Beauty and the Broker. Cheryl Ntumy S.

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СКАЧАТЬ took it with a smile. “Melody Nyathi.”

      “Lovely name,” he remarked.

      She almost swooned. “Thanks. And thanks for the pizza too. That’s kind of you.”

      “Hey, it’ll be my good deed for the week.” He leaned a little closer. “Did you have a good time with your girlfriends last night?”

      So he recognised her as well. A little shiver of pleasure ran up Melody’s spine. “Ah, it was you I saw at the restaurant,” she said, feigning nonchalance.

      “Wow, she noticed,” he replied with a grin.

      Their number was called and the two of them moved forward to get their food. Thabiso’s arm brushed against Melody’s sleeve and a jolt of electricity shot through her. He handed her the smaller box.

      “It was nice meeting you, Melody.”

      “You too.” That’s it? she wondered in dismay. Aren’t you going to ask for my number?

      “Enjoy the pizza,” he said. He lingered for an agonising second as if debating his next move, then smiled and swept out into the night.

      For a moment, Melody was at a loss. Have I been out of the game so long that I’ve forgotten how to read the signals? she wondered. I could have sworn there was something there.

      She sighed and walked to her car, her heart still hammering against her ribs. Stop, she chided herself. The disappointment was so strong she could almost taste it, sour and unpleasant on her tongue. She shook her head. Maybe the chemistry had been one-sided. Thabiso was just a nice man in a pizza shop.

      “Melody!”

      She turned around, startled. There he was, two cars away, about to get into his silver Audi.

      “Hi,” he crooned, walking towards her.

      She felt her stomach flip over. “Hi.”

      His smile was ridiculous. “Sorry, I just forgot to ask you something.”

      Oh Lord, thought Melody, grateful for the presence of her car, just in case she lost the use of her legs. How in the world does he get away with being this sexy? She cleared her throat, managed to string a few words together and even threw in a coy smile for good measure. “Really? What’s that?”

      “Well . . .” He offered a sheepish laugh. “From the moment I walked out of that pizzeria, I regretted not asking for your number.”

      Serves you right, she thought, her smile widening. “I don’t usually give my number to strange men,” she said, toying with the strap of her handbag.

      “That’s a very smart policy,” he teased. His Blackberry materialised a moment later and he looked at her with his head cocked to one side. “I’d love to see you again, Melody. On purpose this time.” A flicker of doubt crossed his face, momentarily marring his features. “Unless there’s already someone in the picture. You’re not wearing a ring, and you ordered pizza for one, but still . . .” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her response.

      “There’s no one,” she blurted out. “At the moment I’m . . . free.”

      His grin returned. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. And your number is?”

      Melody grinned and held out her hand. “Here, let me do it.” He gave her the Blackberry and she entered her name and number, then called her phone before handing back Thabiso’s. A second later, her ringtone went off. “And now I have yours.”

      “Thank you.” He pocketed the Blackberry. “I have to get going,” he said, showing no sign of moving.

      “Me too. Good night, Thabiso.” Melody took a step backwards.

      “Night. I’ll be in touch.”

      “Sure.” She turned around and walked the few steps to her car with a little more swagger than usual, knowing he was watching. Good thing she was wearing those skinny jeans that brought out the best in her generous butt.

      * * *

      “I knew it!” exclaimed Buhle, pounding her fist against the sofa and almost sending the bowl of popcorn flying.

      “Calm down,” said Melody, snatching the bowl out of danger and shooting her friend a warning glance. “Watch the sofa.” She frowned and ran a hand over the velvety beige upholstery, still new and spotless.

      “Why? You met somebody. I’m excited!”

      “Spill it, Mel,” demanded Sophie from the armchair next to them.

      The three were curled up in front of Melody’s home theatre system, pretending to watch a DVD. Her friends had taken a break from helping her redecorate the flat to unwind, but then spent the duration of the film chatting and had to keep going back to the bits they had missed.

      Slowly but surely the flat was taking shape. Over the years, Melody had managed to amass countless artefacts and pieces of furniture that corresponded to her black-beige-silver theme, and now she had weeded out the ill-fitting junk of her youth to make room for newer, more sophisticated pieces. The living room was her favourite: beige sofas, a black coffee table and wall unit, and silver items here and there – the elliptical clock, the photo frames, the vases. All the large pieces were in place, except the massive metal sculpture of a woman pouring water, which had taken up residence near the kitchen until Melody could decide where to put it.

      She felt weak at the mere thought of Thabiso. “I wouldn’t say I met somebody,” she said cautiously. “He just bought me pizza.”

      “The way to a woman’s heart, Mel, the way to a woman’s heart.” Buhle turned her attention back to the DVD, then whipped her head around again and gave her friend a knowing look. “Was he hot?”

      Melody laughed. “Is that all you care about?”

      “Yes,” said Buhle and Sophie in unison.

      “Sies, you’re shallow,” teased Melody. “You should’ve come to church with me this morning, so you can learn about the things that really matter.”

      “Right now the only thing that matters is that you’re betraying the sisterhood,” said Sophie. “What happened to being single and independent?”

      “Hawu, come on!” laughed Melody. “It’s not like I went and eloped! I just said it was nice to flirt a little, that’s all. It was harmless.”

      The other two exchanged glances.

      “Did you get a name?” asked Sophie.

      “Thabiso.” Melody felt a little tingle at the sound of his name.

      “Look at that smile!” Sophie tossed a kernel of popcorn at her. “I can’t believe it. All it takes to win you over is a small pizza!”

      “Ja, she’s not worth much, is she?” Buhle inched closer to Melody on the sofa and peered into her face. “Seriously, though, do you like him?”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ