Chapter 10

It has been 10 days since my last date with Marcus but who is counting? Certainly not me. Anyway we have been texting almost every day and sometimes we vedio call. I feel like I know so much about him in the short period we have known each other. We haven't met again because he has been extremely busy with his new hotel which I understand. It's very weird that I don't even know the name of his hotel and I'll have to ask him the next time I see him.

He has invited me to his place several times but I always declined the invitation. I don't go to my male friend's houses if we are not dating. I just don't like the unnecessary drama. Men will always be men so I try as much as possible to avoid any drama that doesn't concern me. So we agreed to go Nairobi national park instead which is convenient for both of us.

I am super excited to see him again. I have to admit that I have been daydreaming about him a lot and it's time to make some new memories together. But that is until tomorrow, today I have lunch with my friend Kevin from work.

We always meet every Wednesday for lunch to catch up. We work in the same hospital but we rarely see each other because we are on different shifts and in different departments. I work in the laboratory and he works in pediatrics. Our schedules are usually hectic so we decided on one day a week which we both have to make sure we are free.

I get to Havana hotel and I spot him seating at our usual table. I take a seat opposite him.

" Sasa Zee" he greets me. ( Hi Zee)

" Poa sana Kev" I respond ( am good Kev)

" I have already ordered you favorite , chips masala with chicken"
He says feeling so proud of himself. I just smile.

" Thanks. How have you been?"

" Am okay but Maria is stressing me out"

Maria is Kevin's girlfriend. They have been dating since college. She studied hotel management. Among all our friends ,they have been dating the longest and we hope that they will finally tie th knot .

" Why? What's wrong?"

" She has been partying like crazy, almost every single day"

He does seem stressed out. I feel bad for him.

" Have you talked to her" I ask very concerned.

" Yea I tried but she won't listen to me. She's best friends with a new girl at work and they have been going out together"

" Maybe she's doesn't want this girl to be lonely"

" I don't like this Zee, what about me? Am lonely too. I rarely see her. It's like we are just roommates"

I can see that he is frustrated. He keeps rubbing his forehead, his tell to know that he is stressed. Maria has always been a wild card since I have known her while Kevin is cool, collected and reserved. They are complete opposites but somehow they make it work. Opposites attract I guess.

" Tell her about your concerns and then give her time. It's probably influence from her new friend and she doesn't want to look boring"

" Yea I thought so too but she's too old for peer pressure. She's a grown woman damn it!"

" Kev peer pressure doesn't have an age limit. The more you press her about this ,the more she'll want to do the opposite of what you want"

" Okay," he agrees but doesn't seem convinced at all.

Our food arrive and we just dig in. We order soda after to wash down the food. It's a tradition.

" So a little bird told me your dating a white guy"

I know who told him. Zuri needs to learn to keep her big mouth shut. It seems like she is telling everyone who can listen about my life. Doesn't she have other things to worry about?

" I am not dating him. We are friends". I say too quickly.

" Oh yea, am sure he wants you to be just friends" he says sarcastically, making sure to put the word friends in quotes.

" I don't know what he wants. We have not talked about it yet."

" I know you Zee ,you will stop it before it begins. Whatever that is. It sounds like you like him, so just give him a chance and see where things go"

"Yea I want that too"

" Good ,it seems that white guys are your type" he winks at me.

" Aaarggh just let it go. And stop discussing my love life with Zuri"

" You know we love you, that is why we talk about you"

" Yea yea" I say rolling my eyes.

" Anyway ,I just want you to be happy and it's high time someone made you happy because you deserve it."

" I want that too. And as for you ,give Maria some space and she'll come around on her own"

We finish our sodas ,pay the bill and promise to see each other next week.