"Do you want to come to my wedding?" I asked Fatima.

We were sitting on the couch at the foot of my bed playing Halo in survival mode. Was I moving too fast with this friendship? She complained that her roommate was always messy and noisy so I offered her shelter in one of my guest rooms, not permanently though.

"Of course! I'd never say no but I don't have any formal clothes." She frowned.

"Have a button down? Pants? Wear those." I restrained myself from offering my clothes or offering to buy her something.

"Whew, thought you were going to say wear a dress or something." She laughed.

"Why would I?" I scrunched up my nose.

"I'm wearing a suit." I told her.

"You are? Damn, that's pretty tight. You're fiancé must be pretty chill." She nodded her head.

"He is." A small smile grew on my face as I thought about Kwashie.

"ZIM!!?" I heard from outside of my room.

"Your dad is home?" Fatima asked me.

"Nah, he doesn't get in till after 7 and I already told him about you. He's cool with it." I paused the game and left the room.

I walked down the steps and into the foyer and saw no one so I turned back and made my way into the kitchen and there was Kwashie standing beside the kitchen island with a brown box that had a green bow around it.

"Couldn't you just come to my room?" I rolled my eyes.

"And miss the opportunity to shout your name? No." She chuckled.

"Fatima is here." I said.

"You're spending a lot of time with Fatima." She raised her eyebrow.

"October just started, it hasn't even been a month as yet. You're exaggerating." I scoffed.

"Sure. Anything you say." She rolled her eyes and I wondered why she sounded annoyed.

"What's in the box?" I switched the topic.

"Something Richard said he should've gotten a long time ago from a bargain he won." He said.

"I don't know why you keep betting and bargaining when you're obviously so terrible at it." She held onto her chest and I watched as her body shook from the laughter.

"Yo, chill before I fight you on that." I hissed my teeth.

"Can you do my hair for me?" She asked after her laughter died down.

"Weekend."

"Can't you do it now?" She looked at her watch.

"It's like 5:30." She pointed out.

"No, weekend. You can manage until then." Her hair was fuzzy but it was nothing some conditioner, water and oil in a spray bottle with a brush couldn't fix.

"You always dey wait until my hair fully grown out and look messy before you fix it o." She huffed.

"Girl, shut the hell up. I'm sure the hairdresser that installed your locks told you every four to five weeks so stop bitching." I walked away to get a banana.

"You have no manners whatsoever." She shook her head.

"What you gonna do about it?" I smirked.

"Something other than sex because it obviously isn't working." She sighed.

"We're not even having sex right now. You're putting me through a dry period until the wedding night." I groaned.

"At least it's not as long as the first time." She laughed.

"How can you endure this?" I faked my tears.

"It's tearing me apart but I already messed up by taking your virginity before our wedding night so unfortunately, it has to be done." She said.

"No, no, no. I wanted it. As a matter of fact, I needed it. I need you." I walked over to her and wrapped my hands around her neck. I tiptoed so that I could reach up to her and connect our lips.

She hugged me and met me halfway bringing her lips down to mines. I sighed in content at the taste of her lips and bent my knees which was the signal I've long used to make her know I wanted to be lifted up.

"No." She broke the kiss and pulled my arms from her neck.

I stomped and cried out throwing a tantrum. I flung my arms in the air and cursed at any God or Goddess that was currently listening and laughing at my childish eruption that was brought out from my lack of sex.

"After we're married and we've moved into our own house, we can have sex all the time and you won't be so bratty. You're so spoiled." She pinched my cheek after I had calmed down.

"YOU! You're the one that spoiled me." I jabbed at her chest.

"That might be true but anyways..." she trailed off.

She lifted the lid from the brown box and a light brown puppy stuck its head out looking around inquisitively. I gasped and quickly moved towards the box lifting the puppy by its torso. I realized it was a girl and I marveled at how cute she was. Her tail wagged in excitement and small puppy like whimpers left her partially opened mouth. She licked the air and I brought her down to my face so that she could lick me. I hugged her to my chest and rocked her like I would a baby.

"Why didn't she make any noise in the box?" I asked surprised that she was sitting there quiet all along.

"I guess she's very obedient because I told her shh before closing the lid." Kwashie chuckled.

"What are you going to name her?" She asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Obviously Gir." I laughed.

"Gir?" She looked confused.

"Oh my God. You've never watched Invader Zim..." my face turned into a frown as realization dawned on me.

"Invader Zim?" She asked again.

"I literally thought you made that up since it practically suits you, you are a menace to society." She said.

I gasped loudly and stepped back before putting Gir down and pointing at Kwashie.

"Sic him!!" I commanded Gir, but the puppy sat down looking up at me with wide cheerful eyes.

"Sic him!!" I repeated and once again the puppy sat still looking up at me.

"I guess I'll need to train you." I sighed.

She barked but it sounded more like a yelp before rushing to sit between my legs. I narrowed my eyes at Kwashie before lifting my middle finger and bending down to pick up my puppy.

"I'll get you one day you uncultured swine." I used my best Invader Zim voice while I pointed at her.

"And you'll grow up one day." She retorted.

"Take it back." I gasped.

"Stop gasping so much before you hurt your lungs or something." Her face held an amused expression and all I wanted to do was to wipe it off.

"You're despicable." I said through gritted teeth.

"A honor, really." She laughed out.

"You're not as funny as you think you are, Ekuban." I rolled my eyes.

"As long as you think I'm funny, my love." She blew a kiss at me and walked away going to the foyer.

"I don't!" I shouted after her and was greeted with the slam of the front door.

I held tightly onto Gir as I angrily walked back to the steps and up to my room. I placed Gir on the carpet and went back to sit beside Fatima.

"Finally!" She threw her hands up dropping her phone on her lap.

"I must apologize. I got a puppy." I mused. I started to call Gir but I remembered she wouldn't be used to the name as yet.

I went to pick her up and brought her back to Fatima. I handed her the puppy and watched as she made faces and behaved like she was holding a baby.

"Gir? Sounds familiar.." she pointed out.

"It's from Invader Zim." I said.

"Yeeeessss." She clicked her tongue.

"Zim and Gir. That's neat." She laughed.

"Maybe I should just marry you instead." I mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Kwashie has never seen Invader Zim."

"Well it wasn't my favorite, I just watched it because it was on TV and back then Netflix wasn't around." She laughed.

"At least you watched it."

"Did you call him an uncultured swine?"

"How'd you know?"

"You call me an uncultured swine every time I don't know something you think I should know." She chuckled.

"Whoops." I looked away.

"It's okay." She continued laughing as she puts Gir down and takes up the controller.

We continued playing our game until I heard Gir whining and then I remembered that I didn't have any food for her and I also didn't have a doggy bed. I inwardly groaned and hoped Richard thought about all of these things beforehand.

"ZIIIIM, I'M HOME!" I heard from my doorway.

"Hi, you must be Fatima." Richard said walking into my room and outstretching his hand for her to shake.

"Yes sir." She returned his handshake.

"You can call me Richard." He said.

"I think I'd be more comfortable saying Mr McGlashan." Fatima says.

"As you wish." He shrugged his shoulder.

"Zim! Where's the new addition to our family?" He said excitedly.

"It took you long enough. I went on that date last year, dad." I rolled my eyes playfully.

"I know and I'm sorry. She should cheer you up. Would've gotten her sooner but I'm getting old and I had completely forgotten." He waved his hand exaggerating the completely.

"You're forgiven." I handed Gir to him.

"Hello, Gir." He shook the puppy.

"You didn't even tell him the name." Fatima pointed out.

"It's a father daughter thing." Richard and I laughed.

Fatima had a sad smile on her face as she took up her phone and busied herself with it. I wanted to ask her about her father but I didn't want to cross any boundaries.

"Zim, come help me with his food and doggy bed." Richard said.

"I'll be back, champ." I ruffled Fatima's soft hair and I heard her giggle.

I followed Richard to the kitchen and saw that everything was already laid on the kitchen island. The big 25 pound dog food was leaned up against the fridge and chew toys were scattered all over the island.

"See how many chew toys are here? If she bites any of my furniture it's coming out of your allowance." He said.

"I can live with that."

"If she soils my carpets.."

"My allowance gets it, I get it." I cut him off with a raise of the hand.

He pinched my shoulder walking off leaving me to sooth the aching skin. He pinched me when he thought I was getting ahead of myself or out of line.

"It's very weird and uncanny the resemblance that girl has with Carter and Christian." Richard said.

"I know right. She's like the spitting image of Big Cee." We loved to gossip.

"Did you ask her about who her dad is?"

"I tried. She said that he's a touchy subject for her."

"Has Kwashie said anything?"

"Nah, she's just too caught up in being jealous. Saying I spend too much time with her." I sighed.

"Do you think you're drawn to her because of her peas in the pod resemblance?" Richard was now leaning against the sink and staring at me.

"I thought about it but I didn't approach her, she approached me."

"Interesting.." he spun around and turned on the faucet.

"Very.." I added.

"What is your psychoanalysis saying?" I asked.

"Well Christian is very famous..."

"Very..." I added again.

"And I'm sure he has had different affairs in different countries...."

"Go on." I urged.

"Where is she from?"

"America."

"Mhm, interesting."

"Very..."

"And she came all the way to this side of the world for school? When persons are leaving here to go to America for school?" Richard flashed his hand and walked back over to me.

"I never thought about it like that, maybe she just wants a different scene." I said.

"There are 50 states in America, she could get a different scene right in her own country." Richard pointed out.

"Where is she staying?"

"On campus."

"Interesting..."

"Very...."

"Do you think...?"

"I don't know.."

"But could it be possible?"

"Anything is possible, Papaya. Like Kwashie not knowing Invader Zim."

"What? You're lying."

"I speak no lies."

"Let's throw the whole marriage away."

"I agree.." I laughed.

"But, think about it..." he trailed off.

"When was the last time you visited Christian?" He asked me.

"I called him last week just to check up on him. Said he'd be back in the island in a few weeks." I said.

"I'm glad that you're keeping up with him, Carter's death was so sudden and tragic." He sighed.

"It's the least I can do. I mean, she was still my best friend and first love at the end of the day." I frowned.

"She was a bitch too."

"DAD!!!" I laughed out.

"I'm sorry, may the dead Rest In Peace." He made the holy trinity across his chest and said Amen.

"I'll look into it, okay?" He said.

"Of course. I'll get any information I can as well." We did our little handshake and he turned around and got started on dinner which would more than likely be the leftover store bought rotisserie chicken we had yesterday made into chicken pasta.

"Is Kwashie coming back?" Richard asked.

"She didn't say. Let me find out." I spun around and my heart fell to my feet.

Fatima stood behind me with a shocked and confused expression on her face looking between Richard and I. She tilted her head and her eyes suggested that she was somewhere in her head, lost in thought trying to decipher what she had just heard. Would I need to kill her too? I couldn't keep killing Big Cee's kids.

"Fatima?" I lowly said.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked.

"Long enough." Her eyes found mine and they blazed bright with curiosity.

I don't know which is worst, her hearing Richard and I gossip about her could be father and dead sister or she hearing me refer to Kwashie as she.

"So.." she started.

"You're fiancé is actually a fiancée, huh?" Her smile was sickening.

Time slowed down as I heard the knife Richard was holding drop into the sink and clanged against the stainless steel. I felt a stabbing pain in my heart as sweat washed my forehead. As I remembered my cursed body, I remembered that I passed out when I started to hyperventilate. My vision blurred and my body swayed.

"ZIDANIA!!!" Richard called out.

The last thing I saw was the concerned and worried look on Fatima's face. I haven't told her about my recently developed health condition so she couldn't have possibly known that my mind was just as weak as my body thanks to Kacely.

I couldn't keep passing out like this, my life was withering away and I kept walking up in hospitals feeling as if a part of me is missing.

**

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#KeepingUpWithTheMcGlashans