Zaire (and Bibi)
Zaire rarely cursed, but this situation called for it.
“Tell me exactly what he said to you.” Zaire pressed his phone to his ear; he didn’t want to miss a single word from Bibi’s mouth.
Bibi inhaled audibly before answering. “I’m not trying to cross any lines. I’m trying to be your man, B.”
“Those were Malik’s exact words?”
“Verbatim, Zaire.”
“Fuck! This is so messed up, Bibi.”
Zaire rarely cursed, but this situation called for it. How had he and his older brother ended up in love with the same woman? How had they gotten here so fast?
“Zaire, chill for a second, okay?” Bibi sounded too calm. Why wasn’t she freaking out about two brothers fighting for her attention and affection?
But on the other side of the Facetime call, Bibi’s heart pounded, and her stomach twisted in knots. She was barely holding herself together, forcing her voice to stay steady while panic and guilt battled inside her.
She kept flashing back to moments with both brothers: Malik’s steady affection over the years, their easy laughter, his loyalty; and Zaire, who had unlocked a part of her heart she never knew existed, whose presence made the world feel brighter and sharper all at once.
Bibi wanted to do right by them, but every choice felt like betrayal. It hurt to be at the center of this impossible situation, afraid someone she loved would end up broken. Deep down, Bibi craved clarity. She wanted Zaire without hurting Malik, but guilt tangled her longing. She could not stand the thought of losing either of them.
“Bibi, what do you mean chill? This is my older brother we’re talking about here. Can’t you see how deep this is?”
Fuck. Zaire felt like he was losing his mind. Malik confessing his feelings to Bibi was the worst thing that could have happened to him, to Bibi, and to the secret relationship they were trying to protect.
And if Malik found out about them the wrong way, Zaire would not just lose Bibi; he could lose his brother too. Maybe Malik had spent months working up the courage to say something, or maybe he had started to sense the change between Zaire and Bibi, the way secrets sometimes shift the air in a room. Zaire hated the thought of Malik feeling blindsided, or worse, betrayed by the two people he trusted most.
Losing his brother’s trust and respect was the last thing Zaire wanted. Losing Bibi was not an option for either of them. But if they kept hiding, the secrecy could cost them both.
“I love my brother, Bibi. If he finds out about us, we’re fucked. I’ll be even more fucked than you, because he’s my brother and I still have to face him.”
Zaire moved the phone away from his mouth and cursed again. His hands shook, and he pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead, forcing himself to steady his breath. He was glad Bibi wasn’t close enough to witness him crashing out.
For a second, he remembered being a kid, hiding in the bathroom after his parents’ loud arguments, pressing his fists into his eyes until the urge to cry passed. He wanted her to see him as a man she could look to for direction and support, not the trembling mess he felt himself becoming.
“I love Malik too.” Bibi sounded subdued; her voice was devoid of the usual spark and vibrancy that Zaire was used to.
I need to take it easy on her, Zaire thought. This is just as hard for her as it is for me.
“I’m sorry for the way I sound, B. I love you down bad. I can’t lose you. If I had to choose…”
“Don’t say it, Zaire,” Bibi cut in quickly. “I would never ask you to choose between your literal blood brother and me. I’m selfish, but I’m not that fucking selfish.”
Zaire let the silence stretch before speaking again.
“B, don’t interrupt when I’m speaking. Are we clear?” He needed to get his thoughts out and show Bibi how important she was to him.
If push came to shove, Zaire would choose her over and over again.
“Zaire, please.” Bibi’s voice sounded desperate, raw, and strained. He knew how she got when he told her what to do.
“Are we clear— yes or no?”
“Yes, we’re clear.”
“Good girl. If I had to choose between you and Malik, Bibi, I’d choose you every single fucking time,” Zaire exhaled, the weight of his words pressing hard against his throat. “You are my girl. Mine. Say it back to me.”
“I am your girl.”
There it was again: the desperation in her voice, the yearning for him to gently wrap his hand around her neck and pull her deeper into him. If they were having this conversation in his house, Bibi would be on his lap with her head tucked into the crook of his neck. Zaire would rub her back, kiss her neck, and comfort her with the sweetest words he could think of. He would make Bibi feel safe and do whatever he needed to ease the burden of carrying such a heavy secret.
In his arms, Bibi knew part of her worry would melt away, replaced by the warmth and certainty of belonging to him. The weight she carried would not vanish, but with Zaire holding her, she would feel less alone.
“Say it again, Bibi. You are mine.”
Zaire didn’t mean to activate his dominant nature, but he needed Bibi to understand what she meant to him and know she was one of the most important people in his life.
“I am yours, Zaire.”
“I need a few days to think about what to do. But we have to tell Malik. Fuck. My dad is going to skin me alive, and Malik is going to be hurt. If we wait too long, this could blow up in all our faces, and the longer we wait, the harder it will be to face him.”
“Imagine what your mom will do to me?” Bibi let out a sardonic laugh. “I’m going to be her least favorite person after we break the news to the whole fam.”
“Nah, she loves you too much for that. She’ll face me instead. I can already see the disappointment on her face. Fuck!”
“Zaire, it’s going to be okay. I’m going to be by your side every step of the way.” Zaire had no doubts about Bibi’s loyalty. Their relationship might have been a secret, but it was a shameful one.
He still remembered the night he first truly saw Bibi, not just as his brother’s friend, but as something more. At the shared apartment, in the warm glow of the afternoon sun, Bibi laughed at one of Zaire’s stupid jokes and their eyes caught for a little too long.
That moment sparked something, a quiet current flowing between them ever since. They loved each other loudly and openly when they were together; they just couldn’t show that love in front of their families and friends.
Zaire hated keeping secrets from his family. He hated that he couldn’t show Bibi off because she was worth showing off. She was beautiful, passionate, feisty, fun, and exciting to be around. Even her flaws didn’t bother him; if anything, he found them endearing.
“I don’t want us to be a secret anymore. Maybe this is the push we needed to be honest with our friends and family. I want to show you off, Bibi.”
“I’m on the same page with you, Zaire. I want our relationship to be out in the open. I’m tired of the secrets and all the hiding.”
Zaire had always known his dad wanted Malik and Bibi to end up together, get married, and continue the King family dynasty.
Since they were kids, family jokes and dinner toasts had hinted at this expectation. Every big holiday, elders talked about how important it was to protect their family’s name and pass on traditions, and it was always assumed that Malik, as the oldest son, would set the standard. Zaire could still hear his aunties whispering that Bibi was ‘King family material’ and that it would be nice to see her as a daughter-in-law one day.
All his life, Zaire had learned that family loyalty came first, and that stepping outside the hopes his parents had laid out would be seen as a betrayal. The pressure to keep the legacy going was more than just talk; it was woven into everything, from family gatherings to his father’s expectations for their future.
He could still remember the night after Bibi’s eighteenth birthday party, when his dad pulled him aside in the backyard and nodded toward Malik and Bibi laughing together by the grill. “That right there is what the family needs,” his father had said, pride swelling in his voice. “Malik and Bibi are meant for each other. You watch, they’ll keep our family legacy strong.”
Even years later, moments like that still pressed on Zaire’s chest. He also knew Malik’s position as the first son earned him a level of respect that Zaire had to work twice as hard to earn from the patriarch of the King family. That made telling the truth even harder, because it would disappoint his dad and hurt Malik at the same time.
“I’m the luckiest man in the world to have a woman like you on my side, B. We have to tell Malik about us in person, together,” Zaire groaned. “I’ll absorb most of the heat, but you might catch a stray flame. I’ll have your back. Do you trust me?”
“I trust you, Zaire.”
“Say it again. Do you trust me, Bibi?”
“I trust you implicitly, Zaire.”
“You’re my favorite girl. I need some space to think. Call you in a bit, yeah?”
“In a bit. I love you.”
“I love you more than you could ever imagine, B.”
After Bibi dropped off the call, Zaire went into his studio and sank into his work chair. His mind felt tangled, and he was too rattled to find the inspiration he needed to attack a blank canvas.
Malik was more than an older brother to Zaire; he was his best friend, confidant, and the only strong male figure in his life, apart from their dad. Zaire knew revealing his and Bibi’s secret relationship would break Malik’s heart and shatter part of their brotherly bond.
But Zaire didn’t have a choice, did he? If he and Bibi didn’t come clean, the weight of their secret would destroy not only them, but also the people in their lives. If he didn’t tell Malik about his relationship with Bibi, Zaire would lose his brother’s trust and affection and lose Bibi’s heart and attention for life. If he did tell him, he risked hurting the people he loved most.
Zaire exhaled slowly, the resolve he needed gathering inside him like a storm building far off on the horizon. There was no way out of this without pain, but he knew deep down that hiding any longer was no longer an option. The time was coming, sooner than he wanted, to finally face the truth and take the first step; even if he had to do it afraid.
He pictured the moment already: standing face to face with Malik in the living room, no lies left between them, and Bibi by his side. Maybe they would call the family together after dinner, or maybe he would ask Malik to meet him alone first.
Either way, Zaire started running through the words he would need to say, searching for the right ones to make his brother understand just how much he loved them both, and just how sorry he was. The thought of Malik’s reaction, his dad’s disappointment, and the quiet around the table afterward haunted him, but Zaire knew the confrontation was coming.
He just hoped when it happened, he could hold the people he loved together, instead of watching everything crumble.
I'm sat🤭❤️, thank youuuu☺️
I love you Lady Kay❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much for showing love to and updating Bibi's, Zaire's & Malik's story, it's one of my favourite story of yours. Can't wait for the next update, it's gonna be juicy🤤🤭😈❤️