Chapter 5: 5. Unstable waves.
"I'll get the door" Rissa said as she got up from the couch to go open the door while her mom was as usual in the kitchen.
She swung the door open with a smile and it disappeared once she saw who was at the door, her whole mood changed, she walked away from the door leaving it opened.
"Who's there?" Rose asked but she only walked away up to the stairs.
"Hi" Steve walked in with a brief smile, he shut the door behind him.
"Oh-hi" She smiled back. "I'm sorry about that" She really meant it, he didn't deserve the treatment she was giving him.
"Oh, it's fine" He walked over to her. "What are you making?" He glanced over.
"Chilli" She replied.
"And you make the best" He said back.
"How's Sonia and the boys?" Steve had twins boys with his new wife after he left Rose.
"We are all good, Rose" He assured her.
"Will you stay long enough to have some chilli and maybe take to the family" She implored.
"I won't miss it for anything " He said and leaned by the counter.
Rissa stomped down the stairs all dressed up.
"I'll see you later, mom" She grabbed her car keys off the counter and went away with a big slam behind her.
Rose sighed. "At least, she took after your stubbornness "
Steve smiled. "That's true"
Rissa wasn't exactly sure where she should probably head to right now, Lola's would have been great but she was at work, Lawrence's would have come in as a great place too but they had dinner to prepare for tonight, so it won't make so much sense but then Luke, won't it be too uncomfortable for him.
They had also shared a kiss last night during her drunk state, it might not be that bad, he had actually called her this morning to ask if she was getting over her hangover well and talked casually without saying a single thing about the kiss, well, that's where she was turning to right now with her dad being there, it suddenly became suffocating for her and uncomfortable too, it was best to leave.
Luke hurriedly threw a shirt over his head and went to get the door, he didn't think he was expecting anyone but you never can tell.
He pulled the door. "Marissa?" He called with surprise.
"Hey" She gave a nervous smile. "Can I come in?"
"Uhm--sure" He let her in.
"Have I just disturbed you or something?" She hoped she didn't.
"Not really, was just in my room reading the bible" He said honestly. "Please sit" He offered and they both sat.
"Is everything alright?" He asked.
"My dad is at our place and I couldn't just bear it, I needed to be at somewhere else, I'm sorry" She explained.
He smiled, "it's okay and you are welcome here anytime"
"Thanks"
"Can I get you anything?"
"Hmmm" She sighed. "We were about to have chilli until he came, I haven't had lunch" She admitted.
"You took the race" He got up chuckling. "Let me see what I can offer" He walked to his kitchen.
She watched him, he was really looking nice in the house wears, well, he was putting on shorts and a grey faded shirt, he hadn't brush his hair which was all scattered but it added to his details, she wasn't sure why he had kissed her back that night, was he drunk too. No way, she was sure that he was not a bit drunk, he wasn't saying anything about it which was torturing too.
He walked back with a tray and placed it on the table, it wasn't the dining table or the kitchen table but the living room's, he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.
"Wow, Rice and steak" She smiled at the food
He smiled. "I hope you like it" He took out the bowl of rice. "Please eat"
Rissa digged in, taking a huge portion of rice and a large cut of the steak.
"Its--g-ood" She made sure to dig in well.
"Easy" He said as he watched her eat hungrily.
Rissa had left little or nothing, he was a great cook and the food was really delicious or was it because she was hungry since it is said that anything you give someone's who is hungry is definitely delicious, so don't ever ask . Well, she knew it was so good.
"You were literally starving" He laughed as he picked up her plates.
"Literally" She laughed back. "Thanks for the meal" She wiped her mouth.
He got seated adjacent her, holding two cups of coffee and handed hers to her.
"Should we not talk about the kiss? " Rissa asked staring at him to catch his reaction.
"Oh--uhm--the kiss" He placed the cup down. "I'm sorry about it"
Rissa gave an angry smile. "Are you apologizing for me kissing you first or what? " She dropped the cup.
"Everything Marissa" His face yelled out remorse. "You were drunk"
"So--you are apologizing for kissing me?" The rhetorical question was definitely needed.
He shrugged. "I should not have" He stated.
"Why?" She fired back. "Is that a sin too?"
"I don't even know right now!" He said back. "If I'm gonna kiss a woman that way, there has to something or we should probably be heading somewhere " He furthered.
"Oh" She sighed feeling devastated. "There was literally nothing there"She felt hurt.
"That's not what I'm saying" He sounded convincingly. "You clearly just wanna have sex with me" He said.
"Is that a problem? Aren't you a man?"
He laughed sarcastically. "I wanna have sex but not for the sake of it or just for the pleasure of it, with my woman, someone I wanna take to the altar, lets learn to do things right " He stated.
"Are you clever dick or something?" She stared blankly.
"Huh?"
"It's obvious you always think you are right and know everything " She got up. "You make me feel wrong always but it's fine. Are you even sure that dick still works?" She scuffed.
Rissa stomped out of his house with a huge slam.
"She's so precise, picks a fight with me after eating" He laughed sarcastically and buried his head in his hands. "She has nowhere to go to now" He was soliloquizing.
Rissa drove down the road in an unusual speed and the only place she could possibly head to right now that made better sense was Lawrence's, that meant no dinner for them tonight. Lawrence was different from Luke, it's like she wanted his personality in Luke's body but unfortunately things aren't that way.
"Hey" He watched her walk into the house. "You are here early" He folded his arms.
"It's not about the dinner" She turned to him. "I left home" She said.
"Why?" He asked.
"My dad was there and we've got some issues coming, so I couldn't stay" she explained sitting down.
"At times, I wonder if you are truly in your late twenties" He smirked .
She raised her brows in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean you aren't a kid, it's almost like you ran away from home" He laughed.
"I could leave if you aren't okay with me being here if that's what you mean" She sounded stern.
"No-No, I don't mean it that way Rissa" He implored. "We could still go for the dinner if you would let us probably step out to shop some outfits for you" He suggested.
"That's fine" She smiled. "I just wanna rest right now, I'm tired" She fell her head on the couch.
Rose scooped in the bowl of chilli and handed it over to Steve who watched her delicately, she was a wonderful woman that any man could probably ask for and everyone hates him for letting her go even his own parents but the truth was the love didn't just kind of exist anymore between the two.
He couldn't place his hand on how it all started but he remembered that Rose stopped doing things she normally did, she nagged him about wanting to own a little cafe and he didn't want it. Not that he couldn't provide it or something but he didn't want her doing it for some reason, he never knew she really loved cooking that much and not going about it simply drained her. She would curse at him silently, something like hatred began to brew in, she would not make his meals and if she made them, it wasn't spectacular and he was all about his work since he was a surveyor. He didn't notice much about his wife, he didn't have the time and during that period he met Sonia. She was also a surveyor transferred to his region and they began working together as partners and he would not lie that she had caught his interest so fast and he just wanted to be with her every single day.
Sonia didn't want to have anything to do with him since he was married, after about a year of coming across with Sonia, he filed for a divorce with Rose and she had not been too surprised because she actually didn't love him like she used to or maybe she wasn't sure she loved him. Their parents had match made them together and they went on with it because their personalities attracted each other but it didn't take them far or maybe it did, sixteen years married to Rose wasn't a piece of cake, she was a great woman that deserved better but she had said she wasn't interested in any man anymore while Steve and started things with Sonia and the past eight years of it had been great, Sonia was different in her own way and she was just the perfect woman he would have settled with if his parents had not forced things with him and Rose, the only person who wasn't ready to see reasons for their choices was Rissa, his first child. She made it seem like he had committed the biggest mistake of his life but he knew he hadn't.
"C'mon eat" She nudged him. "What's going through your head" She smiled at him.
He took a spoon of the chilli. "It's delicious as expected" He returned the smile.
"Thank you, I've packed some you could take along with you" She sat by him.
"Thanks" He took another spoon. "Uhm--Rose?"
"Yeah" She swallowed in.
"Why didn't you open up the cafe?" He was staring at her.
She smiled. "It wasn't necessary" She simply said.
"What? That was the same thing I said but you didn't wanna hear it then" This cafe issue was one of the plenty reasons they lost their marriage.
"I know, I got some money after our divorce to start up something but I ended not opening it anymore. Joined a bible believing church and I was brought to the light and found out it wasn't necessary anymore" She explained.
"Whao" He laughed. "We really weren't meant to be" He played with the chilli.
"I guess so" She laughed too. The whole thing sounded so funny that they even laughed at their failed marriage.
"But how come we lasted sixteen years then? " He wasn't sure if he needed an answer. "Do you think if we had just pushed things a little we might not have gotten separated at least for Rissa? " He thought about it for a while.
"That would be practically enduring the marriage rather than enjoying it, we were doing it for Rissa not for ourselves " She replied.
"You are right, it could be draining and loveless too" He smiled genuinely. "But I don't regret those years for a single day" He gulped in some water.
"I don't have a single regret too" She admitted. "You were great" She patted his shoulder.
"You were wonderful" He smiled and hugged her.
He felt like a heavy stone left his heart having this conversation with Rose was relieving and worthy of it.
Rissa walked down the stairs looking really hot and sexy for the night, she wore a black sleeveless lacy long dress that was spilt by the right side exposing her white creamed skin, holding a small black and white purse and a black stiletto.
"My God!" Lawrence gasped as he helped her down the stairs. "You look magnificent"
She blushed. "Thank you" She smiled harder.
"Let's go then" He led her out of the house as they walked to the car, they got in and he drove off.
The male waiter walked over to their table, Rissa was about to make some order when he bent towards Lawrence and whispered something into his ear, the two smiled at each other and the waiter left.
"What just happened?" She held a blank smile.
"I've got everything sorted out" He told her.
She looked around the table. "Is that why there's no menu here?" She smiled at him.
"Likely" He shrugged.
"Let's see what you've pulled out then" She crossed her arms.
He smiled harder. "I only hope you like it" He said.
After some minutes, the waiter pushed in with a food trolley that had their meals, it looked like a feast since it was just for two people.
"Whao" Rissa marvelled as he began to offload them.
There were about four covered food pots which he lay at the center and then placed their plates each in their front, he opened each of the the four food pots.
One had a bubbling casserole which looked so nice, another had grilled steaks and beat balls.
The third one contained coleslaw with red kidney beans and the last had fruit salad. It was truly a feast.
"Your dessert comes when you are done" The waiter said holding up a satisfied smile.
"Uhm--thank you" Rissa said quickly glancing at him.
"Thanks man, I'll see you later" Lawrence shook hands with him.
"Shall I serve?" She insisted. "All these yummy food can't be staring at me for so long" She teased and he laughed.
One thing he found out was that she loved food, yeah, Rissa liked to eat whenever she had a chance with good food and she also ate well. He wondered where all the food went to because she had said she rarely hit the gym to loose some fat, it probably went to her attitude, he thought with laughter.
"Where does all the food you eat go to?" He suddenly asked.
She laughed. "What?" She continued serving. "Maybe my sex drive" She shrugged smiling.
"Of course, maybe" He agreed. Not like her sex drive wasn't at a normal rate but whenever Rissa wanted to have sex, she wanted it done properly which could be shocking how long she could go.
They began digging in, she had served the casserole with the grilled steaks and beat balls and the coleslaw as a side dish by it, they could probably take the fruit salad in between meals or whenever.
Her phone started ringing, it was her mom.
"Yeah?" She paused. "I'm fine and I'm not at Lola's so don't bother her" She rolled her eyes. "I'm not sleeping out, I'm just out for dinner" She gave Lawrence a quick smile. "I'll be home" "no, okay bye" She shoved it into her purse.
"I guess Miss Howly was worried" He said chewing.
"Yeah" She took a mouthful of the casserole. "I had plans of sleeping over but now I can't " She sighed.
"It's alright, I just wanted a proper dinner with you and I am glad it happened. " He assured her.
"This food is really good" She took a bite of the sliced apples.
"I'm glad you like it" He admitted. "Do you like me, Rissa? "He suddenly asked.
She looked at him and saw that he meant whatever he was asking her, she thought about it for a while.
"You are a really nice man" She began. "I had not expected that things would go this way between us because from our first encounter, you looked more like an unserious guy but now, I can't say the same " She watched him, he was keenly attentive to her which she liked. "I like you Lawrence, I like the kind of man you are and any woman would be glad to have you, you are romantic, sweet and great but you deserve the honest truth from me" She slit a piece of the steak and chewed on it.
"What's this honest truth?" He smiled nervously.
"Well, I like you but I don't think I want to get committed like into a relationship because I am sure that's what you want" She waited for his reaction, she had also thought it was the same thing Luke wanted but the difference was that Luke wasn't being direct about it and he had not told her precisely if that's what he wanted.
"Did you have a past experience with one that didn't end well?" He brought a piece of meal to her holding it with the fork. "Eat"
She smiled and was about to grab it with her mouth when he pulled back. "Stop it, Lawrence" She smiled at him.
"C'mon, at least try to take it" He insisted with a mischievous smile.
She grabbed his wrist firmly and grabbed the meat with her mouth immediately. "I won"
"Yeah you did" They both laughed. "So tell me now"
"Well, yeah, there was this guy I dated about four years ago, Ryan. Things didn't go well with us" She simply said.
"Four years ago? It's been a while, why won't you give other men a chance. We all aren't Ryan, you know?" He raised a brow.
"Buh you are all men and all--"
"All men are the same" He cornered with a smile. "That's you being cliché" He stated.
"Call it what you want but it's true, men will gladly sell you off without even knowing it" She said back
"Women would gladly use you without you even realising it" He countered back.
"Well, you guys don't deserve all the kindness " She said sternly.
He sighed. "Rissa" He took her hands into his and held her fingers caressing them.
"I'm sorry " She sighed and kissed his fingers. "You deserve a lot of kindness " She said honestly.
"You deserve all the love too" He smiled. "Can I request something from you?"
"Sure go on" She implored.
"Will you please let me love you?"
"Huhn?"
"I am not even asking for you to even love me too or even be kind either but all I request is that you let me love you Rissa, allow me show you the love I have for you which are genuine and I am different from Ryan though I know I could be a total jerk sometimes but I'll work on it. I wanna improve myself for you and I don't even care if you want it or not but please just let me" He looked at her, not exactly sure what to expect.
"You can't just love me not expecting something in return " she said.
"When the right time comes, you will make a choice if you me to continue or back off but for now, just grant me the permission " He patted her hands.
"Won't you get hurt along the line?"
"I don't even know but this is what I wanna do" He laughed nervously.
"Uhm--okay" She felt really bad for him and for herself.
"Thanks" He let go of her hand. "Let's finish up and have our sundae" He told her with a smile filled with so much happiness. Was he really that happy?
"You spoilt the surprise for the dessert" She pointed out smiling.
"Oh" He realized and laughed. "Sorry"
The rest of the night had been great, she filled her tummy, it was great and so was the man who had handcrafted all these, Lawrence. What did she even see in Luke? He wasn't even her sort of guy. She might as well get over him but...
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