Silent Seduction (09)

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Cos if I want you
And I want you babe
Ain't going backwards
Won't ask for space
Cos space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too
Close...
Nick Jonas (Close)
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It was pretty awkward being amidst a family when they were having a fight. Tori couldn't even concentrate on the soap opera on the TV because of the tenseness in the room. Everybody in the sitting room has a couch to him/herself with different thoughts on each minds and their eyes sternly fixed to the screen of the big flat screen TV.
She had been so bored that she had completely surveyed the sitting room like ten times and when she realised there was nothing new to see, she had had her gaze fixed on the TV screen.
Tori glanced at Tobi at intervals and not once did he relax the frown masking is face a bit. Whatever his mum had said really put him in a bad shape. Tori couldn't help wondering what his dad had to do that the mentioning of his name stirs so much anger.
His mum had this 'I shouldn't have told him' look on her face. Weirdly, Tori used the opportunity to assess his mum's feature. She was pretty young to be Tobi's mum. In looks, she could easily pass for his elder sister. With her petite and miniature stature nobody would argue with her if she claims someone in her early thirties.
At what age did she even have Tobi?
And sitting quietly directly opposite Tobi was Tife. Tori could see the confusion in her eyes. It was obvious she had no idea what was going on between her mum and her brother. She seemed rather lost.
Tori could sense their wish in the atmosphere. The only wish those three had going through their minds that ryhmed was for her to leave.
Of course, she would be glad to leave. She was actually the one tormented by the silence. She was the one who was most uncomfortable in this situation but there was nothing she could do. The rain has refused to stop and she had to sit with her buttocks glued to the seat and watch her host-family give one another the silent treatment.
The worst part of it was, she had something stuck in her throat and she couldn't even cough it out because she thought she was going to draw unnecessary attention to herself and that would be very bad. So all she did was swallow the saliva to avoid coughing.
She raised her gaze to the big wall clock on the wall and the time read 8:45
'It's getting late already. You should get going.' Tobi said rising. Tori could sense the urgency in his voice and she just stood up without saying anything about the rain which seemed to have become more aggressive. She stood up like a wooden toy that just had its strings pulled.
'But it's still raining...' His mum protested.
'I know.' He half shouted. 'That's why I'm going to drive her home.' He closed his eyes as he tried to control his anger. Graping the car key on the centre table, he walked out with Tori trotting silently behind him. Tori said her goodbyes to the females in the house who in turn reply her with faked smiles after which Tife rose and followed them. She went straight to opening the gate and she waited to close it after they were gone.
The first thing Tori did was cough when she got outside then let her lungs inhale a whole amount of moist oxygen. Rain fell on her nose and trickled down her chin in the process. Tobi was already inside the car by the time she was done. Noticing this, she ran to sit on the passenger's seat beside him. She didn't want to aggravate his anger.
Tori waved at Tife as they went past her through the gate. She looked back to see her close the gate. It was a better view compared to this stone cold guy sitting beside her.
'You didn't even ask where I was staying.' Tori tried to start a conversation.
'Where are you staying?' He concentrated on the road as he asked rather too straightforward.
She told him. And they drove in silence again. For minutes.
Until Tori tried her luck again.
'So...' She had no idea what to say. She just let the 'so' trailed off expevting him to add something which he oddly didn't do.
Tori didn't know why she cared if he talked or not. Amazingly, she was missing his egoistical talks and cockiness. She felt like a fool after saying that two letter word which ended up being meaningless. She made up her mind not to say a word again.
'So....'
She was talking again!
Is her mouth dumb or something?
'...do you want to talk about it?' She completed it this time and it sounded so wrong she fought the idea of shutting her eyes in disgrace.
'You are much of a talkative for someone who was only heartbroken yesterday.' He said and the frown on his face seemed to have vanished. He had this expressionless face which was all on the road.
'Well, I wouldn't say I'm happy. But the truth is, I'm not sad about it. It had been a while since I already thought we weren't together anymore. Yesterday just summed my doubts all up. Besides, there are a few number of people I have to be strong for and dwelling in the past and finding it difficult to move on is a sign of weakness which would be against my proclaimed strenght.' She said those words as if she memorised it. Staring blankly at the road. 'I'm not letting anything or anybody drag me down. It's my new motto. To not be drag down during difficult times because no one would pull me up when I refuse to get up. ' She added looking at him.
He had been staring at her while she was saying her thoughts. The smile and look of a proud a motherhen on his face. Even though the look made her feel odd, she was proud too.
Proud she made him smile.
He looked away the moment he saw she was back to staring at him.
'But don't you think 'To not be dragged down during difficult times because no one will help me up when I refuse to get up' is kinda too long for a motto. Using the initials alone would add up to 18 letters or so. TNBDDDD.... Who does that?'
Tori didn't know bringing him back to being himself really has to start with him using her as a victim of his words.
'Like you have a better idea.' She scoffed looking out the window in faked annoyance.
'I do. Emperor Tobi to the rescue. To be happy is simply the summary.'
Surprisingly he made sense.
For the first time though.
'Just TBH'
Tori was silent as she thought about what he said.
'I'm happy for you on your new found confidence. Congrats. That means you wouldn't have to cry me to sleep anymore.'
'Seriously? I was only sniffing when I called you. You shouldn't make things up.'
'I don't make things up. You must have cried so bad your sniffing sounded so much like weeping then.'
'Enough about me crying. Do you want to talk about what happened back at your home?'
The silence told her he doesn't want to.
'You can cry on my shoulder if you want to. I have a big hankie here too and I won't mind giving it to you if you'll need it.'
'Well, I don't want to talk about it.' He was back to being expressionless.
'I told you about my relationship with Richard when you asked me to. That's like my greatest secret. Why are you being secretive? I thought we had a secrecy club!'
'I didn't push you to tell me. You told me because you needed to talk to someone about it.'
'So, what you are saying is, you don't need to talk to anyone about it?'
He hesitated for a while.
'No.' He finally said 'and if you don't mind I want to focus on driving.'
'Are you indirectly shutting me up?'
'I'm not shutting you up. I'm just asking you to stop talking.'
'That is a fancy statement for shut up.'
'I am ASKING you! not COMMANDING you! 'Shut up' is a command.'
'Now you are bragging you know grammar...'
'Really? Fine you win, you can talk me to death!'
Tori smiled and looked out the window to hide her smile.
She was almost home.
'You'd turn at this junction.' She directed, pointing.
A few minutes and they were in front of her place.
'Thanks for the ride.' She said smiling when she stepped out closing the door after her. She walked to the door of her appartment a little bit wet as the rain slightly drenched her. She tried to unlock the door but the key won't even pass through the lock. She tried it again and it was obvious the lock had been changed. She was going to try putting the key inside the lock again when she sighted her stuffs on the ground beside the door. Her eyes trailed to some of her stuffs littered on the ground all dirty and muddy showing how heavily they had been battered by the rain.
She had been evicted without notice.
She folded her arms across her chest as she leaned against the door. Depressed.
This was more than a disaster. She had her things thrown out while it was raining and it was late yet she has nowhere to stay.
She was depressed. So depressed she didn't want to pack the stuffs littered on the ground as rain battered them the more.
Even if she did pack them, where would she go?
'You surely are someone who doesn't stick to your own vows, aren't you?' It was Tobi's voice. She turned around and he was standing behind her. Hand's in pants pockets.
'What happened to 'To not be dragged down during difficult times because no one will help me up when I refuse to get up?'
Tori couldn't utter a word as he shook his head then bent down to pick her wet luggage and bag. She watched as he packed her littered stuff into one of the polythene bag on the ground then made abruptly for his car. She watched him dropped everything in the trunk of his car and clap the sand off his hand after shutting the truck.
'What are you doing?' She asked, looking down at her feet as she came towards him.
You don't need a soothsayer to tell you how embarrassed she was.
'My mum and sis would be glad you'd be staying with us now.'
He said then entered the car and started the engine pretending he didn't see her stay rooted to a spot.

©FIYAH