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[Friday, 19th/July/2019, Rex Household 16:00]
Rakim adjusted the lapel of his light grey suit, his reflection crisp and refined against the tall mirror in his walk-in closet. The suit was a custom-made product by the Italian designer Giovanni, who worked for the French boutique Sainclare as part of their yet-to-be-released fall line. Anyone who loved suits would agree with the notion that it was too nice for a high school prom.
The designer had perfectly blended the right proportion of cashmere and silk, creating a masterpiece that even Barney Stinson would drool over. What one might find surprising was the fact that Rakim had gotten the deal for free as the Sainclare boutique jumped at the chance to finally get him in one of their suits. They had made an endorsement deal offer for him all the way back when he was making his first start for Celtic.
However, at that point, both Rakim and his mother had decided to focus on the TitanFit deal, but Lisa, his mother, continued the negotiations with the brand. It was a stop-and-go type of negotiation as both sides seemed to continuously reevaluate what they wanted out of the deal. Only when Lisa was looking for a suit for her son did she remember the brand, and they managed to reach a preliminary deal.
Rakim would try the suit for this event, getting it for free and serving as an advertisement for the brand. After getting a feel for it, he would decide whether to commit to wearing only their suits for formal events for the next two years for a price of 2 million. To anyone else, that would seem like an easy choice, but Rakim had to make sure that the company wasn't doing anything shady that would come back to bite him.
He had no plans to follow in the footsteps of a certain reality queen who was caught off-guard by the fashion brand she endorsed suddenly deciding to showcase kids with BDSM plushies. In fact, part of the delay was due to his father doing thorough research on the company's practices. Anyway, Rakim was just glad to be wearing the perfect suit for the occasion and getting it for free was just a bonus.
As he fastened the buttons on his suit jacket, Rakim took a step back, giving the mirror a long, appreciative glance. The light grey of the suit matched his skin tone perfectly, elevating the sophistication of the look while still feeling like it had that edge that was all his own. He smiled at his phone, where the Instagram Live was still running, ready to interact with his fans again.
The comments were pouring in, hearts and fire emojis lighting up the screen. "Yo, this suit though!" he laughed, giving his followers a little twirl to show off the fit. "Shoutout to Giovanni for letting me wear his Sainclare suit."
"Happy Birthday, Rakim!"
"Lookin' sharp, my guy!"
"Prom AND birthday? Big day, big day!"
"Yeah, yeah, I see you all. Thanks for the love!" Rakim said, feeling that thrill he always got connecting with his followers. "Big day for sure. Prom with my girl, and birthday, honestly feeling blessed." He could hear his mom with the rest of the moms in the girls' room, getting them ready for what had been half the day.
"@JohnnyBoy101 Your challenge has been accepted. By the end of the night, I will have challenged the principal to a dance battle. You'll get to decide a smoothie for me if I don't succeed, but if I do, you gotta show us your moves — and none of that Macarena robot nonsense." Rakim exclaimed toward his chat after taking a second to read the chat that was going wild, discussing their own proms.
Since most of his fans were around his age or younger, most of them were going through similar experiences. It was in this thread that he caught quite a few of them challenging him to different things, some of them outright deviant and others a tad bit illegal, depending on who you asked. For example, one of them asked him to TP a police car. Now, he doesn't mind a good prank, but this was still America he was living in; no need to tempt fate more than he had to.
"All right guys, I have to go; can't be late on my first date, now, can I?" he told the chat before ending the livestream with a content smile as he once again untied his crooked tie. He had worn a lot of times over the years and knew how to work them, but for some reason, he couldn't get this one right.
"How you getting on, bud? Need help with the tie?" Ben's voice sounded from the door leading into the walk-in closet. Rakim glanced toward the doorway, a grin spreading across his face as he saw his dad, Ben, leaning casually against the frame. He was dressed casually in his usual laid-back style whenever he was out of the office.
"Yes, please, just can't get the knot right," Rakim responded before handing the golden tie with flowery patterns to his father, who was now standing in front of him. The man simply nodded before proceeding to tie it around his own neck, then placed it on his son. Straightening up his collar, he gave his son a once-over, nodding in contentment.
"You're looking quite dapper, son. I still remember my Abiball in Munich — my suit was by far the best, but Ben bought off the best-dressed award. The committee was rigged, I tell you... but for the love of God, I couldn't tell you the name of my date even if I tried. However, I do remember that she spilt some of her drink on my suit sleeve," he told his son as he looked him over, before quickly retelling his own war stories.
"Words of advice: don't drink the punch, and if your date wants to dance, then you do too. That's what I've learned from the many functions I dragged your mother to," he stated with a smile before walking over to a table that was stacked with birthday presents. Since it was also his birthday, the family had decided to celebrate over the weekend, allowing him to fully focus on the dance.
Picking up a shoebox-sized present that seemed to be from him, Ben handed it to his son. "I know we said presents tomorrow, but this one really suits the occasion," he said with an eager smile, motioning for Rakim to open the box, eager to see his reaction.
Not one to argue, Rakim's hands moved on their own, quickly tearing the present wrapping to reveal a wooden box. It was exquisitely carved with what seemed like Roman leaf crowns, similar to the ones Nero is depicted wearing in fiction. However, what caught his eye was the see-through glass in the middle, where he spotted a lone watch resting inside.
It wasn't hard to guess that it was a watch case, and Rakim didn't waste much time opening it as he picked up the only watch in the 20 slots available. "Every man needs a watch, whether they be a businessman or a street sweeper, so I got you your first one," Ben said with a smile before he proceeded to take the watch out of his son's hand and strapped it around his wrist.
"It looks good on you; it's an Air King. My grandfather gave me it, and now I'm giving it to you to start your own collection. It's not much, but you know how much I value time," he continued with a more serious smile, only to be interrupted by the tight hug he received from his son. Caught off guard, Ben could only sling his arm around his son, taking in the moment before they promptly separated.
"Ahem, we should go down if you're ready; your mum will want pictures once she steps away from the girls," Ben said with a warm smile as he proceeded to head toward the door, prompting Rakim to pick up his phone and follow after him.