Writers 
Chapter 6
I dreamed about Noami that morning.
It was the kind of dream I didn't want to think about too much after waking up. I couldn't even tell if I had actually wanted to dream about her or if my brain had simply decided to embarrass me for no reason.
There was also a certain Melanie with brown eyes somewhere in the mess of it.
I didn't understand it.
Lately, I didn't understand a lot of things.
I was still trying to make sense of the dream when I heard a soft knock on my door.
"Christopher?"
My eyes widened.
It was Noami.
I sat up quickly, suddenly very aware of myself. Then I looked down and immediately regretted it.
"Shit."
I grabbed my bedsheet and pulled it over myself.
Another knock came.
"Christopher, are you awake?"
"Yeah," I answered quickly.
My voice sounded strange.
I waited a few seconds, hoping she would leave, but instead I heard her shift outside the door.
"I need to talk to you."
Great.
I glanced around my room before slowly getting out of bed and making sure I was decent enough to open the door.
When I finally did, I kept myself partly behind it.
Noami stood there in a simple house dress, her hair pulled back loosely. She looked fresh, unlike me.
Her eyes moved over my face.
Then she smiled.
I forced an awkward smile back.
We were standing quite close.
And I hadn't even brushed my teeth.
I suddenly became painfully aware of that.
Noami didn't seem to notice, though.
"We ran out of eggs," she said. "I wanted to prepare egg sauce for lunch later, but Nathan is out. Could you accompany me to the supermarket?"
"Hmm."
I nodded.
She tilted her head slightly.
"That's your answer?"
I swallowed.
"Yeah. I'll come."
"Okay."
She started walking away, then looked back at me.
"Freshen up first."
My heart skipped for absolutely no reason.
"Okay."
She left.
I shut the door and leaned against it.
What was wrong with me?
I rubbed my face.
"Jesus."
I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face, changed into something decent and headed downstairs.
By the time I got outside, Noami was already waiting beside the car.
She looked at me.
"Finally."
"I wasn't that long."
"You took your time."
I opened the passenger door, but she shook her head.
"I'm driving."
"Oh."
I moved to the other side and got in.
The drive to the supermarket was quiet at first.
I stared out the window, trying not to think about the dream.
Or Noami.
Mostly Noami.
I sighed quietly.
Why was I suddenly thinking about her this much?
Maybe because I was spending too much time around her.
Maybe because she was always kind to me.
Maybe because my brain was simply confused.
Yeah.
That had to be it.
At the supermarket, Noami picked up a cart while I followed beside her.
"I'll hold it," I said.
She looked at me.
"You?"
"Yes."
She smiled and handed it over.
"Don't lose it."
I rolled my eyes.
"I'm not five."
"Sometimes you behave like you are."
I laughed under my breath.
We moved through the aisles together.
She picked up eggs, tomatoes, peppers and onions, placing each one carefully inside the cart.
Every now and then, she'd stop to check something.
"What else do we need?"
"I don't know."
She looked at me.
"You live in this house too."
"I don't enter the kitchen."
"Exactly."
I chuckled.
"You're the one who knows these things."
She shook her head, smiling.
Then, while I was looking at something on the shelf, I heard a familiar voice.
"Ahh! Guy!"
I turned.
My eyes widened.
"Ayo?"
My old classmate grinned as he walked toward us.
He looked from me to Noami, then back at me.
His grin became wider.
"Guy, your babe be this?"
I nearly choked.
Noami looked between us.
Her expression was unreadable.
"Ayo..."
"Ah-ah, no need to hide am," he teased. "See as she fine."
I scratched the back of my head.
"That's my uncle's babe, Ayo."
There was a tiny pause.
Ayo blinked.
Then he laughed.
"Your uncle's babe?"
"My uncle's wife," I corrected.
"Oh."
He looked at Noami again, then gave me a look that made me want to disappear.
"Okay o."
I sighed.
"Abeg, leave me."
He laughed again before finally walking away.
I turned toward Noami.
She was still looking at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing."
"You were looking at me."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
She smiled faintly.
"You seemed very embarrassed."
"I wasn't embarrassed."
"You were."
I looked away.
"Let's just go."
She laughed softly and followed me.
On the way back to the car, I couldn't stop replaying Ayo's words in my head.
Your babe.
I hated how uncomfortable it made me feel.
Or maybe I hated that a tiny part of me hadn't completely hated hearing it.
I pushed the thought away immediately.
When we got into the car, Noami placed the shopping bags in the back seat and started the engine.
She glanced at me.
"You want music?"
I nodded.
"Anything."
She connected her phone and selected a song.
The first notes of A New Day Has Come by Celine Dion filled the car.
I looked at her.
She smiled immediately.
Then she started singing along.
Her voice was soft at first, almost absent-minded.
But as the song continued, she became more expressive.
I stared at her for a moment.
She wasn't trying to impress anyone.
She was just enjoying herself.
And somehow, that made her voice sound even better.
"You know it?" she asked when she noticed me staring.
I quickly looked away.
"Yeah."
It was a lie.
I didn't know much about Celine Dion.
But the excitement in her eyes made me nod anyway.
Noami smiled.
"I love this song."
"Yeah."
I looked out the window.
"Me too," I whispered.
She didn't hear me.
Or maybe she did.
I wasn't sure which one I preferred.
For the rest of the drive, I stayed quiet, listening to her sing.
And for some reason, I found myself wishing the supermarket wasn't so close to home.
