***
ABUJA, NIGERIA.
The dewy atmosphere graced the prince with its freshness and serene breeze. Chatters around welcomed him, but they were enough to have him intrigued by the people's common tongue. Years, it'd been about six years he had visited the country, but it felt like a decade. Nigeria was amongst his most favorite African countries, the people's street food, trikes, native linguistics, busy streets like no other, it oddly made the land, welcoming.
With steady style, he adjusted the Panthère de Cartier sunglasses protecting his eyes from the harshness of the sun as it beat down his neck – the weather was cool, nevertheless, the sun still made its grand appearance. His suited guards, on either side of him, stood tall as their superior halted in his steps, taking in the nostalgia overcoming his thoughts. Amir Zayan kept it simple in a crisp black button-up and slacks, feet clad in his handpicked Louis Vuitton.
The sleek, black private jet shadowed the men, overlooking the tall walls of the FBO. He exited the area. Finally, there he was after the five-and-a-half-hour flight. He could not deny the jet lag, but what could he do? He had to be there for a grieving friend. A nostalgic feeling crept up his olive skin, living behind tranquility in its wake.
The prince suppressed a smile threatening to make way onto his face and began taking calm steps. Power, grace, masculine beauty, all radiating the strong aura of the regal moor. Amir Zayan had it all, even without efforts.
Necks turned, but the six-foot tall man did not wait to bask in all the attention. His Arab features could be quite hidden by the sunglasses, yet it was as if the attention was just by the mere arrival of he. Everything felt natural; and it didn't help when his ego tried overpowering his ignorance. The SUVs lined up, a ground-breaking BMW X7 SUV right in the middle. The fine metal stood with regality and richness. Its shiny white bodywork pulling off a certain strength, awe and inquisitiveness with no mercy.
Amir Zayan loved polo, although not as much as he loved his cars.
The stoic, suited men could be sighted as they did nothing to lessen the power walking with him, they surrounded the thickly tinted black cars, a certain number of them by his private vehicle.
His chauffeur bowed and greeted him while one of the bodyguards he'd come with, robotically pulled the white car door open. Amir Zayan uttered no words as he sat on the cool brown leather seats of the car, grand enough, to have the heart of a car lover, throbbing. He pulled off the dark bifocals from his face and pocketed them in his breast-pocket, carefully collecting the tablet handed to him.
The cool air surrounding the corners of the luxurious SUV he was in, had the air-conditioner penetrating it as serenity blasted the spotless, finely finished interior.
As much as he wanted his presence under the radar, his parents had other plans, clearly.
Almost immediately Amir Zayan began getting some work done, a sound came from the pocket of his slacks. He dropped the stylus and tablet beside him and pulled out his phone. As expected, it was Rayan. The minute he saw his friend's text about finding his family, he rushed over some meetings and got on the jet to him.
He'd do anything for his friends. And though Rayan never said it, he needed all the support he could get. Amir Zayan knew his best friend as one that hated pitiful looks or words thrown his way, but he cared so much for the man that one might think they were closely related.
"Your Highness." He said in a snarky tone. Amir Zayan sighed, "Alhaji."
"Eh, you could do better," Rayan commented, making the man roll his eyes. "I'm here."
Rayan laughed. He furrowed his brows in confusion, "What?"
"You really need to work on your sense of humor, Zayan." The Amir went silent for a moment, listening to Rayan's faint snort through the AirPod. "I don't understand."
"For a moment there, I thought you said you were here. I guess age is really catching up to me."
Amir Zayan massaged his temples. "Rayan, I wasn't joking."
After three minutes of convincing his friend and finally succeeding, the conversation drifted off to asking one another how they were. Rayan finally pulled down the humorous walls he'd used to stir away any heated topic. The vehicles' engines stopped as they had ended the 45-minute trip.
Rayan never forgot to mention his absence at home to Amir Zayan, thus, it was no doubt a smoother journey for the prince because at first, he planned on landing on the hot Abuja land before leaving for Rayan's condo in Kano. Both men agreed that way as he notified him from the start that his missing mother and sister were sighted there.
Rayan rambled on until Amir Zayan decided to speak, "Bro, I'm at the hotel."
The other halted his words and the Amir knew he was not going to like the words that he was about to hear. "Oh? I'm uh, I'm on my way to the hospital, actually," he grimaced and waited for it.
"You said to drop by and then we'd go see Hameed later."
"Yes, I know. I'm sorry, man. Why don't you head over to the hospital? I mean, that should be easier, yeah? I'll send the address."
He sighed again. Their recently widowed friend resided in Bauchi with his family, and Rayan had told the prince that Adam flew to the city his sister lived in to see his newborn nephew. He was closest to Rayan than he was, with Amir Zayan. "Fine, I'll be awaiting your text."
Once the call was hung up, he notified his guards on the change of plans whilst they sent the update to the other cars' occupants, they stepped on the gas and left the hotel's parking lot to the hospital. Luckily, there wasn't much of a distance between both destinations, so, and they arrived right on time. He appeared ignorant to the eyes set on him after placing back his sunglasses and began towards the entrance.
The man was with two of his finest bodyguards and ordered the others to lay low, but it was rather too late for that, the minute the convoy drove into the mediocre underground lot of Zahmal. Amir Zayan held onto his phone as he tried dialing Rayan to no avail. They reached the reception desk and one of his men stepped forward to the nurses there. The area grew quite noisy, thus, he stepped away to try Rayan's number again.
The air-conditioned air hit his olive skin as liveliness swarm in it, scents of fresh lemon and anti-septic, hitting his nostrils. He looked around for familiar faces while awaiting Rayan and the guard at the reception desk. No sign of the former. Amir Zayan turned to his left from the clack that managed to make way through the noisiness of the place. That was until he saw Rayan.
He cussed out and began to call out to him when he noticed that he was occupied with something in front of him. Rayan's back was to the prince, but he easily could recognize his best friend by his side profile. He began toward him. "Ra—"
And then he noticed the 'something' he was apparently talking to.
Rather, someone.
As alarming as it probably sounded, she swebbed. And even after that, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
His soul...
***
"Dude, what do you mean by you got a girl pregnant?"
"What I said. I hate kids, but she decided to have one for me," he clenched his fists. "She's only a plaything, my friend. And for pining this on me, I'm going to handle this issue so well Ramlah would wish she'd never gotten acquainted with me."
And that, was a vow.
^-^
FINALLYYY!!!
- ♥
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Sadiya |REWRITING
Fantasy[new version] • Malik & Rouhuh • Not all smiles make a happy person. Contrary to the misinterpreted fact that not all horns and forks make the devil. Sadiya Muhammad Yusuf. Having lost a father as well as a brother at her teenage years. Many might b...
