Hello, didn't keep y'all waiting did I? Diijahyb it's not Friday yet so....
Please voteeee and comment, thank you all for 2k reads do I made this long, very long.

Happy reading😘❤

If the relatives Khadijah saw chattering away in their living room fazed her, she didn't show it. There was seven of them including her mother seated around the living room, two of her father's sisters and her mother's sisters, some on the carpet.

She didn't bother asking what they were doing there, she told herself it was none of her business, that and the fact that they'll start with their usual "Har Yau ba miji Khadijah, baki gaji da zaman zawarci ba" (you don't have husband till today Khadijah? Aren't you tired of living as a divorcee?), and then Hajiya Ladidi will cut in and tell them to please ask her, in short, they would completely ruin her mood so she greeted them all quickly and made way to her room making sure to lock the door behind her, they had no idea what privacy was and would just barge in, sit however they like and continue their so called 'lecture'

After the busy day she had, the last thing on her mind was hearing her aunts talk about her marital status, she would've called Layla but she was away on a business trip to Wales, the only other options she had was to sit in her room and work because she couldn't rest with all the voices talking about things she didn't care about, or go out on her own which was far worse than staying, she still wasn't comfortable with going out alone.

The consistent knocking on her door jolted her awake from the uncomfortable position she laid in her bean bag, she didn't even know when she fell asleep. As much as she would've loved to ignore the person at her door, the consequences for that would be something she wouldn't quite want, after contemplating whether it was worth the comments Her mother and her sisters would throw at her, she stood up and opened it trying to clear the sleep from her eyes.

Not sleeping the night before was catching up to her. She woke up from a nightmare around 2am and couldn't go back to sleep.

"I'm sorry aunty I didn't know you were sleeping" her oldest niece Afnan stood with an apologetic look, she was fiddling with the straps of her bad, Khadijah shook her head as if to say don't worry and went back to her bean bag with her niece tailing behind her.

Khadijah asked how she was, school and her other siblings. She was more of a baby sister to Khadijah than a niece, she asked her about Nasmir's wedding because she saw the pictures. She also asked about Layla, they had a lot in common despite their age gap, Layla was amazing and never made her feel less than.

"Amarya" (bride) that made Khadijah turn to the door, Sadiya stood walked in with Basra in her arms, her bump showing more because of the a A-shaped gown.

When her statement registered in Khadijah's brain she looked up quickly, as far as she knew she wasn't getting married and the only other person in the room was Afnan who was looking down blushing, she put two and two together and turned to her niece sharply.

"What is she talking about?"

"Umma didn't tell you?" Khadijah shook her head saying no "She just got engaged to- it's your cousin right?" Sadiya directed the question to her niece who was still not looking at them, who knew she was shy?

"Why do you think them aunty Munubiyya are here?"

Khadijah who was still shocked looked at her niece, the girl turned eighteen a few months back, and didn't she just finish writing waec?

"But did you not just finish secondary school Afnan? Why the rush? Are you sure about this? Do you even like him? Ya Baraka is forcing you into this right?" she stopped to catch her breath, she was hyperventilating and the questions just kept coming.

"One at a time Khadijah" Sadiya said calmly running her hand down Khadijah's back comfortingly.

"She just finished secondary school yaya"

"I'm in level two" Afnan looked offended, before Khadijah could say anything else, her Father's younger sister entered the room and called the young bride to be, something about her father asking of her.

"Aren't you worried about her?"

"I am, but I believe ya Baraka knows what she's doing, besides he's her cousin" Sadiya was rocking a fast asleep Basra who was feeling sick and insisted on following her mother.

"How is she?" Khadijah changed the topic, she didn't want to think the worst.

"She's getting better, just malaria" she looked down at the girl who was pouting in her sleep.

"And you?" Khadijah looked at her sisters bump with a small smile, she had sworn Basra was the last because she had been a spitting image of Abdulrahman when she was born, Sadiya was disappointed because none of the kids looked like her and said she was done bringing more of him to the world, her husband had laughed and teased her because she and been very confident the baby would look like her, alas they all picked sides and she had no one on her side.

"I'm sure this one will look like me, I can't be seeing Abdul for the rest of my life please" even though she sounded very much annoyed, Khadijah didn't miss the underlying awe in her sister's voice, marrying Abdulrahman was something she would never regret and they all knew it.

He was the epitome of perfection and that was because he accepted he wasn't perfect, he had flaws and he embraced it.

Khadijah could remember the days he was trying to date Sadiya, she was very stubborn and turned him down multiple times but he didn't give up, there were times he'd wait for her for hours outside their house and she would ignore his existence, the first time Khadijah saw him was when she was in JS1 and Sadiya was in SS1, he'd waited for her to close from school so he could talk to her, or at least try to but she hissed and told him to leave her alone she wasn't interested, that wasn't the first time it had happened.

"Ya Sadiya that man is following us" Khadijah said scared at the time, what did she know about men following girls around.

"Leave him, he'll get tired and stop" Sadiya had hissed long and kept dragging Khadijah home, when they made the turn for their street she thanked God that he hadn't followed her and was tempted to do a victory dance, finally he got the message, how wrong she was.

She let Khadijah enter the house first, safety precaution, since their house was not far from the school, they trekked together. She was about to enter when she saw the car parked near their gate, she wouldn't have cared who's it was until the same man she was happy had left her alone alighted from the car, he knew their house from the multiple times he'd followed her home much to her dismay, most times leaving his car by the road since she wouldn't get in and let him drop her off.

"What are you looking at?" Khadijah pushed her head out curiously when Sadiya still stood by the gate, she twisted her face in distaste when she saw him, why was he following her sister?

Sadiya would've told him to get lost and close the gate as usual but when she heard her mother's voice talking to their neighbour, she knew she was done for.

"When did you come back?" Hajiya Ladidi asked the girls who were standing outside, Khadijah smiled seeing her mother while Sadiya looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Who are you?" she turned to the man standing just noticing him.

Abdulrahman squatted and greeted her. Hajiya Ladidi gave him a once over, he was in his early twenties most probably, he was wearing a light blue kaftan with a zanna bukar cap, he looked respectable enough and he had manners because he wasn't looking her in the eyes.

"Do I know you?" he smiled a little and shook his head, explaining that he just wanted to speak to Sadiya which earned him a glare from said person.

"And you left him, Sadiya do you have sense?" the insult earned him another glare, Hajiya Ladidi invited him inside, what was better than marrying immediately after that God forsaken secondary school her husband insisted they must all go to, she saw him as her in law and invited him in, all smiles.

Khadijah who was silently supporting her elder sister also glared at the man she had no idea what his name was. Hajiya Ladidi forced Sadiya to entertain him as per their guest, bringing him drinks and snacks, she thanked almighty Allah for making zobo (hibiscus drink) that day, they had chin chin remain from sallah and the cake one of her friends made.

Abdulrahman was more than happy the woman of his dreams was sitting opposite him, he didn't touch any of the things she kept for him but rather kept looking at her, still in her uniform and the hijab she'd worn from school, she looked like a queen even with the frown etched on her face, he didn't need a rocket scientist to tell him she wasn't happy with his presence.

After more than fifteen minutes of painful silence, he said he was leaving which earned him a smile from her, his heart tugged at the happiness from his departure. He wished his heart could take no and he would leave her alone, but his heart was more stubborn than her and stronger than his common sense, the heart wanted what it wanted, and voice of reason was one thing it didn't want.

Hajiya Ladidi has called Sadiya immediately he left and asked the question she had wanted to ask the second she saw him "Is he your boyfriend?"

Sadiya had scoffed and said no, her mother was ridiculous, he was too old for her and she had no interest in him. Luck was not her side because he made it a routine to visit her at least twice a week and from there, her father malam Sadeeq learned of him and soon enough his relatives came and asked for her hand, she was in SS3 then ask had cried herself to sleep, she didn't want to get married.

She refused to talk to him for a week straight, when he got tired of the silence he went to visit her unexpectedly on a Sunday evening, Hajiya Ladidi has forced her to go and talk to him. He wasn't smiling like he usually did, he asked her a question that kept her up the whole night, it was a simple question but it left her restless.

"Why do you hate me Sadiya?" his voice had sounded broken, like he'd already given up, when she didn't answer or said anything at all, he continued.

"I don't want to hurt you and by Allah I love you with all my heart, just say it, anything you want and I'll do it, I don't want you to be unhappy and if you want me to call off this engagement, I will in a heartbeat because I just want you to be happy, just say the word Sadiya and I'll leave you alone, if you don't want to see me again, it will hurt but as long as you're happy I'll be fine" Abdulrahman couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth, she had no idea the power she held over him.

"I don't want to keep you waiting, good night" he'd turned like he wanted to add something but kept quiet and entered his car, as usual he made sure she was back inside the safety of her father's house before he drove off, with tears in his eyes, her lack of answer was a yes to him, because if she'd wanted him even a little, she would've said something.

How one girl could bring him to his knees was beyond him, love was a strange thing. He drove in circles thinking of the things he'd done in his life to deserve the pain of loving someone who wanted nothing to do with him. He mentally apologised to anyone he's ever wronged in his life hoping his karma will somehow soften her heart towards him.

When he got tired of crying pathetically in his car, he went back home with his mind made up, he wouldn't trap her like he did himself, he would talk to his father and cancel the engagement, he'd subjected himself to a life of suffering, he couldn't do the same to her, and besides they said if you love someone you should let them go.

Sadiya had cried the whole night asking herself the same question over and over, why does she hate him? He was good looking and he'd groveled after her for more than four years, so why?

She thought about all the times she'd disrespected him when he talked to her, a man had ego but it was like he didn't, everything she had ever said to him had never affected him, giving up she sighed and got up and performed ablution, she prayed istikhara and prayed for the best, only then was she able to sleep.

She woke up the next day with a resolve,
She would talk to him and accept him, she would even marry him that day if he wanted. She waited and waited for his arrival, even resulting to checking the gate when she heard the sound of a car but he didn't visit, it went on for a week.

She couldn't tell anyone what she did, she suffered alone in her shared room with Khadijah who was too busy with her friend and school, besides what did the girl know about heart break, if what she felt was heart break. She missed him, there was no two ways about that, he'd sneaked into her mind and made himself a part of her life, he had no right to abandon her when she couldn't stop thinking of him.

Another week passed with no glimpse of him, she couldn't focus in class and with her waec and jamb fast approaching, she needed to set her priorities straight, the only thing her brain and heart could agree on was him, Abdulrahman had plagued her thoughts, when she got tired of his absence, she decided she'd go to her sister's house and borrow her phone, since her father doesn't agree to giving his children phone until they graduated secondary school.

She had no idea how to ask her father for his phone number, she knew he had it but how could she ask, it would be considered disrespectful. Khadijah being the last born had privileges she believed she didn't have so she sent her to pick the phone, when malam Sadeeq asked what she wanted to do with it, Khadijah panicked and told him Sadiya asked her to collect it.

He had called her and asked what she wanted to do, the first thing that came to Her mind was assignment and she cursed herself for not thinking of it in the first place, he normally gave her to browse, he gave her willingly and went to bed. As much as she wanted to call Abdulrahman that night she couldn't so she settled for writing the number on a piece of paper and kept it close.

Sadiya took Khadijah with her to visit Baraka who had two children then, she collected her phone no questions asked and dial the number, with her hands shaking she pressed the call button, it rang once, twice then the call was cut, her heart sunk and tears gathered in her eyes, like she hadn't cried herself dry already.

Her heart leaped when the phone rang almost immediate but Her heart sunk more when she saw her sisters husband was the one calling, she took the phone back broken and tried playing with her nieces. Baraka sensed something was wrong because of Sadiya's attitude and called her to her room, it was surprising when she burst into tears, she told her everything between hiccups and sobs.

"He wants nothing to do with me" she had cried.

"Why don't you call him again? Maybe it's the network" she shook her head not believing her sisters words but tried again anyways.

It rang three times and her heart almost stopped when she heard his voice.

"Hello?" he had sounded distant probably wondering who was disturbing him.

"Abdul" she whimpered, along their strange relationship she had resulted to calling him that instead of his full name.

"Sadiya?" she heard shuffling on the other side then a sigh of relief most probably, before he could say anything else she started.

"You're so selfish, you know that right? So unbelievably infuriating, who do you think you are? How dare you? Do you think I'm just a doll that you can dump whenever you feel like, just talk to her till you're bored huh? The worst part was that I believed you, but you know what? You asked why I hated you, even I don't know maybe because I don't, but you know what Abdulrahman, now I do, I hate you, I hate you so so much, I hate your stupid voice and your stupid face, I hate that I miss you, I hate how you're different, I hate that you followed me for four years, you're the most annoying person in the world and I hate you, you don't just get to leave people whenever you feel like it, how could you do this? I thought you were good but why would you do this?" he thought she was done but she said something in a low voice that made him smile "I hate that I love you, you fool" he should known she was dramatic, she hung up before he could reply.

"If you don't pick up, he might as well make my phone explode" Baraka looked pointedly at Sadiya who had tear stains, she couldn't believe how pathetic she had sounded over the phone, he must think she was mentally unstable, she groaned again, 'I hate that I love you' she couldn't believe she said that.

"Delete his number, i don't want to see him ever again"

They stayed for a little longer before they got ready to leave, Sadiya's heart skipped a beat when she saw his car parked right outside Baraka's gate and when she saw the smile on her sister's face, she knew how he got there.

"Goodbye, greet Umma and baba for me, tell them I'm coming this weekend" they nodded and made way for Abdulrahman who was wearing a white kaftan and his zanna bukar, she could count the times she'd seen him in something other than kaftan.

She looked down almost shyly praying the ground would open and swallow her, how could she look at him after telling him she loved him and then calling him a fool all in the same sentence? he had the biggest grin on his face, how he missed her.

Khadijah greeted him and stood beside her sister.

"I missed you too" he opened the door to the passenger side and she got in.

The rest is history as they say.

I tried ba, of course I did.

So here's a bit of Sadiya's love story just because I had writers block and I wanted to update sooooo bad, so please manage, we're going back to Khadijah in the next chapter in sha Allah.

So, ya like it or just meh?

Did I thank you for 2k reads? well I don't think I've thanked you enough, I love you all so so so much and thank you very much for all the reads, y'all are the best.

Please share, vote and comment, more reads and comments makes me update faster, even though this was not fast.

We didn't get to 600votes but I believe we can do it.

Please vote, I can't stress that enough.

Special thank to gimbiya1056 for commenting on every chapter, I look forward to marrying your brothers 😁😁😁😁😁

Byeeee

Amyrah