TISE

A knock interrupted my concentration and I wondered who it could be before dropping my laptop by my side, it couldn't be my sister because she always barged into my room and none of my friends informed me they would be coming, it was probably one of the workers.

I opened the door gently and my eyes met with the last person I wanted to see.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly.

"Tise, we need to talk," my mom uttered and I scoffed.

"I have nothing to say to you," I deadpanned and she shook her head. I could see Tumi approaching us down the stairs.

"I have something to say to you," she pointed out.

"Well, I don't," I shouted before slamming my door at her face. Gosh! Why did she have to come again? I ran my hands across my face in frustration before walking back to my work space. Picking up my laptop, I tried to concentrate but her thoughts kept on coming and it was getting me riled up, I shut my eyes for some seconds and exhaled before picking up my laptop then I was able to concentrate well.

Few seconds later, a knock sounded on the door and I presumed it was Tumi so far I'd seen her earlier. But then Tumi doesn't knock unless she just changed, I ignored it knowing she was the one but she knocked again, maybe she was waiting for my response, but what made her change?

"Come in," I permitted and I heard the door open seconds later. I whirled my chair to the direction of the door with my laptop on my laps, I expected her to walk up to me in her usual characteristic manner but I didn't get such reaction, wondering what could be wrong, I decided to lift my head only for my eyes to come in contact with a light skinned girl dressed in the same blue uniform as the workers.

Recognition dawned on me, saying I was shocked was an understatement. Seeing the same girl I received a slap from few days back in my room was more than astounding. What was she doing here and why was she dressed in our worker's uniform?

"You..." I heard her say with a surprise-filled tone.

"What are you doing here?" I queried.

"I should be asking that, oh, are you the infamous Small Oga?" she asked with the shock still evident and I nodded.

"Yeah, I am."

She was taken aback, "How is that possible?"

I shrugged, "Why are you here anyway and most of all dressed in the same uniform as our workers, last I checked, you work at Starlight."

The shock reduced on her face before she replied , "I just got employed here few days back," then she lowered her voice, "I can't believe the same pervert I slapped is my boss."

I squeezed my face, "I already clarified that, I'm not a pervert, I was drunk that day okay?"

She pursed her lips before muttering, "I can't believe this."

"Anyway, why are you in my room?"

She straightened up before replying, "The chef told me you called for me."

"Wait, you're the new worker that prepared my meal?"

She bobbed her head, "Yeah, I am, are you going to fire me?"

I smiled, "No, I only wanted to know the person."

I didn't miss the surprise and relief that flashed through her face, "Why?"

"I wanted to commend the person, I enjoyed the meal and I wanted her to be my personal cook," I explained and she fluttered her lashes.

"Wow and I was here thinking you wanted to fire me."

I chuckled, "Why would I do that?"

She shrugged, "I heard you were, well, let's forget that, why do you want me as your new personal cook?" Then she added,"Sir."

The word coming from her was somehow amusing.

"Well, I enjoyed your meal that's why, you're a commendable cook."

She lifted her brows and it hinted disbelief but then I was being sincere, having a taste from the food reduced my stress when I got back from school. It didn't only quench but hunger but rather made me happy and the taste was heavenly.

"To be candid, you're a great cook," I added and she nodded.

"Thank you sir," she replied and I chuckled.

"You don't have to include that sir, I mean I'll only be few years older than you," I told her and she raised her full brows.

"Who said you're older than me?" She mumbled but it was audible enough for me to hear, then she raised her head, "You're my boss."

I shook my head, "No, I already considered you a friend before you started working here."

"But sir... don't you think it's rude?"

The person that slapped me days back wasn't this reserved and she didn't care about anything. I mean with the way she talked to me after that, it didn't present her as someone that polite or was I mistaken? So, pretending here wasn't an option.

"I insist, address me by my name, K.Y, my name is Tise if you've forgotten."

She shrugged, "Okay oo but I wouldn't want anyone chastising me if I start calling you by your name oo."

I nodded, "Don't worry about that."

"Okay, can I go then?"

I nodded and she turned to leave but didn't walk away but rather turned back, "Now, that I'm your personal cook, what will you want for dinner?"

"Anything."

She pursed her lips, "Anything like what? Is anything a food?" She stressed more on 'anything'

"I really don't have any food I'll like at the moment, so, I'll just go with whatever you prepare."

"Even though it's something you don't like."

"I'm not always picky with my food."

"Hmmm," she mumbled in disbelief, "Okay then," then she walked out of the room, just as I turned to continue my work, Tumi barged in as always.

"Gosh! I'm so pissed," she started and I shook my head before placing my laptop on the table.

"And what's making you pissed?"

She hissed before walking up to me, she pulled out a stool beside me, "Is it not that stupid Karen? It's like mummy brought her to frustrate my life," she complained and I resisted the urge to laugh.

"What did she do this time?" I looked away from the laptop.

She hissed again and faced me squarely, "Can you believe she showed up at my photoshoot today?"

I raised my brows, "She doesn't work at Starry right?" Starry was the cosmetics agency Tumi worked for as a model, she helped in advertising their skincare products. She literally forced me to use their cream and even the whole household including all the workers whom she do distribute to every month without collecting a dime.

"Yes until today, mom helped her get a job at Starry as a face model, gosh, I'm really angry, why would mummy do that when she knows how much we hate each other?" she uttered and I got annoyed too after hearing our mother was responsible.

"Obviously to please Karen," I replied before turning back to the laptop and Tumi hissed.

"Or to please her boyfriend, it's like Karen and her father are both shameless, just how many months since our dad's death and they moved into our house, mummy is something else," she complained and I found myself getting more angry, the topic was a sensitive one for me. I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing again, so, I decided to close my laptop and focus on her, I'll resume work when she leaves, not like I could even work with her presence, Tumi was always bent on disturbing me.

"Let's not talk about her boyfriend, you know how much I hate that man," I told her and she nodded.

"I hate the man too, Karen was just pissing me off throughout the shoot, it was as if I should rip out her hair," she shouted and raised her hand to demonstrate the way she wanted to rip Karen's hair and I laughed, at least, it lightened my mood.

"Just don't mind her," I told her and she nodded.

"Of course anyway, what of Clinton? I've been trying his number since."

"I should be asking you that, how will I know your boyfriend's whereabouts?"

She rolled her eyes, "Is he not your friend? I was worried, maybe he's ill or something, did he come to school today?"

"Yeah, he did and he wasn't sick."

"Why is he not picking my call then?" She whined and I scoffed.

"How will I know? Maybe Clinton is busy, he'll call you when he's free."

She hissed, "Busy to speak to his girlfriend abi."

"Tumi, I don't know, stop complaining about your relationship to me," I told her and she scoffed.

"I get that you're jealous but you're my brother now," she replied and I laughed.

"Jealous of what? My sister and my friend's relationship?" I'd become friends with Clinton due to Tumi who forced the relationship on us, she wanted her boyfriend and her brother to be good friends but then I didn't regret being friends with him even though he was more of a closer friend to my best friend, Gabby, but it was understandable, they were of the same character, both outgoing and social while I was the only introvert amongst them.

The last time I had fun was days back, now a week though, when I went to Starlight, they'd literally dragged me out that day, saying I had to enjoy life and not keep on sitting and typing away on my laptop all day or reading. I agreed that I needed to unwind time that day because thoughts of my dead father kept on plaguing my mind and the cause of his death kept on disturbing my concentration, main reason, they made me get drunk that day. Not being in my right state of mind, I'd mistakenly touched K.Y's butt, it was plainly a mistake on my side, I didn't intend to do that, even though I wasn't in the right state of mind, I wouldn't harass anyone but then she slapped me and all the anger I'd been trying to dissolve since morning ended up bursting out, main reason I confronted her.

She shook her head, "No, you're jealous because you're the only single one," Tumi's chirpy voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I turned back to the laptop, "You don't have a point."

She cackled," Yes, I do, Tise, you need to get a life."

I chuckled, "And what do I have?"

She rolled her eyes, "You know what I'm talking about, I can't believe I have a brother in 200 level who has never had a girlfriend, how absurd is that?"

"And how is that absurd?"

She shook her head, "Do you think that's normal? Tise, you're always stuck in the room either reading or writing, there's nothing called fun in your dictionary, do you know the number of girls after you and yet you're not giving them attention, the only girl I know with you is Amara and that's because she's your childhood friend but do you know she likes you?"

Here we go again with Tumi's talk. I lifted my shoulders in half shrug.

"Tumi, no one interests me yet, when I find the person, I won't hesitate to go for her."

She rolled her eyes accompanied with a hiss, "That's the same flimsy excuse you've been giving for years."

"And what's wrong with that? I'm not into this dating for fun, I catch enough fun already than toying with another person's heart."

She shook her head, "Which fun are you referring to? I can't believe my brother is a bloody nerd."

"And it's bad?"

She bobbed her head, "More than bad, you need deliverance, I mean which nineteen year old guy will utter all this gibberish?"

"Me," I pointed at my chest, "I'm still young and I have the year ahead of me, it's not like I'm getting married in the next ten years or something."

Her eyes bulged out, "You'll be twenty-nine then, so, what you're trying to say now is you won't get married until you're like forty or fifty abi?"

I shook my head, "Don't get me wrong, I'm just saying..."

She cut in, "Saying what? Ah, Tise? You're not human at all and until you regain your sanity, I won't allow you to work, " and before I could blink, she grabbed my laptop and dashed out of the room.

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