“Listen yeah, even if I was listening to Sugababes… so what? You tryna act like we weren’t both bumpin’ their tunes back in the day?”

“…Man can’t lie. They had hits, still.”

“Exactly. And don’t act like you didn’t have the deepest crush on the black girl. Keisha, yeah?”

“Keisha Buchanan. Oh my days, she had me in a chokehold, fam. I was like, seven years old, planning our wedding in my head.”

“Yeah, I remember all that. And Mutya… shit, gyal looked like she’d smoke a cigarette then still sing sweetly to you after an argument. That woman had aura…”

It was a busy Friday afternoon at the bustling food court at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush. Ash Clovez and Magnum were busily strolling through, each carrying a sleek bag from Foot Locker. They were in high spirits as they walked by, joking and chatting about random stuff and occasionally getting stopped by a fan or two and engaging them. 

As they passed the Asian food section of the court, Ash Clovez was busily looking around. “Yo, Mag, man’s got a sudden craving for that Korean chicken…”

Before he could finish his sentence, though, his eyes chanced upon a familiar face.

He froze. Then he nudged Magnum, his eyes wide, nodding toward the familiar face.

A woman of North African descent in her late 40s stood near a juice stand, busily sipping on a smoothie. Clad in a cute floral dress with a sleek ponytail, she radiated a beautiful, calm, and graceful presence, with a hint of authority.

“Bruv, is that… Is that Miss Hadiyah?” Ash Clovez whispered excitedly.

Magnum squinted, then nodded, his eyes also wide. “Oh, swearrrrrr, it is her. Shit, she hasn’t aged a day.”

“I swear down, bruv! It’s like she’s refused to age or some shit. Rahhhhh!” 

“Yo, we gotta say hi. You know she’ll remember you, lover boy.”

Ash Clovez laughed, rolling his eyes. 

Miss Hadiyah was their teacher back in secondary school, and she was one of those teachers every boy had a soft spot for. Even though she had been quite strict and showed no form of tolerance for indiscipline, her unique gorgeousness had had the boys hooked. A teenage Ash Clovez was one of those boys, famously going all the way to boldly tell her one day in front of his classmates that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, and that in an alternate world, she’d be his wife.

Obviously, that caused quite an uproar in the school, with his friends hailing him for being so brave, and others hating him for having the courage to say what they only whispered among themselves. Miss Hadiyah had been quite dismissive about his profession of love, telling him to focus on his grades instead of alternate universes.

Nonetheless, he had made his mark on her, and she definitely would remember him.

As they approached her, Miss Hadiyah noticed them, her eyes lighting up as she instantly recognized them. She set her smoothie down on a nearby table, a warm smile spreading across her face.

“Ashley and Magnum Reyes? Is that you?”

Ash Clovez and Magnum nodded.

“Oh my goodness, look at you two! It’s been so long. You boys are all grown up. Hope you’re not causing trouble!”

The brothers smirked sheepishly. Their joker tendencies had been around for a long time, and it sometimes got them into some trouble.

“Hi, Miss Hadiyah, it’s so good to see you!” Ash Clovez commented. “And, uh, yeah, maybe a little trouble, but we’re good now, promise.”

Magnum nodded. “Yeah, Miss, we’re proper adults now. Got our own YouTube channel and everything. But you’re looking great.”

Miss Hadiyah laughed and crossed her arms, leaning slightly against the table, clearly enjoying the reunion. “Interesting. I see you two haven’t lost your charm at all. Ashley, I still remember that day you stood up in class, bold as anything, and told me you had a deep crush on me. What was it? You’d marry me in an alternate universe? My goodness, you were a handful!”

The brothers burst out laughing. There was no way she wouldn’t bring that up. 

“Oh, man, Miss Hadiyah, you’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?” Ash Clovez laughed. “I was young, and the hormones were wilding! So yeah, I said what was on my mind. But real talk, you’re even more beautiful now. Ageing like fine wine.”

“Facts, Miss Hadiyah. You’re out here glowing,” Magnum jumped in. “Like, this crazy sun outside’s got nothing on you, for real.”

Miss Hadiyah laughed, her cheeks flushing slightly at the compliments, but she waved them off with a playful roll of her eyes. “Oh, stop it, you two. I’m flattered, I really am, but don’t think you’re swaying me into your alternate universe now. My husband and kids would have a lot to say to you both.”

Ash Clovez and Magnum chuckled, exchanging a knowing look. 

“Oh, don’t worry, Miss Hadiyah,” Ash Clovez quipped. “We’ve moved on. But we still adore you, always will. You were the best teacher—strict, but fair.”

Magnum nodded. “Yeah, you made us actually want to show up to class. That’s a big deal, trust me.”

A look of pride and nostalgia spread across Miss Hadiyah’s face as she smiled at them. “Thank you so much. You boys were always special, even with all your mischief. A YouTube channel, huh? I’m not surprised—you always had big personalities. I’ll have to check it out. What’s it called?”

“Perspective,” Magnum responded. “It’s all about football, culture, vibes. It’s actually run by Mickey. Mickey Aikins. We joined him in growing it.”

“Oh wow, that’s amazing!” Miss Hadiyah commented as she picked up her smoothie. “So my former students are making it big in the YouTube world. I should have known about this earlier. Pardon me, alright? Work isn’t easy.”

“Oh, really? And here I was thinking you’ve retired young and you’re living the mall life full-time,” Ash Clovez joked.

Miss Hadiyah chuckled. “Oh, don’t be silly, Ashley. You know me—I’ll always be teaching. I’ve got my own school now, actually. A small academy, but it’s mine. We focus on giving kids a real shot, you know? Building their confidence, their skills. It’s been a dream come true.”

Magnum crossed his arms, impressed by this. “Rahhh! Your own school? That’s massive, Miss!”

Miss Hadiyah nodded. “Yep. Working with a bunch of wonderful young teachers now. And one of them is coming our way right now.”

The brothers turned in the direction she stared at, and saw the young teacher.

A vibrant young black woman with a heavy build and a confident grace, her hair in neat braids. Dressed in a bright yellow top and jeans, she was looking dangerously fine.

The brothers stared at her in awe as she rushed over with an enthusiastic wave at Miss Hadiyah. “Miss Hadiyah! I found you! I was just grabbing some food before we head back,” she gushed at her boss before turning to Ash and Magnum, waving with a sweet “Hey there!”

Miss Hadiyah nodded, then gestured at the boys. “Briona, meet Ashley and Magnum, two of my former students. They are running their own YouTube channel now, called Perspective. Boys, this is Miss Briona Gayle, one of my junior teachers at the academy. She’s a star.”

Briona turned to them. “Oh, wow, you’re YouTube stars? That’s so cool! And Miss Hadiyah, you know she’s the best to work with. Honestly, I love her so much—she’s like the heart of the school. Keeps us all in line but makes it fun, you know?”

Ash Clovez nodded quickly, doing his best to cover up the fact that he was instantly smitten. He cleared his throat. Uh, yeah, Miss Hadiyah’s always been the G.O.A.T. Best teacher we ever had. Made us actually want to learn.”

“Awww, that’s awesome! She’s keeping that vibe going at the school, I can tell you that.”

Miss Hadiyah smiled before turning to Briona. “Alright, Bri, get your order in. We’ve got a staff meeting later on, so let’s make it snappy.” She then glanced at Ash and Magnum. “Oh, and fun fact—she’s your neighbor, in a way. Briona’s got Jamaican heritage, so you lot have some Caribbean connection there. They’re from Trinidad & Tobago.”

“Oh nice! That’s cool to know!” Briona smiled. “Well, nice to meet you both. I’ll catch you later—gonna grab a mango smoothie.”

She then headed to the juice stand, her confident stride drawing Ash Clovez’s attention. A smitten grin crept onto his face, though he quickly tried to hide it by adjusting his sneaker bag. 

He wasn’t fooling anyone. Magnum chuckled under his breath, while Miss Hadiyah, who caught the look immediately it appeared, shook her head in amusement, her lips curling into a knowing, mischievous smile.

“Alright boys, it was so much fun seeing you,” she began, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a card with her name and the name and address of her academy. She handed it to Magnum. “And I’d love to see you again, and have you visit the school and meet the students. So, here’s my card. Call me and let’s make plans for you and the team to drop by one of these days, so you can tell them about your channel, teach them a thing or two, mingle with the staff… all of that.”

The two glanced at her for a moment before staring at each other. A knowing grin cracked across their faces.

It would take a very slow person to miss the subtle matchmaking their teacher was carrying out, while giving them the chance to make Perspective even more popular.

Ash Clovez turned to her. “Miss Hadiyah, you are the greatest teacher ever. We’ll definitely be there. Say less. By the way, can we get a photo with you?”

“Of course!”

 ***

“Brudda, that gyal is leng! Flipping heck! The curves on that ting? And the cute smile? Nahh, bruv, man’s gotta visit that school, still.”

Magnum, busily munching some plantain chips, simply smirked. Ash had been waxing lyrical about how fine Briona was from the moment they left Westfield. Only a dunce with half a brain would find it hard to see how smitten the guy was. Now, as they sat in their car at a parking space in front of an apartment in Camden that late evening, waiting for their cousin to arrive so they could head to Odeon, he was already looking forward to seeing her again.

And Magnum was happily egging him on.

“Bro, I can’t lie, gyal was looking divine!” he chipped in. “Like… you know them ones that make you question your tax bracket and your destiny? Yeah, that’s her.”

Ash Clovez sat up. “Nah bruv, I’m done. That’s my wife, fam, on everything. Meh cyaan fumble this one, yuh know. I need to lock it in, bruv. Big man ting! Man’s gotta build a legacy with her. Matching dashikis. Dual passports. The whole ting, you get me?”

Magnum burst out laughing. “Rahhhhh, you got your future all figured out, yeah? Say less, fam, you know I got you!”

As they laughed, they stared in the direction of the entrance to the apartment. Their laughter subsided when they saw a slightly familiar face.

A face they had seen in person only once or twice, but a number of times on Donald’s phone.

It was Amara, dressed in a tight-looking blouse and skirt, scrolling through her phone, a serious look on her face.

The smirks on their faces instantly changed to disgust. Just like everyone else, they were deeply disgusted by her heartless method to end things with Donald.

Ash Clovez shook his head. “This ting? Dead food, bruv.”

“Absolute scrub,” Magnum agreed, the sneer on his face deeper than that of his brother. “The way she did Donnie was cold. Unforgivable.”

“Yeah. and looking at her now only makes it worse. You know my man’s a sucker for gyaldem with big chest dimensions. Why the fuck would you be throwing them titties in his face, making him think you’re all good, only to fuck him over?”

“Fam?? I don’t get it. It was a bitch move, honestly. I bet she’s out here, ready to jiggle them tings in some other brudda’s face. These typa gyal, they’re for the streets, honestly…”

They were so busy lambasting her, they didn’t notice another car pull up into a parking space ahead. 

As they continued to verbally crucify her from inside the car, they noticed her look up and stare in the direction of the car. An excited and giddy expression covered her face.

“Bruv, that must be the broski she’s clarting,” Magnum commented, his glare diverting to the car. “I wonder who the dickhead is…”

He and Ash Clovez didn’t have to wait for too long.

Out of the car stepped a tall, confident-looking man with a clean trim, shades sitting on top of his head, and a smug grin. 

A man they knew pretty well.

Ash Clovez and Magnum’s mouths dropped.

“WHAT THE FUUUCCCKKKK!”

They watched on in shock as the man walked over to Amara, wrapped his arms around her and planted a deep, slow kiss right on her lips. They stared as he attempted to fondle her heavy chest, prompting giggles and a shy attempt to block him from holding them. They saw as he turned her around, wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered something in her ears. Given how she bit her lip and smirked, they could tell that whatever he said was lewd and alluded to what was going to happen when they went upstairs.

They watched as the two ‘secret lovers’ made their way into the apartment, ready to get busy.

Ash Clovez stared at Magnum, the shock still visible. “Are you taking the piss? Are you taking the fucking piss?”

Magnum shook his head, rage slowly spreading across his face. “Nah man, tell me I’m bugging. So they mean to tell me… that it was Benoni who was clarting Donnie’s ting?”

“Fam! Benoni? The same brudda out here telling my man he’s gonna be fine? What the fuck?”

“Argh! I’m fucking fuming right now. Benoni Johan, you motherfucking snake in man’s garden!”

What??!! So it was Benoni all along that Amara was sleeping with? My goodness! What a revelation!