"Double dribbling violation!"

The hulk stopped in his tracks, the basketball bouncing off his hands towards the woman in an armless jersey, black shorts, and athletic shoes that mirrored his.

The short woman, probably about 5'6 raised her intertwined hands over her ponytailed box braided hair and jumped happily. She ran to the ball and picked it before proceeding to dribble it with her left hand, stalking side to side as the man lunged carefully at her.

She stalked to her left along with the ball and grimaced at what transpired. The man caught her in the act, "You just traveled!"

She pouted, shooting the ball at him. He caught it and proceeded to dribble it between his legs, around his shoulder, and back through his legs.

He jumped with the ball and brought his hand forward, reflexly she jumped to block it but he revived, exchanging it behind his back and shooting over her head until it landed on the rim of the basket hoop. The ball swirled around the basket but eventually fell off.

Sudais threw his head back, sighed, and bent with his palms over his knees, breathing heavily while Simi squealed, jogging towards the ball to rebound it.

The duo jogged into the court until they were facing each other at the center circle. Lips curled up, Simi winked at Sudais who had a distant look but still smiled at the gesture.

The kick-off began and she faked left which impulsively made the man follow her steps but she flashed to her right, dribbling the ball around her back. They stalked at each other until she shot the ball from outside the arc towards Sudais' side of the court and watched the ball successfully go through the ball hoop.

"5 points!" She shrieked jolting towards him until they were a few inches apart, she jumped and he met her halfway as their chest bumped. They pulled back and he placed a sweaty arm over her shoulder, walking them to a bench.

Moments later, Simi placed her palm on his laid-back chest. His eyes flew open, his hand lifting to sit atop her hand.

"I got to go."

"What's the time?"

"8:37 Am."

Simi's rested her head on his rising and falling chest. "Let's go then."

He made no move to get up and she asked, "Your house?"

He sighed, lowly, bringing his palm to rest on her sweaty cheek. "No. Yours."

Her tone surged. "We're back at that?"

His fingers that were running over her cheeks and chin ceased, his expression flaming up. "You're the one who is bringing it up not me."

Simi's head left his chest and flung his hand that reached for her.

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to keep quiet and never ask?"

Sudais took a deep breath. He didn't want to fight. He rose from the edge of the bench, his wrists on his knees and his wrist dangling. "I'm not going to fight with you."

He felt a breeze, then, the woman was standing in front of him. "Of course, you won't fight me. You're scared."

He had no energy to even look at her, instead, "Simi..."

"Do not 'Simi' me, okay? Do not. Why can't i come over to your house?"

"Because you're not exactly low key and Maijidda and Hafsy almost clashed with you the last time. My old man already doubled his men to watch over me. I can't have them seeing you because-"

"Because you're a coward and you're scared to your pants when it comes to your dad."

Okay. That was it.

He shook his head, his eyes narrowing as they flew to her. "I am not."

"You're a coward."

Sudais was over her in a second, leaning to glower at her and she stepped back in a slight jolt. "I AM A WHAT?"

Despite her momentary shock, she didn't back down. "Because you're a coward!"

"Because i am a what?"

"A damn coward."

No.

His folded fists dug into his palms. If he had long nails, he was sure they'd pierce in and draw out blood by now. His arm attempted to rise, but he dragged them back down, dropping them hard. He wasn't going to prove her right about being a coward.

He stepped to the side and stormed off. A few feet to his car, he remotely unlocked the car over her screams.

"Yes! Walk out on your problems like you always do."

She wasn't wrong but he won't give her the satisfaction.

He slammed the door when he was in the car, revved the engine to life, and was speeding out of Simi's estate.

Instead of the usual trip to his house after his basketball session with Simi, he rolled down the windows to his car and drove slowly but steadily around the less traffic-parked parts of Lagos to clear his head.

He had lied. To people or about things. But, most importantly, he had lied to himself. About being okay with marrying whoever his parents chose, to gain more allies and bind families together when they weren't in the stupid 1500s anymore.

He was sure his parents would try and choose the best for him and give them time to get to know each other. But, he doubted if he'd ever come to like her.

And, it was marriage they were talking about. A lifetime of commitment.

Huh.

On one hand, his parent's political marriage worked out fine. With all their flaws and arguments over the smallest things, he still admired them and hoped that one day, he might get something similar. But, that was it, a hope.

On the other hand, over 80% of these political marriages do not work out. But, because royal families were known for prestigious reputations that they'd like to keep-that Sudais would like to keep his too-couples stay with each other until the very end. Besides the arguing and fights, sometimes even cheating here and there, they'd still stick and act all happy in public, feeding people fake pictures, fake smiles, fake captions, and fake longing.

And people being people, they always bought it.

He chuckled, humorlessly. It was exhausting.

An hour and a half later, his left elbow now on his window side, his right fingers rested on his forehead while his left was wrapped around the steering wheel, he decided he had had enough air; it was time to head home.

At his house, he took a shower and changed into a white kaftan with a white and blue Zanna bukar cap, shoes, and signature Mousuf perfume.

As much as he wasn't a woman, he was taking his sweet time getting ready.

At a few minutes past 11, he was en route to Tahir's house with his windows rolled down.

At Tahir's, he hung his kaftan top, leaving his white vest on. He made himself comfortable with a cup of tea and bread and marked up the volume of the tv until the sound of the headboard continuously crashing into the wall faded, courtesy of Tahir's ungodly acts with whoever he had over.

Not that Sudais was one to judge.

While on his last slice of bread, someone emerged from the bedroom.

Not knowing who it was, Sudais acknowledged. "Hello! It seems you'll have to change the bed very soon."

A startling sound came, Tahir's hands flew to his chest as he searched for the owner of the voice until it landed on the couch; Sudais with stretched-out legs and a teacup at the tip of his mouth.

"Innalillahi, haba Tafida. You have got to stop doing this!" Tahir exclaimed, fastening his towel tighter. He turned to the door he came out of. "Stay in there, Aisha. Take a shower, do not come out!"

Sudais chuckled, dropping his cup. He craned his neck to Tahir in a brown towel-clad around his lower half. "Glad to see you're not spoiling or breaking another girl's back." He smiled, then turned to the tv.

A bro shall not look at another half-naked bro. If bro does, bro is gay-brohoellations, 2:21.

Tahir scoffed, picking a bottle of water off the counter. "Well, if I don't marry the one i spoil, I'll marry somebody else's scraps. Why would i do that?"

Sudais hid his proud smile, "You're finally thinking with your brain and not your prick, that's a start."

Tahir gurgled the water before releasing a breath. He shook his head, a smirk lifting the side of his lip. "Well, i still do both. I'm now just committed to one woman."

"I hope you're hearing that, Matarmu!"

"Shut up. Where's Simi?"

"We're done." He answered, blankly.

Tahir threw his head back and laughed until the towel around his waist was threatening to fall off. "You-you're done?"

"Yes."

"What did you do now?"

Sudais' lips parted in dubiety, his stare twisting to his friend. "What did i do? Why do you assume it's me?"

Tahir shrugged, throwing the empty bottle of water across the room. "Because it's you naw. You're the one deceiving her."

Sudais had no reply for that, he needed a reason to lash out but he didn't have any. Instead, he picked up his shoe and aimed it at Tahir who was unfazed, and moved to the side just in time for the shoe to crash into the wall.

"You got hurt and dumped long..long..ago. Yes, it's supposed to hurt. But come on, get over it. It's been over 5 years. It doesn't mean you should press pause forever on giving love a chance."

For the first time, "I love Simi."

Tahir chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't. You're in love with the fact that she stays with your controlling, impulsive and selfish ass and she's the most real you've ever had. But, you don't mean it. You don't love her..."

Sudais' lips coiled into a frown, he turned to stare at his fingers and then hissed, thrashing his hands as he chuckled humorlessly. "So, you're now the psychologist when I'm the one with the certificate?"

Tahir shrugged, shifting on his feet that were starting to become numb. "You know what you're doing, Man. You always do. You just step on your knowledge-large knowledge by the way-both modern and religious."

"Says the man who just fornicated."

"Coming from the man who does the same." Tahir shot back.

The room fell into a deep silence before Sudais spiraled to his friend, "Go bathe, you bastard. You reek."

Tahir's lips went agape, the tension in the room immediately dissolving. "I am at least 10 feet away from you, Shugaba, kaji tsoron Allah."

Sudais shrugged, "I don't care. Shower, Tahir. Useni."

"Dole na ai, tinda masallaci za'a." Tahir swirled around to heed his friend's call.

Less than an hour later, the trio was in Sudais' car, each clad in a Friday-appropriate outfit with Aisha eerily quiet while the men chatted and laughed occasionally at their jokes.

The fellas settled at the male's side of the masjid for the opening khutbah prayers.

Once settled, Sudais' phone vibrated with strings of notifications. He revved the phone out of his pocket to silence it when a text caught his eye.

Murtala
Wanted to be the first to congratulate you, Congratulations! Thanks for stealing my spotlight!

That was it? What spotlight? His ass was literally sitting in the masjid where no one knew who he was or where he came from.

So, what spotlight?

When he had been staring too much at his phone, Tahir nudged his shoulder. His voice low, he teased. "Simi sending you risky texts at the masjid?"

Sudais' face crinkled at the false deduction, he shook his head, his fingers hovering over the keyboard of his phone. "Tahir, Me. and. Simi. are. done. Finished." Kpata kpata, he wanted to add.

Tahir scoffed, bringing his left knee to align with his cheek before hugging himself. "That's what you said last week."

Did he? He couldn't remember. They fought thrice this week alone.

A photo from Muri through imassage pinged and before it could download, a phone call came through.

For the first time in years, his father's line rang up his phone, and the entire organs in his body.

He answered with his head cast down as his palm shielded his phone speaker and he praised. "Yallaboi. Allah hokke jam."

"Sudais dan gidan idirisa. Tafida kuma jodoma kuma yerima. Qanin bello yayan Maijidda!" Sudais chuckled, shaking his head and liking the humor laced in the man's voice.

"Yau kuma za'ayi ruwan kifi ne da aka qira ni?" It wasn't that his old man never called him, he did, countable times in years. He was just used to calling.

Don't get it wrong though, he was 100% happy about it.

The man on the other end calmed his obvious amusement before announcing. "A bagama jotta. (You just got married.)"

Sudais' smile widened, the humor still evident in his dad's voice. He enquired, his voice still low and amused. "Moi vi anta, Baba am? (Who are you referring to, dad?)"

"You. You just got married to Halima Sunusi. Second princess of Gombe."

Okay, maybe it was just Sudais and the little sounds of commotion in the masjid, but he did hear his name, he also heard married, he heard got, and he heard a female's name who supposedly was a princess of Gombe, and his old man's amusement seemed to be gone, or was he just hallucinating?

He cleared his throat and asked again, wanting to make sure there was some misunderstanding. "Baba moi? (Dad who?)"

"Kai mana Abba. Kai...congratulations. It's complicated but I'll explain when you're here...nasan you will listen to me. First thing tomorrow morning, the jet will fly you to Gombe to your new wife, Tafida am." Sudais looked at Tahir who was rocking back and forth with a small smile that was directed at no one in particular.

The idiot was probably having flashbacks of his activities before they came to the masjid.

Sudais shook his head in slow motion, dipping a finger into his chest, and asked, "Mi bagama jotta? (I just got married?)"

"Eey. Alhamdulillah...matar taakan kuma Masha Allah, tubarakallah. Come in tomorrow and I'll tell you everything. Keep in mind, i won't make the wrong choices with wrong intentions for you."

Sudais nodded, detaching the phone from his ear without a response.

A few moments went by before Tahir noticed, "Are you okay?"

"The question is, are you okay with being announced married out of the blue?"

"Y-You just got married!?" Tahir exclaimed, gaining attention from people all around. He shifted closer to his friend and asked lowly. "You just got married?"

Sudais nodded. "As from what i gathered, yes. I just did."

Tahir nodded, his eyes still wide. "To who?"

"Second princess of Gombe state."

"What?" Tahir shook his head.

"Yeah." Sudais nodded, his eyes dancing across the
Masjid while still waiting to wake up from his nightmare.

***

"If you leave it to me, i'll say you're already whipped."

Sudais ignored his friend, his ogle still on his phone.

Tahir didn't mind, mouth full of pasta, he went on. "Even i will be. Look at that!" He gestured at Sudais' phone, nodding in support. "I mean...yo-you're the one who's obsessed with dark girls, but even I wouldn't mind getting this one."

Sudais' glare flew to his friend, his lips pushed forward in a frown although his eyes told a different story.

He shook his head, leaning back into the tropical seat of the outdoor sea-themed restaurant sear he and Tahir had visited that night.

His eyes bore into the picture that if it could speak, it would surely say something along the line of, 'You've stared at me for hours. Get a life.'

The woman, Halima, or his wife, was the one in the photo. Although she had a small smile on her face, it killed him not being able to deduce who she could be in person.

Her skin, smooth and dark mahogany in shade layered her face. Her face, oval housed her full upper lips and thinner lower lip that looked adverse to him, Blehh.

At the peak of her lips was a short and pointy nose.

Her eyes though were the most interesting feature of hers. Although dark brown, large and round, the left eye, or was it the right, had a black dot on the sclera just beside the iris- they were almost invincible that he wouldn't have noticed if he didn't zoom in over and over again.

Was it a disease? A Condition? He'd never seen anything like it. Even with the possibility of it being a condition, it looked...unique. Different.

Her thick eyebrows sat below her covered forehead and that was it. Nothing else. The photo revealed only her upper limbs. She was fully covered in a high-neck Ankara.

Sudais couldn't exactly tell if she was slim, chubby, tall, or short. The picture gave no room for that. He also couldn't tell if the picture was an old or new one. The quality was not one he could place a finger on.

He sighed, finally taking his supervision off the phone. He decided stressing over it wasn't going to un-marry them, he was going to see her the next day anyway.

He waved a waiter over as he picked up his plate of shrimp pasta. "Heat this, mate." The waiter looked between the plater and Sudais who tilted his head to the side, challenging the man as he waited for the slightest ruffle of his nerves to rain hell on everyone.

The waiter finally nodded, retrieved the platter from the distressed man, and disappeared.

Sudais twisted his head to his friend.

Tahir understood the assignment and kept mum as they waited for the now sizzling and steaming food to be placed back on the table for the oppressed man. He thanked the waiter and picked up the fork before diving into the hot dish. The temperature of the food was too high, the hot pasta came tumbling out of his mouth down to his new and changed white kaftan.

He cursed himself for not placing the napkins on his lap as he stood up, fishing out an unreasonable amount of tissue as he flipped the pasta off his cloth and aggressively scrubbed the stain off.

Tahir raised a bottle towards his friend, "You need water?"

"I don't!" He roared, his movement with the tissue not halting.

Tahir placed the bottle back before raising his palms, "Allah baka haquri."

"Ya bamu baki daya."

When he realized the stain wasn't going to go. Not just the stain on his fabric, but the stain in his life, he abruptly stood up, the chair screeching as it fell at the sharp impact. He called over a waiter, fishing his wallet out.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Tahir enquired, standing up.

"I'm not hungry."

Sudais wasn't sure what the bill was. He was also sure he did not have the patience for the bill to be brought over. So, he rigged out a reasonable amount of cash and even more before placing it on the table. "Keep the change." Before picking up his phone and strolling out.

He couldn't go far because he didn't bring a car, it was Tahir's. He turned, stretching his hand out as he felt his hand device start to vibrate. "I'll drive."

Tahir's hand immediately dived into his pocket almost in fear, when he felt the key, his tensed-up muscles relaxed and he pulled it off. Hesitantly, he stretched the key to Sudais who was staring at his ringing phone. "Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't i be?" He shot, snatching the key and heading to the car.

Before the last ring, Sudais answered. "Not a good time, Muri."

Sudais unlatched the driver's door and suddenly froze. "Kai tsaya. Mifeitai. Awawan lornutungo am na? (Wait. I don't understand. Could you repeat that?)"

Strings of fulfulde came from the other side before Sudais was able to return one. "Noi?(How?)"

Tahir didn't understand Fulfulde, he wasn't Fulla, but he could tell Sudais wasn't receiving good news.

He waited until Sudais had dropped his arm before he asked. "What's wrong?"

Sudais' hand came up to smack his forehead and drag his palm down. He squinted his eyes as he slammed the car door that had the car vibrating for a second. He turned to his clueless friend and with a rough voice, answered his question, "Not only did i get married out of the blue, but the girl-my wife has also been reportedly kidnapped."

Tahir's eyes bulged out, his breath halting. He didn't know what he was expecting but that wasn't it. He placed his palms flat against the car roof, nodding in utter distraction. "Wow, this keeps getting better and better."

Sudais' head tilted to the side, his frown deepening. Not that Tahir has always had sense, but where was it in the most needed situation?

The man receiving the stare realized what he just said and his eyes immediately dart to his friend, "Sorry, man!"

Sudais nodded at the plea and threw the key to his friend who with a startled face still caught the object. "Change of plans. You drive."

"Any time yallaboi."