Bound by fire(Book II in the Bound series)

CHAPTER 16

Fatima scurried to her room, her pulse still racing with the aftershocks of the evening.

She let the shopping bags Faruk had bought her slip onto the L-shaped sofa near her bed.

For once, the contents barely mattered because the memory of him lingered like a perfume in her mind, far sweeter than any item inside.

Without pausing, she ducked into the bathroom. The splash of cool water on her skin refreshed her, but it wasn't enough to rinse away the grin stretching across her face.

Fresh and glowing, she tugged on a loose tee and shorts before collapsing flat on her bed. Her phone was already in her hand, fingers twitching with the need to share.

The story swelled in her chest, too big to bottle up. Without a thought, she tapped Nuwaira's name.

It rang a few times before her friend's groggy voice croaked through.

"Fatima Ardo ya ne?" Nuwaira mumbled, heavy with sleep, her irritation obvious.

"Babe.." Fatima squealed before she could stop herself, her pitch higher than usual. "I went on a date with Shagari and oh my God!!!"

She buried her face in her pillow, legs kicking wildly like a giddy teenager.

"That man has rizz, Nunu. He totally swept me off my feet. I'm gone. I'm a goner. Wallahi, he finished me!"

"Wait, wait..." Nuwaira yawned loudly, sitting up. "You mean Faruk Shagari? The Faruk? Abuja's golden boy? The one that doesn't even give girls eye contact?!"

"Yes! That one!" Fatima burst into laughter, hiding her face in both palms.

"Babe, the way he was looking at me ehn... my brain just shut down. His voice? His manners? His scent? Kai! I cannot na shiga uku(I'm in trouble), I am done for."

Nuwaira gasped, suddenly wide awake. "Keh! Tell me everything. Start from the very beginning.

What did you wear? What did he say? Did he touch your hand? Compliment you?"

Fatima giggled like a child caught in mischief.

"Everything. He did all of it. But not in that unserious, anyhow way. He was so deliberate. Like every word, every gesture... intentional. And when he held my hands..." she pressed a hand to her chest dramatically, "Wallahi, Nunu, I nearly collapsed."

Nuwaira let out a scandalized laugh. "Ayyooo, Fati! You're finished. Shagari of all people? The one that doesn't even smile anyhow? Wonders will never end! This gist sweet die. Oya, gist me properly. No skipping!"

And with that, Fatima launched into a rapid-fire retelling of the night the jokes, the glances, the way his hand lingered against hers.

"...I swear, Nunu, my knees actually went weak," she whispered at one point, clutching her pillow.

"You're gone," Nuwaira teased, wriggling her toes with excitement.

Fatima suddenly grew quiet, her voice dipping into guilt.

"But... I feel somehow. He hugged me." She groaned into her pillow.

"And it wasn't even that deep o, he was careful like he made sure my chest didn't touch his. But still... my heart kai, it was racing like I'd already sinned."

Nuwaira's tone softened. "It was just a hug, babe. Don't crucify yourself."

Fatima shook her head, though her friend couldn't see.

"No, you don't understand. What if I can't control myself? That man makes me laugh, he looks at me like I'm the only woman alive.

And me, I know myself,I lose sense around him. What if... Allah forbid, but what if we slip into adultery?"