It had been a month since the one-night stand, and Jeddah had been convincing himself every day that he didn't want to see the mystery girl again.
One night, unable to sleep, he got up for a glass of water and found himself talking out loud.
"She really did that to me, oh. The Jeddah. King of hearts. I wasn't even into her like that. I was just trying to help. I mean, she asked for it. And then she had the guts to leave before I even woke up."
His curiosity had only grown since.
But he had no idea who she was. No name, no number, no identity—nothing to trace.
"What are you thinking about, man?" Sterling's voice broke into his thoughts.
Jeddah shook his head slightly. If he told Sterling the truth, his reputation as the greatest playboy alive would be ruined. And Sterling? He was an ass.
He picked up his phone and banged it back on the table.
"Oh Mom, can you just chill, please?" he sighed in frustration, ignoring the incoming call.
"Mom trouble?" Sterling asked, grabbing the last apple off the plate.
"Like, how do I make my mom understand that not all of us are meant for marriage? We can be single, young… eventually old men."
"No, bro. Old age is lonely. You'll need someone to talk to," Sterling replied.
"Just shut up," Jeddah rolled his eyes.
Sterling laughed.
"But seriously, man. Talk to her. Make her back off."
"Talk? To Madam Jago? You don't know my mom. Words are like breeze to her ears. Actions? Even worse," Jeddah muttered, dropping into a chair.
"Maybe you make a statement. Pay the girl off, you know?"
"What are you saying, Sterling? How do you pay off someone who stands to inherit multi-billion-dollar assets by simply marrying me? I'm the prize, bro. But hey…"
An idea struck him.
He pulled out his wallet and took out a tiny piece of paper, hissed, and dialed the number.
"What's that?" Sterling asked curiously.
"Watch and learn," Jeddah replied.
First dial: no response.
"She's playing the 'I'm not cheap' game," Jeddah laughed.
"Maybe she isn't. If she had your number and wanted you, she'd have called."
"You have a lot to learn, bruv," Jeddah said, shaking his head as he dialed again.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Are you going to talk or what?"
That voice.
Jeddah cleared his throat. "Hmm hmm… Ore?"
"Mr. Man, don't you know who you called?" she snapped.
No way.
Jeddah was sure there was no way he'd end up with a woman like this—the exact type he despised.
"Uhm… Listen, Ore. My name is Jed—" he paused, grinding his teeth, "Jedidiah. My mom gave me your number. Look, I know you think I'm a jackpot and all, but honestly, you don't want to be miserable. I can't marry you. So, I suggest you talk to your mom, let her talk to mine, and let's all be happy, yeah?"
Silence.
Then background noise.
"Ore? You there?"
"Look, girl, don't be sad, okay? I'm just not your man. Say something."
Plates clattered in the background, followed by a loud scream.
Jeddah looked at Sterling, confused.
"What's going on?" he mouthed.
Sterling shrugged.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry, brother. My kids are just all over the place. Little advice—don't have kids. Yet," the woman said casually.
Kids?
"Wait, what? You have children?"
"Yeah, duh. What were you on about?"
Jeddah blinked.
She continued, "Sorry about the confusion. I'm not who you're looking for. I found this phone on a train in New Jersey. I kept it, hoping the owner would call. No password, just a voice recording playing—I figured it might be important."
Oh, shit.
Jeddah and Sterling exchanged a look.
"New Jersey?"
"There's barely anything on the phone, but there's a picture. I can send it to you if you want. Maybe it'll help you find your Ore."
Jeddah nodded, then realized it was an audio call.
"Okay. Thanks. Sorry for the inconvenience," he said and ended the call.
"New Jersey?!" he shouted.
"I thought you said this girl was just some regular Nigerian babe. What's her phone doing in Jersey?" Sterling asked.
"I don't know either."
Ding.
A notification popped up. Jeddah snatched the phone like a cheetah.
"It's a baby picture, man. Who recognizes someone from their baby photo?"
"Well, some people don't change," Sterling said encouragingly.
"Not that I'm interested or anything," Jeddah said, eyes glued to the screen. "But I'm curious. What's she doing abroad? Hang on—maybe she's coming to New York. You think she came to find me?"
"You must really think the world revolves around you. Brat!" Sterling gave him a light shove.
They both laughed.
"That was close though. For a second, I thought my mom had really fixed me up with someone who had kids. Am I that undesirable now?" Jeddah chuckled, glancing at the photo again.
"Well, at least one thing's clear," Sterling said.
"What's that?"
"Your wife-to-be isn't all local and stuff," he laughed.
"You're mad. When I heard her voice? I paused. I just knew she wasn't young," Jeddah said, heading upstairs.
"When are you leaving? Someone's coming over tonight. Shut the door on your way out, Sterl," he called.
"Are you ever going to change?" Sterling asked with a smirk.
"Are the beautiful ones even born yet?" Jeddah replied.
Sterling laughed, picked up his phone, and left—leaving his friend to his usual ways.