ma'am.

Kk ma'am

Useless brain, always picking fights with your owner.

"Whatever, I'll be the first person in this world to hate you forever" that's not the kind of stuff I expected from you brain, but it'll do for now.

"Don't get your hopes high baby, because very soon you'll stop hating me and if possible love me" he said with a wink!

I'm trying my best to hate someone here. 

"Eww, you know too well that it can't and will never happen so I quote you don't get your hopes high".

That was all I could say before mom sent me a text saying that dinner was ready and we were being waited upon. 

"Dinner is ready" I  said and started walking away. 

"Okay, I'm right behind you Nuts" the Nuts name is really getting on my nerves– ok in reality it wasn't getting on my nerves I was actually ignoring it in my head, but I decided to pick on it.

"Stop calling me that" I said with pretend annoyance that came out very icy. 

"Stop calling you what? Nuts?" He said, his voice cracking from suppressed laughter. 

I can see that this guy gains joy in frustrating young ladies and I'll show him that he is messing with the wrong young lady and whatever I'll do will send him packing.

I don't really have anything to do that'll send him packing, though.