"Did I hear you correctly?" Jimi gasped as he choked on his warm milk, Kemi patted his back as her eyes twinkled.

They'd just had dinner and were currently having their dessert of cocoa chips and warm milk in the dining room. After dinner, their parents had gone back to the living room and were both having a natter, giggling and laughing noisily, one thing they admired about their parents; their love was still strong even after thirty years of marriage, sometimes, Jimi and Kemi do wonder if their parents never had a misunderstanding 'cause they'd never seen them fight, and they do hope for a happy marriage like theirs.

Kemi smiled before taking a sip of the milk, she dropped the cup on the table and nodded, "Yeah, you heard me clearly."

"Wow, Mark is a betrayer ooo," Jimi commented.

"You know it happened just last night after the launch party ended," she continued and Jimi nodded as his mind travelled back to the previous night.

The launch party was really fun as he spent most of the time with Lisha, she didn't actually behave crazy the previous night, and he enjoyed her company though he preferred her crazy side, they'd danced and even shared few things about themselves, he learnt she grew up with Gran and had always been lonely until Nikki ran away from home and decided to hide at Gran's place, a smile appeared on his face as he reminiscence on the previous night happening.

"This one that you're smiling, have you finally found the person you'll bring home by Sunday?"

Come to think of it, Sunday marks the beginning of a new month, and he was yet to have a girlfriend let alone fiancée to present to his parents, he knew they were serious about the arranged marriage as they'd mentioned it earlier during the day. He didn't want to get married to just any random person, yet he had no one, Kemi had already found herself a suitor, that stupid Mark, he never told him he had feelings for Kemi and Jimi didn't even read the signs, now, he and Kemi were already an item, and she would bring him to their parents on Sunday while he had no one to go with.

"No, I don't even know what to do," he told her and Kemi laughed heartily.

"Good for you, I thought you always claimed to be a real man," she mocked, and he wrinkled his nose.

"Stop mocking me and help me find a solution."

Kemi leaned back on the chair and folded her arms beneath her bosom, "I do tell you that I'm the elder one with the brain."

Jimi raised his eyebrows, "Everyone knows I'm the elder one still with the advanced brain."

"Elder one with just five minutes interval."

"Whatever, will you help me or not?"

She leaned closer with a lingering smile, "Okay, find someone to pretend then"

Jimi's forehead creased, "What do you mean?"

"Just find a decent girl that would pretend, ehn, like Nikki, our parents would surely like her."

He screwed up his face before rubbing his forehead, "I'm not actually close with that model, so, you can't just expect me to just walk up to her and tell her to pretend like my girlfriend, it's not possible."

Kemi shrugged before throwing one of the cocoa chips into her mouth, "She's my friend, you know, so, I can help you talk to her."

"Don't bother, I think I'll just have to convince Lisha."

Kemi's eyes widened as her brows puckered, "Lisha? Gosh, do you want our parents to know it's a fake, you know that girl can't pretend at all, she might just disgrace you when you piss her off."

"I'll tell Mark to persuade her."

"Hmm, you won't say I didn't tell you oo."

Jimi nodded as he gulped down his milk.
"If she should eventually agree and our parents ask of her later, what excuse will you give?"

He dropped the cup and turned to her, "What else? We ended things of course"

"Hmmmm."

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

Jimi walked into Lisha's office with a smile as he sat on the double curvy settee, she knew why he was here 'cause Mark had spoken to her earlier in the elevator concerning Jimi wanting her to pretend. Of all persons, why her?

"So, what do you want?" Lisha inquired as she closed the documents on her table and placed her left leg on the document while swirling her chair around.

"You know why I'm here."

Lisha rolled her eyes as she peered at the tip of her ball point pen, "Well, I think you should emphasize on it, you need my service remember."

"Okay, I have this problem and I need you to help me solve it," he said calmly and Lisha smiled before standing up to join him on the settee as she turned to him.

"Do I look like a mathematician?"

Jimi sighed before talking, "No, okay, I just need your help with this, just for Sunday and nothing more, my parents are really bent on the arranged marriage and I don't want that."

"Why don't you want that?"

He turned to her, "I want to get married out of love."

Lisha pursed her lips and nodded, "So, you want me to pretend like your girlfriend?"

He nodded in return, and she guffawed while Jimi shook his head.

Seconds after her laughter ended, she turned back to him, "And you think your parents would buy the act?"

He scrunched his eyebrows before replying, "Why not?"

"Because they know you can't be with someone like me of course."

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, "And why I can't I be with someone like you?"

Lisha gave a dismissive wave of her hand with a small smile before standing up, "Okay then"

Jimi furrowed his brows, "Okay what?"

"Okay water, when is it?"

"Sunday"

She turned to him in surprise, "Like the day after tomorrow?"

"Yeah"

She sighed before slumping back on the chair, "What time?"

"I'm not sure about that but I'll pick you up"

She creased her brows and turned to him, "Why will you pick me up?"

"It's proper"

"Whatever, but I don't know what to do?"

A smile shadowed Jimi's lips, "Just be yourself"

Lisha nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'll surely be myself, there's nothing to pretend for or hide." She stood up quickly and walked back to her office chair while Jimi's gaze lingered on her.

"Don't you have anything to do in your office?"

Jimi stood up and smiled at her before replying, "I'll take my leave now"

"Oh! I thought you were enjoying the sight of my office."

A smile tugged Jimi's lips as inched towards the door, Lisha's voice stopped him as he proceeded to open the door.

"Extend my greetings to your office ooo," she shouted and Jimi shook his head before opening the door.
💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

Nikki kept on flipping through the fashion magazine in boredom, just then she remembered what she'd heard Mark and Kemi talking about earlier in the day, quickly she dropped the magazine on her bed and slid her feet into her blue flip flops before walking to Lisha's room.

Opening the door, her eyes dashed around until she sighted Lisha at her favourite seat in the room, she was curled up on the egg chair staring deeply at the luminous moon. Nikki pulled out a stool and placed it by Lisha's chair.

"Hey," she called but it seems like Lisha was deep in her thoughts, she then decided to tap her shoulders.

Lisha turned to her with a startled look before a small smile lit up her face, "When did you get here?"

"Just now, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing, I was only looking at the moon." She dropped her legs and turned to Nikki.

"So, I thought you were asleep."

Nikki smiled faintly before answering, "I couldn't sleep anyway I came here to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"Um, I walked in on Mark and Kemi talking about visiting their parents on Sunday and your name was mentioned like you were going with Jimi or something."

Lisha smiled before replying, "Yeah, it's fake actually, just so his parents won't arrange a marriage for him"

Nikki sighed as a smile crept up her face, "But you guys are somehow getting close."

Lisha inclined her head, "And is there anything bad in that?"

"No, it's just that…" She brushed it off with a wave of her palm and Lisha turned back to stare at the moon as silence descended.

"Do you like him?" Nikki broke the ice.

Lisha gave a half shrug while still gazing at the moon before responding, "He's human so why would I dislike someone like me."

Nikki snickered, "Not that kind of like, I mean do you have feelings for him?"

She looked away from the moon and shrugged before turning to Nikki, "No, why are you asking?"

She sighed in relief, "Just wanted you to know you can't grow feelings for him."

Lisha pursed her lips before crossing her legs, "And why is that?"

" I have feelings for him and yeah, he doesn't deserve someone like you," She punctuated it with a cheeky smile.

A smirk appeared on Lisha's lips, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, goodness, Lisha just take a look at yourself, how do you think such a handsome guy would fall for someone like you, you're just a tiny and flat lady and you're not that beautiful yet you topped it with your crazy attitude, why do you think Yomi broke up with you after dating for three months, it's because you're not presentable and Andrew just after a month, Lisha you're more or less like a skeleton with an amorphous figure, unattractive face and an awful attitude, do you think any family will accept you like that?”She eyed her warily while sizing her up, obviously, she was smoldered with resentment.

A vortex of anger swirled inside Lisha as the words got to her, she knew Nikki always gained pleasure in demeaning her, she was about to explode with rage but decided to take it calmly, after heaving, a smile crawled up her face.

"Are you done or you still have more to say?"

Surprise slapped at Nikki who tried forming words, Lisha took her silence as a yes so, she stood up and headed towards the door.

"Get out," she said sweetly with a smile as she opened the door widely.

Nikki stood up slowly which got Lisha impatient, she dashed her a deadly look and Nikki increased her pace.

"Thanks." Lisha bowed her head as Nikki walked out of the room, turning back, she opened her mouth to say something but Lisha slammed the heavy door in her face.

After bolting her door, she walked back to the egg chair and curled up like a foetus as she stared at the moon with the pain coming back. Waves of grief, anger, hurt and rejection.

Thanks for reading.
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