KANO STATE, NIGERIA
Maha stared hard at the drugs in her hand before she took two from the bottle and swallowed. She thought she wouldn't need the drugs because her mind would completely be on her husband but she was wrong because it has been a week now and there is absolutely no sign of Ayman. The memory about what happened came rushing back to her and she had no choice but to drink it. Suddenly the door was pushed open and Maha got startled because of the drugs in her hand and it fell down.
"Oops!" Fattu said when she saw the spilled drugs in the floor.
"Oh my God! Aunt Maha, are you sick?" Fattu asked before she entered the room and kneeled down to help Maha pick up the drugs.
"No it's okay, you don't have to do it." Maha said as she quickly packed the drugs before fattu would realize what it is.
"Am fine, just a slight headache."
"Oh, sorry. Guess what?"
"What?" Maha asked with a smile, she liked being in the girl's presence because the girl is pure and innocent, unlike her who uses hard drugs. Sometimes she even gets scared that she might corrupt the girl.
"Ya Ayman is back!" Fattu said as she squealed in excitement.
"Really?" Maha asked as her smile widened, then she remembered the part where she had to be shy so she turned her smile into a shy one.
"Yes, I was so excited to come and tell you and that is why I came in with out knocking. Come, umma said I should call you, he is in her chamber." Fattu said and she chuckled at Maha's reaction when she tried to act shy.
......
Ayman sat in a chair close to his mother. Almost everyone in his family were present and he couldn't help but roll his eyes at that because he knew they were only here because they wanted to know how he would treat his new wife. By doing this, they have only put him in a tight spot because initially he had planned on totally ignoring the girl and pretending as if she didn't exist but now that his family members want to see his reaction towards the girl, he knew he had to speak to her because come what may she is now his wife and apart from being his wife he has immense respect for women. Suddenly a familiar sweet scent wafted through his nostrils, since three years ago the scent of the perfume had disappeared when its owner Aisha had died but now he was suddenly perceiving that kind of scent. Suddenly Ayman stood up from his seat and began to follow the direction of the scent which led him towards the door. He stopped by the door when he saw fattu but he knew the scent wasn't from her, fattu usually uses cool perfume and you will only perceive the scent when you sit close to her. Aisha on the other hand liked this perfume because she liked strong perfumes that would announce her arrival before she even entered the room. Fattu moved back a little and his dark eyes landed on a pair of dark green eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, the woman standing in front of him is an epitome of beauty. She had eyes the color of the forest, a slender and delicate nose and a cherry red lips and dimples on either side of her cheek. He couldn't help but stare at the dimple on her chin, everything about her is rare, her green eyes and the dimples on her chin. He couldn't help but keep staring at her forest green eyes, it was like the more he looked at her the more hypnotized he got and he couldn't bring himself to stop staring, her green eyes were hypnotic and beautiful, he couldn't bring himself to stop staring.
"Ya Ayman." Fattu's voice came and that what was broke his reverie and he immediately averted his eyes and went back to his mother's living room and sat down, there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and he kept tapping his feet nervously on the ground. For the first time in three years he felt his heart skip a beat just by looking at another woman and he didn't like it at all, only Aisha is allowed to evoke such feelings inside of him! Suddenly he started hating Maha, why must his heart react just by seeing her? He promised himself that he would never look at her face again but still that was not enough, he was restless something in his heart had stirred when he saw her face and he knew that feeling very well because he always had it when Aisha was around, at last he managed to convince himself that he only had that feeling because of her eyes, there was something about her eyes that is hypnotic as if you would get lost if you tried to stare deeper. Her eyes were like a green mirror, it hypnotizes you to look into it thinking you are staring at yourself in a mirror and when you keep staring, you get lost.
"Ayman, I thought you were going to escort your bride." A dark woman in her early forties said, she had a striking resemblance to Asma'u and she is none other than Asma'u mother, hajiya Maryam. She had been married to his uncle for the past 25 years and they make a good couple because they all plan on taking the throne for themselves, after all birds of the same feather flock together. Both of them had insisted that Asma'u should get married to Ayman, even though he had clearly told them he doesn't love her but they paid a deaf ear because they want to use their daughter to get to the throne. The woman knew which buttons to press to make Ayman angry but today it seems her plans didn't work because Ayman had other disturbing thoughts in his mind, he only glared at her as if warning her to keep quiet while he is still being nice and hajiya Maryam got scared, in fact everyone always gets scared when he glares at them as if he wanted to kill them. Ayman turned his face and he crossed his legs before he rested his head back on the chair and closed his eyes, he sat there like the king he is.
"Maha, you are here? Well it's time for you to meet your stubborn husband." Ayman heard his mother say but he wasn't ready get lost in those forest green eyes so he kept his eyes closed.
"Come, sit here." He heard his mother say but he still kept his eyes closed, suddenly he felt someone sit in the empty space on the couch next to him and that was when he realized his mother had made her sit close to him, he clenched his fist to stop himself from standing up and leaving the chamber. The scent of her perfume became more stronger now that she is sitting more close to him and he tried to hold his breath and when he released it, he took handfuls of breath which he immediately regret because he inhaled the scent of her perfume.
"Ayman, your wife is here." He heard Sadiq's voice, what was he even doing here? He opened his eyes and he saw Sadiq smiling at him with an evil smirk, immediately he knew the guy is definitely up to something, he averted his eyes and turned to look at his supposed wife and again his eyes land on her green ones. It wasn't his intention to look at her eyes but her green eyes were like a magnet that kept dragging you to look at them.
"Welcome, I hope you enjoyed your stay here." Ayman said, he didn't smile at her but it came as a huge shock to everyone that he asked if the girl had enjoyed her stay but Ayman was only being polite and he didn't want to give his family members any chance to disrespect the girl because even though he didn't love her nor didn't he plan to even love her she is still his wife and more importantly the next queen, there was no way he would let his family members disrespect the next queen, after all it is even an offense in the palace. The girl said nothing and she only nodded her head with a shy smile. Not giving her a second look he stood up to leave the chamber but suddenly he heard Sadiq's voice talking to her.
"Forgive my brother, he is usually that way, always grumpy." He heard Sadiq say and then he heard the girl's light chuckle, he didn't even know her name even though his mother had told him but he has forgotten. No matter how much he wanted to stay away from her, especially her green hypnotic eyes he couldn't let her stay there and speak to Sadiq because he didn't like her getting involved with anyone of his step siblings, especially Sadiq. He knew they would only use her to get to the throne because the girl looked quite stupid to him, anyone could easily fool her. After all she didn't know the struggles of life, her life is a bed of roses. Ayman walked back into the living room and he stopped in front of her, Sadiq was now sitting close to her in the place he had sat before.
"Let's go." He voice was low but it held so much authority to it, the girl slowly lifted her head up and before her eyes could meet his, he averted his gaze.
"What?" The girl said softly.
"I said, let's go." Ayman said again almost in a whisper but his voice sounded irritated, he didn't like repeating himself but most importantly he didn't like the bright and radiant smile on the girl's face.why did she have to keep smiling, whenever she smiled one would also get lost in her green eyes because the seem to grow dimmer and it's like they are sparkling with joy.
"At least you should let her stay here so we can get to know her." Sadiq said.
"You mean you didn't get to know her for the past one week? Tough luck then and its not like I want my wife to know you." Ayman said before his gaze returned to Maha, he said nothing but his looks said it all, so without further questions Maha shyly stood up and followed him.
'So he's the jealous type." Maha thought to herself, she bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling like an idiot. Maha thought he would speak to her and try to know more about her but he just kept walking and when they finally reached their chamber, he walked to a room opposite to her own and then he said,
"We are leaving tomorrow." Without even waiting for her response, he entered the room and closed it.
"Rude!" Maha said to herself when he closed the door. She also entered her room and sat at the foot of her bed and then slowly she lied down, she closed her eyes but she kept seeing Ayman's face. When she had walked into the chamber and saw him sitting down like a king with his legs crossed, eyes closed and his head lazily resting on his knuckles he looked like a king. He didn't even look like a human he looked like he had just stepped out of a painting. The pictures she had seen of him really didn't do him any justice, no wonder the man didn't like to take pictures. To say he is good looking would be a huge understatement. His dark hair looked like it was combed by his fingers and swept back away from his face, she didn't even know where the man got such a soft and curly hair but then she realized he might have gotten it from his mother since she is Shuwa Arab. He had a strong, defined and masculine jawline- it was perfection in her eyes. He had a thick and long eyelashes and it made her feel jealous because even she as a girl didn't have that kind of long eyes lashes.
The morning sun streamed through the open curtains and landed straight on Maha's peaceful yet beautiful sleeping face, the way the sun shone brightly on her face made her look like a goddess. She lay in an awkward position and she would definitely have a neck pain when she finally wakes up. Last night she had fallen asleep while waiting for Ayman, she had thought that when he had entered the other room, he had just entered to get something but she kept waiting for him for a long time but the man never showed up and even though she wanted to go and knock on his door and give him a piece of her mind, she chided herself and she stayed in her room. If he wanted to play hard to get, then she would play along with him after all he is not the only one with a good looking face, she is beautiful and she knows it! Last night she had fallen asleep and had forgotten to close the curtains and now the sun that was peaking through the curtains was disturbing her peaceful slumber. She moaned and grumbled in her sleep as if she is having an argument with some before she finally woke up. Memories of last night came rushing back to her and she couldn't help but smile when she remembered Ayman's face. She couldn't believe she is already getting butterflies in her stomach just thinking about him, she didn't really think that she would easily forget about Farouk but after what he had done to her in her house, it wasn't really that hard to forget about him. What he did didn't satisfy him and he went to Instagram and Twitter dragging her name through the mud, knowing fully well she is a public figure. In the past whenever anyone insults her she just keeps quiet because she knows they are just jealous that they don't have the chance to live her kind of lifestyle and they are secretly admiring her, usually her three best friends were always the ones who stood up for her. At first she had wanted to pretend she didn't see it all like she always did but Farouk even went as far as dragging her father, her father is also a public figure and she knew it would not only affect his reputation but his business as well, so she had decided to speak. She just explained what had happened and how he came to her house and almost tried to kill her and after that she just allowed Farouk to continue rambling like an idiot. She knew what happened wasn't fair, because her pictures with Farouk were all over social media and many people were eagerly waiting for their wedding, she had already decided to forgive Farouk for what he did to her in her house because she knew even she would react that way if Farouk suddenly told her his family had chosen a bride for him but then he just had to go and disgrace her family on social media. Somehow people believed her side of the story saying that even they would go for the man their parents have chosen for them, some said she should have fought for their love which sounded stupid to her because they didn't know the situation she is in and some said she had only played with Farouk's heart knowing fully well she would not marry a Nigerian but they soon shut their mouth when they realized she the man she married is Nigerian. With a tired sigh Maha stood up from the bed and went to take a shower, as soon as the clock showed 8:00 a gentle knocked echoed on the door and the maid who usually brought her food came in. It was already 12:30 but Ayman was no where to be found and she was sure he didn't come out of his room and he had said they would be leaving today, isn't he afraid of the rampant kidnapping in Nigeria or is he just choosing to ignore it? Maha thought to herself. She stood up with a loud sigh and went to his room, if he didn't care about the kidnapping, she did. She didn't want to be held captive for the rest of her live and end up bearing a child for some filthy bastards because she had heard that the kidnappers liked to hold all the beautiful women and they refuse to release them even when the ransom has been sent.
She stood awkwardly in front of his room not knowing whether go ahead and knock or she should just turn back. With a shaky breath, Maha knocked silently on his door as if she didn't want him to hear the knocking. There was no reply so she knocked gently again.
"Come in." His deep husky voice came. She couldn't believe that his voice was this mesmerizing and soothing to the ears. Even his voice was too perfect, why did nature bestow all this perfection to a creation like him? Why? It wasn't fair. After taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, Maha slowly touched the doorknob and pushed the door open gently. Immediately she opened the door her eyes landed on the God of perfection siting lazily on a couch, he legs stretched on the glass table in the bedroom. A MacBook sat on his laps, his head resting on his palms, he had a blank look on his face. Slowly he raised his head and looked at Maha but he managed to stopped himself from looking into those green eyes so he just went back to what he was doing on his MacBook.
"What do you want?" He asked still looking at his laptop, his eyes refused to meet hers. Maha stared at him wide eyed, first he had ignored her as if she didn't exist and now that she showed up in his bedroom instead of him to apologize, he is wearing a nonchalant expression as if he didn't know what he did. Well if he wanted to play the arrogant spoiled brat part then she would play the only female spoiled brat part. Lifting her chin up, she looked at him with defiance clear in her green eyes.
"Well that is one way to welcome your wife that you just met yesterday!" Maha said and what she said made him look up from what he was doing and stare at her, disbelief evident in his eyes. Usually whenever he wears that cold expression and talks coldly, the person around him always gets scared and even Aisha was not an exception! But this little bunny he had met just yesterday was looking at him with defiance in her green eyes. He thought she was a cute little bunny trying to stand up for herself against the big bad wolf. For this first time in three years his lips curled up in a genuine smile that reached his eyes. He didn't make any sound but his lips curled up in a mesmerizing way and the sides of his eyes crinkled. He looked even more handsome than he already was that Maha almost felt her knees going weak but she managed to keep her stand. Abruptly the smile faded from his lips as if it was never there. He had suddenly remembered Aisha, no woman was suppose to make him smile if the woman isn't Aisha! His face turned back to being blank and unfathomable and he continued what he was doing on his MacBook.
"Little bunny.." Ayman stopped again, what was with the nickname? He had to stop this nonsense or else he will never forgive himself for cheating on Aisha. He thought she looked like a cute little bunny especially now that she is fuming but that thought had to stop.
"I am not a bunny!" He heard her retort but the more she tried to deny it, the more he kept seeing her as a cute little bunny. Though Maha felt so happy when he had called her little bunny, she still managed to tame her excitement and show him that she is still angry. Ayman had had enough! He needed to stop seeing her as being cute.
"Cut to the chase, we both know this is an arranged marriage and there is no love!" Ayman said coldly, somehow thinking about cheating on Aisha had worked and his expression returned to being cold and unfathomable. Maha's jaws dropped, his words has hit her really hard! Is this man crazy? Of course she knows this in an arranged marriage but does he have to remind her about it? Plus, some arranged marriages do work if the two people involved try to work things out.
"I know but well since we are married now we have to make it work, it doesn't matter if it is arranged or not!" Ayman raised his head and looked at her before he returned to what he was doing on his MacBook.
"I don't want to make it work. Now will you please leave me alone?" Ayman asked not even sparing her a glance.
"So you don't think am beautiful?" Maha asked staring at him wide eyes, he was the first man that had ever rejected her! Ayman raised his head and looked at her as if scrutinizing her before his gaze fell back to his MacBook and he continued what he was doing.
"You are beautiful but I don't want you! Now please leave while I'm still being nice." Ayman said. Maha stared at the man in front of her wide eyes with her mouth open. She couldn't believe it, did he just reject her? That too when she had shown him she wanted him.
"Wow! You know you are the first man that has ever rejected me but your rejection only makes me want to chase you even more mr. Ayman Shugaba, you just confessed that I am beautiful and that is enough encouragement." Maha said, she had now completely entered the room and she had sat down beside him on the couch but immediately she did that he quickly moved away as if she is a plague everyone has to avoid, Maha rolled her eyes at his action.
"Are you crazy?" Ayman asked when he had finally found his voice, what she said had shocked him and the fact that she suddenly sat so close to him made him freeze, her perfume was more stronger than ever and her green eyes were piercing through his own dark ones.
"Am I crazy?" Maha asked herself as she pursed her lips as though she was thinking about what he said.
"Well I guess I'm, well my mom and brothers always say am crazy when I do something stupid and now you said it too so I guess I really am crazy. Well at least am crazy enough to go after a man who has made it clear that he doesn't want me." Maha said as she laughed. The sound of her laughter echoed in the room and Ayman fell in daze, she looked so care free as she laughed, exposing her white teeth. The dimples on her cheek and chin deepened but what caught his attention the most was her eyes. They sparkled with so much joy that he felt her eyes were a glass that would break and the joy would spread out. He couldn't stop himself from staring even though he tried so hard not to, her eyes had hypnotized him again! Thankfully Maha's voice jolted him out of his reverie.
"Well dear husband, if you put up a good fight and show me you really don't want me, I will leave but I just want you to know that I won't let such a handsome man go without a fight!" Maha said with a sweet smile that almost sent him into another daydream, had she not spoken again.
"Well you said we are leaving today, knock on my door when we are about to leave." Maha said as she she left the room without waiting for his reply.
Hy.
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