Chapter 5. Friends, lovers.

"Hmm. . . This is yummy," Nanklin admitted at the last bite of the sandwich. 

Akwa snatched the plastic container which carried a few left pieces of sandwich from Nanklin. The same sandwich made by Jason, one out of many days he had supply. Akwa loved it and this however bolsters Jason to make more of it for her, he considered it her favorite. 

"Hey madam, don't finish that. If you like it, get your boyfriend make some for you," Akwa teased. 

"Wow! See who's talking," Nanklin smiled. "You now have a boyfriend, don't you?"

Akwa froze. "No! He's not my boyfriend, I didn't say that."

"My friend," Nanklin held Akwa's chin under with two fingers. "You indirectly referred to Jason as your boyfriend. What did you think that meant? Your boyfriend made it for you so I too should get mine do it for me. Simple logic."

While Nanklin wobbled outside, Akwa paused and revolved over what she said and how possibly it actually meant what Nanklin is insinuating. After a while she was able to convince herself that it doesn't matter if the meaning was obvious, especially as she took more time savouring the momentous time with Jason on the rock surface to the full, a week ago. Which at the end of the nostalgic memories, she actually looked forward for another just like it. But for the mean time, she chew her toasted sandwich slowly, savouring every mouthful. 

"Hey, Olie," she answered a phone call. 

"Cutie, how's the day going?" Jason asked. 

"Fine, as a matter of fact, I'm desperately enjoying myself here."

"Good, keep at it. So, I forgot to tell you something earlier. I have something for you, specially for you. So can I come or you'll just pop by?"

"Uhm. . ." she wandered around. "I'll come, but only on one condition, you keep more sandwiches for me. The one you gave me this morning Nanklin ate the lion share, almost all of it."

"I can hear you!" Nanklin spoked from outside. "Sha, no wori, na beta tunda go strike u."

Jason and Akwa both laughed and after he agreeing to her terms, he ended the call. 

Akwa and Jason were sitting on the hairy rug at the center of the parlour, in his house. And as she looked forward for, she was eating sandwiches as promised by him. He had a paper and constantly restrained her from seeing the inside in as much as desperately she tried. 

"You know, it surprises me how you eat a lot," he said. "I mean, look at your size, small and slim."

She laughed with food stuck to her mouth, which little pieces of it spilled out, some to his face. 

"Oops!" She reached her hand and picked the pieces off. "Sorry. But it's not like I do that with every food, this one got something."

"Just take it easy, will you?" He added. 

She nodded still trying to ease her laughter. He then channelled his attention to the paper he held, more of a script. 

"Akwa, I wrote this for you," he said. "It's poem, not as good as Coleridge poems but this is the best I can do. I hope you like it."

"Wow!" She exclaimed. "It really means a lot, no matter what."

She kept the plate aside and prepared to hear him read it out, not just hear, but grasp every word, every meaning and tone. 

'It's dark, thick as Stygian.

Blinding, durable more than Egyptian plague. 

Fence of barriers like mountain. 

Shril cry, echoes on and back to mouthpiece.

Like UFO, angelic and star like

Luminous piercing through the darkness 

Cleansing clear with just succinctly words

Light, purpose restored. Harbinger of hope she is. 

Her deep eyes held the stars, smile enchants, cheeks well dug, forming a milky way

Mind pure, gilded in gold worth thousands of worth

Heart made of rock, fierce and persevering

It is said, love lays with beholder but you, love lays with admirer. 

Darkness succumbed to the enchanting smile 

Facsimile Aphrodite, epitome of beauty 

Beauty is her name, indeed, Belle is her.'

"That's it, the title makes it 'Belle'."

She paid attention to every line, word by word, phrase by phrase. She opened her mind and head, letting every meaning through not to miss any. At the end, she needed him not to analyze it to her, she understood clearly every bit of puzzled phrase and she was thrilled. 

"It's not as you expect it bu. . ."

"It's intense," she cut him short. "You're amazing, Olie. How smart to define me."

He chuckled in flattery, avoiding eye to eye contact with her. 

"I'm just glad you like it."

"Like? You kidding me, I love it!" She gushed and hugged him. 

He look flabbergasted, looking bemused and as well, impressed with himself for getting her so cheerful. 

"Everything about you is beautiful, so from now forward, I shall call you 'Belle', it means 'Beauty'. It's our little secret," he said after she released him. 

She avidly nodded with alacrity, going through the script by herself, specifically the last stanza of the poem. 

"Belle," she muttered, smiling. 

"I promise to only answer that name from you and you alone. Thanks Olie," she added. 

The time was few minutes past four, Jason and Akwa went out and were in a restaurant few walks to terminus. The restaurant belonged to Chika, an Igbo friend of Jason. It actually was a family business and that section of the town belonged to him. Very fancy and attractive, it also had an extension of space beyond inside the roofed settlement. Guest and even pass by people can as well sit outside, and that was where Jason and Akwa sat. He was a tremendous chef and a really good friend too. 

"Hey! You must be Miss Cute, Akwa as well," Chika offered a handshake in full gaiety.

Akwa turned and looked at Jason then shook Chika. 

"Yeah, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. . .?"

"Chika," he replied, firmly shaking up and down her hand. "The pleasure is actually mine. I've heard a lot about you from this gentleman here," he referred to Jason. "I must say, the rumor of your beauty definitely exceed expectations. Welcome to my world."

"Thank you, Chika," she appreciated generously. 

"And before I forget, say hello to our friends over there," Chika pointed from within the restaurant, where tripartite young men sat. 

"Hello!." The tripartite waved in one voice. 

"Hi!" She feigned a smile. 

Chika threw a friendly slap across Jason's shoulder and headed in, still with a grin stuck to his face. Akwa immediately pinched Jason on the arm and he slightly groaned. 

"Ouch! What did you do that for?" He asked. 

"What the hell," she waggled a fork at him. "You broadcast me everywhere. And you just sat here quiet, you didn't even said a word when that guy was all over me."

"They're cool guys, you a. . ."

"Is everything alright between you two?" Segun, one of the three friends, asked and the other two stood behind him, all simpering. 

"Yes!" Jason and Akwa in a voice, instantly stabilizing. 

"I get it, relationship thing," Sam, another interjected. 

"Quarrels are inevitable," Simon added. 

"Which is a good thing, makes relationships stronger," Chika averred, coming with a packaged box like carton, pizza was in."

"No, no, no. Nothing at all," Jason and Akwa both disagreed to all comments. 

Sam quickly reached a hand on the carton kept and Chika deftly slapped his hand off.

"Ehen, Akwa, let me introduce to you my friends," Jason said. "Segun, Sam and Simon."

She was quite noticeable of the same letter 'S' at the beginning of each of their names. And from the quizzical expression on her face, she sure needed an explanation, and they however couldn't help but notice. 

"We're the 'SSS', don't be surprise," Simon led the tour.  

"Like 'State Security Service'," she asked, looking rather more confused than first. 

"No, no, not at all," Sam replied. "Don't be afraid, he meant 'Single Still Searching'."

"So unfortunate," Segun said. "But the last part 'searching' is me, but I'm not actually searching, I'm stable, I prefer stability."

"Oh, intense," she left her mouth opened.

Sam and Simon turned and looked at Segun, completely deadpan. 

"What?" Segun protested the attention. 

"Why do you always have to be negative," Simon asked, putting a straight face. 

"Yes," Sam backed. "Without you 'searching', I 'single' will remain single and Simon here 'still' will remain still, alone for good. We need you man."

Akwa couldn't control the flood of laughter banging in her cheeks to be free. She laughed and almost fell from her seat and they all joined her laughing. 

The tripartite friends were nerds, they could turn any deaden face to humour. They grew up together from childhood and were hardly apart from each other. Their togetherness is the true definition of friendship, they always had each others back and fun been with. 

After consuming the pizza, Chika raised a glass of wine to a toast to Jason and his girlfriend Akwa, so he specifically said. After then, Jason waved round a finger in the air, a gesture of order or call for something. Instantly, Chika rushed in and was back in no time with guitar, handed it over to Sam and the rest set high their phones in the air, except for Chika, which of course, he had a camcorder. 

"What's happening, what's going on, Olie?" she asked feeling perplexed. 

"Come," Jason held her hand and stood her up. "I want to sing you a song, Belle."

She was completely taken aback, silent. She still doubt if he meant it, but seeing how perky his friends were, she realized he wasn't kidding. She only smiled, feeling rather nervous, constantly looking around watching out for people passing by. Of course, she had every reason to be unsteady, they were after all standing in an alfresco. 

"A-are you serious?" She stammered. 

He further pulled her a few steps from the table and replied, "I've always wanted to do this to the lady I love."

She was speechless, felt her lips moving but nothing, she just mouthed.

"Are you ready?" he continued, still holding her hand. "Although it's a country song, might sound old fashioned but trust me, it's great."

Cameras posed at a go. Suddenly, the sweet, soft sound brushed through Jason's ears as Sam loosely threw a finger, brushed down across the strings of the guitar, Jason took two steps backwards and raised the music from his deep bass voice, from Don Williams 'Listen to the radio'. As he went on his voice ascended, leaving his mouth open, he walked round her running his fingers across her shoulders, rubbing her chin. And she would eagerly turn and follow up her face as he rounded her, however the shyness which haunted her at first had diminished. And then, things were not as started, people stopped and gathered around, watching, video recording, taking pictures and soon, they were circled, in the midst of a little crowd. A glass cup went ping from a cling with a spoon, as a courtesy of their friends adding a beat or tone. 

Soon, the song ended and so did the fun the the audience were tapping from Jason and Akwa's moment. Just as the crowd felt let down, the sharp sound made of finger snaps from Chika whizzed through their ears and this resurrected the glamour and pizzazz in them. They however joined, ignorant of what to come next, and this made a perfect beat. And it got louder and sweeter. Jason waited for the perfect time and when it came, he raised another country song by Don Williams 'It must be love', this one, more of a dance. He waggled his shoulders left to right, up and down, making a rhyme move with the mimed song. After a short while, Akwa's shoulders started moving as well, practically the same as Jason's, and it never stopped, went on and on and that became a dance floor for the two. And soon, it became not just for two, but a free floor for anybody feeling the rhythm, and who could feel their bones quite well. 

"Segun," Simon whispered as the excitement was going on. "People are adding up, we should bring a container so that they will drop money for the promotion of this young couple, what do say?"

"Lunkhead!" Segun brushed him a slap on the head. 

Soon, the whole songs and dance thing was over, and the crowd started fading, suddenly, a sound of 'kiss' was heard from the little remaining crowd and turning, it was Chika, and he kept to it. 

"Kiss! Kiss!! Kiss!!!" The crowd joined up once more, and soon a gaggle. 

The two looked helpless as they hesitated, urges and cheer coming from their friends with still mobile phones held up. 

"No, no, no," Jason waggled a finger in the air. 

Akwa stood quiet, smiling aimlessly but paranoid if really Jason agreed to it, but she definitely hoped he maintains his ground and say 'no' to it. And as she hoped, he stood firm to his say and soon it was all over, almost like he read her mind. 

Chika had a car, a Peugeot 406. He after the 'after evening till night fun' at a round table drove Jason and Akwa to school first, to drop her off. 

"Why didn't you kiss me?" she asked, just after they two came down from the car.

"Because I know it was the right thing to do," he sad. "I swore not to take advantage of a woman no matter how weak and helpless they might be, ever again."

She further hugged him and they embraced passionately then she waved bye to Chika in the car and walked away. He howbeit hesitated entering back in the car and stood to watch her leave. Suddenly she stopped, turned and walked back to him. She pecked him, placing a palm on the other side of his cheek. 

"Thank you for everything, Olie, thank you 3000," she appreciated and headed to the hostels, for good this time. 

"Goodnight Belle," he muttered under his breath as she faded from his sight. 

"Keep her close man, she's great," Chika urged at Jason's arrival back in the car. 

"Yeah, of course. I definitely will," he nodded. 

"Don't worry, I recorded everything, I will make sure it's well edited, plus I will collect the ones from the 'SSS' too."