Chapter 18 Boo
Boo
“Yuh practice yuh valedictorian speech yet?” Nickoi’s voice lands low in my ear, lips brushing the curve of my neck like they belong there.
Goosebumps trail across my skin. I exhale slowly, eyes on the mirror. “Barely.”
His arms slide around my waist, slow and sure, like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Like he’s done it a hundred times before. And maybe he has, but every time, it feels like the first.
“Mi nuh wah yuh go pon dat stage and nuh prepared, Mami,” he murmurs, voice velvet but firm. Protective. It makes me shift.
“Stop stare pon me like dat,” I mumble, cheeks hot, breaking eye contact.
He chuckles, that chuckle before he turns me around gently. His hand slides over my breast like he already knows it’s his, pressing me against the vanity with a kind of slow urgency.
“Nickoi…” I say, smiling even as my voice trembles.
“You nuh sound like you want me stop,” he whispers, eyes locked on mine.
His look is heat. His touch is fire. His presence? Dangerous. “Mi just say—” The words vanish as his lips claim mine.
It’s soft at first. Patient. But then his hand grips my waist and the other explores me like he’s remembering every inch.
The kiss deepens. His tongue finds mine and I swear my knees weaken.
My fingers reach for his face, holding him there, deepening it like I’m starving and he’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to eat.
“Nickoi,” I moan into the kiss, barely breathing. I want more.
He pulls back just long enough to trail kisses down my neck. My head falls back, a soft sound escaping me. The tension is thick. My body’s warm. Too warm.
Then his phone rings. He hisses. Frustrated. Pulls back, checking the screen. “Yah?”
He’s talking to the makeup artist, I can tell. His tone is calm but he’s still watching me from the corner of his eye like he wants to finish what he started.
When he hangs up, he presses one last kiss to my jaw. “Candy deh yes ,” he says, then slips out the room.
“Okay,” I whisper, still breathless.
I head to our room, already showered, already glowing. My black silk pajamas hug my body, and my feet slide easily into my slippers. Nickoi’s over by his closet as I grab my foundation and head down the stairs.
In the living room, Candy’s already talking to Lizzie. The energy is light, warm, and girly. I smile. “Good afternoon,” I greet, settling into the chair.
“Good afternoon,” they both echo, eyes lighting up when they see me.
Candy starts setting up. Brushes. Lights. The whole glam scene.
“What time graduation?” she asks.
“Four,” I reply.
“Yuh have any idea weh yuh want?”
I shake my head. “Just soft glam. Nothing too loud. I want it pretty, but not extra.”
She nods like she already sees the vision. “Say less.”
I stay awake as she works on my makeup, she wants me to twist my face in particular ways as she applies the makeup. It feels like sex. My thoughts curls a smile on my lips. Thank God mommy is on FaceTime the whole time so I don’t get a chance to sleep even though I really, really wanted to.
When she finishes, both she and Lizzie are practically squealing. “Pretty bad enuh,” Candy says, stepping back with her hands on her hips like she just painted art.
I start smiling, heat blooming under my skin. “And it’s just soft glam, nothing too extra and she a nyam it up,” Candy adds, eyes wide with admiration.
“A fi real,” Lizzie chuckles beside her.
I still haven’t seen my face and the curiosity is burning me alive. But deep down, I already know. I feel pretty.
Candy’s grinning. “Mi really want try a full glam pan yuh sometime… yuh would a nyam dat up.”
She snaps a few pictures, her camera shutter clicking fast. Then she flips her phone around to show me. My breath hitches. Is that me? My skin looks like honey. My eyes soft but strong. Lips glossy and full. I look grown. I look ready.
I reach for the mirror, and the reflection nearly makes me emotional. Candy leans in. “Mi wish mi coulda use yuh fi a photoshoot gig mi have. You and this other girl woulda shell it. Yuh think Nickoi woulda say yes?”
I smile, surprised. She serious? “Maybe…” I say, right as I hear footsteps.
“Zara, mi know yuh used to being late fi everything but yuh cyaah late fi this,” Nickoi calls out.
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.
“You alright?” she presses, worry thick in her tone.
“Yes… mi just want some water,” I say.
Nickoi takes the phone from me, talking quietly with her as I try to steady my breathing.
Two minutes pass, and then I see them. Mama, Grandma, and Gavin coming towards me.
Nickoi finally loosens his arm around me when my mother arrives.
She immediately fans me with her hand before handing me a bottle of water.
I drink, slowly. Minutes pass, and the sickness starts to ease.
Thank God for them, I really felt awful.
“Thanks,” I smile softly at them.
My mother and Gavin walk with me toward the building where I’m to put on my gown. Mama stays behind, and I glance back, seeing Nickoi and her laughing easily, comfortable. I turn and focus on my gown.
“All graduates should be lined up… the ceremony is starting now!” the director’s voice echoes, sharp and urgent. Why he sound so stressed?
“You look beautiful, love,” my mother pecks my jaw. Gavin straightens my gown and cap, then pulls me into a hug.
“We affi go tek we seat now ‘cause we affi video when you march in… so wull up your head, girl, and do yuh thing. Mi proud a yuh!” Gavin smiles before he and my mother walk off.
I spot Suzanne across the hall. She waves, smiling wide.“Zara!” she whispers loudly.
I smile back, ready to greet her but before I can, the director’s voice cuts through the air. “Where is Miss Williams?! Do you think I have time to waste?” he demands aggressively, making my heart skip.
“Bredda, who you a deal wid so?” Nickoi asks, his tone sharp and just as aggressive.
The director looks around, ready to argue, but then his demeanour shifts. I guess he realizes arguing with Nickoi isn’t the best idea. “S-sorry about that, sir. It’s just that I have to get this going before time runs out,” he says, forcing an awkward smile.
Nickoi keeps his glare fixed on him. I cough to get his attention, flash him a small smile. “Mi a go inside,” I say. He nods and walks away.