I woke up with a smile the next morning. Even though Fareedah had said she found it difficult to open up and talk about her feelings, she had unconsciously done that. I knew we had gone back to being 'just friends' and I was fine with that. In addition to my already good day, it was announced in the class group chat that the class we had that day had been cancelled. I was very high spirited when I walked into her sitting room, and even higher spirited when I saw she was already seated there.

She smiled widely when she saw me. "Had a nice night?"

I nodded with a wide smile, I'm sure she worried my mouth was going to rip apart. "You?"

She nodded as she got up, dropping the little canvas she had in her hand. I smiled to myself when I saw she was painting, it was yellow lily. She had gone far, and seemed like she was only touching up on something. "Follow me to the kitchen please, do not look at the painting," she said as she walked away, causing me to quickly pull away and follow her. "What do you want to eat?"

I smiled. "I am no longer a visitor here, really."

"I am trying to atone for my wrongs."

"You kind of have," I told her.

"Really?"

I nodded.

She smiled as she grabbed a bowl to make cereal for herself, while I did same. We both sat to a bowl of cereal, in comfortable silence.

"So, do you have class today?" she asked when she was done, getting up to go wash her plate.

I shook my head then replied, "No. Completely free, so I would most likely stay in my hostel and sleep for most of the day."

She chuckled a bit as she wiped her bowl, while I got up to go wash mine. My hands brushed her, which made me very conscious as I moved farther from her a bit. "That is sure one way to spend the day."

I nodded with a smile and made my way to leave the kitchen, when she suddenly said, "Want to go on a sudden full day hangout?"

I turned to look at her abruptly. "Uh?"

She smiled warmly as she said, "I mean we could spend the day hanging out, I have no plans on going to class today." She looked away from me as she walked out of the kitchen, going on with what she was saying without turning back to check if I was behind her. "We could go for a walk, ice-cream and then finish up with a movie. I have been dying to go to EbonyLife place cinema," she began rambling. "I heard that it is very comfy and relaxing, and I have also been dying to step out of this house, just a walk would be fine even." She turned to me abruptly. "Or do you not like movies? Then we could try something else. I didn't even ask you what you like, I just went on talking and talk..."

"Breath," I unexpectedly said, causing her to actually breath.

Her face fell as she asked, "Am I trying too much?"

I nodded with a gentle smile. "A bit," I replied. "But, I do enjoy the movies," I told her. "I love the entire plan you have sort of laid out. We can go for a walk, the movies, some ice-cream. Whatever pattern or arrangement you want it, I'm not an outing and consistent hangout person, so I do not know what to do in an entire day. If it was left to me, I'd say we say in and sleep. Maybe watch a movie or two."

Fareedah chuckled as she rested her weight on the wall, her legs crossed, and arm folded.

She looked attractive posed the way she was, I wasn't going to deny, so I did the wise thing and looked away from her. "The only time I ever really go out is when I go on walks with Inoma. And the sometimes I go on movie and ice-cream dates with my friends."

"And you enjoy them?"

I nodded. "For me, outing is all about the people I am out with. Other things are secondary and barely affect it."

She smiled. "Let's get dressed and head out then," she said enthusiastically, picking the canvas she had been painting on as she skipped to her room.

"We'd have to go to my hostel first. I didn't bring anything along with me."

"It's no problem, you'd use my properties like you used to," she replied, "and the toiletries I got for you are still in the bathroom of your room. If you need anything, I can tell security to get it for you."

I chuckled at the lame joke I was about to say. "Who is going to secure you then?"

Fareedah smiled. "You."

"You are putting your eggs in the wrong basket, I am no fighter," I told her.

"Security is in the person," she replied, "Time waits for man." She didn't wait for me to say anything as she quickly walked off to her room.

I couldn't help the wide smile my lips spread into, my entire body heating up as I walked to my room. I had to keep reminding myself that, she still was a ticking bomb and would explode after any kiss or intimacy.

I got ready quickly, slipping into a crop top and cargo pants I had left in her place during one of my many sleep overs. Fareedah was also dressed and ready in a long bodycon gown, her hair packed in a simple puff. "Are you set?" she asked as she moved her denim jacket from her right arm to her left, hanging it there.

I nodded. "Set."

"Let's go," she said with a wide smile as she stepped out, while I follow behind.

We used another Benz, which was smaller than the one she uses to school. It was new, I hadn't seen it before. The inside even seemed new. "Did you just get this?" I asked her as I sat down, looking around the car.

She nodded, "One of sisters gave it to me. She said she got it as a gift, but didn't know what to do with it, so she came to park it here and told me it was mine."

I chuckled to myself. 'Rich people problem', I thought to myself, smiling.

****

We first when to a park. Luckily for us, it wasn't a sunny day, it was more of a breezy day. If it had been a sunny day, I knew we were both going to hate ourselves after a couple of minutes.

It was like killing two birds with one stone. We had seen an ice-cream stand at the park. There was a bit of a queue when we got there, but the queue was gone in no time at all. I got a strawberry and vanilla flavoured ice-cream, while Fareedah got mint chocolate. I gave her a nasty look at we sat down on a bench. "What is it?" she asked with a chuckle.

"That thing is nasty," I told her. "It tastes like toothpaste. What is there to enjoy in it?"

She laughed. "So, you are one of the many Mint-Choco haters."

"It isn't about hating it. It is about saying the truth."

She smiled, taking a but from her ice-cream before she replied, "It is like fresh air. It is a comfort taste for me. It tastes nice to me, that aside, but it is like a taste that brings me comfort. It is like walking out of your house on a dewy morning, everywhere is still fresh, not yet corrupted by humans." She gave a further explanation.

I nodded in understanding, licking my ice-cream in silence. Just then, some walked by with their dog, causing Fareedah to sigh. "What's wrong?" I asked, not looking up at her as I was way too invested in my ice-cream.

"I've always wanted a dog, and..."

I didn't let her finish as I abruptly looked up. "Ehn?"

"I said, I always wanted a dog."

I shook my head. "Mba, mba, mba."

"Why?" she asked confused, spreading her hands out after she dropped her ice-cream in the bench.

"Me I don't like dogs oh," I told her honestly. "In fact, I am very afraid of them. If I see one come my way, I would go the other way oh."

She frowned a bit, while smiling a smile of confusion as she asked, "Why? Have you been bitten by one?"

I shook my head. "But, almost."

She chuckled. "Let's hear the story."

I sighed, dropping my ice-cream down on the bench while Fareedah picked hers up. "This is about to be so embarrassing," I said as I used my hand to cover my face, earning a chuckle from Fareedah.

"I can't possibly be that bad," she said with yet another chuckle.

I removed from my hand from my face. "Okay, I have always sort of been scared of dogs. There is a compound close to mine that had a dog when I was growing up, and I had a classmate who stayed there. He'd always come around and tell us of how the dog did this and that, or how it hit someone and there was a possibility of the person getting rabies. All the constant story and possible exaggeration led to me developing a subconscious fear for them. As if that wasn't enough, when I had gone to visit my friend one day. We had thought the dog was locked in her cage, only for me to be half way to my friend's dog when I heard his shout 'hey, get back'. When I turned back, it was the dog. She was about to take a big chop from my legs. Ever since then, I just found it hard to be in the same space as dogs. It just wasn't for me at all."

Fareedah smiled. "You can't possibly use one dog to judge all dogs," she said with a smile. "There are dogs that won't bark. Parlor dogs are usually very meek and calm."

I shook my head. "I no gree."

"Maybe when I get one, you'd..."

"Ehn? Mba biko. You won't see me in your house again," I said to her, picking up my ice cream as crossed my legs.

Fareedah chuckled. "We shall see."

"We better not oh. Biko."

Fareedah laughed, leaning back a bit as she stretched her legs out. Her laughter was like music to my ears, it was a sound I never got tired of hearing. If possible, I'd make her laugh every second of the day.

We began to talk about random topics, occasionally talking about something someone who walked by did or behaved and relating it to ourselves. In a way, it was helping us get to know each other better.

We had finished talking about perfumes, as I watched her talk extensively about how she had a passion for them. I knew she smelt good, but all this while I thought it was only perfume, apparently, they are different. But they all had the same flowery scent to them. Done talking Fareedah stretched out her right hand out to look at her watch, checking the time. "Oh, it is time to go to our next venue," she said with a very wide smile as she jumped up from the bench, dusting herself up as she picked her ice cream cup. "Let's go, let's go. It is quite the trip from here to the island."

"What are we doing on the island?" I asked as I picked my cup also, getting up to follow her as she had begun to walk away.

"I want to be mysterious so bad right now and say you will find out when we get there," she chuckled, "but we are only going to the movies. It is the last event I have planned for today."

I honestly can't remember when last I went to the cinema to watch a movie, alone or with friends. I couldn't help the wide smile my lips spread into as we both dropped our cups in the bin, while I hopped happily beside Fareedah. "Really?" I asked, calming down as I unintentionally wrapped my arm around hers, leaning on her a bit.

She chuckled as she nodded, turning to look at me. "You like the movies that much?" she asked as she kept her cool, arcing her arm so our arms fit perfectly as we walked to her car.

"I can't really say now, but I guess it is because I haven't been to the movies in a long time," I replied, "and I have a really good memory with it. So, I hope this one reminds me well of how it is like."

Fareedah unlocked the car so we could get in as she said, "I bet you will really like it here. I have been there a couple of time alone, and it is honestly awesome."

I smiled as I leaned on the window, looking at the sky that had begin to darken, listening to the slow tunes that was coming from the radio as I slowly began to drift into a slumber.

I was woken up by Fareedah's gentle rubs against my upper arm. "We have gotten here," she said with a gentle smile when my eyes opened.

I could have gotten into a serious argument on how I had been awake only some seconds ago, so how was it that I was waking up from what seemed like an unconsciousness. I was conscious seconds ago. "Uh?" I stupidly asked as I looked at Fareedah confused, sitting up.

Fareedah chuckled before she replied, "We have gotten there. You must be tired," she added, "would you rather lodge?"

I shook my head, shaking my head and blinking my eyes as the excitement of before began to creep back in. "Let's do this," I said, pumped up as I made a fist and shot it to the air.

Fareedah chuckled as she got down from the car, causing me to do same as she slipped on her denim jacket. 'EBONYLIFE PLACE' was lit up on the building, announcing where we were. I followed Fareedah, letting her lead us to where we were going. I couldn't help letting about a gasp when I saw that the lift transparent glass. "We can see through," I said to Fareedah.

"First time here, uh?"

I nodded.

"You haven't even seen pictures online?"

I shook my head. "First time ever being here."

"Wow, I thought they were popular for their comfort."

I shook my head again, following Fareedah as she got out of the lift. She ordered popcorn for us, picking a movie after I told her I don't mind whatever we watched, and got blankets for the both of us. Fareedah quickly dragged me to the couple chair that was at the back of the cinema. I honestly wondered why she did something like that, when it was obvious, we still had to keep some sort of space between us. But I didn't complain and sat there.

I had become engrossed in the movie and was really loving where it was going, when Fareedah suddenly wrapped her hands around right arm, leaning into me. The cinema that was extremely cold became so hot, it was almost like I should pull my clothes. My heart began to beat so fast, I thought it was going to burst out of me. I wanted to tell her to let me go, but then she leaned in and whispered, "They chemistry is do good, I want what they have." The fact that I wondered how that was any of my business could not be denied, but I know I was also glad she told me that. Her soft and low voice speaking straight into my ear, was like sending signal to the whole of my body. In that split second I lost all my sense, I wanted to run from beside her. But all I could was freeze as I started straight at the movie, hoping it came to an end as soon as possible.

A/N

Hello,

I want to apologize for how long it took to finally update this chapter. I became really busy with school, which left me with little to no time to type. I want to really appreciate the readers who reached out and those who kept commenting. No, I did not forget you all, and will not be abandoning this books for any reason. No matter what, I will be finishing this book. Be rest assured. I also appreciate your patience, even though I am not updating consistently.

EBUN.