The night flew like it never came for Hanan, despite waking up at 11 in the morning she still felt drawn to her pillow.
She yawns severally barely having an interest in doing anything but she dares not complain or refuse Amira's outing plans for the day so she braces up, sitting with a mug of coffee in her left hand while her right finger scrolls her Instagram feed she stumbles on a post which drew her attention and once again confirms her speculation.
#Upcoming lavish weddings of the month!
Amina in a sophisticated wine-colored dress that glittered from head to toe, hugging out her physique, with minimal makeup on her face, posed in the accompany of her man. Amir paired up with a black tux, and a bold smile, cuddled in each other arms, they ranked #1.
"They look so good together, Amir made the best choice, right?" Amira walked up to her happily collecting the phone as she stared at the couple in admiration.
Hanan hesitates to reply as she wonders if Amir made the right choice marrying into a family who turned her life upside down, but then, she remembered what was important is Love, and they both had that for each other.
"Yeah, he did make the right choice." She replied sipping on her Coffee.
"Tomorrow is the day I'll introduce you both, he's the only one you haven't met yet." She stated happily.
"Yeah, I can't wait, it will be a pleasure to see all of them again." She replied thoughtfully with a smirk.
"Okay! Get your ass off the couch, let's go glam!"Amira grinned, pulling her friend off the couch, they made their way out.
***
"Your total bill is a hundred thousand naira, ma'am."
"Hundred thousand!?" Hanna blurts out, her eyes bulging out of their sockets as she stares at the sales girl and her friend in shock.
"Amira, we only bought two heels? Do you intend to empty your account?"
"Duh! It's a wedding we're attending not a burial, these heels are worth the price, did you see the glass edge it has? Forget its price and stare at the beauty!"Amira scoffed not minding Hanan disapproval glare as she inserted her card into the credit card machine.
"You're doing too much, we haven't gotten to the salon yet and we've spent this much?"
"Oh babe, this is nothing!" She replied with an evident eye roll. "C'mon, we need to look glam for the wedding, our next destination is the salon, let's go." She said not giving Hanan a chance to complain again, she rushed into the mall's salon which was just opposite them.
Once they got in, Hanan quickly settled on a couch while she lazily gazed at her energetic friend giving orders to the salon stylist.
From the moment they got out of the ride they boarded to the mall, she had just gotten a chance to sit and relax.
"Where does she my friend get her energy from?" She mumbled to herself as Amira approached her with two bottles of chilled Fanta.
"Here, have this, you look dehydrated." She says as she hands one of the drinks to her.
"Thanks, I badly need to cool my parched throat." Hanan smiled.
"You're welcome, so I have an idea." Amira grinned, sitting closer to Hanan.
"What is it?" Hanan mutters.
"Let's head back to my house after getting spa done...
"Your house? Why? I didn't prepare for that."
"Tomorrow is the wedding, your dress, heels, and jewelry are here with us, what else do you need to prepare for?"
"I don't have a fresh pair of undies...
"We're still at the mall, We can shop that before we leave."
"No Amira, I won't go to your place, we will meet tomorrow at the wedding."
"Why!?" She squealed with poppy eyes trying her best to convince Hanan but it barely convinced her.
"I hoped we grace Amina's bridal shower party happening tonight at her place, I was granted a plus one invite you know." She says still maintaining a puppy face, she holds onto Hanan's arm refusing to let go.
"Which Amina?" Hanan chuckled, grinning at her friend's babyish behavior.
"Are you joking?" Amina scoffed letting go of Hanan's arm in shock. "I heard old age begins at 40 but I wasn't aware that yours began at 22."
"Should I take that as an insult?" Hanan smirked.
"Take it as fact, coz why will you forget Amina whose full name you guessed last night within a twink of an eye?" Amira asks.
"Ohh!" Hanan sighed. "Well, Sorry, but that's more reason to object to being your plus one, and besides, I can't ruin my plan by showing up at their house before the wedding can I?"
"Your plan? What plan?"Amira stared at her friend confusingly.
"Hmm... Hanan for a while fell short of words as she realized she almost spilled the beans. "I mean introducing myself to everyone as your bestie." She finds her voice back while observing Amira's face which clearly shows suspiciousness.
"Hanan, please be honest with me, is there anything you're hiding?"
"No! And why will I?" She chuckled trying to shade her lie.
"I just don't relate to your words anymore, you've been spewing illogical things and whenever you try to justify them you fall miserably just like you're doing now." Amira frowned.
"I'm not hiding anything from you!" Hanan exclaimed, her tone so defensive that it startled Amira.
"Woah! chill, fine if you say so." Amira mumbled.
"I'm gonna go first." Hanan in a rush stood up from her chair to join the salon stylist, with a brief sigh, she whispered. "Gosh! I almost blew my cover." She sight Amira's dull expression through the mirror and it instantly swept her into guilt.
Guilty of lying to her best friend, guilty of hiding a lot from Amira when all she does is share every little detail of her life with her, not that she doesn't trust her but she doesn't dare to share her past especially now that her family are about to share a relation with her past.
"When the time is right, I will tell you everything, Amira." She sighed.
"Miss, what do you want to do?" The salon stylist asked interrupting her thoughts.
"Manicure and I want to wash and stretch my hair."
In a few hours, Hanan's fingernails were looking aesthetic enough for other customers to pass lovely comments and also demand the same manicure as hers, but she was least interested in it as all she could think of was Amira's doubts for her.
Every minute, she finds herself staring at Amira as her hair is currently being stretched out of her scalp.
Amira looked pissed and that made her more uneasy and also increased her feeling of guilt.
"Ma'am I'm done, you can move to the spa room." The stylist taps her as she looks lost staring away.
"Okay, thanks." She smiled checking out herself in the mirror before heading to Amira who is now occupied with her phone.
"You look pretty." Amira smiled as Hanan joined her on the couch.
"It's thanks to you," Hanan replied with a bigger smile.
"I think I have to return home now."
"Why? You haven't done anything yet." Hanan replied.
"Yeah, maybe some other time, the manicure I got for Grad is still aesthetic." She smiled wriggling her fixed long nails in the air while she got off the couch.
"You sure?" Hanan asks closely observing her friend's mood as she hopes she isn't the reason she is opting out from getting glam up all of a sudden.
"Yeah, let's hurry."
"Okay, if you say so then."
They cleared their bill and made it for the exit, and just then Hanan couldn't believe who stumbled with, In a hurry she tried to dodge but it was too late.
Emma had gotten a hold of her.
"Ma'am Habiba!?" She yelled, her hands quickly covering her mouth while her eyes glared in shock, Hanan wished she could turn invisible at that moment.
"You're here? You're alive!?" Emma further exclaimed her eyes filled with tears while she tried to approach her, Amira quickly pulled Hanan away.
"Who are you? And Why are you calling her Habiba?"Amira stood blocking Hanan as she questioned sternly.
"Amira, let's go." Hanan sighed taking her friend's hands, they hurried out of the mall, but Emma wasn't ready to let her go yet so she ran behind them yelling out her name continuously.
"Ma'am Habiba! Don't you recognize me? I'm Emma, your maid."
"What's she saying!?"Amira snaps, her face visibly showing fear and concern.
"Why the hell is she following us, I hope she isn't some crazy lunatic?" She asked holding tight onto Hanan's grip while they made it out of the mall.
"Ma'am Habiba please wait, after you left a lot happened, everyone suffered, please don't pretend you don't know me, hear me out!" Emma yells stopping to catch her breath.
Hanan had heard enough when she also stopped to face her.
"What is it!?" She growled. "Stop following me I don't know you."
"You don't know me? Of course, you do, even though you don't recognize me I still remember you, I can't forget this face and voice, Grandma, Amina, Sir Najib and the whole family...
"Amina and Najib?"Amira mutters, and hearing the names sound very familiar, she moves closer to Hanan staring at her to clarify what the strange girl is saying.
"Why do the names ring a bell? Hanan, what is she saying?"
"I will tell you miss." Emma sighed about to speak further when Hanan snatched her by the arm.
"You will say nothing!" She glared pulling Emma with her till they were out of sight leaving Amira clueless as to what was going on, but then, she affirmed that there was something fishy about her friend Hanan and she was definitely hiding something from her.
"But what on earth is it?" She muttered storming off angrily.
***
"Ma'am!" Emma who couldn't contain her joy to see Hanan after so long exclaims excitedly.
"I'm so glad to finally meet you." She continued to smile as Hanan had finally given her a chance to speak.
"You're done? Go away!" Hanan snapped making Emma gasp in shock, she couldn't believe the cold behavior that was coming from the person she had yearned to see for years.
"Ma'am, don't you really recognize me?" Her voice breaks as she asks.
"I don't, so stay out of my way!" Hanan frowns.
"I refuse to believe that, even if you don't recognize me, you will remember grandma and Amina...
"Why mention people who are dead to me?!" She scowled.
"Forget we met, Goodbye!" She turned to leave but Emma wouldn't let her go so easily, she rushed to her front with open arms blocking her path.
"I know you were wronged, but give me a chance to explain all that's happened, I will do anything for you to hear me out." Emma pleads in tears.
"Really?" Hanan smirked.
"Yeah, anything just hear me out please."
"Okay." She grinned. "Amira's wedding is tomorrow right?"
"Yes," Emma replied.
"Can you steal me her reception look?"
"What!?" Emma gasped in shock, was Hanan asking her to steal her boss's dress which was meant for her wedding, how could she?
"That's impossible, I can't." She murmured.
"Then forget you saw me, excuse me!" Hanan frowned about to take her leave, but Emma pulled her back.
"Wait! Fine, it won't be easy but I will try and get you her dress if that's what you want."
"You would?" Hanan turned grinning like a lunatic, how easy it was for her mood to change.
"Yes." Emma smiled back.
"Deal then, by 8 pm tonight, meet me with the dress at this same spot." Hanan smirked and didn't hesitate to leave.
"Can I at least get your phone number!?" Emma yells as Hanan strolled off happily.
"You get my digits when I get the dress!" She yells back walking away with a mischievous smile on her face.
>>> A/N
Curious to know what Hanan is up to?
See ya in the next chapter.
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