It seemed I had just saved her from her confusion as my eyes focused on her gait towards me. She let out a broad smile, revealing her puffed-up cheeks with bilateral dimples. I adjusted and sat properly, discarding my friends who had begun to whistle gently, knowing fully well what my intention was. "Thank you for the seat." The dashing lady said that this time her white set of teeth practically mesmerized me.
"With all pleasure, Mademoiselle. I don't mind keeping a seat for you during every lecture." I replied, chuckling as I sat next to her. I watched as she smiled and bent her head a little down, probably shyly. "I'm Greg; may I know your name?" I said it in low whispers as the class gradually resumed its noise.
"I'm Catherine; you can call me Kate." She replied yet again with a smile. The lecturer walked in at that moment, causing us to suspend further conversations. All through the 40-minute class, my consciousness was with Kate; her scent and presence continually mesmerized my thoughts. The class seemed to take longer than normal, as I hastily desired to continue my conversation with Kate. After like an eternity, the lecturer stepped out of the class, and rather than leave the class like most of my colleagues, I stayed back to engage Kate further.
"Can I steal a moment of your time?" I asked with a smile.
"Well, I'm not much in a haste; you can shoot." Kate replied.
"Alright, thank you. I like your charisma, and I'm being frank. Can I take you out sometime?"
"Aren't you being too hasty?" Kate teased.
"I'm not a man to let a beautiful damsel pass by me."
"Really?"
"Of course, yes!"
"Well, if you insist, I hope you're man enough."
"Come on, don't look down on my stature. I'm sure I'll beat your expectations a hundredfold."
"Very well then, let's meet at Sinclair restaurant this Saturday; is 7 p.m. fine by you?"
"I can't wait, my ravishing angel." I replied, standing up to lead her out of the classroom.
That same night, which was on a Thursday, I disclosed to Kelvin and Max what transpired between Kate and me.
"Don't you think you're being too forward? You barely met her, and you're falling for a dinner trap." Max said.
"Just say you're jealous; she didn't look in your direction." I retorted sharply.
"Oh... Don't be angry, Mr. Lover boy. Have you been to Sinclair before? I hear it's pretty expensive." Kelvin advised.
"He's a man; let him be." Max interrupted once again.
I ignored both of them, changed the topic, and had our dinners. That very night, I spent most of my time chatting up Kate via WhatsApp. I was struck by love, and all my brain understood was Kate.
I saw Kate the next day during lectures. She actually resumed later than the rest of us, as her admission clicked late. I willingly released my lecture notes to her and readily became her pilot in school, keeping her to her feet as much as I could.
I got to Sinclair restaurant some minutes before 7 p.m. It was my first time entering the restaurant. The parking lot had numerous Vogue cars as I walked past them on foot. I felt out of place, like a fish out of the water. Thankfully, my dressing was a simple vintage shirt on a black pants trouser, one I could boast of being a little classy. I walked up to an empty seat under a dim blue light. The menu was brought to me, and immediately I saw the rates. I was pickled. The air conditioner seemed to have developed a fault as sweat hastily settled on my forehead, threatening to fall to the artificial green carpet grass right under my feet. I cleaned my forehead with the palm of my right hand and gently stood up, making my way to the exit. All my brain could do was plan my escape from Sinclair.
"Holla! See who we have here? You don't look bad." Kate said excitedly, spreading out her arms for a hug, which I took like a child that had just been chastised by the mother.
"You look breath-taking, Kate." I feigned a smile as I complimented her.
"Thank you, darling, shall we?" Kate said as she gestured back to the only available space, which was where I stood up. Once again, I was back in my tight spot. The menu I left on the table stared lazily at me.
"So, what do you care for?" I asked as I handed over the menu to her. I was determined to take only water. Going for what I saw on the menu was tantamount to a quarter of my tuition; meanwhile, all I had in my account was about ₦15, 000. Immediately, I chatted with Kelvin on WhatsApp, knowing fully well that Max would only mock me. "I'm in a mess; bail men out with ₦10, 000; at least else I will wash plates till tomorrow." The one minute delay before Kelvin responded with a laughter emoji was like a one-hour wait.
Thankfully, Kelvin wired the money into my account, and I made an order of mixed jollof and fried rice with fish. The excitement I had for the dinner quickly dissipated, and Kate ended up bringing up topics for discussion as my countenance clearly showed something was amiss, which I declined to disclose to her. I felt practically robbed when I paid the $23,000 bill after dinner. I flagged down a taxi that took Kate to her hostel with the balance of ₦2,000 while I trekked back to campus, which was about a 25-minute walk. All along the way to my hostel, I grumbled, and by the time I got to my hostel some minutes before 10 p.m., my stomach rumbled.
Kelvin and Max surely waited to laugh at me when I reached the hostel. My friendship with Kate continued after that dinner but not as excited as i thought it'll be from the onset. I stayed alert and cautious so as not to get myself into expenses I could not afford.