Lunch With Kendrick

"So, what are you gonna eat?" Kendrick asks, and I glance up at him from the menu.

"I'll go with the ofada rice, haven't had it in a while," I reply.

Kendrick frowns. "Ofada rice?" he repeats, his pronunciation a bit off.

I smile and nod. "Yeah."

But then he asks, "Haven't had it before, but did I get that right?" and I frown.

"Get what right?"

He leans forward, "Ofada rice, the pronunciation."

"Oh....well..." I trail off with a smile.

"You tried, Sha."

He raises an eyebrow, "I tried Sha?" He repeats, and I chuckle.

"Yeah, you tried sha, it means you tried your best."

He nods, "Oh, I see!"

"Yeah, so what do you want to eat?" I ask.

"You," he responds almost immediately, his eyes locking onto mine with a flirtatious glint that sends a flutter to my chest.

"Oh u-uhm, come on, what are you going to order?"

He rests his elbows on the table, weaving his fingers together in a bridge shape, and fixes me with a piercing gaze.

"I said I want you, babe," he whispers, and blows a kiss my way.

Babe?

I quickly glance around to see if anyone's watching, but everyone's just minding their own biz.

"Come on, Kendrick, we're in a restaurant, you feel me?" I say, almost whispering, but he just laughs it off.

"They don't mind us being here, so forget about them and focus on me, okay?"

"It's hard to focus on you with those intense eyes and that flirty face!" I exclaim, slightly louder than I intended.

"You'll get used to it," he says, and I smirk, "hmph, we'll see."

"Yeah, we'll see," he repeats, his eyes boring into my soul like he's trying to see right through me.

"Give me your left hand, will ya?"

I frown, "Why? What's the plan here?"

"You'll know soon enough, so come on, hand it over."

I chuckle, repeating, "Hand it over...meaning hand you my hand," but Kendrick's smile only grows wider, his gaze intense enough to hold me captive.

I find myself unable to look away as my smile slowly fades, yet simultaneously wanting to escape his piercing stare.

I wonder if he's always this intense, as his gaze consistently sends shivers and flutters through my entire body!

"You lost?" he asks, his voice snapping me out of my trance-like state.

"U-uh, no..." I stutter, trying to regain my composure.

He stretches out his palm towards me, and it looks super soft and pink, with barely visible palm lines.

"Can I get it now?" he asks, and I glance up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not gonna do anything weird, are you?"

His gaze lingers on mine for a beat before responding, "Mmm-hmm," he murmurs, but I don't catch what he said.

"Huh, what was that?"

"That I love you," he responds immediately, catching me off guard as my eyes fly open with a racing heart.

"Uhm...." I trail off, my gaze darting away nervously.

"You're keeping me waiting," he says suddenly.

I slowly glance up at him, our eyes meeting in an intense stare before I place my hand on his with a nervous smile.

He immediately wraps his hand around mine, holding it tight in his warmth, and pulls it closer to him.

I wonder what he's up to.

Our eyes lock in an intense gaze, but then I feel something slip around my finger, and my smile slowly fades. What was that?

Kendrick places my palm on his cheek, his hand covering mine, and gently kisses my thumb, sending shivers down my spine.

"We're married now," he whispers.

My eyes instinctively widen in shock, and I exclaim, "Huh?!"

I don't care if anyone is watching; my gaze remains fixed on Kendrick, my mind reeling from his sudden declaration.

"I haven't even said yes to being your girlfriend, and we're married now?" I ask, incredulous.

"You could say yes now," he responds, his voice calm and nonchalant, like he doesn't mind his sudden declaration at all.

"Uhm..." I trail off, stunned.

He gently takes my hand away from his face and glances down at my fingers, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Fits perfectly," he says, before releasing my hand.

I quickly pull my hand back and glance down at my fingers, and my eyes widen in shock as I see a gorgeous golden ring with a bold ruby stone gleaming on my ring finger!!

"Kendrick, what's going on here? What's this?!" I ask with a surprised chuckle as I look up at him.

"That's a ring," he responds with a casual shrug.

"I know it's a ring, but why did you go and do this?" I ask, my voice rising in surprise as I examine the ring more closely.

"Hmm, just to show you belong to me," he says with a confident smile, resting his arms on the table.

"But I didn't agree to anything yet!"

"You'd eventually come around, that ring is just to let people know you're taken - especially that friend of yours."

"Friend of mine? Who? You mean Gabriel?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"If he's the one with the fluffy hair, then yes, him," Kendrick responds with a nod.

"Well, I haven't agreed to being his friend yet, he's so weird," I say, scrunching up my face in distaste.

"Good," Kendrick responds, and I frown, surprised by his reaction.

"Good?"

"Hmm," he nods, his expression serious.

"I don't really like that guy. I think he isn't normal."

I smirk, "Jealous?"

Kendrick shakes his head, "Not that I really am, but I sense something off about him. I think you should stay away."

I glance at him suspiciously, "Why? Do you know him?"

Kendrick shrugs, "I don't, I'm just saying. My gut tells me he's not trustworthy."

"Enough of Gabriel, let's talk about..." I say, pointing to the finger with the ring on.

"This!" I exclaim, my eyes fixed on the sparkling ring.

Kendrick smiles. "What about that?" he asks, his tone playful.

"Uhh, don't you think it's too intimate?" I ask, my voice hesitant, as I drop my hand, my gaze still fixed on the ring.

"Well, I think it's just right," Kendrick responds, his smile growing wider.

"I mean, we are married now, aren't we?"

"Hahaha, Kendrick, I'm just 17!" I exclaim.

"Who cares?" he responds with a shrug.

I shake my head, seemingly accepting the ring because it looks pretty and expensive, but not really acknowledging the part about us being married.

"Can I ask you a question?" he suddenly asks, his tone suprisenly serious.

"Uhm, yeah, sure, go ahead and ask," I reply.

But he lets out a laugh, "So many responses to just one question!"

I playfully roll my eyes, "Well, whatever," I say with a grin.

"So what's your question?"

"It's about that stuff you said the other day we argued," he says.

"Uhm...okay?"

"You mentioned something about having a boyfriend. Care to explain what you meant by that?"

I blink surprisingly, my lips parting in shock. "Uhh...it's no big deal"

"Tell me, I wanna know," he presses, his eyes intense and his face looking serious, leaving me no choice but to spill the beans.

"Uhm, well...it's about this guy named Daniel," I begin, my voice hesitant.

"He's a close friend of mine, and...I don't know, it's just that if you hadn't shown up, I might have dated him," I admit, my cheeks flushing slightly.

Kendrick's expression turns thoughtful, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Oh wow," he says.

"That's some heavy stuff."

"What made you want to date him?" He asks, his eyes searching mine intensely for answers.

I can tell he's not really wanting to hear this, but I have to be honest with him anyway.

"Uhm, well, It's because he's so free, and kind, and he's so comfortable to talk to," I start explaining,

"he's funny too, and—"

"What about me?" Kendrick interrupts, his voice a little sharper than before.

"Don't I make you feel comfortable? Don't I make you laugh?"

I pause, taken aback by his sudden interruption. "Kendrick, that's not the point."

"Just answer my question," he says, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Do I make you feel the way Daniel does?"

I sigh, feeling a bit trapped. "Kendrick, you're different, y—"

"Different how?" he presses.

I take a deep breath and try to explain. "You're more intense, more passionate. You make me feel things I've never felt before. But with Daniel, it's just...easy. Comfortable."

"I don't feel the sparks with him that I do with you," I continue.

"He's better off as a friend. Although, I think he might have feelings for me, but I'll make things clear soon. I'll let him know I like somebody else...and that person has kind of forced me into being his wife."

I pause as I notice Kendrick's lips curling into a smile.

"Happy now?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"A little," he responds, his smile growing wider.

I frown, feeling a bit taken aback. "A little?"

Kendrick nods. "I want you to spend the night with me," he says suddenly.

I gasp, my eyes widening in surprise.

"Huh?!" I exclaim, but then quickly bow my head apologetically as I notice people turning in our direction, drawn in by my outburst.

"You want us to... have sex?" I whisper, feeling heat rise to my cheeks.

Kendrick chuckles and shakes his head. "Dirty mind! I'm not talking about that. You said you didn't want that, remember?"

I look at him quizzically. "Oh, so what do you mean then?"

He smiles and takes my hand. "I mean I want you to spend the night with me in my room. We can watch a movie, hug each other, and get to know each other better. And by that, I definitely don't mean sex."

I nod understandingly, a smile spreading across my face. "Oooh, I see!"

"I'm glad we're on the same page now, so what do you say?"

"No," I reply, my voice firm but playful.

He frowns, his brow furrowed in surprise. "No?"

I nod. "Yeah, I'm not comfortable with that."

Kendrick raises an eyebrow, his expression demanding an explanation.

I take a deep breath and get straight to the point.

"I think I'm still a small girl, and I fear we might end up getting lost in the situation and...you know."

Kendrick's expression softens, and he tightens his hold on my hand.

"I promise none of that would happen, I just want to feel you with me."

I pull my hand away playfully and smirk at him. "Hmph, I'm with you now, you are feeling me, aren't you?"

Kendrick smiles. "Oh, then I guess you won't mind if I kiss you here in front of all these people."

"Hmph, I knew I couldn't trust your words," I say, trying to sound nonchalant despite the flutter in my heart.

Kendrick chuckles and smirks at me. "Just kidding, but you can always call me when you change your mind."

I roll my eyes playfully. "I won't, so let's just eat."

"Alright, if you say so, I'll have the ofada rice too," he says with a grin.

I raise an eyebrow, skeptical. "Oh really? It's pretty spicy for someone like you."

Kendrick shrugs, his smile unwavering. "I don't mind," he responds, and I can't help but smile as if it's a challenge.

"Fine then, let's order."

"Yeah," Kendrick responds, raising his hand to signal a waiter.

In no time, a waiter rushes over, a tall and slender man with a warm smile.

"What can I get for you?" he asks.

"Two plates of ofada rice, with whatever additional spices you can add," kendrick responds.

I chuckle and raise an eyebrow. "Kendrick, are you sure you can handle it?"

He nods confidently. "Of course!"

I bite my lip to stifle a laugh, thinking to myself, He has no idea what he's getting himself into!

As Kendrick continues to chat with the waiter, I find myself gazing at the ring on my finger, admiring its beauty and significance.

It's almost as if the ring is a symbol of our relationship, a reminder that I'm already his wife in his eyes, even if I haven't agreed to be his girlfriend. I smile to myself, feeling happy for some reason.

When I glance back up, Kendrick is bidding the waiter farewell, and he smiles at me.

"I'll prove you wrong," he says.

"Let's see," i respond, feeling my excitement growing.

I'm definitely sure he wouldn't be able to handle the spice.