Chapter 25: Chapter 25

They walked side by side out of the hall as they discussed about their previous test. "Well this woman is so.... Urgh.... She haven't thought us that but yet she decided to set a question on it. So unfair." Amina pouted as she slumped her shoulders. Dalia giggled while she wrapped her arm around Amina's shoulders. "Don't worry mommy na, we will definitely ace that test by Allah's will. Now let's go pray." They started walking to the mosque. They met hamida and Asiya heading out of the mosque.

"You guys have to wait for us to pray then we can leave together, please." Dalia handed her bag and rushed to the tap to avoid hamida's complains. They prayed Asr before they left the mosque. On their way, abdulwahab showed up from nowhere and started approaching them. Dalia glanced at hamida and gave her a puppy face. "You owe me lunch tomorrow," she uttered before walking ahead of them.

She stopped him as she welcomed him with a smile. He looked at dalia inches away from them. "Why does your friend dislikes me please? I really like her and I can do anything for that girl." He sounded tormented and forlorn. Hamida looked behind her to see the girls looking at them except dalia who was busy using her phone. "Look, I wish I could help you out with Dalia but I don't think she would ever be interested, no offense though but she is just here to study and nothing more."

He searched her eyes as if seeking an answer to something. Then he smiled and shook his head, "you can't be so sure, miss?"

"Hamida, and I am oh so sure that she isn't interested." He looked at hamida again and looked at dalia. He charges forward to dalia, as if she knew, she raised her head to see him walking up to her. Run, she mused to herself but she did otherwise. "Sorry please give us a minute." He smiled apologetically to her friends. They glanced at dalia and she shook her head. He pleaded with them again. Asiya pulled Amina by the arm and they stepped away from them.

He gives her a long, loving look then sighed. "I know I have been such a pain in the neck for the past several months..." She wanted to roll her eyes but it would be so disrespectful to do that. So he knew he had been interrupting her peace? "And I am sorry about it. I just want to make sure of what your friend told me now. Are you going to give me a chance to prove my love to you or not?" He was hoping for a positive answer but when he scanned her eyes, he knew it was otherwise.

"Aliyu, I am sorry but I can't start any sort of relationship with you. Where would it even lead..."

"Marriage of course," he gave her a gratifying simper. "No! It won't. You are still in school and you have a long way to go before you consider settling down and we both know what you want us to do isn't right.... Just..." She let out a sigh as she rub the bridge of her nose tiredly. "Just leave me alone, please." She walked passed him to meet up with her friends. He looked at her retreating back and heaved a sigh. She always called him with his father's name, he thought. He hissed slightly and walked away hoping nobody saw them. It's her lost, if she knew the ladies drooling over him, she wouldn't have said no to him the first time he confessed.

"Well I am going home now, I can't stay in this school for another thirty minutes," Hamida spoke as they walked around the school garden. "I have to stay a little bit and study before I go home. I'll see you guys tomorrow, in sha Allah." They headed to the parking lot while Dalia went to a nearby bench and settled down. She brought out her books and spread them on the table before she started with her study.

A while later, Dalia massaged her throbbing temples as she read the words out loud and sighed. The words seemed to blur together. Could it be because she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast or perhaps cause she was drained of any energy? Dalia blinked rapidly and pressed her head on the book as if it would imprint it in her memory. Her phone started vibrating from her bag and she groaned. She stifled a yawn before she rubbed her bleary eyes and fetched the phone out from her bag pack.

The corner of her mouth lifted up into a smile. "Salamu alaikum," she muttered softly. He let out a sigh of relief. Her voice really soothed him and gave him peace of mind. "Wa'alaikumus Salam. I am outside your department but I didn't see you there." He stared at the tall building as if she would just pop up from the front door. "Really? I am at the school garden, studying." He could hear a hint of tiredness in her voice. He retorted before he ended the call and hopped into his car.

He drove to where he would find her and parked the car before he hopped out and opened the bag door to fetched out what he bought for her. He scanned through the students sitting around before his eyes landed on her. She looked very serious on what she was reading. His lips lifted upwards before he started walking towards her.

Muhsin paused behind her, head tilted. She yawned for the umpteenth time and massaged the back of her neck. She opened another book and dropped it in front of her before she continued reading. He admired the fact that she took her studies very seriously. What he wished his wife would do but it will never happen, he thought. "Why are you sitting alone? Where are your friends?" She almost fell down from the bench as she was very terrified of his deep voice. "You scared me," she lamented, hand on her chest. "I thought you knew I was coming." He dropped the take aways on the bench. "Yes but I thought I would hear your footsteps." She pouted at him again which made him to laugh. "Okay I am sorry. Now, I know you haven't eaten all day while you're here trying to kill yourself with these pile of notes." He brought out the take aways and drinks he bought for her.

"I can't help it, we have tests tomorrow and I have to cover up. If I leave school, I wouldn't be able to read at home when I come in contact with my soft bed. And I was about to go eat before I call daddy's driver." He moved the books away and kept the food in front of her. He opened the can of exotic and kept it beside the take away. "Thank you," she murmured as she smiled sheepishly. She started eating her meal while he stared at her? "So how's the tests going?" He asked her. She sipped her water as she looked at him.

"It is very tiring, I just can't was for Mid semester to go see mama. I missed her so much." She cooed before she took the spoon and continued eating while she went through her books. She dropped the spoon and concentrated more on reading. He heaved a sigh and took the spoon. He stretched his hand out to her mouth. She looked up with a questioning look. "Open up," he said. Why would he do that? In public?

••

She looked around, there wasn't much people around the place. He urged her to open her mouth again. She hesitated before she did as he said.

She continued studying while he fed her the food and drink. He stared at her face like he would get the answer to his question. She had a wolfish amber eyes limpid pools of gold that adorned her expectational pale face. appealing silky dark hair hidden in her abaya veil. A pointy nose, and a plump pink lips that enticing to look at. All in all she looked like a princess, a very beautiful, innocent one.

She caught him look and she smiled. "What?" She asked, smiling. He blinked his eyes twice before he shook his head and returned a smile. "It's nothing. Now when are you going to finish studying? It's past five now." He glanced at his wrist watch. "Just let me finish this three pages," she pleaded and batted her lashes. Like a fool in love, he smiled at her and nodded. She continued studying while he stared at her without her even knowing he was. She was very engrossed with studying.

There was so much to admire about her, but her raw honesty was the best part he admired. He loves how her words spill out real slow as if the truth can take its time. It's as if there is a force behind them yet the kind that is respectful and quite a determination that's observant and patient. But he admired everything about her. To him, she looked like some kind of water sprite. What was making him fall head over heals for her was how she handles things with so much maturity in it. She is patient and put things at ease better than anything could do. And he was sure if every man could get to know Dalia, no doubts they'd easily fall for her.

She closed her books and started arranging them in her bag pack. "I'm done reading," she said as she packed the rest of the take aways. She glanced at him to see his unblinking eyes on her. "Hey," she giggled as she clapped her hands right in front of his face. He jerked back and blinked. "I said I am done," she repeated, flashing him a pleasing smile. "Uhh, let's head home then." He picked up the take aways while she picked up her bag and the bottle of water. They was side by side to his car.

"Oh crap." She heard him mutter as he went through his phone. They were already out of the school and on their way to daddy's house. She turned her head to his way. "What's wrong?" She asked him, eyes still glued to his side burn. "I am needed at the office right now. I am sorry but we have to go now." He took a left turn and stepped on the gas. "I hope it's not something bad." She tilted her head as she spoke this time. He smiled and shook his head. "I have to go through a contract that needs to be signed tonight or I lose the deal." She nodded her head and looked away.

Few minutes drive later, they stepped out of the the and headed towards the entrance. "Bring out the other one and make sure it's cleaned before I am out." He handed the car keys to one of the securities out waiting for his arrival. They headed in as he nodded, acknowledging their greetings. "Sir I've set everything at the forth hall, we are just waiting for you." Anwar explained after he had greeted him. "Yes, yes, I will be in there in few minutes. I need to get something in my office." He walks ahead of him as dalia tailed behind.

They entered the elevator which took them to the first floor as Muhsin pressed. It dinged opened to his office. Everything was there as she last saw it. "Isn't this office too big for you? Like don't you get bored?" She couldn't help but ask as she looked around as if it was her first time coming. "Would you like to visit me and keep me company if I told you I was bored?" He asked the silly question as he walked over to his desk. He opened the drawer and brought out some papers before he read through it. He closed the drawer and walked over to her.

"I can't do that. You know I have school." She retorted with a little smile. "And I sometimes work during the weekends too. Now make yourself comfortable. I have a coffee machine that you can help yourself with, that's if you take coffee. And you can call the receptionist using that buttons there if you need anything." He pointed at the buttons on the wall his receptionist once showed her. "I will be back in less than thirty minutes or so." He walked to the glass door which slides open. He disappeared into the elevator without a back glance.

She collapsed on the soft sofa with a sigh. Before she could move again, she heard a noise from the door. She sat upright to see him. "The Tv remote is on my desk." He flashed her a smile before he left again. She smiled and shook her head. He came back just to tell her about the tv remote? He's.... Incomparable, she mused.

She turned on the tv and laid down on the soft sofa as she flipped through the channels. She kept the remote on the large rectangular wooden table and focused on watching as she tried so hard not to drool over his picture right above the TV. Her eyes kept wondering off to the picture and every time she looked, her heart throbbed against her chest. Why was that? She hissed softly and closed her eyes instead.

When her thoughts turned into nonsense, and all more interesting for it, she knew she was falling asleep. Now all she had to do was let go, and she did.

He tapped the sofa several times before she finally jerked her eyes opened. "Was I gone for too long? If I could remember I left here exactly thirty four minutes ago." He smiled at her as he talked. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Your sofa is so soft and I couldn't help it," she mouthed as she got off it. "You can come here whenever you want and sleep on it." He grinned from ear to ear. He looked away and charged towards the table before he took the remote and turned the tv off. "Lets go." He led the way out.

They stepped outside, the chilly air hitting them like a wall, instantly sobering them up. She looked back at the building, looming over the bright parking lot as if the sun hadn't set an hour ago.

They entered a different car and zoned of the site. He dropped her off at home before he left to his whereabouts.

She entered the house and went to mommy's room to greet her before she headed to her room. She had her bath and prayed maghrib before she laid on her bed to rest before isha.

Just few minutes after she had prayed Isha, her phone started ringing from her bag. She heaved a sigh, she always forgets she had a phone now. She was still not used to it, especially when mommy had no idea about it. She hopped on her bed as she answered the call. "I hope you are not already asleep." She simpered and exhaled. "No not yet, I had a short nap in your office before you interrupted it, remember?" She spoke with a hint of joke.

"I'm sorry I woke you up but I had to. Okay, next time I won't wake you up, I'll just carry you to the car and take you home." She gasped as she covered her mouth. "You can't carry me. Do you know how much I weigh?" he hears her giggle at the end. He heaved a sigh, he thought she wouldn't get the joke. "Highest fifty, I am sure of that."

"Hah! I weigh fifty one, you got it wrong." She chuckled happily. "Well what's the difference, madam? I can still carry you either ways."

"Whatever you'll say, you cannot carry me cause I'm heavy and I would be much more heavier when I'm asleep." He threw his head back laughing. "Okay, we shall see. I'll prove you wrong about this."

Just then she heard a knock from the door before it gets opened. She swiftly hid the phone under her pillow before the intruder could come in. "Sorry," she mouthed when she saw the frightened expression on dalia's face. Dalia smiled and nodded. "You have a visitor." She informed dalia. She raised her brows. "Again? Who is it?" She asked. "I don't know. Mommy came to the kitchen and asked me to call you. He's in Alhaji's living room." She excused herself and closed the door.

Dalia sighed wondering if it was that man that came a couple of days ago. She checked the phone to see muhsin had called her again. The phone started ringing and she picked up. "Sorry the maid came in and I had to drop the phone. I have to go now cause mommy is looking for me." He responded and made her to promise she would call when she was done before they ended the call.

She got off her bed and slipped into her full length hijab. She stepped out of the room and started walking to the living room to hear what he had to say. And why he came again.