Yobanna called her that evening, telling her about a big business summit he was attending and he needed a plus one badly

"Please Ebere, don't turn me down" he pleaded over the phone.

Ebere felt her palm going sweaty, her voice suddenly frail, a big business summit meant a lot of people and that equaled to more eyes and that was her fear. She was scared already.

"Please na" He pleaded again and somehow she had found herself saying yes

And that was why she was in some red dress that Gift had picked out of her closet, dolled her up in way she couldn't recognize herself.

She looked at the mirror and she knew, she knew she was just really different.

"Don't you like your face, is the makeup too much?" Gift asked wondering why her friend didn't look so pleased.

"I'm just surprised" Ebere mumbled.

"You look beautiful Ebere, trust me"

And so Ebere found herself walking downstairs to meet Yobanna and her mum who was sitting on the same couch.

The way their eyes moved slowly to her was surprisingly funny. They looked dumbfounded especially Yobanna who was donning some black suit, looking clean as ever.

"You look beautiful" Her mum complimented her. They weren't totally cool, but accepting to be Yobanna's date was a step.

And then the you are beautiful kept flying around when Amanda came in and somehow she felt confident.

Confident until she got to the hall and it dropped really quick to zero. The women here, they looked too classy, too posh, too clean and somehow they made Ebere appear plain.

Ebere found herself sulking around, maybe she should have declined and stayed at home, she had never liked such gatherings anyway.

She played with her fingers for a while, she was jittery.

"Are you okay? You haven't said a word since we got here? "Yobanna whisper close to her. After introducing her to some people who Ebere didn't look they looked at her. She had been quiet at the table, listening to the man who was talking about some agriculture stuff and then he called a huge sum of money and everyone clapped.

She wasn't even paying attention.

"I'm fine" She sipped wine from her glass to make get less jittery.

She didn't want to look around too much,it was enough that she looked plain compared to this people in really expensive dresses, flawless skins and beautiful bodies that they flaunted.

It was all going well until a girl came to seat beside Yobanna, hugging him and all that. Totally ignoring her, there was nothing surprising there.

"I've missed you so much, i haven't seen you since forever and God, I've missed you"She said in an high pitched voice.

She was wearing this peach gown that hugged every single curve she possessed, glaring right at every one.

"I've missed you too" He was grinning.

"So when did you come back?"

"Recently, let's say two weeks ago"He responded

" And you didn't even look for me"

And then she turned to Ebere, analysed her, Ebere had never felt so naked  under some ones gaze. Like the girl was analysing her, from her hair down to the sole of her feet.

"Simi meet Ebere my date and Ebere meet Simi, my friend at the university"

There was a handshake. The kind that looked forced and Ebere just knew she didn't like the girl and she didn't know if it was her brain but she actually heard the girl saying

"Since when did you start following flat girls? This one no work"

But Ebere shut out her voice, making her way round the crowd of people that were on their feets down,there was a stand for small chops and though she was not hungry, she felt like going away, away from the eyes of people like Simi.

She picked a champagne flute from one of the waiters and just when she was sipping peacefully. She noticed a presence beside her.

She looked beautiful was all that registered on his brain. He had seen her walking in with some dude, looking all dolled up, all pretty in the blue dress and somehow he was in a blue suit too and they looked like a couple.

"Hey" He finally told her and watched how her eyes went wide, she nearly choked on her drink, she coughed for a while. Thank God the part where they stood was a little dark and away from the sight of people.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I came for a business summit,I'm representing my dad, what about you?"He asked.

" I came with someone"She mumbled in response.

She took a swipe around the hall and like she predicted in her mind, Hadiza was his date.

"I don't think you should be standing here with me,you should go to your date." She smiled

" Don't do that Ebere"

" What?"

"Push me away"He replied in a really low voice

None of them said a word to each other,they just stood there, looking at each other.

"Is he your boyfriend?" He asked

She didn't respond. She kept the glass on the table and was making her way outside the building and the stubborn fly followed her.

"What do you want from me?" She stopped in her tracks and faced him, they stood inches away and her breath hitched.

His colonge was messing with her brain and he wasn't stepping away from her. They were locking eyes somehow and they were in the middle of cars.

"I want you Ebere, I want you" He murmured like a child.

"Why, why me? Don't you have a fiancee, don't you?,do you enjoy toying with my feelings,do you?"

He saw how she moved away from him and he wanted badly to hug her to himself. He had seen her many times with her natural looks, rocking some jeans and shirt but she looked so hot right now. He wanted to cup her cheeks and ..

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She snapped him out of his thoughts

"I can't help it"

She scoffed.

"I need to go back to my date"

"Ebere?"

Ebere took her eyes off the blue eyes human and focused on the figure behind who was looking worried.

With one last look, she left Muhammad standing there and walked to him.

***
They had gone for a date, herself and Yobanna,both of them reminiscing over the past and laughing occasionally.

When he had dropped her in front of her house that night,she wasn't expecting him to lean in for a kiss.

But she stopped him.

And he smirked.

"There's another nigga right?" He asked. She didn't respond.

"The nigga at the party, you like him right."

"Its not about another nigga,I just want to get you cleared, I don't want to keep leading you on, nothing can ever happen between us"Ebere told him plainly.

" And you are a player,I don't think am ready for that" she added

"Ouch"he touched his chest dramatically "I feel broken right now."

"So I'm late" He asked

"I guess" She mumbled under her breath.

"But we can still remain friends right?"

She nodded

" I really hope he makes you happy"He said sincerely

And that night when she laid on her bed. She felt some what relived she had cleared some air.

***