They kept exchanging texts with Farha because she had told her that she was together with Wafiyya and there was no way she would have a phone call with her, knowing fully that nothing could stop Farha from insulting him. When they arrived at the house, Jalilah thought she wasn't nervous until she set her feet down from the car and figured out after three days of not seeing him, she was finally going to do that today. This was the longest she had ever taken without seeing Yazeed, and she didn't feel like she was missing him so badly to the point that she might need an oxygen provider. She was doing fine, in fact, she didn't want to see him.

Wafiyya noticed her reluctance and smiled before she entwined their hands, "Come on, you'll be fine. You're going to sleep for now, before the guests fully arrive and I'll wake you up." Oh yeah, if she was going to sleep then she had no reason to be anxious. She was just going to be herself. To hell with him, even if she would be seeing his face on every person she met in this house, she trusted herself to be fine afterward.

They walked inside the house and when Jalilah saw the number of people, she wondered how many guests they had invited for Wafiyya to say when the guests fully arrive. Weren't they full now? They wanted an addition or what? She kept smiling fleetingly to whoever they had brisk eye contact with, and whoever Wafiyya stopped and greeted, she did as well. Before they walked into the house, Wafiyya too her somewhere.

"Jalilah, this is my mother. Ummah, this is the Jalilah I was telling you about." She mentioned as she pointed at each of them. Jalilah ducked her head down with a shy smile on her lips. She knew she was outspoken, but whenever she was in a new company, she had always felt uncomfortable, and that was fine too. She had always been easy on herself, never forced herself to do something she found so hard doing. She gave herself time to do whatever she wanted on her own time.

Ummah, as Wafiyya called her stretched out her hand for a shake with the most welcoming smile she had ever seen. She took the hand in reluctance and smiled at her, "Good morning, Ummah."

Ummah nodded her head and turned to look at Wafiyya, "Good morning, Jalilah. She's so beautiful, Masha Allah. Wafiyya takeover inside and make sure she eats whatever she wants please." Jalilah thanked her before they walked away and she nudged Wafiyya's shoulder.

"You don't look so much like her, I thought I'd see a carbon copy." She smiled and Wafiyya turned to her with a smile on her lips as well.

"Oh, yes. I look so much like my late dad, I'll show you a picture of him later." Her voice dropped down at the mention of her late dad and immediately related to her pain.

"May Allah has mercy on their souls, mine died like years ago too. It's always sad when you remember them, and it doesn't matter how many times it takes, you'll forever miss them." Wafiyya wasn't able to reply to her when she bumped into someone and her phone that was in her hand fell on the floor.

She gasped before she crouched down to take her phone, that was when she noticed the feet. She knew something insignificant as feet shouldn't be what she would first realize in a person, but she had this weird thing of knowing your feet if she met you more than thrice. Maybe it was because when she first met with someone, she found it so hard to look into that person's eyes until she was fully comfortable with him or her, and that was what happened with Yazeed.

She took her phone and before she stood up, she remembered all that Farha had warned her to do and not do. Even now that she was alone with these cousins, she could hear Farha's voice as she screamed to her, 'Ignore his sick ass, girl! If you make a mistake, just one mistake, I'd disown you!' She stood to her feet and examined her phone, not making the mistake of looking his way, he had still not moved away, she wondered why.

"What's wrong? The screen got damaged, right?" Wafiyya asked as she moved forward to take a closer look. Maybe he was still waiting to see if the screen had gotten damaged so he could act like the rich man he thought he was, okay, maybe he didn't just think he was rich, he was rich, they all knew. Maybe he was going to collect the phone and repair it for her? And if that happened, if she gave him the phone, please just take her to the court and cut all her ties with Farha, add up with a restriction order.

She shook her head as she began peeling off the screen guard, "No, it's just the screen guard that crashed. It's doing fine, I'll get a new one on our way back. Let's leave." She had never fixed her eyes on something so hard like this, she knew just a few more minutes standing like this will be a failure to her, and she softly dragged Wafiyya away.

She heaved a sigh when they had walked a few feet away from him, "Woah, that was a hard girl. You didn't even look up to his face."

She smiled sadly and replied to her, "I had no reason to, I wondered what he was standing there for, he could have just walked away."

Wafiyya giggled as she guided her into the house, the sat in the living room and she looked at her before she stood up, "I'll get something for you to eat, Jalilah, you can sleep after that." She was walking with backward steps when she lifted her hands and began speaking while listing with her fingers. "I think he had enough reasons to stood there, one; he's the kind of person that even if he looks not so nice, he always makes sure if he damages something of yours, he has to rectify that damage. And two, Jalilah, you look terrifyingly beautiful for him not to stay rooted to his spot under the pretense of wanting to make sure that your phone is doing fine. Please, I know seeing like that while you ignored his freaking existence was full-time torture." She giggled and rushed into the kitchen without waiting for a reply from Jalilah.

She pondered over her words, if what Wafiyya said was true, then she didn't even know what she was feeling. And hated it when he was the cause of damage? Was she sure she heard her right when she implied that he made sure he rectify that damage? Someone should please go to him and tell him that he had damaged her self esteem, yes she knew his words weren't enough to make her feel low of herself, but she did, and still do. She hadn't voiced it to anyone, but deep down she knew his words had infected her soul in a bad way, and she had to work on that very soon. She needed no clarification from him.

Wafiyya waled out of the kitchen holding two plates and a maid followed her with drinks in another tray. She placed everything on the center table beside Jalilah and sat next to her, placing her hand on Jalilah's lap, she smiled. "My cousin is a very good man, please don't hold any grudge onto him for long."

She didn't want to be talking about him lest he walk in and he would think that she was so obsessed to have her mind and mouth off him. She dramatically looked around the living room before she asked, "Where's Ilham? I haven't seen her, Sulaiman too."

"Oh, they have gone out for her makeup, I've told Sulaiman that I can doll up his face with even half the price, but that man is so wicked he couldn't let me earn on a weekend. He said I didn't know anything and took her to the makeup studio himself claiming that he didn't want anyone to see her enhanced beauty first." She giggled and Jalilah smiled to herself, she loved the way Sulaiman loved his wife and make it so prominent that you have no choice but to admire them.

"Let's eat then before they're back. And I'm still sleepy as hell, Wafiyya I should have stayed home and pampered myself." They brought the plates closer to them when Wafiyya glared at her and replied.

"But you look like an angel in a human's clothing, I think that will be worthy of your sleep." She couldn't deny that compliment. For looking her best today, she even felt it within herself and all thanks to Wafiyya for restoring her lost confidence which she didn't speak to anyone about.

They ate their food while laconically chatting, mostly Wafiyya doing the talking that Jalilah wondered if she was indeed the one. Because the last time she remembered, Wafiyya was one of the cool souls out there, she hardly spoke too much but she was serving her a new Wafiyya version today.

"Do you normally talk this way or it's only today?" She couldn't help but ask, and Wafiyya laughed before she nodded her head.

"I only talk this way when I get comfortable around you, so yes, congratulations Jalilah for getting to that point in my life." She mockingly nudged her shoulder and Jalilah scrunched up her face playfully.

Wafiyya was the only person she had close to a friend in Abuja, okay maybe she was a friend now. And she liked the fact that she was her friend because Wafiyya was one of the most amazing souls you could ever meet. They continued eating until they were done and Jalilah made a whiny face.

"I need to sleep, Wafiyya. Our promise."

"I thought if I make you speak so much you won't be sleepy anymore, I guess I was wrong. Come on, let's get you some sleep, princess." She laughed when Wafiyya curtly bowed and stretched her hand for her, which she gladly took and helped herself stood up as well.

"I'm no princess, but being treated like one wouldn't be so bad after all." Wafiyya could only laugh as she guided her to the guest's bedroom, where she stayed whenever she came to spend the weekend with them. And since Ilham died, she had been in this room. She could call this her second room without shame.

She released her hold when they entered and swirled around the room, "This is my second room after my room in our house. So, enjoy your sleep, princess. Do I have to add more duvet or that one is fine? I see the type of duvet you keep in your house, the kind of duvet that makes it a sin when one wakes up for subh!"

Despite being so sleepy, Jalilah broke into a peal of laughter as she shook her head, while she walked to the bed. "Oh, come on, this is fine. But please, increase the AC temperature a bit, I always love it when it's high and I'll wrap myself in my duvet, that gives you the best kind of sleep, especially when it's raining, my amazing god!"

Wafiyya laughed before she took the remote and did as Jalilah said. "I'll be out there if you need something, please don't hesitate to use it, and if you can't find what you need, just call me and I'll be here in no minute to serve her majesty."

She got into the bed and brought the duvet to her midriff, "I'll enjoy my stay. Thank you for amazing work." She acted like the princess and they both laughed before Wafiyya walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

She knew there was no way she could sleep with this headgear on, and as much as she wanted to keep it on her head forever, she knew she had to take it off. Sleeping in this dress was even enough torture to her. She took it off, revealing her hair and that was when she knew she needed a veil to cover her hair. She pulled herself from the bed and walked to where she saw Wafiyya's black veil. She picked it up, wrapped it around her head before she went back to the bed.

She prayed she would be able to peacefully sleep without having it hard with her thought. She laid on the bed, brought the duvet to her shoulders, and closed her eyes. Replaying what had happened in her head, she couldn't help but smile and wished she could pat herself in the head, I mean, she had done so well. So good to even believe she did that herself. Slowly, sleep began making her drowsy and she gave in to the amazing call of Mother Nature, she knew she would have an amazing one.

❤︎

He didn't even know what brought him out of the house, but as much as he wanted nothing but to go back to his house, hide around his comfort zones until he felt safe again, contented with his loneliness as he had always done, he knew he couldn't do that. Sulaiman would rip him off his soul if he didn't show up today and be present everywhere. He knew there was even no way he couldn't be present there, just that he didn't find it comforting enough.

He had never thought she was coming to the naming ceremony, but he knew it was Sulaiman that asked her to, and he needn't be told that Wafiyya was the one that brought her there. He was still angry at her, so angry that he had to control himself when he saw without spitting out some hurtful words because he knew if he did; one, she would surely retaliate, two, he would sound too desperate for her attention. That was why he just stood there, waiting to see if he had crashed down her screen so he could offer to repair it for her, by speaking to Wafiyya of course.

'How could you think that out of all the people to search love in, I'd search for it where is so empty? You don't have the kind of love I need in people. You lack love yourself to even give it to your significant other.' Those were the words that stroke through his heart. He had never thought about it until she said that to him. Was he so empty of love? Or he was even incapable of that feeling now? She made it clear to him that love wasn't so cheap and easy for her to look for it in places it didn't live, and he knew without doubt love no more lived in him.

It had been days, but her words were still afresh in his mind that every time he thought about them, he felt angrier, sadder, and the urge to be alone because he always found solace when he was alone. He didn't know where he was going until he found himself driving into a plaza and he walked out, there were phone shops there and also repairs, he needed a screen protector. He knew it looked clingy of him to get her a new protector when she mentioned that she would get a new one on their way back home, but he felt he was the right person to get her a new one because he made the old one smashed to the floor, not deliberately though. He didn't even know she was coming.

He walked into one of the shops and told him what he wanted and also the phone model, they gave it to him and after he paid, Yazeed walked back to his car. He sat down while turning the screen guard in his hand. The difficult part was not buying, it was the way he could give it to her. He didn't want her to know he was the one that brought it because he was certain she wouldn't collect it, at least he knew she was stubborn enough. And if she didn't, his ego wouldn't just deflate, it was being crushed.

Nonetheless, even though without finding himself a solution, he drove back to Sulaiman's house and told himself that if he didn't find the best way to give her this screen guard without bruising his ego, he will just either keep it with him, throw it away or give it to someone else. Whichever way he deemed worthy of his time and money. He parked outside when he arrived because the women had found a new home under the roofs of Sulaiman's parking lot. He slid it into his kaftan's pocket and walked into the house.

To his fortune, he saw Wafiyya walking around with a tray of food and he knew for sure, it was Ummah making her work this hard because she had this forced smile on her lips which showed she was tired but couldn't say no to her.

He walked to where she was heading and called out her name, "Wafiyya!" When she turned, he motioned for her to come and she pointed at the plates filled tray she was holding while mouthing, 'I'll be there in a minute.' And he nodded his head at her while he waited, he couldn't believe he was doing this, for a girl that wasn't even worthy of his efforts. But he knew it was only right if he got her a new one because the old was got smashed in his wake.

Wafiyya walked to him with a smile and stood by his side, "Bunza Jr." He glared at her, he hated it when she called him that because they all knew she was referring to his father, and he didn't like that. He didn't like being called his father's junior, because as bad as a mess he was, he knew he was far better than the man he called a father.

"My name," he said through gritted teeth and she rolled her eyes at him before she replied.

"Yazeed, what do you need? I'm sure it's food, right? I don't know why you people are like this. Ummah made me work so hard today as if I'm a hired caterer. And you, what do you need?"

He smacked her head so hard that she had to yelp with a pout on her lips before he spoke again, "Who told you I need your sickening catering service? I called you for something else, idiot."

She rolled her eyes at him before she asked, "And what's that? What do you need?"

He brought the screen guard out of his pocket and handed it to her, "I bought this for her, give it to her."

Wafiyya shook her head and didn't collect it, she also tried as much as she could not smile because she had different thoughts going through her brain right now. She didn't know what was wrong with Yazeed, how could you care about someone like this and not let them know? She knew even if she spoke to him about it, he would deny without a second thought and hide beneath the fact that he had always been like this, it wasn't just about her. But she knew it was more of Jalilah than it was, of him.

"I have a lot of things to do right now, Yazeed. I have guests to serve, will you please just take it to my room? I can't be away for a minute without Ummah looking for me..." She wasn't able to finish her sentence when her phone began ringing and she showed it to me, "Did you see that? For just the minutes or even seconds I stood there with you, she's calling. Take it to my room please, on the right bedside drawer, don't bother about her, I don't think she's in the room, because she had told me that she would go out to get a gift for Ilham, I'm sure she isn't back yet."

Before he was able to speak, another call came through her phone and she sighed while flashing him an apologetic smile, "I have to leave, Yazeed. I'll tell her I bought it for her, your ego doesn't have to be bruised." She ran off after that, thinking so hard for her reason of lying to him that Jalilah wasn't around, but when she didn't have any reason, she shrugged off her shoulders and walked to where Ummah was, she knew she was doing it for their sake, two stubborn teenagers molded in an adults body. So annoying.

He stood there contemplating on whether or not to take it to the room, but when he saw that there was no reason not to, she had made it clear to him that Jalilah wasn't around, he would just have to rush in quickly, drop it and leave, maybe meet Sulaiman where he was because as much as he would hate that, he'd rather be there than in this house where he was sure she might walk in every minute.

He hissed softly before he walked toward the main building of the house, when he entered the living room, it was so quiet that you'd think the throng of people seated under the canopies at the courtyard weren't in the same house as this. He needn't be showed Wafiyya's room in Sulaiman's house because she was practically here every weekend. He walked directly to the room and even though he knew that no one was in the room, he said a soft taslim and turned the doorknob.

At first, it was so dim that he found it so hard to see what was in front of him, but when he walked deeper into the room, his eyes adjusted to the illuminating light and the coolness of the room. As she said, right bedside drawer, right? He had seen there was someone on the bed, peacefully sleeping that he wondered who could sleep in a house so full even though there was no evidence of such people in here. But if it were him, he'd feel as if those women were walking on his head.

He moved to the right bedside corner and found out that there was a veil, bag, and headgear on it, but he created space for the screen guard and placed it there. He was about to turn around and walk out of the room when something gnawed at him and he found himself slowly turning to look at the face of the person that was sleeping. Behold, she was the one. He had had his doubts when he saw that headgear, it looked like he had seen it somewhere but he didn't want to testify that it was hers and only to turn out he was just being illusional. But as he saw her now, he had never felt what he did before.

He knew he had never lived with so many people to say that he had seen the way a lot of people slept, but he knew beauty when he saw one. She still had her makeup on, he had seen it before but he took his eyes off because he was certain if he kept staring at her, there was an inkling feeling that might force him to speak to her, not in the way his angry heart would love to speak to her, but in a way that he was sure she might even roll her eyes and say 'Really?'

He didn't know who did this makeup on her, but whoever it was, she was indeed a badass makeup artist. Or maybe she just enhanced the existed art on her face with a little bit of powder and contours here and there, but by Allah, this is the highest level he had seen the beauty of a woman reach. She was sleeping, but he found every inch of her face beautiful. Like was this always the way she slept and no one had ever sued her for being such a beauty even while asleep?

When he saw her at first, when she bumped into him, he didn't want to admit it to himself that she looked beautiful. Because he wanted to keep being angry at her for as long as he could, maybe until the day she would be done with her service and he would just say a simple goodbye to her for all the good times they had shared. But when he saw her now, peacefully sleeping as if she had nothing to bother herself with in the world, Yazeed figured out that he could still admit she was beauty and be angry at her for all he wanted.

She squirmed a little and smiled, for a split second that the smile was prominent on her face, Yazeed felt a rising on his chest. He had never felt this way before, no, he had never felt like this in his life. What was she dreaming of? Was it him? Or the brutal way she would successfully murder him without leaving a trace? He smiled at the thought of that, he could remember the day she had said that to him, the amazing day Yazeed jr was born, the day he let himself flowed around Jalilah. The first day he called her name and she called his, which was even the best thing about that day.

He didn't notice he had his hands wrapped around his torso, just staring at her as she slept until something clicked on him, and he palmed his face with a little twitch at the edge of his lips. He figured out that if she was awake and they were in good terms, she would have said why wouldn't he just let the smile out? It was evident enough that he wanted to smile. 'You should smile more often, it looks so good on you.' When he remembered these words she had uttered to him, he couldn't help but smile widely and he turned to leave, but something caught his attention; the edges of her hair.

He had noticed that she was so careful of her hair that there was a day he thought maybe she didn't have that much of a hair as some girl did. But seeing the edges today, even though she had a black veil wrapped; just that it slipped off a bit, making it even so hard to differentiate between her black hair and the veil. He concluded maybe her hair wasn't as bad as he thought. With one more glance at her, he walked out of the room and discreetly closed the door behind him. What a heavy sleeper she was. How could someone walk into your room, stay for the minutes he had stayed even though he made sure he made no sound, and you couldn't feel it? If it were him, he would have noticed that the moment he walked in.

He met Wafiyya on his way out of the house and she flashed him a mischievous look, "Have you dropped it where I told you to?" She asked, and instead of an answer, Yazeed smacked her head and she stomped her feet on the floor.

"Why are you doing this, Yazeed? And if I do something to you now you'd say I'm disrespecting my elders. I'm sure you needed to have a better look at her, that's why I sent you there. And your heart is contented now, isn't it? You feel relieved and happy altogether, you should have thanked me instead." She rolled her eyes at him with a pout on her lips and Yazeed shook his head to his misfortune in life; how could he have the kind of cousins he had?

"You're so sick in the head, Wafiyya. And I think it's high time I advise Ummah to force you to bring a husband."

"Try doing that to me, and you won't imagine what I'll advise Hajia to do to you!" Joking with Hajia's name wasn't their part, but Wafiyya always made sure she eased everything for him, she made all his threats look less powerful as he thought of him.

She sprinted off because she knew if he laid his hands on her, the whole house will come to her rescue, he followed her while laughing at how sacred she seemed.

"But you know the day I'll lay my hands on you, Wafiyya, that will be the last day you'll walk on earth. Because I'll either send you to your grave or you'll spend the rest of your life in the hospital."

They met Sulaiman and Ilham walking to the house with Sulaiman holding  Yazeed and Ilham having a phone call while she looked all dolled up and as amazing as she could ever be. They all stood there until Ilham was done with her call and she looked at them, "You two look so happy, what's the good news?"

Wafiyya looked at him and burst out laughing, "Should I tell them, Yazeed?" She teased, and the next thing she heard was another knock on the crown of her head.

She cried out and placed her hand on her head, "One more knock, and I'll tell them everything. You can't be bullying me this much."

He glared at her and turned his attention to Sulaiman, "I've been waiting for you, Sulaiman." He turned to Ilham and spoke, "You look like a yummy mummy, Ilham."

Wafiyya glared at Sulaiman but she turned to Yazeed and spoke, "Someone even looks yummier. You know what, Yazeed? Sulaiman has this bad habit of not wanting his family to gain from him, how could I offer to doll his wife up at a slashed price and he'll say no? A brutal no without even feeling guilty." She turned to look at Ilham, "Yes, I know you look so beautiful, as in, beautiful enough."

They all laughed and Sulaiman tried holding Yazeed with one hand so he could be able to knock some senses back into her brain. The moment she noticed what he was trying to do, she sprinted off while saying, "It's official, my cousins are violent!"

Ilham looked at Yazeed with a teasing smile on her lips, "Who looks yummier, Yazeedu? Is Jalilah here already?" The moment he brought his phone out, they both knew that if the wall could speak, that means Yazeed would reply to her question, and they burst into a peal of laughter because they knew the answer was a yes.