It was Monday, Mariya's first day at work after one month and a half. She sure had a lot of things to deal with. As she had made up her mind, she won't let anything prevent her from moving on. Wallowing in despair would do nothing to heal her wounds.
Zayn parked his car in a spot in the parking lot of The Malik's Attorneys Law Firm.
In the car, their hands were intertwined with each other between the seats. Zayn gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before looking up at her, only to find her staring at him.
" You ready?" He asked.
" Yep," she answered affirmatively.
He inclined towards her and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. He let his lips linger for a while before pulling back.
" That's good." He gave her cheeks a light tap.
He stepped out of the car and opened the door from her side while she collected her file and suitcase from the backseat.
" See how much you love me," she uttered after filing out of the car.
Zayn closed the door behind her. He only chuckled at her words.
" Welcome back to work!"
They veered around to see Emraan approach them. He was clad in a three-piece dark gray suit.
" Thank you," Mariya returned to him.
He shared a brief handshake with Zayn before pulling him in for a hug.
They broke the hug and delved into a short conversation.
Mariya informed them that she was going into the building, and left them.
Inside, the building, she didn't miss the new changes made to the place. New sets of potted plants in the reception area. New couches, and even, the receptionist's desk had been moved from beside the staircase to the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was better than before.
" Salam Alaikum," the receptionist greeted her with a smile.
" Wa Alaikum Salam," she returned it with a blinding smile.
They parted after exchanging brief pleasantries.
There were only a few people around since it was early, and they greeted her to which she responded. A few bothered to ask about her whereabouts. Not wanting to prod on all that had happened, she told them she had been unwell.
She was heading to the elevator when someone called her from behind.
She turned to the person who had called her. It was Riddhi Agarwal. Her colleague at work. The woman was more of a friend.
They shared a brief hug.
Riddhi pulled back from the hug and took a moment to examine Mariya.
" See as you fine," The woman spoke unfiltered pidgin English. " Wahala for who is not married to a prince."
They laughed.
" Abeg," Mariya shrugged it off with a flick of her wrist. " As if you are looking any less."
" How have you been?" Riddhi's expression softened. " Sir told me you were unwell."
Mariya could feel eyes on her, but she ignored it, knowing very well where it was coming from. She was sure Riddhi ignored the stares too.
" I'm better now." She answered.
Two women stood a few feet away from them and were throwing vicious glances at them.
Mariya reckoned that it was high time she thought them a lesson.
" She's back now," the taller one said to her companion. She held a cup of coffee in hand.
Mariya couldn't help but overhear. She rolled her eyes and shared a look with Riddhi. They were talking out her__ again.
" She'll disappear again after three days." The other one countered, and they giggled. "Just because Mr.Malik is her brother-in-law. Thank God he's not her husband like we no go fit see top for here."
Mariya turned and strode towards them.
"Exactly," she threw at them. " Don't you think I would have already had you fired from here if a exercised that much nepotism here? You are too nosy to be tolerated." She adjusted the drape of her veil that was slipping off her shoulder. She threw them a nasty glare. Those were the times she wished Saratu was with her.
"I'd advise you two to concentrate on your work instead of prying into my issues. That's none of your business!"
She felt them tense up in front of her, and she knew it had nothing to what she had told them. Their eyes were trained on something behind her.
She turned to see Emraan glaring at them, his arms folded across his torso. She could swear that for a brief moment, she felt intimidated by him.
Emraan shot her a small smile.
" You can go to your office, I'll handle this." He offered.
She nodded curtly and gestured to Riddhi that they head to the elevator. She didn't care about what Emraan was going to do to them. They deserved it.
Mariya and Riddhi parted ways when they reached their offices on the fourth floor.
She opened the door to her office and stepped inside.
It was sparkling clean. She noticed a bunch of daises on her working desk.
Her feet carried her to the table on muscle memory. Besides the bunch of flowers was a handwritten note.
She immediately recognized Zayn's cursive handwriting. She smiled at the words written on the piece of manilla paper.
Have a good day.
Take care.
These little things.
He was to pick her up from work at 5 pm
and she looked forward to that. Till then, she had to clear the work ahead of her.
Soon after, she met with the partners of JD Pharmaceuticals who had sued the company for disregarding the partnership agreement, thus going ahead to sell away a well-invented drug formula to another company at their convenience, causing losses to their partners. It was a difficult case to handle since the CEO of JD Pharmaceuticals denied making such a move. Another problem was having to go through chemical formulas that looked like nothing other than strange combinations of letters and numbers to her. She would rather memorize the Nigerian constitution by heart.
After having a quick lunch with Riddhi, Mariya went back to meeting a client who had filed for a divorce, and then making some reports before closing for the day. Outside the firm, a swarm of reporters had tried to get her to speak about the pending lawsuit. She was tight-lipped about it.
To say the least, her first day at work was stressful. However, she pulled it off quite well.
She paid off the hard work with a visit to Eskander's house. It was almost as big as theirs. She and Zayn walked into the rest of their entourage in the living room. They greeted Eskander's parents who were just about to leave the house for a function.
Zayn and Mariya joined their friends. Mariya sat beside Nazeera, while Zayn made himself comfortable beside Fareed.
Once again, Mariya silently congratulated herself for looking at Nazeera without a negative thought popping into her head out of nowhere. Just because she had lost her child didn't mean she should wish the same for Nazeera
She smiled at Nazeera whose hand rested on her slightly protruding belly as she munched on a bowl of popcorn, chipping into the ongoing conversation occasionally.
" So," Sayida started on another conversation. " When are you two planning to get married." She threw at Eskander and Saratu.
" And about that, no one is going to take my post as the chief bride's maid." Mariya chipped in.
" Very soon," Eskander answered. "Just have patience. We are just putting some things in place first. And for your information, I bought the house right next to Zayn's."
Mariya and Saratu shared a look. Good days are coming.
" I smell a lot of sleepovers from miles away." Zayn glanced at his wife.
" You can't blame us, can you?" Mariya shrugged.
" What about these two?" Saratu threw at Haseeb and Sayida.
" Haseeb is waiting for the angel to blow the trumpet for judgement day."
Eskander pointed out, sending the occupants of the room, into a fit of laughter.
" You are wicked," Fareeda said to Eskander.
At that time, Zayn thought of chipping in about Fareed and Yasmeen. However, he brushed it off, wanting them to sort things out on their own.
They prayed Maghrib and had dinner before praying Isha. They left Eskander's house to their respective homes for the day.
Zayn asked Fareed and his twin to drop Yasmeen at Sultan's residence in Nasarawa since it was too late for her to travel alone. And also, They were headed to Fagge, which was along the road. He knew what he was trying to insinuate by asking Fareed to do that.
Fareeda was there when it happened, and she supported Zayn's decision.
During the ride home, Yasmeen and Fareeda discussed Fareeda's fashion show that was coming up that weekend. She seemed so excited about it. Of course, news about it was ringing all over the fashion world of Nigeria. Yasmeen was part of the models. She had been modelling for Fareeda's fashion line even before Mariya and Zayn got married.
Fareed on the other hand was about to model for the third time, without being paid.
They had all agreed to put aside their tight schedules for the weekend and go to Abuja for the pending function. Fareeda was more than happy to receive them.
Although it was a short ride, Fareed was given a chance by his sister to talk with Yasmeen. The woman knew what she was doing.
Fareed was in a fix. He was trying to convince himself that he wasn't in love with Yasmeen.
Who knows if she doesn't feels the same about me?
What if she has someone else?
He brushed off the thoughts when he parked his car at Sultan's residence. He alighted the car and rounded her aside to open the door for her.
She stepped out, muttering words of gratitude to them. Fareed escorted her into the manse and greeted Sultan and Mama Aisha before leaving with Fareeda.
He then drove his twin to the airport, where her husband's private plane was waiting for her.
The drive back home was boring until Yasmeen called him up. They talked a bit before hanging up the call.
Once again, he reminded his heart to calm down. It was a mess.
*~*
It was raining heavily. Probably the last heavy showers of the rainy season before the harmattan sets in.
The tapping of the heavy rain sounded muffled as Zayn and Mariya were cozied up in the confinement of their bedroom.
Zayn's head rested on Mariya's lap as she sat on the bed, with her back against the headboard. She was reading a book. Cairo was perched by her crossed feet.
Zayn lay on his chest, with his arms around her waist. Mariya's fingers played with his hair while he tried to fight off the sleep that was beckoning him.
It was peaceful. Everything he had ever wanted.
One thing he had learnt from every single misfortune they had faced was that to maintain their relationship, forgiveness, and patience were necessary. People never stop making mistakes__knowingly and unknowingly.
Forgiveness is an underrated form of therapy.
" Qalb," Mariya called to check if he was asleep.
He hummed in response, raising his head to take a good look at her. He raised a brow at her when she didn't say anything. He went back to his previous position.
" Do you really want to go to Abuja?" He asked. " I mean, Fareeda will understand if you don't want to go."
" Zayn?" She threw him a questioning look.
He sat up straight, conforming to her posture.
" Only God can stop me from going to Abuja this Saturday." She spoke. " I have to go and support her. We are all going."
" Fine. That's good."
" And I need to go to the salon to get my hair and henna done." She announced. " I have to look good."
Zayn smiled. He liked these new transitions in her. He was getting his old Mariya back.
"Exactly! I like it when you get your henna done." He took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
"Every day, I thank God for your presence in my life. Although, we've been through hard times. Those bad days have thought me to cherish you more__ every bit of you."
He stared down at her. His eyes held no hints of doubt, regarding what he had said to her.
" I love you, Ashraf."
She kept her book aside and hugged him, snuggling against his chest.
" My heart no longer belongs to me. Make it your most prized possession. I love you more than you can ever decipher. Don't ever doubt that."
He kissed her hair, taking in the fragrance of her shampoo.
Cairo made its way between them, meowing loudly.
Zayn picked it up and dropped it off the bed.
" It's still raining," Mariya spoke.
Zayn turned to look at her, having dropped Cairo off their bed.
" Yes,"
She pouted lightly, trying to put up her best sad face.
Already, Zayn had deciphered what she was trying to imply.
" You'll catch a cold if we go out in the rain." He cautioned.
" Please," she solicited. " Come with me."
He had tried his best to refuse her. But no, the woman was adamant and he couldn't see himself refusing her.
Next, he found himself being dragged out to their balcony, exposed to the heavy outpour.
To say the least, it was fun. Being in the rain and waltzing to unheard tunes was more than therapy.
His inner child was very appreciative of that.
She was indeed bringing out sides of him that he had to kill for defensive reasons. With her, there was nothing like being reserved or anything similar to restraining himself from being who he actually was.
" I still don't know the song we are dancing to." Zayn's voice was raised a few notches high, so she could hear him in the rain. His arms held her in place at her waist, while hers rested on his shoulders.
They were soaked to the bones.
" Let's just keep dancing." She prompted.
Zayn whirled her into a smooth spin and brought her back into their previous stance.
" I must say," she began. " You dance quite well, Mr. Malik." She feigned formality.
" I could say the same about you, Mrs. Malik."
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. He pulled away too quickly, leaving Mariya with its lingering sensation. She still wasn't used to how a simple kiss from him could spark thousands of desires in her.
She grabbed him by the collar, crushing her lips against his. Zayn let her take the lead. There was a ragged edge to her actions. He didn't miss that she was getting better at it.
She pulled away after a few minutes to catch her breath. She gently pressed her forehead against his as she tried to sturdy her heartbeat. Her hand lay on his chest, and she could feel his heart beating wildly against her palm.
" You started this," he huffed out a breath. " but I'll end it."
" I'm not objecting."
Having received her consent, he carried her into their room.
One by one, the soaked clothes came off. The cold air was replaced by heat radiated by their bodies against each other, teasing and pleasing in sheer ecstasy.
In the end, he cradled her in his arms while slumber took over her.
It was an interesting night, and he would like to try dancing with her in the rain again the next season.
*~*
Fareed stared at the blank screen of his phone for only God knows how long. He was contemplating whether to call her or not. He couldn't go on deceiving himself that he didn't like her. But how he would express it to her was the problem.
He feared that Yasmeen didn't feel the same about him.
He had attempted to take a step and tell him what he felt about her, but they got interrupted by Emraan.
That wasn't the only time he had attempted. Anytime he tried to talk to her about it, he found himself stuttering, or beating about the bush. But he knew his actions conveyed more than his unsaid words would ever do. Even Zayn had told him that.
Was she turning a blind eye to all of that?
He sighed in exasperation and switched off the lights in his room. He threw his phone somewhere on a sofa he couldn't make out because of the darkness.
He lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, taking in the little details he seemed to have forgotten. Power of boredom.
Fareed shut his eyes, hoping sleep would carry him away to somewhere peaceful. He really needed it, so he would feel refreshed for the busy weekend ahead of him.
" Yasmeen," he whispered. " What are you doing to me?"
Abuja,
2 pm.
It was Saturday. The day of the fashion show and opening of the showroom by Rheeda__ Fareeda's fashion line.
Zayn, Mariya, and their entourage arrived at Abuja via a private plane Fareeda's husband, Hakeem had sent to them. They were to travel by Zayn's plane but they couldn't refuse the generous effort. Fareed and Yasmeen had to arrive at Abuja the day before, just to get a few things in place to avoid unnecessary hitches.
The custom process at Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport was as smooth as silk. Outside the airport, they were provided with a limo by Hakeem to get them to their destination which was Eskander's hotel branch in Abuja. Oasis hotel.
They ensured to stay away from the public's eyes.
They were to settle and rest for a while before it was time to leave for the function.
They had until 7:30 to prepare for the event.
Abuja is going to be on fire.
Hi, guyssss.
This chapter is short, but bear with me.
Mallam Fareed😭
Leaving behind a review would be very much appreciated.
Don't forget to vote, comment and share.
See ya.😊