I Did Not Want To Fall For You

Chapter 3:Will you be my girlfriend?

"Babe!"
Kamsi ran into Toyosi's arms.
"Kamsi, you're always glowing oo. Small one-week midterm break and it's like you went to Obodoyibo," Toyo teased.
She laughed, "Pot calling kettle black. See the way your forehead is shining," she teased back and Toyosi eyed her. The all-back hairstyle she made accentuated her forehead.
"Have you checked in?" Toyosi asked.
"Yeah," she replied, glancing at her medium luggage at her side.
"Let's go to the blocks then. What about Nonso and Kaito? I didn't call them this holiday."
She raised a brow, "And they didn't call you too?"
"Tochukwu will never call me," Toyosi chuckled, "and Nonso is avoiding me. His problem."
"They'll come in the evening," she answered, choosing not to comment on the obvious.
"This Waec period eh, I'm going to flex. As I'm reading my life away, I'm eating my life away."
"Me too," she said and looked around for Toyosi's luggage. When she saw it, she gaped in shock.
"Toyosi, is this for you!?" She exclaimed.
"Free me, abeg. I must not starve," Toyo laughed. One giant ghana-must-go and another medium-sized luggage were what Toyosi returned to school with. If it was resumption for the term, it wouldn't be a surprise as clothes, school required tools and other things would occupy space but this was resumption from the one-week break and she had seen Toyosi leave school with just a school bag.
They ended up lugging their entire luggage in two journeys.
*
Kaito and Nonso arrived in the evening, just before the 6 pm deadline. He told her when she called that morning before leaving her home that he'd call when he arrived and he did. She met them at the car park.
"Look at my baby oo," his mother exclaimed and hugged her tightly, "ezigbo nwannem. Omalicha."
She laughed, a bit uncomfortable. She wasn't used to receiving affection from people that weren't family.
"Kedu?" Kaito's mother, Mrs. Chikamso, asked when she pulled away.
"I'm fine, ma," she beamed because it was hard not to get infected by her charm.
"Come on, reply me in Igbo," Mrs. Chikamso scolded.
"O dinma," she answered quickly.
Mrs. Chikamso nodded satisfactorily and said, "You arrived early, abi? We could have come earlier but for these boys. It's on the day of resumption they'll remember that they want to greet this person and that, they want to buy this and that. If not for God, I would have given them up for adoption."
She laughed, glancing at a grinning Kaito and Nonso who stood to the side.
"Nonso, is this Toto's girlfriend?"
A little girl emerged from behind their car. She knew at once that it was Nonso's little sister. She wasn't the overly sweet talkative she had imagined from Nonso's tales, she didn't have attractive features but there was something compellingly attractive about the confidence she oozed.
"Yup," Nonso answered, popping the p. Mrs. Chikamso laughed lightly and left them to do other things.
"Why are you lying?" She eyed Nonso and said to the little girl, "He's lying."
"Toto said you are his soon girlfriend. Is he lying too?"
She looked at Kaito. His shoes were suddenly attractive to him.
"Anyway, my name is Amanda," Nonso's sister said.
"I'm Kamsi," she smiled and they shook hands. She felt like laughing at their interaction. Amanda signalled her to bend and she did.
"Don't let Toto deceive you," Amanda whispered in her ear, "his daddy says that he isn't allowed to have girlfriends in school. His daddy is very mean."
"Amanda, bia. Kai può," Mrs. Chikamso called out.
"Okay," she smiled at Amanda, "I won't let him deceive me."
Amanda beamed, "Bye!"
Mrs. Chikamso said a few things to the boys before leaving with Amanda, after squeezing a few naira notes in her palm.
"You know there's something wrong with the both of you," she scolded once they began walking to the hostel.
"What?" Nonso played dumb while Kaito sneaked her hand into his. She flung his hand away.
He laughed and said, "I'll end up holding it anyways. Why do girls like drama?"
She pinched his arm.
*
"I was just telling her what she wanted to hear," He defended later that night. They were sitting on the admin block staircase.
She snorted, "Abi what you wanted to hear. We'll take it slow, stay friends, blah blah blah. Now look."
He laughed, "You are mocking me, it's cool. But your sister also assumed we were dating."
"Which I never told her. You were the one filling Amanda's head with rubbish."
"Can't I dream again?" He ran a hand over her hair that was in threads.
They fell quiet. The night breeze was calming and she realized she was very aware of him, every ounce of her senses was drawn to him. She felt like leaning into him and letting him hold her.
She cleared her throat. "How well are you prepared for Waec?"
He looked amused at her question. "You should know," he replied, "we have been reading together."
He was sitting with his back to the wall, his entire body facing her. It made her feel self-conscious.
"No, I shouldn't know. We have different assimilation powers and how am I sure you were concentrating all those times?"
"Really?" He chuckled.
Oh God, she thought, swallowing. What was happening to her?
"Kamsi."
"Yes?" She rubbed her palms together.
"You are not looking at me and you have been asking me unnecessary questions all day."
"Must I look at you?"
He stayed quiet for a second then asked, "Do you remember what happened the last time you asked me that question?"
Her eyes narrowed and she turned and glared at him. "If you dare try it, I'll... I'll..."
He laughed, "Now you are looking at me."
She rolled her eyes and made to look away but he held her jaw.
"I am looking at you so I can admire you," he said with a smile, "and your eyes are one of the most beautiful things about you. I want to see them."
She blushed. "Leave me jo. You boys and your deceiving words," she said and slapped his hand off.
He draped his arm around her shoulder and she stiffened.
"Relax," he murmured, moving closer to her. His thumb gently caressed her cheek.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He finally blurted out.