"What would you like to have for breakfast?" Nanny Ann asks once Hanan completes her morning supplication.
"Good morning ." Hanan smiled, ignoring her question she was surprised to see her.
Hanan was surprised to see Nanny Ann at the early hour of the day, she didn't even realize when Nanny Ann entered her room.
She glanced at her wall clock and then Nanny Ann again and again. "Didn't she see what says the time?" But Nanny Ann felt unbothered even after she realized what Hanan was hinting at.
"It's just 5 am you should be asleep." Hanan laughed.
"I know, I know, I just wanted to ask so I could start arranging your breakfast" Nanny Ann smiled.
"You speak like you want to make food for an entire community, don't worry about me, go and sleep, you didn't even get enough sleep coz of me last night."
"Later this morning, I will be going to the market for monthly household shopping...
"And then you thought about me?" Hanan cuts her off with a smile.
"Don't bother, I will make my breakfast myself, and also, I will be going out by 10."
"To where?" She replied.
"My house...
"You're leaving home again?!" Nanny Ann blurt out even before Hanan could explain.
"No, Nanny Ann, I'm going to get my things back home, and also settle some important things."
"Okay, I trust you will be back."
"I will so go to bed now." Hanan smiled.
"Okay, quit chasing me to bed already." Nanny Ann laughed and walked out.
Once Hanan was alone again she raised her hands in the air, praying for the new decision she had taken to bring her the peace and happiness she yearned for.
It wasn't going to be easy to bury those memories and forget they once existed especially of "little me" but she was determined to protect the relationships she has now and also pave a new happy life for herself.
With that she rounded up her prayers, getting off her prayer mat, she bends under the bed to pull out her scrap box, the box that contained a lot of items and memories.
Memories of her mother, little me, and Habiba, her real identity which she was ready to claim back.
Adding to the box is the dress, the expensive VIP dress she got thanks to Faruk, it will now be a memory.
Not after all she heard from his father, she can't be the reason his family gets destroyed.
With that, she locked the dress into the box and returned it to where it was.
"It's a gift, it will be rude to return it, I will keep it." She smiled and hopped back into her bed with thoughts of how she was going to cut off ties with Faruk.
"I don't think I deserve to have a friend." She sighed recalling how she dumped all her friends.
One was her childhood friend Jamila whom she had not gotten in touch with for over three years since her departure from the village, and the second was Amira who has been her bestie since freshman year and has now unfollowed and blocked her on all social platforms.
"I take my words back, I don't deserve Amira."
***
The sky was bright and clear, the birds chirping and singing and from a distance, one could hear the bustling busy roads of Lagos.
"Hanan?" Nanny Ann walked into her room to see her asleep so she taps her gently.
"Hmm, yes?" Hanan yawns twitching her eyes open.
"I will be on my way to the market now, your breakfast is on the dining have it before you leave."
"Okay, I will thanks, safe trip." She smiled and turned to her pillow.
"Aren't you going out?" Nanny Ann asks.
"I am, why do you ask?"
"Because it's almost 10, and you're still in bed, look at the time." She says pointing at her clock.
"Ohh!" Hanan gasped and instantly she jumped out of bed.
"You should get ready, bye." Nanny Ann waves.
"Bye." She waved back and hurried off to the bathroom.
After a warm bath, Hanan got ready for the day.
She walked to the dining table to have her breakfast which got her jaw-dropping.
"Nanny Ann prepared all this?" She gasped.
"Yes, ma," Samira replied.
"She said you didn't specify what you wanted to eat so she made all these," Samira explained.
"But I can't finish all of it." Hanan sighed while taking her seat. She shook her head in bewilderment, and with a faint smile, she began to eat when she thought of a better idea.
"Samira, please get me a basket and a few food flasks, I would like to package some of the food out."
"Okay, ma," Samira replied, and in a bit, they packed the food together.
It was exactly 10 am when Hanan got to their agreed destination, she strolled into the mall stretching her neck to find him in the cafe bar, and without much struggle she saw him waving at her.
She got to him, laying the food basket on the table before glancing at him.
"Hanan, I'm sorry for last night, I never knew my dad invited Najib too and I should have escorted you home... Faruk kept speaking, he didn't even catch his breath once, Hanan read his anxiousness and with a smile, she replied.
"Faruk, it's fine, I should be the one apologizing for causing chaos at your home, and thanks, I got home safely last night coz of you." She says as they both took their seat opposite each other.
"I'm embarrassed that you had to witness that." He murmured looking away.
"It's okay." She smiled recalling his parent's fight.
"So why are we meeting here? Why not the office and you haven't even resumed at the office yet, why?"
"Hmm, about that, let's eat first." She says laying out the dishes before him.
"I've decided to return home, I've already packed out of your house." She smiled. "Thanks for offering me the house, I'm forever grateful."
"My pleasure, and returning home is a good decision, I'm glad." He smiled back while assisting her with the meals.
"Why so much food though? Did you prepare them?" He asks happily.
"No, Nanny Ann did, and I thought why don't I come to share it with a foodie." She chuckled.
"Hahaha! Funny, well thanks for thinking of me." He smirked and then they began to eat.
Hanan watched him enjoy the food and then she thought that at least she wasn't cruel, she was making him happy before probably breaking his heart.
She brought out an envelope pushing it to his side of the table.
"What is this?" He asks while picking it up, he opens it and immediately shoots her a confused stare.
"Why?" He asks reading through the sheet of paper in his hand.
"That's my resignation letter." She smiled and continued munching her food.
"I can see that, but why are you resigning?"
"Coz that is the best thing to do at the moment."
" I don't get you, that's the best thing? To quit the job?" He scoffed.
"Your Dad and Najib, as long as I work for you, they will try to dictate my life and right now, I don't even wanna take revenge anymore." She says which got Faruk speechless for a while as he looks at her.
"You kidding right? You're forgiving him just so easy, after every shit he has put you through?!" He glared.
"I never said I was forgiving him, I just want to be happy again, I want to be kind to myself, I want to love myself by erasing all pains and rage from my heart, I want to live my life to the fullest, I realized I haven't been fair to myself." She says.
"Okay, I understand that you don't want revenge anymore but how does your job affect your happiness? Isn't your dream to practice law?"
"Yes, I want to actualize my dreams but not on a platter of gold, but by my merit." She sighed.
"Okay, fine, I gave you the job at my company without any basis, now you will earn the job again on your own merit, you will follow the necessary procedures, let's go." Faruk stood up from his seat, reaching for Hanan's hand but she pulled away.
"I just don't want to work for you." She mumbled while avoiding his gaze.
"Your dad last night made it clear that he doesn't want anything that has to do with me and you together, he even threatened to disown you, and Najib, he is trying to get to me again through you, and all I ever want is to stay away from his shadow, and you are his shadow for now Faruk, without your knowledge they concluded that I am to work for him...
"I will make it impossible for that to happen don't just quit your job," Faruk says nervously.
"Not only the job but I also want to quit our friendship." She muttered.
"What?!" Faruk glared.
Desperation, anger, and fear of losing her were expressed on his face, her job at his company was the only link up they had aside from their friendship and now she wants to end that too?
"I'm sorry for being selfish but let's end our friendship and focus on our individual lives." She says packing away their dishes into the basket, while Faruk looks at her in dismay.
"How could she even say that?" He thought.
"This is your house key, have it." She sighed dropping them before him, she was ready to leave.
"Did my father threaten you? Was it Najib?!" Faruk growled banging the table furiously which caused Hanan to shriek out of fear, other customer's attention was now drawn to them too.
"Faruk?" Hanan whispered looking at him in shock.
"Let's go." He pulled her out to a secluded area of the cafe, they got there and he grabbed her arms pulling her close to his face.
"Hanan, why do you want to cut ties with me? Have I wronged you?" He whispered.
"No, you never." She muttered staring away.
"Then why?!" He snapped.
"I just don't want your family to get ruined coz of me, I have only thought about myself all these while, I never thought of how my issues could affect you." She sighed looking down at her feet.
"So what if it affects me?" He says raising her chin to face him. She stared at his eyes feeling drown in them, she quickly looked away.
"I want you to be selfish, I don't mind just as long as we remain friends." He whispered to her.
"Huh?" She sighed gazing back at him. "It's not as simple as you say, just understand me please."
"I don't want to understand you, Hanan seriously, I introduced you to my family which I have never done before, I even came back to Nigeria for you, and now I am willing to get disowned for you, and I... He stopped for a minute staring at her tensed gaze before he continued.
"I even told my parent that you are my girlfriend... He says and once he did, Hanan stopped listening to him.
She recalled hearing him yell at his parent last night that she was his girlfriend, but she didn't read much meaning to it coz she thought he just said it out of context but from the look on his face did he mean it?
She struggled to free herself but Faruk had his hand hard on her.
"Faruk please." She muttered.
"Don't you still realize?" He muttered his eyes moist with emotions.
"Realize what?" She snapped.
"Why are you so suddenly dense?" He whispered irritated by her puzzled look.
"Huh? Faruk please let me go." She whispered chewing on her lower lip to muster the strength to get his hand off, but his next action made Hanan's eyes go wide in shock.
Once he watched her bite her lip he couldn't control himself from doing what he abruptly yearned for.
He slowly went for her lips, and before she knew it he was kissing her hard, his kiss was one of thirst and hunger that made Hanan almost unable to breathe and think.
He went on holding her face while he kissed her and once Hanan acknowledged what was going on, she roughly pushed him away.
"You!" She glared pointing her index finger at him.
"Why will you do that? What right do you have to kiss me without my consent? I'm I so easy? Am I your pleasure toy?" She scowled.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." He says moving to her, she quickly steps away.
"You and Najib, you guys freely touch me as you wish?" She chuckled disappointedly.
"I'm sorry," Faruk says again, his eyes darkened with remorse.
"Don't be delusional, don't break your heart." She stated and stormed off.
***
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