Deceitfully Yours

16.

"Okay, rewind for just a moment. Let me wrap my head around this. A few weeks ago you called looking for a job, and now you're getting married to a billionaire?" My friend, Candice asked, staring at me from the other side of the circular table like I had grown two heads. "What the fuck?"

Candice Williams and I met at Southern Cross University six years ago during Freshman orientation and ironically, we ended up being friends.

Now the reason why I used the word 'ironically' was because, at first, we didn't click. We were two different people. She was confident in her beautiful dark skin. She was ambitious, flirty, and outgoing with an unapologetic personality that made her enviable. Me? I was the odd one who wore thrifts and never left her room, and in my defense, I never liked the dormitory. There were too many people and zero privacy and the toilet was always stained with shit.

My first semester, I had opted to get my own apartment but I was broke and couldn't find someone to split the rent with because they all wanted to have that dorm experience for a reason I didn't still understand.

Back to Candice. How we managed to become friends and stay friends was still a big mystery, nevertheless, I was glad I had a strong anchor like her in my mess of a life.

I took a large sip of coke from my straw. "Well..." I drawled, dragging out my words teasingly. "What can I say?" I told her with a small shrug. "It just kind of happened."

"Damn girl," she fussed, taking my hand in hers to examine the huge diamond rock sitting on my middle finger. "Imma need some of that lotion you rubbing or something cus I need to find me a billionaire too."

I laughed a little, withdrawing my hand. "Last I remembered, you had a girlfriend."

One thing about Candice that was also quite outspoken was her ability to come out with her sexuality undermining the fact that she was black American and stood a chance of getting disowned.

She started dating girls way back in our second year, and I admit, I was a little envious of her ability to throw a 'fuck you' finger at the world and go for what she truly wanted.

"Jokes on you cus we broke up a long time ago. I'm single and ready to mingle with nine 0's." she quipped, making us both laugh.

"The wedding is tomorrow," I informed after we settled into a comfortable silence. "Is it too late to ask you to come? I don't know anyone here yet and since my family can't make it, I'd like to have someone of my own."

"Oh, you don't have to ask me twice, honey, I'm gonna turn up."

I smiled. I was glad to know I had her support even if she didn't know the full details of the arrangement yet. "Thank you, Candice."

"Thank me? Girl, I should be thanking you, I get to link up with rich New York men and if I'm lucky enough, I'll become a sugar baby."

I laughed, shaking my head.