Into the Starry Night

Six

I rolled over and opened my eyes.

Looking around I was quickly soothed by familiar decorations of the bedroom I had been occupying for the past day. The walk-in closet that was too big for the meager clothes that I had brought with me and the transparent wall that showed . . .

I sat up with a start.

Sitting a few inches from my bed was a tall woman in a skinny black skirt and a leather bustier. Her dark hair looked like she hadn't bothered to comb it and she looked rather comfortable just sitting in the only easy chair in the room, cradling a white mug.

"Seeing as how you're alone in bed I'm gonna go out on a limb and say last night was a bust."

When I didn't reply she just shook her head, took a sip from the mug and crossed her flawless chocolate legs on the space beside me, wriggling her bare toes.

"You know Amarachi, I really hoped you would let loose at the party and meet someone. I know you're going to tell me that it's too soon, what with barely escaping the whole Fred saga with your life, but come on girl! When are you getting back on that horse? And don't tell me never because you have work. Hiding behind it isn't going to work forever."

I just stared, thinking how audacious this woman was.

"What? Not going to say anything? Usually when I mention your work your walls shoot up so high and so fast the people who built the Great Wall of China would be jealous."

"Where in the blazing hell have you been?" was the first thing I seethed with my best searing glare.

She rolled her eyes and drank from the mug.

"Seriously, I've told you, Kenny. Boundaries. No more involving me in your complicated love life or should I say lives, no more judging my life choices, and most importantly, no more being creepy," I reprimanded my best friend.

"You can evade all you want, dear, but deep in your heart you know two things. One, that I'm right about your fear of intimacy, and two, that I'm never going to stop judging your life choices," she gave a short laugh and drank her coffee to hammer her point home.

I rolled my eyes and threw the covers from my legs. Hopping down from my queen size bed I trudged to the adjoined bathroom.

"So what happened?" I heard Kenny ask as I spread some toothpaste on my toothbrush.

"You mean before or after you didn't show up?" I recapped my toothpaste and placed it in its spot in the medicine cabinet. "I mean, I don't get it. You convince me to come to this party I don't want to go to and don't even bother to show up. When I finally start to have fun you send me a distress text and get me out of it. What gives?"

I started brushing but not before glaring at Kenny who came to lean on the bathroom door.

"Oya, I'm sorry. I was planning on going, I swear, after my date with Ope."

Since my mouth was filled with toothpaste my question was sent through my raised eyebrow. She shook her head in answer and took another sip from her coffee.

"Anyway, he took me to this fancy restaurant. We started talking and from our conversation I was very happy he had small sense sha, until it was time to pay and he can't find his wallet. He was so fine that I honestly wouldn't have minded paying, but I didn't bring any of my cards as per he was the one that asked me out. As if that's not bad enough his phone dies, he doesn't have his charger, I don't have mine, and the people wouldn't have allowed any of us to leave. Sis, you saved my life oh, forget. If you hadn't answered my text and gotten me my card information in time I for don dey wash plate at Food Paradise."