I turn around and my whole face blushes. He’s… sharp. Crisp white dress shirt. Light pink blazer, matching tailored pants. White Desert Clarks. Damn.
That name step pan it and yuh dead.
I blink. Jezaam… one man can really look so neat? I look back at his face, he’s speaking to Candy but I’m too caught up to even hear what they’re saying. He went to the hairdresser and they cornrow his hair and his barber gave him a perfect line up.
My man my man my man my man!
All yours sis!My subconscious shrieks.
“Zara, him say yes enuh,” Candy says, pulling me out of the trance I’m in.
I finally look away from Nickoi, blinking like I’m waking up. “Ohh really?”
She nods, beaming. “So whenever the time reach, mi link yuh.”
Nickoi steps beside me, hand slipping into mine like it was made to fit there. His voice low and velvet. “A time fi yuh get ready.”
I nod, heartbeat skipping, and make my way upstairs. The room feels still. I slip into my white dress carefully. Like softness is a ceremony. Then come the nude heels. My purse. A spritz of cologne that wraps around me like confidence. I check my edges. Gloss my lips again.
I turn to the mirror. And pause. I look… breathtaking.
Not just pretty. Not just dolled up. But ready. Like everything I’ve survived was leading to this exact reflection.
The door clicks open. Nickoi walks in and my breath just leaves my body. He stops and smile. Then just… stares. Like he can’t believe I’m real. “You look good,” I say softly, trying to keep steady but I’m melting under his gaze.
He doesn’t answer. Just bites his lip, eyes dragging down my figure like he’s trying not to say what he’s thinking. That look? Isn’t just love. It’s reverence. Jeez.
“You look good too, Mami,” Nickoi says with that crooked smile that always makes my heart skip. He takes my hand.
“Weh the necklace weh mi buy fi yuh?” he asks as we head out.
“Um… it’s at Mama’s last house,” I say quietly.
My mind drifts to my father. I wonder if he even knows today’s my graduation. Probably… probably not. Outside, the Porsche gleams in the sunlight. Nickoi opens the door for me, and I slide inside slowly.
“You finally a drive it,” I tease, adjusting my dress.
“Yuh been wah drive in it, and it’s your big day… so why not?” he smiles.
I lean over and press two quick kisses to his lips. “I love you.”
He smirks. “Mi know.”
We pull away, but nerves start twisting in my stomach. I know my speech, but my chest tightens anyway.
What if I mess it up? I pull out my phone to glance over the words again, my fingers trembling just a little. Why now? Chro. When we reach the venue, my stomach flips . I press a hand to my belly, trying to hold it together. God, please not now.
“Waam to yuh, Mami?” Nickoi asks gently.
“Mi feel sick… like mi wah throw up,” I admit.
He sighs, parks the car, then opens the door for me. His hand finds mine, steady and warm. We step outside together. Around us, other graduates adjust their gowns and laugh nervously, and here I am, in my white dress trying not to fall apart.Ah bwoy.
The piano starts playing inside soft but clear, signalling the ceremony is about to begin. Panic coils in my chest. I’m not even in my gown yet, and my stomach is still queasy.
My phone rings. It’s my mother. Her voice is laced with concern.“Which part yuh deh? Yuh nuh reach yet?” she asks.
“I’m outside,” I manage, voice shaky.
