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**Bilal**
I stared at her and she did at me as she slowly walked towards the couch her mother sat on.
I never thought I would see her ever again...not even in my Wildest Dreams. She broke our intense gawk and looked down smiling. I shook my head and smiled back even though she was not looking.
"You three have met?" Mrs. Adnan's voice broke the awkward silence.
"I thought this was the point where you introduce yourselves and say 'nice to meet you' or its old fashioned now?" Mom commented making Mrs. Adnan and Balma chortle.
"You're welcome Balma, I'm Bilal." I said to her wearing a half smile.
When I mentioned my name, her smile quickly faded away leaving a confused expression which got me too confused.
"Bi-Bilal?" She stuttered weakly raising her finger at me.
"Uuhh...yeah?" I smile-frowned. "You...good?"
"Y-yeah," she quickly nodded. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." I smiled.
She smiled back and wrinkled her forehead when she saw something...or someone. I followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at.
Chenti had her hands folded on her chest with a serious frown and a glare. I got confused too when she stood without saying anything to Balma. So I nudged her and she cleared her face and pressed her lips into a line.
"Chenti?" Mom shook her out of wherever her mind had travelled to. "Aren't you gonna say hi?"
"Oh uuhh...hello Balma, you're welcome to the neighbourhood, I hope you enjoy your stay here, I'm Chenti." She said all in one breath and forced a smile.
"Thanks and nice to meet you too." She smiled and turned her attention to the TV.
"Uh, I'm going back to the kitchen to do the dishes." Chenti said to mom and she nodded. "Excuse me." She turned and left the sitting room. I knew something was up with Chenti and I had to find out once they were gone.
"Soo this is the last house we've come to." Mrs. Adnan said sitting up. "We'd just head home and do the rest of the work we have."
Mom nodded. "That'd be fine. I'd check on you later. You're welcome once again."
They stood up together and started walking towards the door. I sighed and turned to leave when I heard...
"Bilal," Mrs. Adnan called. I turned to face her. "Would you please do me a favor and show Balma around?"
"Uh..." I looked at my mom who gave me a small nod.
Wtf!
"Sure. See you at ten." I said and Balma smiled and nodded.
I waited for them to walk out before I turned to walk away too. When I pushed my door open I almost jumped back when I saw Chenti standing right in the middle of the room. She quickly turned to me with a disturbed expression.
"That's Balma!" She gasped. "That's her, she's the one!"
"Yeah, yeah. Never thought I'd see her again." I said and she wrinkled her forehead. "Wait..."
"You know her?" We asked each other simultaneously.
"Yes." We said at the same time again.
"Well, not really." Chenti corrected. I chuckled and went to sit on the bed.
"So start talking. Why were you pissed to see her?"
"Was it that obvious?" She shook her head. "She's Berla's friend."
"What? How do you know that?" I asked.
"Well, I'm not sure but she might be the one. That day Selina came and saw you with Berla, you remember you stormed out with your bike?"
"Yeah?"
"I was gonna kick her out and when I got to your door, I overheard her conversation with someone she called Balma. Then she went out to meet her so they could celebrate her victory."
"Huh?!" I shook my head. "Are you sure you heard the name right?"
"I'm pretty sure I did."
"But that was when I met Balma too, just that I didn't know she was Balma."
"Hmm...I just hope it wasn't her."
"I hope so too."
"Ah, but she looked like she knew you too when you mentioned your name, more like she was shocked."
"Yeah, I noticed too." I sighed. "Her mom asked me to show her around. I'd see if I can find out."
"Hmm..."
We sat in silence for a while and when Chenti left I went to the kitchen and had my breakfast. Afterwards, I went to a little more rest before preparing to meet Balma. I patiently waited in bed replaying last night and smiling foolishly at what could have happened if we had continued...I felt the growth in my groin so I turned to lay on my tummy and my gaze fell on my bedside clock on the nightstand. It was a few minutes to ten so I sighed and stood up to leave.
"I suppose you're going to take Balma out?" Mom said when I met her in the sitting room.
"Yes, your wish is my command." I bowed. "And why do you say it like I'm taking her out?"
"Because you are." She muffled a laughter.
"You do know I have a girlfriend, don't you?" I asked, leaning on the backrest of the nearest couch.
"I do." She nodded. "And talking about that, I haven't seen her ever since I found out. You two good?"
"You mean ever since you eavesdropped on our conversation? Haha. We're good." I grinned.
"Alright now be a gentleman and get going, don't keep your date waiting."
"Haha..." I laughed and walked out and towards Balma's house.
Balma was escorted out by her mom the moment I stepped onto their porch. Her mom rubbed her cheek with her thumb and gave her a peg on her forehead.
"Thanks for coming Bilal." She said to me grinning and I nodded a little with a smile.
"Shall we?" I asked her.
"Sure." Balma replied and we started walking down the stair.
"You two go have fun. I'd be right here when you return...hopefully." Her mom said cheerfully and we chuckled.
"Your mom seems pretty nice." I complimented.
"You think so huh?" She smiled. "Wait till you see her gaga mood activated, then you can pass your verdict."
"Haha..."
"So where are we going?" She asked after a short silence.
"Uuhh...hmm," I sighed. "I'm not sure yet. Never done this."
"Haha...there's always a first for everything."
"Yeah," I smiled and nodded in agreement. "Lets got this way."
I led her towards the community school, the health centre, the central mosque and churches and a few other places in that area. Chatting and laughing at jokes as we walked around, we went towards the stream and crossed the bridge.
"I like the woods and the stream." She pointed out when we stood halfway through the bridge. "It looks peaceful."
"It is peaceful. We'd check the woods out sometime." I told her. "C'mon, lets go see the market too."
The market is just a stone's throw away. We walked almost in silence till we were mixed up with the crowd and noise of the market. People screamed praises to whatever they had before them while calling the attention of passersby to check their stuff out. We walked around looking at the foodstuffs, fruits, cooking utensils, clothes and other accessories. Then we walked into a ceramic shop at the other end of the market.
"These are beautiful!" She commented as she looked around at the display of ceramic plates, bowls, cups, pots, vases and many others.
"Yeah." I smiled and nodded.
"Hello, I'm Malik. Good afternoon and welcome Ceramix." A young man walked to us in a mud-stained apron.
"Thank you." Balma said and I nodded. "You have such awesome stuff in here."
"Thanks Miss, I'm glad you like them."
We looked through and did some window shopping in there. I bought two hand bracelets and a sizeable vase for Mrs. Adnan.
"Thanks again Malik." Balma said to him when we were walking out.
"Thank you too. We hope to see you again." He replied.
"Now we're heading to where I work part-time."
"Oh okay."
"Its a grocery store owned by my uncle and I go there when I'm not caught up with something."
"That's nice." She grinned. "How 'bout school? Are you done?"
"Not yet. Hopefully I'd proceede to the university this year."
"Great."
"So aside running to a faraway place to paint and almost seeing me naked in a pool, what else do you do?" I said and we laughed.
"Haha. I'm also planning to proceede to a teachers' training college this year."
"Nice, you want to be a teacher." I said and she nodded. "I never thought I'd see you again though."
"Me either. I was so shocked when I walked in and saw you...like some kinda dream."
"I could say same too." I chuckled. "So you know any peeps around?"
"Uuhh...not really."
"Not really as in you know some huh?"
"P-pretty much what I'm...trying to say." She stammered a bit and I realised she knew where I was driving at.
I stopped her by standing in front of her and looking straight into her eyes. "Do you know Berla?"
"Uuhh...y-yeah?" She tried to look away.
"I knew it!" I almost slapped my palms against each other as I stepped away from her. "You helped her play me! Tell me its not true, please." I stepped a little closer again.
"Play you? What on earth are you talking about?"
"You mean you don't know what?" I laughed out dryly. "Oh cut the pretence! You looked like you were gonna pass out when my name was mentioned."
"Bilal, I do know about you and Berla but I don't know anything about she playing you, I promise."
"So Chenti lied when she said she overheard Berla talking to you that same day I met you? God, you were even planning on meeting to celebrate her victory."
"Chenti didn't lie, but it might
not be what you think Bilal." She said with pleading eyes.
"Might not be?! Unbelievable! What if it is?" I spat out. "Say no more...let me get you home."
"Bialal listen to me...I'm..."
"I don't want to hear anything!" I cut her off. "Lets go."
"But what if...what if its a different thing all together?" She said. "Berla..."
"I said cut it!" I shouted. "I don't want to hear that name!"
Instead of walking towards the grocery store, I turned and led the way towards home. She caught up with me, almost trotting and we walked home in silence. My fury subsided by the time we got to her house but I still did not want to talk about that issue. We stopped at the entrance to their compound and she looked straight at me. I pretended to concentrate on something far away.
"Okay then, we've gotten home safsafely. I'd take my leave." I said and turned leave.
"Bilal?" She called and I stopped without turning to face her. "I'm sorry."
Those words leaving her lips and how she said them stung my heart and I felt like turning back to give her a very big hug. I turned to look at her and nodded a little before walking away. Since I could not get to the store to rest, I decided to stay home a little bit before going out. I texted Abdul to postpone my coming before entering the compound. Chenti emerged from her room all dressed up when I was heading to my room.
"Where are you going looking al dressed up like that?" I asked her.
"This weekend...you know. I'm gonna help him do some shopping for the party." She said smiling.
"Okay...Hamid has got a pretty good maid." I said laughing and she glared at me. "Oops!"
"So how'd it go? You and your date?"
"Its her...it was incredible!"
"I'm not sure that word still exist, hmm." She shook her head. "I just..." She was cut off by the ring of her phone.
"He's waiting huh?" I quirked my eyebrow and she nodded as she answered.
"I'm just on my way okay? Stay right there!" She said into the phone and I started walking away.
"Lets talk when you get back."
*
"Bro, I can't stay longer. I overslept and now I have to go meet Sel." I stood up from the chair with my bag and started walking out the entrance.
"Next time, you come along with Balma. Who knows, maybe I could get some good out of her." He smiled and winked.
I chuckled and shook my head. "So Jeeda is never enough, is she?"
"Whiles you eat jollof, you eat indomie as well...you should have a balanced diet. Be wise bro." He tapped my back and we laughed.
"I have to get going."
Abdul stopped followed me a short distance from the store and I continued the journey. When I approached the spot, I saw her right there...just like the queen that she is. I could not help but smile at her posed figure on the rock as she concentrated on her phone and slowly nodded to what she listened to through her earpieces. I sneaked up behind her and touched her waist making her scream and jump.
"God, you scared me!" She placed her palm on her chest as she calmed herself.
"Oops, that was my intention." I winked and walked closer to hold her waist. "How have you been?"
She sighed. "I was much better until now."
"How about now?" I locked my arms behind her and pulled her closer to my chest.
"And now I feel much worst." She said challengingly.
I looked intently at her and smiled. "How aboouut..." I lowered my head and kissed her soft attractive lips. When our lips broke apart, her eyes remained closed for a while before she slowly opened them.
"...that." I ended.
"Mmmm...now I'm perfectly fine even though you might need to help me to the seat." She said and I chuckled and scooped her into my arms and to the rock. I lowered her onto it and sat beside her holding her hand.
"How was school?" I asked.
"It was okay. Tried hard to pay attention." She said chuckling and I knew she was talking about last night.
"You wouldn't have gone to school if I had kept on then." I winked.
"Haha...I know right." She laughed.
We sat in silence and I rubbed the tips of my fingers against the back of her palm.
"Soo...Hamid's birthday is this weekend. You coming?"
"Uuhh...y-yeah."
"Great. What time should I come and pick you?"
"Uuhh...Bilal?" She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm--not going w-with you."
"Ah, that's okay. If you wanna go with the girls, no problem. I'd still see you there."
"I'm n-not going with the...g-girls." She said and my grip automatically tightened on her hand.
"Who are you going with?" I said biting my teeth hard.
Don't say you're going with another guy. Ppllleeaasssee...I silently prayed.
"I'm going w-with Karmil."
"What?! How?!" I almost shouted after hearing his name.
"I know. I couldn't say no when he asked me this afternoon, I woed him an outing." She said and I was silent, working on the anger that was building in me.
"Please understand. You know there's nothing more than just friendship between us."
"You know he wants more than just friendship, don't you?" I asked still staring straight ahead.
"But I'm not gonna give him that." She said looking at my hard face. "Do you trust me?"
The moment those words left her lips, I felt sorry for acting that way. I regretted bitterly fot making her feel bad. She pulled her hand out of mine and turned away from me when I did not answer her.
I turned to her and slowly raised my hands to her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze. She did not turn to me so I kissed her neck and rested my chin on her right shoulder.
"I'm sorry." I whispered to her as inhaled her hair. "We're gone past that stage. I just overreacted...I should work on my jealousy."
She turned to me, her teary eyes looking straight into my eyes then she finally placed her palm on the side of my face. I put mine over hers and nodded.
"It h-hurts me when you act that way...it hurts."
"I know...it won't happen again, I promise." I placed my forehead on hers and with our eyes closed, we runned oyr noses against each other until a voice startled us.
"Selina?"
We jumped apart and looked in the direction the voice came from.
"Marian, what are you doing here?!" Selina spoke to her under gritted teeth as she looked around.
She rolled her eyes at Selina. "I'm alone okay, no need to be so hyper." She loooked at me and smiled. "Hi."
"Hello, Marian?" I asked, smiling back.
"Yeah, Bilal?" She also asked and I nodded. "Nice t..."
"Marian!"
"You talk about him so much you don't even notice you do..
I'm glad I finally met him." She grinned and I chuckled when Selina's face turned red.
"Shut up! What are you doing here?!"
"Mom asked of you and since I'm the only one who seems to always see you slipping into the woods, I came to get you for her, sorry Bills." She waved and winked at me and I laughed.
"Ah!" Selina gasped before turning to me. "I have to go before my mom gets here herself."
I nodded. "Sure, go ahead."
"Bye Bills." Marian waved at me and Selina glared. "Its okay if I call you that huh?"
"Sure." I winked and she grinned before turning.
"You didn't see anything!" Selina warned her when they started walking.
"But I did."
"Shut up, you didn't!"
I laughed and walked away. When I was almost home, I saw Balma's house and felt like going there...for what reason, I was yet to find out. I walked to the entrance of my house and met Balma walking out with Chenti. My jaw almost dropped at the sight of the two of them smiling and walking together. When they noticed me, Chenti said something and walked back before I got to them.
"Hey." Balma spoke first.
"Hey." I looked at the house and turned towards the entrance again. "Can we talk?"
"Uuhh...actually that's why I also here." We started walking out again.
"I'm sorry I exploded earlier this afternoon. Its just...everything related to Berla now drives me crazy."
"I understand you. Chenti told me everything...I'm so sorry, she used both of us."
"Don't worry, lets forget it. I wanna make up for this." I said smiling at her.
"Me too." She smiled. "Maybe we c..."
"Would you go to a birthday party with me this weekend?" I cut her off and she stood with an open mouth staring at me awkwardly.
**Selina**
The moment he stepped to the ground, my shoulders slumped and I realised I had been holding my breath. I looked out the window and he waved at me and rushed away. I could not help but smile at how cute he looked after he kissed me goodbye.
I went back to lay in bed replaying last night's event as the dimness in my room was slowly replaced by the daylight. I got off the bed and started preparing for school. The energy in me made me move in flashes and in some few minutes, I was done preparing.
"Wow, did you start preparing since last night?" Mom was surprised to see me.
"Good morning to you too." I sat on one of the stools and watched her jump around from place to place in the kitchen.
"Would you wait for everyone or go ahead with your breakfast?" Mom asked when she finally looked like she was done.
"I'll eat now."
She nodded and served me a tray of my breakfast. I started eating when she left the kitchen and when I was done, Marian walked in in her pyjamas and her hair all messy.
"Am I still sleeping or I'm very wide awake?" She spoke the moment she set eyes on me.
"Keep asking, I'm sure the answer would come from the walls somewhere." I ignored her and concentrated on my phone.
"You're wide awake dear." Mom said immediately I ended. "Very wide awake."
I chuckled and picked up my bag to go to the sitting room. I met dad at the entrance and he also looked at me in surprise.
"Good morning." I said and continued walking. "I'm stuck with a weird fam!" I muttered to myself as I walked away.
*
"I bet you'd smile at just a 'fvck you' from your worst enemy today." Fahima said and I laughed. "You look like you discovered a d!ck tree somewhere."
Her last comment made me laugh even harder.
"What's a d!ck tree?" I asked still laughing.
"A tree with d!cks instead of fruits. Myabe guys would also say bo0b trees and pvssy plants...yeah." She explained. "So are you telling me what happened or I have to squeeze it out of you?"
"I didn't discover any tree, haha. Being happy is a choice and I've chosen it today." I winked at her. "Where's Ed?"
"Good, keep choosing it everyday." She nodded but still was clearly not convinced.
"Where's Ed?" I repeated.
"I d-don't know." She stammered.
"Hey, I know when you know something. What did you do or say to him this time?" I demanded.
"God, I'm so bad at acting!" She exclaimed. "Okaaay--I might have said something to him this morning before you came to school."
"What?" I started walking faster towards our spot behind the new block. "What did you say to him."
"I don't know...I'm jst confused, maybe he got pissed because I told him to go to hell in public."
"So why are you confused. Isn't that obvious--you embarrassed him. He's been trying to be in good terms with you and you've been pushing him away ever since he started trying. What..."
"...did I ever do to deserve that treatment from you?" Ed appeared out of nowhere and we almost jumped.
"I--I..." She tried to speak but lost her words when she looked up at his angry face.
"You hate me for a reason known to only you and God. After all that I've been doing, can't you even act like you don't hate me?"
"I don't hate you okay? I don't think I can. Its just sometimes I don't know what happens, I say anything when you're around without thinking but its not because I hate you. Truth is I really really like you and I haven't..."
At the utter of her last statement, Ed pulled her into him and it happened like a flash before my eyes. Their lips were locked and his hands around her waist. Her hands hung loosely before she gathered the strength to raise it up to his neck to kiss him back.
"Ooops!" I stumbled back and adjusted my backpack over my shoulder.
They broke apart and so did that force surrounding them. Then all of a sudden, I heard a sound. My head snapped in that direction and then I realised Fahima had slapped Ed in the face.
"Don't you ever kiss me again!" She warned.
"I thought that could solve everything." He said to her. "Have a good day you two." He said to us and walked away leaving me with my dropped jaw.
"What the hell just happened?" I asked when he was out of sight.
Silence.
More silence.
And then tears freely fell from her eyes. I quickly went to pull her into a hug and she sobbed on my shoulder. After a few minutes, she stopped crying.
"I like him Sel, I really do." She said on my shoulder. "I just don't know what's wrong with me. I think I've lost him for good now."
"Don't say that. You just have to control yourself. I'd talk to him when I get home okay? Don't worry." I consoled her.
She pulled away to look at me. "Please do. I'd really appreciate that." She pleaded and I nodded.
We started walking to my dad's in silence.
"You should learn when and on whom to use your hands like that." I told her.
"Please don't remind me of how stupid I was." She said and I chuckled. "I know."
"And the kiss?" I smiled and winked at her.
"Oh," She hugged herself. "I couldn't help butkiss him back. He's so good at it, God!"
I laughed. "I just hope you get to do it again, you know right?"
"Hmm..."
She left me at my dad's and today, Karmil was the one to take me home. His smile at me today looked weird but I just ignored and smiled back.
"How was school today?" He spoke first when we were out of the school premises.
"It was okay. We wrote an annoying chemistry test, I was just scribbling...I didn't know what I was writing."
"Haha...chemistry is fun. But I hated it because of my teacher back when I was in SHS. Trust me, you don't wanna know what he was capable of doing."
"What, he pours acids at students who appeared to be thickheaded?" I laughed.
"That wouldn't have been difficult for him to do." He laughed too. "There was a time he gave water to someone instead of an acid when they were writing a national exam...you can imagine how the guy suffered."
"That's very bad. What reason did he have for doing that?"
"Yeah, very bad. He claimed that student had not paid for chemistry extra class. He's been sacked though."
"Oh good, he deserves it. That was so mean of him."
"Uuhh...Selina?" He called when we I was about to alight at home.
"Huh?"
"I was just wondering if you had any plans for this weekend."
"Uh...I don't know. I can't really tell until it comes. Why do you ask?"
"There's this birthday party this weekend and I wanted to ask you to go with me."
"Hamid's huh?" I asked and he nodded. "Eerrhh..."
"I figured you hadn't been asked by anyone yet from what you said when I asked about your plans for this weekend--no excuse and besides you owe me am outing, remember?" He wiggled his brows.
"Gosh, this soumds like a blackmail." I tucked my hair behind my ear. "You know I have a boyfriend and..."
"I know but you have to let him understand that you can still have male friends. He shouldn't have a problem with that If he trusts you, don't you think?"
"Its okay. Fine, I'm going with you...no need for a lecture, I know you're good at it." I got of the car when he started laughing.
"Thanks for accepting to be my date. Haha..." He said out loud and I raised my hand at him.
I walked into the house and met mom with her hands folded on her chest and an emotionless face.
"Good afternoon." I greeted and started walking towards the stairs.
"Date huh." She said more like a question and I knew she had been watching and listening.
"Just for a birthday party this weekend, that's all. Why were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" I started up the stairs.
"Honey, I don't want you getting mixed up with the black boys okay? You'd get yourself hurt...trust me, I know what I'm talking about."
"Mom? Its just Karmil, well, and a couple of others...but he works with dad. You should know him better."
"And a couple of others huh? Honey, they're unpredictable. I know what I'm talking about, just be careful." She said looking very serious.
"Thanks." I rolled my eyes and walked to my room.
The tone and expression with which she talked was like she really had something she was fighting hard not to say.
*
When Marian and I got home, mom was waiting at the sitting room. I went straight to her.
"You sent for me."
"I was just asking." She replied and I glared at Marian. "You need to tell us where you're going when you leave this house."
"I was just around mom." I rolled my eyes.
"In the woods. I don't want you going there." She stated.
"Mom, why are you restricting my movements? I thought I was supposed to be trying to enjoy my stay here."
"Yes honey," She stood up. "But..."
"Then I wanna go back." I cut her off. "Take me back home!" I rushed up the stairs to my room.
Mom's behaviour these days are becoming unbearable. I brushed her aside when I remembered I had to speak to Ed. I took out my phone and dialled his contact.
"Ed?"
"Hello," A female spoke in a shaky voice. "Selina?"
"Uh, yes please. Good evening."
"Oh dear," I heard her sob. "Ed has just been rushed to the hospital and I'm on my way there."
"Oh my God!"
*
Hey guys, sorry for the late update and thanks for the read...very much appreciated.
Take Care And Stay Blessed.
Peace!