Twice His Age

4: Adamawa

He sighed and palmed his face for a nanosecond before he spoke. "My name is Zaid Abdulkarim Shitu. I'm twenty three years old, same as Anas."

She wondered the use of telling her his name, for what? So she could have in mind the name of the person she'd never forgive or what? She scoffed and looked away from his face. "And so? That pretty much confirms my thought about the ten years age gap between us. What you did to me is now irrevocable, no matter how I'd love to go back to my matrimonial home, I couldn't. So, I'd love to hear what you have to say and get back into the life I was lucky to be taken out of, which you shattered for me, by the way."

He chuckled humorlessly. "Matrimonial home, you said?" The glare she sent to him didn't even seem to faze him. "That was practically the worst kind of prison you'd have ever been ensnared into and which may one day, likely turn to your death bed, if I may add."

"It might or might not happen, but what's yours to worry over it? What's your own motive behind all this? Did someone ask you to do it? Do they have a new plan for my life? Maybe they've noticed that it wasn't as painful for me as they thought it could be?"

"Who're they?" He was silent for a minute before the question came out of his mouth and he had his eyes fixed on her face that she wished she had enough physical strength to smack his face so hard that his head could hit the steering wheel and maybe then, she might feel a bit relieved about all this.

"That's none of your business. Just know this one thing, I'd never forgive you for this. For all the times I'd be called a divorcee, for all the times I'd have to cry myself to sleep, for all the times my heart will squeeze with so much pain that'd be too much to bear, I'll never forgive any of it. You have no idea how much misery your simple immature act had brought into my life, and I sincerely wish I'd never have to see you again in my life, because it'd always be a painful reminiscence."

He softly gasped and fixed his eyes in her, Sabeeha wondered what he meant by looking at her that way. As if he had expected her to rain thanks on him and tell him how grateful she was to him for taking her out of that dungeon she had been ensnared into. Little did he know that that dungeon was a safe haven for her.

He opened his mouth to speak when she beat him at it, finding out that her tears had betrayed her and they were flowing down her cheeks. "If you could just shut your childish mouth and have us driven to our destination. If not, I'm sure the Barkindo Mansion would be fifty feet away from here, it wouldn't be hard to walk." She said softly, all the urge to fight exhausted in her.

She was aware of how he had fixed his eyes on her for more than a minute before he sighed and fished his phone out of his breast pocket. "Let's leave, Anas." He called out, with a voice choked withe emotions and she was sure he had things to say to her, just that he didn't see the chance to. And she'd never be able to give him that chance.

When he wanted to speak to her, what did he expect? She closed her eyes and leaned back on the seat, determined to enjoy the few moments of peace she had left. Because once she set her feet into the Barkindo's, she would never know peace. Nor even this silence she was so much appreciating.

∞

No matter how Zaid wanted Anas to let him lodge in a nearby hotel, he didn't. He begged and emotionally manipulated him into staying at their home and now, here they were. They had all come out of the car and where staring at the humongous and exquisite building that stood so tall and rigid.

"I'll move to your chamber, then." He informed Anas and was about to turn to leave when Anas pulled him to the other side and began speaking to him in a hushed tone.

"Where do you think you're going, Zaid?" He asked, and if before, he hadn't notice how nervous Anas was, he did so now.

"What do you mean? I'm dying to take a shower and have some sleep. If you could ask any of the maids of make something to eat for me? I'd really appreciate that before I sleep."