A Trial On Love

06

Rayhan stared into his eyes longer than a minute before she felt it deep in her soul that she could trust him. She didn't know when she heaved a sigh and the agony washed over her all at once. "Inna is getting me married to Musa two weeks after we're done with our exams. And we only have two days left now."

She looked up at him and didn't even try to hide her tears anymore. She may look ugly in front of this very man that she wanted to look so beautiful and charming to, but then the pain she was feeling would never allow her to feel her agony in peace. She hadn't been the same since she found out and that day after she went back home, she asked Inna, who acted as though it was the most natural thing to happen.

"Yes, that's why I'm hustling so hard to make ends meet. Even though Musa promised that he would do everything a girl's family does, I still have to feed the few people that will come to congratulate us, right?" That was all she said and that night, Rayhan wasn't able to sleep. She had cried and cried until she couldn't feel her eyes anymore and she just sat there staring into the pitch darkness of the night.

He gasped softly before he quickly masked his expression. "What do you mean by Inna is getting you married to Musa? Who are they?"

She wanted to act as if her name didn't slip off from his lips as though it was something natural to him. As if he had thought of the name times without number that it came to him so natural and easy. But she wasn't going to ask him how he knew her name, maybe Nafi and Indo told him that day and because of her silver eyes, he was able to figure that she was the same girl they were talking about.

But they said they told him her name was Rahi, right?

"Rayhan!" He called softly, pulling her out of her trance and she blinked back a wave of her tears as she stared up at him. "Who are they?" He repeated his question.

"Inna is the one that's taking care of me since I'm an infant, you can say she's my grandmother and Musa is Maigari's son," she broke into tears. "But I don't want to get married, Dan Bature, I want to go to school." Her voice broke as she said the last part, realizing that her dream of being educated would never be accomplished, she knew.

"And now, I know Musa will never treat me right. He wants something from me. I can tell from the way he always looks at me and wants to stand very close to me. I don't want to..." She gulped down the remaining words in her mind. Because she had never voiced it out to anyone apart from Nafisa who was the first to bring up the conversation and had told her to be extra careful.

She was crying so hard, because she knew her life would really come to an end at this point. Musa will use her and discard her. And the biggest issue? She didn't want to give birth. She didn't want children with every might in her. But what was she to do now that she was going to get married?

Would Musa agree to the fact that she didn't want kids? He won't. Will he let them use the any of the contraceptives this very Dr Kurfi had spoken to them about? That was a big no as well, she didn't even want to think of a situation where she and Musa are married to even go further into thinking of using contraceptives.

But still, she'd ask him the question she had been wanting to ask him that day. Because who knew? As helpless as she was in this situation, knowing the answer might come in handy for her.

"That day that you came and spoke to us in the class, I wanted to ask you a question." It wasn't until she had her eyes fixed on him that she had noticed he had been staring at her without being able to voice a word out.

"What question is it?" His voice sounded a bit hooded by something she couldn't point out. But from the look in his eyes, if she could be right, she can say he seemed so angry at the moment. But she didn't do anything wrong to him, did she?