Hearts In Tune (Book One Of The In love Series)

Chapter 20

Hi my darlings, if you see any errors, just know my sleep deprived mind glossed over them. 

But, this is chapter 20 to thank you all so much foe 20k reads. i am always grateful for the support you all show me everytime i bring a book here. Happy Reading! Please do not forget to like, share and please leave a comment. 

Hearts In Tune 20

"Congratulations to us." He greeted as soon as he reached her side with a sweet smile on his face that lifted Sameerah's foul mood. She looked up to him and smiled back, faintly hearing the sounds of the several photographers that were in her father's side living room along with them.

"Congratulations to you too, thank you for doing this with me." Sameerah said warmly, she meant it with all of her heart. He had been so gracious, kind and helpful through every process and she was very curious, excited even, to see the kind of husband he would be.

"Nike da godiya, Allah Yabamu zaman lafiya." Sameerah said Ameen with a gentle smile on her face, all the tears that she had shed the previous night on the rooftop of her father's home now forgotten. She shifted and found herself halfway into Aminu's arms and for a moment she wondered if she should let him leave his arm around her or remind him that they were in public.

"Married people, how do you feel?" Their main photographer who said he had been hounded by every blog and tv station in the country for pictures asked them.

"I feel great, Alhamdulilah." Aminu answered and Sameerah found herself turning with his arm still around her to look at his face as he spoke. "Now the true test of our friendship is from here on but we are no longer single, it's now Mr and Mrs Rano to the rest of you." The room shook with laughter at his words and Sameerah shook her head at his words. She had seen him give speeches before so this was his forte, he knew how to work a crowd, make them laugh and still pass his message. He had done that in less than three sentences.

"You're coming to the government house later or we're still on track for tomorrow morning?" Sameerah shook her head, she really had no interest in spending another day under the same room as Sa'ad and her father's treachery. So she had planned for her conveyance to be after lunchtime, the dinner was in Kano anyways, not in Bebeji, she would go to the dinner from her husband's house.

"This afternoon, In Sha Allah. Get ready to receive me and my plenty luggage." She answered, giving him all her attention even though it seemed like her mother's housekeeper wanted to catch her attention.

"Are you okay? You sound raspy and your eyes look a little tired." They were still posing for pictures and still alone so his whispered question seemed like they were having a private moment. Sameerah could not tell His Excellency that her father had ripped her of almost all her duties out of spite so she shook her head and said all was well.

"Just wedding jitters and I slept late last night." He raised a brow at her answer, making her laugh. She faced the world with such a hard strength at all times that it was impossible for her new husband to believe that she was worried.

"I've never known you to have jitters about anything that is not your father. You should have seen the face you made when Ladi asked you to leave the room the day we met. That's how I know whatever is wrong with you has to do with your Baba." Sameerah made sure to keep her smile up, but she let out a little sigh and let him hold her for a moment while their photographers snapped away. Her eyes finally caught Hafsah's face and she sent Sameerah a 'wrap it up' gesture.

"I have to go. If I plan to be in Kano after lunch, I need to go." She watched as he nodded and with one final smile, he slowly leaned in, raised his hands and cradled her face while his lips touched her forehead in a delicate kiss. Everyone in the room made a sound that should have made her insides warm but it irritated Sameerah greatly but she knew it was part of the script laid out by Aminu's PR people.

Hafsah helped her up the stairs, chattering away as they climbed to her mother's part of the house where everyone who could advise her was waiting. "How long have they been waiting? We said the conveyance was for one pm, why are they rushing me out at eleven am?" Hafsah shrugged with Sameerah's shoes in her hands, Sameerah had taken them off at the foot of the stairs to be able to navigate them easily.

The door to her mother's room opened with a whoosh and the cold air conditioning mixed with her mother's favorite sandalwood scent reached her, calming her somewhat. She knew no one but herself could help her at this point but she wanted to at least have her mother's hand to hold as she took this brave step.

"You're here. Come sit down." Her favorite paternal aunt called to her as soon as she entered into their peripheral sight. Sameerah walked their way, finding an ottoman they had left for her to use and took a seat on it. Her eyes went to her henna as soon as her paternal grandaunt started a dua.

"We have nothing much to say, you've listened in on nearly advice we have given every Bebeji girl, so we will say as we usually say to the others. We have nothing that we lack, so you must not think you don't have a home here." Sameerah wanted to scoff in the most disrespectful way possible because while her father was receptive to the failures of others, her own failures were met with intense punishment which was why she knew that if anything bad ever happened between His Excellency and herself, she no longer had a home here.

"... Respect him, respect his mother, no matter what she does, if it doesn't please you, don't report to him on the first offense as no one likes a nagger. Take record, it is easier now that you have all these devices, but take records and report on a day you have a leverage and a handle on her. Do you understand me?" Sameerah nodded with her head lowered, but she tucked that advice away to herself for future use.

"May Allah bless this union. You have married our governor, may Allah make this a place of peace for you. May you give him good advice to run this state." Everyone chorused an Ameen that made Sameerah want to laugh, the man was genuinely a good person, if he wasn't, would she even be marrying him?

Sameerah noticed that her mother had not said a word since the moment started so she felt for her until she held her cold fingers in hers. Her mother squeezed her hand, making Sameerah want to cry. There was no shield between her and the world any longer, it was finally Sameerah versus the world. They only took an hour and by twelve pm, they were scheduling cars and buses plus patrol vehicles getting ready for the short trip to the governor's residence.

Sameerah vaguely remembered being handed her phone by Hafsah and pulled out of the room with a cream colored laffayya with green and gold embroidery on it. The veil was large enough to cover her face fully and she was flanked on both sides by her maternal and paternal family members.

They got into a large luxurious bus and waited while everyone else got on, Hafsah sat behind her, giving her shoulder a comforting rub before buckling in her seatbelt. Sameerah did not bother to ask why her father didn't request to see her before she left, she knew he had said all he wanted to say the previous day and if she wasn't looking to be publicly shamed, she would gently let things be as they were.

"I don't know why your father said he didn't want to see you. I know you help with the companies and he will miss you but he didn't have to do all that. He was so snippy earlier." Sameerah took a deep breath and let it out, because if she spoke she would burst into tears for the second time in less than twelve hours and she wasn't ready for observant people to ask questions.

That must have sparked something because everyone on the bus talked about how Sameerah's father had made sure to be there for them on their important days and even slightly unimportant moments. If he were a normal father to her, it would have made her smile but the kind of father he was, all of this praise of him made her so sad that she wanted to pluck her ears off and get the bus driver to mash them to smithereens.

They arrived the governor's residence in Tarauni in no time and the loud sound of algaita welcomed them as they drove to the actual residential area. It took a bit of time but they began to get off the vehicle one after the other, with Sameerah in front. As she clutched her phone in hand, she whispered duas that her mother in law would not embarrass her like her father did. It would ruin the rest of the day for her.

Sameerah's heart beat like the tambari drums beat during the Durbar Festival as they walked her to the front door of her new home. A pair of feet encased in military boots opened the doors wide and her family poured in, stopping for a moment at the door so she could say a short prayer before they fully went in.

She was still worried when she heard the sound of laughter that quietened as soon as she got in. Her family greeted those seated warmly and they greeted back just as warmly, Sameerah heard the sound of shuffling and she was pulled to a small ottoman where she sat comfortably with her head covered.

Someone started with a dua and the other women prayed alongside her, Sameerah felt hands on her and the next moment, the distinct scent of Chadian incense reached her she looked into the eyes of an older woman she had only seen on social media the day Aminu was sworn into power.

"Welcome, my darling. Welcome to our home." Sameerah let herself be hugged and held for a moment before pulling out her left arm to hug her back. She whispered a quick thank you before she felt her arm being pulled again only to see two fat gold bracelets getting screwed unto her wrists. Sameerah could barely hold her surprise and she turned to Hafsah to make sure she was seeing the same thing as her.

"This is my welcome gift to you. Allah ya miki albarka." Sameerah nodded with a warm smile, easing her racing heart as they ushered her to another part of the house where they sat her on a setter and waited for Aminu to arrive.

He raised the veil and smiled confidently like he hadn't sprung that forehead kiss on her earlier and everyone around them booted or clapped. He held her hand and they took more pictures before Hafsah herded her off to a side door that led to an apartment like area.

"I want to make sure it's just you that goes to your actual room. All these nosy Bebeji people keep asking where it is like this isn't a government house, one wrong move and we're all in jail." Sameerah burst out laughing and pulled off the large veil on her face. She looked around the apartment style room they were before going to look out the window to see several members of the State secret service just roaming around the premises.

"This is going to be my life now, Hafs. Look at all the men in black?" Hafsah came over and pulled the curtains over to see properly. She tsked with a shake of her head before she returned to the settee to take a seat.

Sameerah's phone rang as she took steps to her own seat as well. She swiped the call with a smile only to hear sounds of her mother crying.

"Mami? Why are you crying? What is wrong?" All the ease she felt earlier was gone and she felt her hand shake as she put the phone on speaker for Hafsah to hear as well.

"Your father just banned me from attending the dinner. Why does he do things like this? Why?" Sameerah felt a tingling in her ears and all the stress of the day got to her head and for a moment she saw literal stars. Her father had ruined her day and he wanted to ruin her night as well? 

A/N

Well, well, well, look who is throwing a tantrum as usual. 

AAAAANDDD that kiss!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! I need to calm down. 

See you all in Chapter 21.