"You're going on a date with the prince, the soon to be king, of Wakanda?" Tendai's younger sister, Nailah exclaims as reads over her sister's shoulder.
Tendai yelps in surprise and closes her laptop forcefully. She turns her body around in the chair and gives Nailah a look.
"Why are you reading my emails?"
Nailah shrugged, "Because your diary is boring. Plus, you were blushing and smiling really big."
Tendai blushes and shakes her head, "I was not! I never blush."
Nailah crosses her arms while an unconvinced look plays on her face, "There is no way you can not blush while talking to Prince T'Challa."
Nailah moves to her bed and flops on it dramatically, "I remember when he came to our class one day to speak, and oh my goodness, that man is fine. Make him my brother in law."
Tendai chuckles at her younger sister. She had remembered that Nailah has the biggest crush on T'Challa, as do many young girls. It was kind of cute, though.
"So, have you picked out your outfit?" Nailah questions. Tendai shakes her head no.
"I was just going to wear something I already have," Tendai says as she pushes herself up from her chair.
"Don't tell me you're going to wear one of your cultural dresses on this date," Nailah says.
Tendai pouts, "Why not?"
"Sis," she starts. "Make him want you! The cultural garm is cute and all, but we want you in his memory when he goes to sleep. Have him uttering your name when he wakes up the next morning. That's how you do it."
Tendai laughs, "Where do you learn this stuff?"
Nailah shrugs, "We have internet for a reason."
✻
The next day around four in the afternoon, a knock on the door interrupts the conversation Nailah and Tendai are having.
Tendai pushes herself up from the couch and moves to open the door. She peaks through the peep hole, to see that it is a man holding a decently large red box with a pretty white ribbon wrapped around it.
Tendai makes a face as she begins to undo the locks.
"Who is it?" Nailah asks. Tendai shrugs her shoulders and opens to door.
"Ms. Tendai Zemora?" he asks.
"That's me," she says with uncertainty in her voice. The man passes her the box.
"This is for you, from Prince T'Challa."
A light blush covers her cheeks. She takes the box from the man and thanks him before he exits their vicinity.
Tendai closes the door and heads towards her sister, who looks like she can burst in excitement.
"It's from the prince? Open it, open it!" Nailah exclaims as she bounces up and down on the couch.
Tendai rushes over to her and places the box on their rectangular coffee table. She undoes the ribbon and opens the top, which reveals a beautiful outfit.
Tendai gasps as she pulls it out. It is a colorful romper with flowers decorating it. It has flowy long sleeves, and the shorts are mid-thigh. It has a bit of a v cut down the chest, but it is still classy. And casual, which gives Tendai some ideas about where T'Challa was taking her.
She dug a little farther in the box, to see a pair of shoes in there also. They were simple white converse, ones that Tendai has been dying to get, but can't afford at the moment.
"It's a pretty outfit," Nailah awes. "He must really he trying to impress you."
A smile creeps on Tendai's face. Her heart is doing a trillion back flips, all for a man she had met just a week prior. But, love knows no time.
"Well, he's doing a damn good job."
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marsai martin as nailah marie zemora
