CHAPTER 4

Lucas POV

I stood outside the room, at the door for about five minute's after the boss had pursued me out of her room.

"Do you have any business here?" The housekeeper asked looking at me suspiciously.

 She had a displeased look on her face as she watched me like I was a criminal. "Its like it runs in the household". I thought to myself

"No. I'll be. I'll be leaving now." I stuttered. She nodded and stood there waiting for me to leave like I said. They were so different from Sydney, so lifeless.

Flash back

My heart must be up for surgery considering how many times it has been left broken and shattered. They say practice makes perfect so why doesn't it work with me. 

I've been learning just how to endure pain but then it has never worked my heart still gives in to it. It still yelps for help it still shudders at the thought of her. I've tried to forget but still I cannot get myself to forget the girl who left me even though we were so little. Sometimes I wonder if I'm on the contrary I was the one who left her but then no one is the villain in their own story.

Like I was then I'm still a simple guy one that has failed in love twice and was not ready to try again. After my first love left me, my heart thought it had finally closed to love and it was not going to suffer again only for it to meet her, Sydney. I was smitten by her. 

She was so full of life unlike me almost everything I was, she was the opposite. Maybe that was why I was drawn to her in the beginning, because she was the things I wanted to be.

The first time I saw her she was the bubbly red haired girl with a charming smile. She had different wigs of different colours and they all suited her Beautifully. I had just graduated and was still waiting for services then, waiting whilst working in a bar for the experience and the money.

Sydney would frequent the club every Friday. She was the life of the club, the life of her friends but I never saw her with a guy unlike her friends. This made me very happy although I wondered if a girl like her would ever fall for a guy like me. I had nothing to give her and no means to assist in her lifestyle but still I decided to try.

It was better to be rejected than to live in the guilt of not trying at all.

After watching her for about two months I finally decided that it was about time I approached her. She was sitting on the bar alone that night her friends were on the dance floor laughing and swaying their hips she was with them earlier but now she was resting with a glass of whisky her face lit up in a smile as she went through her phone.

"Hi." I said awkwardly. She didn't respond immediately. After some seconds, she looked up eyed me and went back to what she was doing on her phone. I was totally embarrassed but I told myself not to give up immediately after all this was how Nigerian girls behaved. They pretend to be uninterested at first even when they are just so the guy can do the chasing. 

I desperately hoped that this was the case with her. "Hi." I said again

And again she looked at me uninterested but this time she nodded. "What is it? What can I do for you?" She had this intimidating look in her eyes that cautioned me to watch my words or she might slap the hell out of me. 

So although I wanted so much to tell her how I've admired her since the first day I set my eyes on her and how I've been watching her and would like nothing more than to know her better I knew girls like her did not like the cheesy lines very well.

But what else could I have said. "I just wanted to talk to you." I blurted out causing me to go into a panic. I half expected her to laugh at me and half expected her to sigh and walk out.

"Alright. The bar is noisy and I can't hear you so well give me your phone."

I hesitated for a second them handed the phone to her. At first her reaction surprised me, then it made me happy and hopeful but she might just want to steal my phone. 

However, Amidst the confusion and doubt I decided to trust her and my instinct that she was not going to steal my phone. She didn't look like the kind of girl to steal not like thieves had it written on their faces anyway.

After my mind had suffered great turmoil  she finally gave me back my phone with her number saved on it as Sydney.

"You can call or text me later then we can meet in a saner venue." 

"Are you asking me out?" I chuckled taking the phone from her. Her fingers grazed mine and I shuddered.

"It will be surprising wouldn't it. Let's just say I've been watching you as you've been watching me Lucas." With that she sashayed down to the dance floor and resumed dancing again leaving me to wonder how she knew my name.

____

"Why are you back?" Sydney asked shocked to see my standing by the door so early. The same way I was shocked to see her standing in front of my gate the next day, after we met in the club.

"At least let me come in first." I sighed exhausted. 

She moved to the side letting me pass. "Sorry." Then she closed the door behind her. 

Looking back she faced me folding her hands her eyes filled with so many questions. She cocked her brows waiting for my explanation.

"She's sick. So she asked me to take the day off."

"How lovely." She smiled. "Meaning I can eat you up. Ha." She purred. She walked up to me and gave me a soft kiss on my lips. A kiss that felt so different from others because my mind was not into it for the first time since we started dating. 

Sidney grabbed my shirt and pulled me to her. "Looks like we will finish what we started this morning don't you think." She winked at me.

I laughed. "You've become very hungry for me one will think that I've been starving you of me."

"You know how to give and take in adequate measures so one is never tired of receiving. its not my fault that you're good at what you do."

"I'll take that as a complement." 

"Oh it is." She replied, seductively taking of her shirt in the slowest manner, how she knew that I loved it.

I stopped her hands halfway and brought them to my lips. "Babe. I'm exhausted and I want to freshen up and rest. Let's do this in the evening." 

She pouted. "But I want you now. 

How do I get out of this, I thought to myself. Then I remembered something quite important.

"Remember you have to be in the shop now. Remember Mrs Ade is coming today I hate to be you if you keep her waiting."

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed. Her eyes widened in fear and shock. She face palmed. "Oh. Nooo. I forgot. Its almost 8 that mad woman is so going to kill me. Thanks for reminding me love. I'm leaving now." She said in a hurry. She rushed over to the mirror and adjusted her hair quickly.

She kissed my cheeks and ran out. 

"Remember to button your shirt." I shouted.

"Thanks love." 

Luckily for her, unlike me she did have her own car. We both graduated the same time last two years and did our service together after we started dating.

I was just a year older. My friends always complained about the little age difference sighting factors that could make it a tragedy for us but to me age did not matter. In fact I didn't mind being with someone older. Like Ma'am Celine for example.

I exhaled fearing for myself. Why was I thinking of my boss?  I was very worried for her too. I hoped she was OK. 

I took off my clothes and let cold water wash the thoughts of the cold woman haunting my mind but it didn't work. She was still there and it was already beginning to affect me. For the first time I rejected Sydney.

Sydney just has to remain the love of your life Lucas. I warned myself.