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That morning, Gene wasn't sure she was hungry, but the next thing she did after having her bathe was peeling yam. She simply wanted to keep her hands busy and her thoughts occupied. She didn't want to recall the other day or think about how she was feeling. That was unnecessary, as far as she felt concerned.

She kept the large pieces of yam into a pot before picking out an onion. Gene peeled, washed it and was on the verge of slicing it when a knock came through her door. She left both the onion and the knife on the chopping board, rinsed her hands and wiped it dry with a tablecloth before making her way out of the kitchen.

"Who is it?" Gene asked, and waited for a reply from the other side.

"Elliot." He stated, and she froze for a few seconds. There was no expression, no reaction and suddenly, she drew in a deep breath before reaching forward to unlock the door.

The moment she opened the door, she spared his face a glance and, without waiting to hear from him, she turned back and headed to the kitchen. A light frown appeared between his brows, but was quick to disappear. She'd acted strangely. In fact, Elliot couldn't help but notice she seemed a little... cold to him in terms of behaviour ever since the last time he saw her at the bank. To be honest, he had put little thought into it, but he was thinking that something might be up with her.

Elliot walked into the apartment and shut the door after him. He made his way towards the same direction that she'd taken and met her chopping some onions. As he leaned on the door, he folded his arms across his chest and stared at her, as she did her thing with little as a glance from her. It was obvious. Something was indeed upsetting her and Gene was plainly acting like there was nothing. Fine, she was never the bubbly, easy-going type, but she also wasn't the all-day-straight-face kind of person.

Elliot leaned away from the door as he unfolded his arms and made his way towards her. "What are you trying to cook?"

"Boiled yam." She gave a straight and quick answer, without sparing him a look. He watched as she slid the chopped onions into a plate and went forward to rinse her hands. Unable to bear the fierce aura from her anymore, he stood in her path. She looked anywhere else but to his face.

Elliot sighed. "You're upset and I can see it. But you let me into your apartment. Apparently, you want to talk about what's eating you up."

"I'm not upset." She denied before attempting to walk past him, but he only stood in her path once more.

"I let you in because you're a neighbour and... there's nothing else." She added in defence and tried walking past him once more, but he wouldn't let her.

"I don't think so. I know you're upset with me and I can feel it. Well, ever since..." Gradually, he halted on his speech as he recollected on the tiniest details of those moments. She'd seemed okay, her usual self, and then Funmi showed up and... he lifted his eyes to her and met a pair of hers, but she was quick to look away. His eyes dilated for a second and a slight smirk appeared as he realised what might upset her.

"I get it now. It's Funmi, right? You're Jealous." He professed in light amusement and watched as she creased her brows. Gene spared him a glance.

"I'm not jealous. Why would I be? If you choose to walk hand in hand with any woman, then it's your business. It's not mine, and it's not like we share a relationship. I don't care. Funmi or anyone else can do whatever they want with you... It's your business." She expressed, yet Elliot couldn't help growing a smile on his face. It was the most she'd said in a long while. Her jealousy was way too obvious to conceal.

Genevieve knew she'd said too much. In fact, she was in denial. Surely, she couldn't be jealous. Maybe she felt upset, but she refused to link the cause to the fact that another woman held him. Yes, as she has realised, she has feelings for him, but to her, feeling jealous was far-fetched. She couldn't even recall how that felt like. The last time she was in a relationship was years ago, and it never even lasted.

One look at him and the smile on his face told her he wasn't buying any of her explanation, and it only irritated her further. She turned away and headed for the door. His smile broadened as he watched her walk away.

Gene believed she would feel better as she walked away from him, but that wasn't the case. She simply felt worse and a part of her wondered if he would not stop her, try his best to convince her or at least assure her of what she needed to hear. She felt even more upset with herself for being confused. There, she claimed that she wasn't jealous, but she craved the attention and the explanation she desperately needed to hear.

She had barely taken three steps out of the kitchen when she felt his arms around her from behind and that forced her to draw to an abrupt stop and stood frozen. Gene felt her heart gradually pick up its pace.

"It's you." He stated, before releasing the embrace and making his way to her front; his hands never left her shoulder, and she slowly lifted her eyes to meet his eyes. He cupped her face in his hands.

"You're the only one in my heart and she is just a friend." He explained and flashed her an assuring smile. Gene couldn't say anything. She felt speechless. He'd said what she deep down needed to hear, yet fear lingered around.

"Elliot..." She started with difficulty, her voice low and shaky as she took hold of his hand and gently tried to push it down, away from her face, but he wouldn't budge as easily as she would like.

"I know." He interrupted whatever else she had to say. "You're scared. You're unsure if it's worth going down this path with me... You worry about what everyone is going to say and I know it's majorly because of our age difference but it's the 21st century and people aren't as conceited anymore as you think." He explained, hoping to get through to her, but she lightly shook her head, lowering her eyes from his.

"Maybe, in the U.S where you grew up, but not here... not in Nigeria. People might act like they're modernized, but the truth is... the society won't smile at us."

"Then we'll just teach them how to or best, how to pretend to." He added, but it would seem that wasn't enough. Distress played on her face and he could only imagine the internal turmoil she must have been facing. A light sigh left his lips as he drew closer, wrapping his arms around her for a warm embrace.

"Trust me... I'll always keep you safe even if I have to fight the world." He placed a kiss on her forehead.