ABUJA, NIGERIA
The dark pink curtains parted a little letting the morning sunlight stream through the closed huge glass window. Maha's eyelashes fluttered open like the soft wings of a butterfly revealing her dull yet beautiful dark green eyes, she closed her eyes again but then open it immediately when she realized her head isn't on her pillow, rather it is on something broad and firm yet soft. She smiled to herself as the events from last night replayed in her mind as though she is watching a memory reel. When Ayman had caught her with the drugs she thought that he would start hating her and he would tell her family about her degrading behaviour but what he did surprised her, it only proved to her that she had a soft spot in his heart, she smiled again and then raised her head from his broad chest to look into his heavenly sleeping face. She had her head placed on his chest and both her hands on his arms hugging it tightly to herself, his large hands were wrapped securely around her waist and his other hand held her head close to his chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat and she watched as his chest rised and fall with every breath he took, he looked peaceful yet so attractive.
The other night after he had collected all the drugs from her, he had went out of the room only to come back minutes later without the drugs. When she had asked him what he did with the drugs he told her it was none of her business, unless she planned to steal it back. He had stayed with her until it was night time but even with the amount of time they spent in each other's company she didn't divulge her secret and he did not ask her to tell him, it made her feel better and even more comfortable around him. When it was time for him to leave and go to his room she had stopped him, she didn't know what took over her but it was as though her body was no longer under her command and even though her mind kept protesting her fragile hands still held his wrist when he was about to leave, she looked at him with puppy eyes and even without saying a word he knew she didn't want him to leave, her eyes spoke loudly, so loud that even if she were to open her mouth to speak she wouldn't speak as loudly as her eyes. Without a word Ayman had come back and settled beside her on the bed and rested her head on his chest his arm wrapped securely around her waist and he only slept when he was sure that she was already asleep.
Maha looked at the sleeping demigod in front of her and without knowing a wide smile appeared on her face, she felt like the luckiest woman on earth. Finally! He was hers, the fact that he is sleeping beside her after everything that had happened is a huge testimony to that. Subconciously her elegant fingers that looked like the thin long branches of a tree started to trace his face, first her hand touched his perfect eyebrows, they look as though they had been carved by the best makeup artist. He had thick and beautiful eyebrows that not every girl possessed. When her hands had touched his eyebrows he stirred in his sleep and Maha quickly removed her hand, she waited for his eyes to open and when it didn't her hand went to his thick, silky smooth dark hair. She relished in the softness of his hair and she ruffled it with her fingers giggling to herself, not minding if she woke him up in the process. Then she touched his eyes and then his eyelashes, the sun that peeked through the curtains landed on his face and it created the shadow of his lashes right beneath his eyes, she stared at his dark long lashes in utter admiration and jealously, then she pouted her lips. Even she didn't have such long eyelashes and he who is a man had it? She pouted her lips again and then she flicked his nose with her thumb. Her gaze dropped on his luscious pink lips and she bit the inside of her cheeks to suppress her smile, even though she was embarassed she still wanted to touch his lips to know if it was also soft. As she brought her hands to his lips, his mouth suddenly opened and before she could react he grabed her index finger between his teeths.
"Are you done?" His deep husky morning voice asked, her finger still in between his teeth and his eyes closed as though he was still sleeping. His voice sounded so refreshing to her ears, it felt as though cold water had been poured on her after a long burning day, she smiled sheepishly to herself. His eyes fluttered open to reveal his unfathomable black eyes and then he released her finger. His eyes held so much secrets just like her green ones, when she tried to see the secrets, it felt as though an invisible door was stopping her from knowing the secrets. He smiled at her, a smile that melted her completely and made her brain go numb, without knowing she smiled at him. They gazed into each other's eyes smiling at each other, no words were said but their eyes spoke volumes. Black against green! He hoisted his eyebrows demanding answer to the question he had asked, blood rushed to her cheeks painting her face crimson red. She hid under the blanket, blushing.
"What are you saying?" She asked when his eyes wouldn't stop staring.
"Oh, so you plan to play dumb? Very well then." He said with a teasing smile, today was the first time that she saw him with a real smile that didn't leave after a second but stayed. Without thinking she cupped his face is her hands and gazed tenderly into his eyes.
"What happened that made you lose your smile?" She whispered, she saw as the gleam in his eyes died and his jaw clench. His reaction only proved to her that her theory was right, she always suspected that something had made him turn into this grumpy man and now she was sure that something had really happened but what could it be?
Ayman stared at the woman in front of him with an unfathomable expression on his handsome face, could he really do it? Could he unbolt the gates of his heart for her and let her in? Would it be so easy for him to forget about his Aisha? The woman he has loved for 23 years just for the sake of a woman he met barely 2 months ago. Was his love that weak? His mind was telling him no but his heart was screaming yes and thrashing inside of him just so he could be let to speak his opinion. Would it be fair to Aisha? To let another woman reside in his heart? A place that belonged only to her, again his mind was screaming no but his heart kept telling him yes, his heart kept telling him that she deserved every bit of his love, she didn't just deseve to reside in his heart but his heart was already hers. He looked into her hypnotizing eyes, he was in a battle between his heart and mind and he didn't know which to follow. Every part of his body was telling him to hold her, embrace her and protect her and only his mind was against it. As to when he started developing this feelings for her, he didn't know and he didn't care to know. Maybe it was her bewitching eden green eyes or her cheeky and childish behaviour that entranced him, he didn't know and he didn't care to know. Should he give love another chance? Would love be fair to him this time? Would love spread it's tender embrace and protect him? Would it? Would it give him a chance to spend his lifetime with his beloved? If love gave him a chance would it be fair towards Aisha? Would she look at him from heaven and smile? When he has forgotten about her and moved on. A bitter yet beautiful smile appeared on his face and he tenderly cupped her cheeks and gazed into her eyes for the longest of time.
"It was life, life turned me this way." He said with a bitter smile, he still didn't know what he felt for her but he knew one thing for sure, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to give love another chance with her and yet he still didn't know what he felt for her. Up untill yesterday, he was sure that he had no such feelings for her but now he wasn't so sure about that. Maybe because he wanted to give love another chance with her, he couldn't divorce her and he couldn't hate her even after what he saw last night. When he saw her crying he felt his world slowly crumbling and he wanted to destroy whatever it was that made her cry but then he found out she was the reason for her tears. Could he destroy the one his heart has come to adore? His heart knew he couldn't but his mind kept telling him that he could.
Ayman sat silently on the dinning table munching his breakfast slowly while waiting for Maha. They had, had a heart to heart conversation this morning and even though no one confessed what he felt for the other they both understood their feelings. However Ayman was still finding it hard to make a decision but that matter could be dealt with later he needed to talk to her about what had happened yesterday. He had ignored the topic last night even though it was of great importance because he could see the terror in her eyes but now she seemed more calm and composed, so he would get to the bottom of whatever was happening. Last night when he had collected the drugs, he didn't throw it away but burned it. He didn't want her to have any access to the unwanted drugs, hence he had burned it. The door to her room was pushed open and Maha sauntered out wearing an oversized t-shirt and a maroon sweat pant, she was wearing an oveesized cardigan and on the back of the cardigan the name 'matches' was boldly written on it. The cardigan was a birthday gift given to him by one of his numerous girlfriends and she had went to collect it from the delivery man. She had waited for a long time for Zayn to come back and when she got tired she opened the gift, saying it belonged to her just as it belonged to matches since they are one soul in different bodies. She had taken a liking in the cardigan and had decided to keep it for herself and Zayn didn't mind. When the girl learned that the cardigan was with Maha, she was so furious and demanded Zayn to take it back but he refused, the girl and Maha had never liked each other and when she kept insisting, Zayn broke up with her. Maha was beyond elated at that time, her brother had broken up with the annoying girl and she still had the confortable cardigan all to herself. Sometimes just to annoy the girl she would take a picture with the cardigan and send it to the girl, the girl later blocked her though which made her sad because she couldn't get to annoy her anymore. Her eyes clashed with Ayman's black own and they smiled at each other, he looked like he had stepped out of a fashion magazine, as he sat there holding a mug in his hand fully dressed in a multi coloured suit and his hair arranged to perfection. She sat beside him and they had breakfast in silence. After a while Ayman broke the silence with a question she had been dreading since.
"Those drugs," he started, his eyes on her staring at her like a hawk, waiting to see any slight reaction.
"Why do you take them?!" It was just a question and his voice was barely above a whisper but she felt as though he was commading her to tell him the truth. She looked into his dark unfathomable eyes and her green eyes smiled at them and then she gave him an answer that was the same as his.
"Life, life made me take them." Ayman chuckled softly and then he nodded his head as though trying to process the information. He found her answers funny but he knew her answer was the truth. There was nothing life wouldn't make you do. She truly wasn't lying when she had told him she couldn't sleep if she didn't take them, last night she had, had a nigtmare which had also woken him up. She kept shouting, telling some people in her dream that she wasn't a murderer and that they should let her go. Then she was begging someone not to touch her, even though her eyes were closed at that time, she was still crying and sweat had gathered all over her body.
"Can you stop taking them?" He asked after a long while of silence.
"I had the dream last night, didn't i?" Ayman nodded at her, still looking at her.
"Don't take whatever i said to heart." Maha said, her eyes down. Ayman nodded at her but he knew he should take whatever she said to heart. The fact that she said 'the dream' proved to him that she was always having the dream.
'Did she kill someone?' Ayman quickly pushed that disturbing thought away but then she said she wasn't a murderer and she was begging someone not to touch her. Did she kill someone in other to protect herself? His thoughts were broken when he felt soft warm and small hand on his large ones.
"That topic is disturbing." Maha said and then pouted her lips.
"It always traumatize me even when i take the drugs, i will tell you what happened in bits so i won't end up traumatizing myself, okay?" Maha said with a cute smile and he didn't have the heart to say no so he just nodded his head.
"Alright, so i have been wanting to tell you that i'm going to india." Ayman's brows knitted in confusion and for the first time she saw an emotion that she understood in his unreadable black eyes; confusion.
"I'm going there for 3 months to complete my medical course." Maha explained when she saw the confusion in his eyes. There was an uncomfortable silence for a very long time before Ayman said something that shocked both her and him.
"Just get a transfer and continue here in Abuja." His eyes were pleading with her to say yes and even she wanted to say yes but she had already made a promise to her mom.
"No i can't, i want to continue in india." She saw the gleam in his eyes that has been there since morning die, his face returned to being cold and unfathomable. Maha wanted to lay down on the floor and cry, just when she thought their relationship would get better.
"So you want to leave me?" Ayman asked, Maha was stupified for a moment she didn't think that it would actually affect him so much. She placed both her hands on his again and squeezed it gently.
"No, i don't i jus-"
"Then stay." Maha took in a harsh breath, not knowing what to say she needed to explain things to him. Ayman looked at her wanting her to say she would stay, he didn't know what got over him, but the only thing he knew was that he wanted her to stay. His mind again was telling him that he was being selfish but his heart kept telling him not to let her go. There were a lot of prestigious universities here in Abuja, so why couldn't she attend one? He could get her a transfer with just one phone call.
"I can't Ayman, I'm sorry." Abruptly he yanked his hands from her own and stood up to leave.
"Please Ayman, it just 3 months i will be back before you know it." Ayman stared at her with cold and icy eyes, with the same eyes that he had stared at her the first time they met. She could already see their relationship crumbling. Just three words and it will be fixed but she couldn't utter those words.
"You can do whatever you like." Ayman said and without sparing her a glance he turned to leave the house, Maha sat on the floor, sobbing silently to herself.
How would you have reacted if you had brought your boyfriend a cardigan and his annoying sister took it? Would you have let it slide like Zayn's girlfriend did or would you ask for it back?😂
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