Chapter 3: WHY TOBI REALLY HATES THIS MARRIAGE
1523 Words
BRIDE FOR HIRE – Chapter 3: WHY TOBI REALLY HATES THIS MARRIAGE
*6:00 AM. Monday. Mrs. Bolanle’s Mansion – Ikoyi.*
I couldn’t sleep.
Not because of the bed. The bed was softer than anything I’d slept on in PH.
It was because of Tobi’s voice from last night: _“Real means kissing. In public. For the cameras.”_
I rolled over and checked my phone.
Dreame: *Chapter 2 had 22,000 reads in 12 hours.*
Comments:
“OMG THE KISS IS COMING!!!”
“AUNTIE IS SCREAMING!”
“Post Chapter 3 now or I’m deleting the app!!!”
No pressure.
My door opened without a knock.
Tobi stood there in a plain white tee and sweatpants. Hair messy. No suit, no Canadian accent armor. Just him.
*Tobi:* “We need to practice.”
*Me:* “Practice what? Acting like we love each other? I already did that for ₦500k.”
*Tobi:* “Practice kissing. For the cameras. At 2 PM. We can’t mess this up.”
I sat up, pulling the duvet to my chest.
*Me:* “You’re serious? You want to rehearse kissing me?”
*Tobi:* “Would you rather we look like strangers on TV? Immigration watches these clips. If we look fake, I lose everything.”
He wasn’t angry today. He looked tired. Like he hadn’t slept either.
*Me:* “Fine. But don’t get ideas. This is business.”
*Tobi:* “Always business with you, huh?”
He stepped into the room and closed the door.
---
*6:15 AM. My Room.*
*Tobi:* “Okay. Stand up.”
I stood.
He was taller than I remembered. 6’2” at least. And he smelled like cedar and something expensive.
*Tobi:* “When the camera’s on us, you look at me like I’m the only person in the room. Got it?”
*Me:* “And you look at me like I’m not a transaction?”
He flinched. Just slightly.
*Tobi:* “That’s not fair.”
*Me:* “Neither is paying a girl ₦500k to lie for you.”
We stared at each other.
Then he moved closer. Not touching. Just close enough that I could feel his breath.
*Tobi:* “Do you want me to stop?”
*Me:* “I don’t know.”
That was the truth.
Two days ago he was a stranger. Yesterday he held my hand for immigration. Now he was asking if I wanted him to stop.
*Tobi:* “If you say stop, I stop.”
I didn’t say stop.
So he leaned down.
It wasn’t like the movies. No slow motion, no music.
It was quick. Soft. Testing.
His lips brushed mine for two seconds and pulled back.
*Tobi:* “That’s it. For now.”
My heart was hammering. Stupid heart.
*Me:* “That felt fake.”
*Tobi:* “Good. It’s supposed to. Real kisses don’t happen on command.”
He turned to leave, then stopped at the door.
*Tobi:* “Chinaza… why did you really say yes?”
I looked down at my hands.
*Me:* “Auntie has stage 3 breast cancer. Chemotherapy is ₦1.2M. My PH apartment got an eviction notice last week. Dreame pays, but not fast enough.”
He didn’t say anything for a long time.
*Tobi:* “Why didn’t you tell me?”
*Me:* “Because you didn’t ask. And even if you did, what would you do? Pay my auntie’s bill out of pity?”
*Tobi:* “I would have tried.”
*Me:* “Don’t. I don’t want your pity. I want my money.”
He nodded and left.
And for the first time, I felt bad for snapping at him.
---
*10:00 AM. Mrs. Bolanle’s Study.*
Mrs. Bolanle sat behind a mahogany desk like a queen on a throne.
*Mrs. Bolanle:* “The press conference is at 2 PM. Channels TV will be there. Bella Naija too.”
*Tobi:* “Mum, we need to talk about the flagged photos.”
*Mrs. Bolanle:* “I handled it. I paid the blogger who leaked them to take it down. What you need to focus on is looking in love.”
*Me:* “We can’t fake love on camera.”
Mrs. Bolanle smiled. It wasn’t a kind smile.
*Mrs. Bolanle:* “You don’t have to fake it. You just have to make them believe it. That’s what I did for 20 years with your father.”
Tobi went rigid.
*Tobi:* “Don’t bring Dad into this.”
*Mrs. Bolanle:* “Why not? He left me for a younger woman in Toronto. If I can smile through that, you can kiss a girl for 48 hours.”
The room got cold.
So that’s why Tobi hated this.
Not because of me. Because of what marriage did to his mum.
*Tobi:* “We’ll be ready.”
He pulled me out of the study before I could say anything else.
---
*1:30 PM. Mansion Gardens – Before Press Conference.*
Reporters were setting up. Cables everywhere. Lights blinding.
Tobi pulled me aside behind a hibiscus hedge.
*Tobi:* “When we go out there, don’t mention Auntie. Don’t mention money. If they ask why you married me, say it was love at first sight.”
*Me:* “That’s a lie.”
*Tobi:* “It’s a better lie than the truth.”
*Me:* “Tobi, why are you so scared of them knowing the truth?”
He looked at me. Really looked.
*Tobi:* “Because my father left my mum on national TV. He said she was boring, too ambitious, too Nigerian. I was 14. I watched it happen. I swore I’d never let anyone make me look like a fool in public again.”
Oh.
So the anger wasn’t about me. It was about him. About never feeling out of control again.
*Me:* “I won’t make you look like a fool, Tobi.”
*Tobi:* “You already didn’t. At immigration. You saved me.”
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
The gesture was so gentle it made my chest hurt.
*Tobi:* “Ready?”
*Me:* “As I’ll ever be.”
---
*2:00 PM. Press Conference.*
Flashlights. Microphones. “Bolanle Heir and Wife Address Marriage Rumors” on the banner.
Mrs. Bolanle stood beside us, smiling for the cameras like this was her wedding day too.
*Reporter 1:* “Tobi, why did you choose to marry privately in Nigeria instead of Canada?”
*Tobi:* “Because Chinaza’s family is here. We wanted her auntie to be part of it.”
Lie. But it sounded good.
*Reporter 2:* “Chinaza, how did you meet Tobi?”
I took a breath. Remembered what he said.
*Me:* “We met at Uniport. He was the boy who always stayed late in the library. I was the girl who stole his seat. He chased me for 3 years before I said yes.”
The reporters laughed.
It was a lie, but Tobi squeezed my hand. He liked it.
*Reporter 3:* “Any plans for kids?”
Tobi went red.
*Tobi:* “We’re taking it one day at a time.”
*Reporter 4:* “Can we get a kiss for the gram?”
Here it was.
Tobi looked at me. I nodded. Small. Barely there.
He cupped my face with both hands.
This time it wasn’t quick.
This time he was careful. Like if he rushed, I’d disappear.
His lips met mine.
Cameras flashed.
And for 5 seconds, I forgot it was fake.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine.
*Tobi:* “For the cameras,” he whispered.
*Me:* “For the cameras,” I whispered back.
But my voice shook.
---
*4:00 PM. Back in My Room.*
Dreame exploded.
*“Chapter 3 posted. 41,000 reads in 30 minutes.”*
*Top Comment:* “THEY KISSED!!! AUNTIE IS FINE!!! POST CHAPTER 4!!!”
My phone buzzed. Tobi.
*Tobi:* “You okay?”
*Me:* “Yeah. You?”
*Tobi:* “No.”
I went to his study.
He was sitting on the floor, back against the couch, holding a glass of whiskey he wasn’t drinking.
*Me:* “What happened?”
*Tobi:* “Canada Immigration called. They saw the press conference. They want us in Toronto for a second interview in 7 days.”
*Me:* “That’s good, right? Means they believe us.”
*Tobi:* “It means we have 7 days to make this real enough that they don’t deport me. Chinaza, I can’t do this alone.”
*Me:* “What are you saying?”
*Tobi:* “I’m saying… don’t walk away after the weekend. Not yet. Let’s try to make it real.”
I sat down beside him on the floor.
*Me:* “And if it doesn’t work?”
*Tobi:* “Then at least we tried. Not like my parents.”
He looked at me. No anger. No armor. Just Tobi.
*Tobi:* “Can you do that? Try?”
I thought about Auntie. About rent. About the way his hand felt in mine.
*Me:* “Yeah. I can try.”
He smiled. Small. Real.
*Tobi:* “Good. Because I think I might want this to be real too.”
- Writer
