I got some messages some few months back asking me who Hammad and Safiyya were. Well Hammad was that guy Zarah met in university and they became really close friends while Safiyya is Ahmad's cousin(his father wanted him to marry her instead of Zarah) and she is also Zarah's family friend. I hope you now remember.

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A beautiful Monday morning and all Safiyya could think about was how she will most probably bump into Hammad at work today. It's already been a week and it was high time she stops playing hide and seek with him.

After her mini yoga session and a hot shower, she donned on the comfiest crepe material gown she could find in her wardrobe. It had large sunflower prints and a hint of pink. She wrapped a soft pink chiffon hijab and finished her look a matching white low heels and side bag from Dune.

She smiled brightly at her mother when they met downstairs.

"Someone is happy this morning" Amma said with a glint of happiness in her eyes. She'd tried so much to conceal her excitement ever since Hammad's proposal but sometimes she just couldn't bring herself to do such. Her baby was finally getting married.

She has been praying so hard that Allah put khair in this alliance and that her daughter stays happy. From what she's heard and seen, Hammad is a good match for her daughter and she really wants them together.

But Safiyya can be very stubborn sometimes and she ends up making some bad decisions. What if she makes another one this time around by saying no to Hammad?

She quickly discarded the panicky thoughts in her head and focused on setting the table for her husband.

"I've had a good night's sleep and I'm excited to get back to work" Safiyya replied as she headed for the kitchen to grab her green juice that she'd made earlier in the night. It was Hammad who'd given her the recipe due to the bloating she's been experiencing recently and ever since, she couldn't stop herself from making it part of her breakfast everyday.

"Um ....nice" Amma answered absent mindedly. She was contemplating on changing the place mats on the dining table but they won't match her new collection of vintage copper cutlery. "I'll just change them next week" she muttered to herself. She made a mental note to go crockery shopping during the week. She needed some new tea cups and saucers too.

"Alright Amma I'll see you later"

She looked up and smiled at her daughter. "Allah ya kiyaye. A gaida....." She immediately stopped herself before she could mention Hammad's name.

Safiyya had refused to talk about him ever since that day and eventhiough Amma had tried to persuade her, she still wouldn't budge. But Amma had hope that she'll come around and eventually open up. It won't be long before she does.

It was 8:30 in the morning and traffic was not funny. People were rushing to work and others were coming back from school runs.

She wasn't in a hurry to get to work-in fact she was nervous as hell, so she drove around at a steady pace.

Her hands were sweating when she pulled over at her designated parking space. She did some breathing exercise and recited some Du'as to help her calm her nerves.

Waliyu the doorman asked her if everything was fine since he hasn't seen her in over a week. She just smiled and told him all was well as she sauntered into the diner.

On a normal day, she usually comes in through the back door where she says hi to everyone in the kitchen before proceeding to her office. But she couldn't bring herself to pass through the kitchen today. She knew he would be there. And she wasn't ready to face him. Not today. Maybe later, but not now.

However, the universe decided to torture her.

Right in the middle of her office stood the last person she was expecting to see.

The erratic beating of her heart increased cause he had scared her to death.

"Ya Subhanallah" she hissed as she tried to calm her breathing.

It was then he turned. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear her come in.

Their eyes met from across the room and just like that, all the tension on her shoulders evaporated. He will always have that effect on her. Always.

Taking gentle strides as if he was afraid she'd bolt, Hammad gently pulled her smoothie out of her hands and replaced it with something slender and rough on the edges. She looked down and realized it was a rose flower. A pink one. The smell hit her nostrils almost instantly and her heart coiled. When she looked up at him, he was smiling triumphantly.

She glared at him and he couldn't help but laugh. His laughter bounced off the walls and caressed her cheeks. It felt like a breath of fresh air. She didn't realize how much she missed him until now.

They held each other's gaze for some time before she gave in and returned his smile.

He visibly sighed in relief and clutched the smoothie to his chest.

"Hi" he whispered eventhough they were the only ones in the room.

Her throat clogged and she felt like crying just hearing his voice. She swallowed and walked to her table. She dropped her bag on the desk and plumped down on the chair.

Hammad sat opposite her on the visitor's chair and pushed the smoothie towards her.

"How have you been? I terribly missed you"

She rolled her eyes and twirled the flower in her hands. "Turns out you knew where to find me"

He gave her a pointed look that said 'you know what I mean'.

For the past seven days, he parked outside her house every night and called her phone but she refused to answer any of his calls. And to make things worse, she'd informed the guards not to let him in no matter how he pleaded.

She wanted him to suffer just a little. And he did.

And she was kind of glad.

She brought the flower to her nose and giggled.

His face softened as he watched her relax. He loved nothing more but to see her smile and hear her laugh and it gladdened his heart knowing he was the reason she was like that.

For a moment there, he forgot what he was about to tell her and got himself lost in her eyes, her laughter and her entire being. She lit up the room and she had no idea the effect she had on him. He was mesmerized beyond measures.

Taking a deep breath, he relaxed in his chair and braced himself.

"Daga farko, I want to give you a heads up. When you check your mails later in the day, you'll see my one month notice resignation letter. Don't freak out, my best Sous chef is taking over and I'll give him the best training I can before I leave. In the meantime, you can find someone to replace him."

Safiyya stilled as she listened to him.

"I bought a van last week, it's kinda beat up but worth it. And it's undergoing some minor restructuring. I'm trying to find a nice spot around town to put my feet down there. And hopefully I will.

If we're going to do this thing properly, I need to stop being your employee and be on my own. I want to be someone you look up to just like I look up to you and I feel like starting my own thing is the first step. You actually inspired me to do that by the way and I'm so grateful for that."

To say she was surprised would be an understatement. Yes, she knew a day would come when Hammad will start his own business and leave the confines of her diner, but she didn't see it coming soon. Well she didn't see herself falling in love with him either.

Oh the things life throws at you.

"Congratulations" she finally found her voice. "This is a huge milestone for you and I'm happy I'll be there to watch you grow. I promise to support you every step of the way. Allah yasa albarka"

He clamped his lips to stop himself from smiling too wide. She'd made him so happy just by uttering those words.

"Ameen Ameen. Thankyou. We'll have dinner later to celebrate"

She nodded in excitement.

"Also...." he drummed his fingers on the table "my uncles are waiting for an answer from Daddy. Like ASAP"

She parted her lips to give him a quirky reply and he quickly added "They're not taking No for an answer"

She smirked. "How about a 'maybe' ?"

He leaned over and aligned his eyes with hers. "Your Hamoudie is not letting you go. Not ever. Think about that"

He stood up, stuffed his hands in the pocket of his jeans and smiled down at her. "Sai na jiki"

And just like that he walked out of her office, leaving her completely and utterly speechless.

Was she suddenly teleported into a kannywood movie scene? Because what the actual hell?

···

"This is not what I signed up for" Shukrah muttered to herself as she checked the time on her phone. She has been sitting in the departure lounge of the Idu train station for two hours. 120 minutes was a lot of time wasted. The train was delayed and they weren't sure when it will arrive or if it has even left Rigasa yet.

Lubna had been calling her to confirm if she was coming or not, and right now she was on the verge of telling her no.

She looked up from her phone's screen and scanned the room. Everyone looked so tired and annoyed. Some kids were even crying. Others were arguing with some of the officials. Everything was a total mess.

Just as she made up her mind to cancel the whole trip, a call came through. It was Ahmad.

"Hello Yaya"

"Naam Shukr. How far? Har yanzu train din be iso ba?"

She sighed and bowed her head. "Wallahi. I think I will just call an Uber and go back home. Nagaji"

"Subhanallah. But when did they say it's arriving?"

"They didn't say anything fa. We're just waiting to see what happens. Everyone is just frustrated"

She tapped her feet impatiently on the tiled floors as the thought of missing this whole trip struck her. She was going to meet Lubna in Kaduna and together they will go to Kano the following morning to visit Azeeza. It was supposed to be some sort of Sister's reunion because all three of them haven't been together since the wedding. They had made plans on all the things they will do before Azeeza leaves for the US the following week. She has finally gotten her Visa and will be joining her husband as he rounds up his PhD program.

If she misses this train, Lubna will leave kaduna without her. She will have to fly directly to Kano kenan.

Dammit.

"Ai dole. Dama I just called to confirm if you've left because Haseeb was asking if he can drop you since he will be driving down to Kaduna this afternoon. If you don't mind he can pick you up sai ku tafi tare"

A heavy sigh of relief escaped her lungs and she nodded immediately. "Yes yes please. Kai Ya Ahmad thank you so much. Naji dadi wallahi."

"You're welcome. I'll just give him a call and let him know. Just sit tight okay?"

"Okay. Thank you very much."

"Bakomai"

When he hung up, she hugged her phone to her chest out of happiness and let out a teeny tiny squeal.

She quickly called Umma and informed her of the change of plans.

"Toh Alhamdulillah. Allah ya kaiku lafiya. Hajiya Luban har ta fara miita"

Shukrah laughed softly. "I won't even tell her I'm coming anymore. I'll just surprise her"

Haseeb was there some thirty minutes later. He carried her luggage to the car and they drove out of the train station. It was almost time for prayer so they stopped to pray Zuhr at the National mosque and then Haseeb got them takeout lunch at Grills 101; Suya and Naan for himself and shawarma for Shukrah.

They ate and chit chatted as he drove out of the city.

Halfway into their trip, Shukrah resorted to reading a book on her phone while Haseeb listened to a podcast through his air pods. The car was silent apart from the slow hum of the air-conditioner.

Shukrah's eyelids started to droop and in no time, she was dozing off.

She wasn't sure how long she slept or what exactly happened, but the next thing she heard was the screeching of tyres before the car skidded and tumbled to the other side of the road.

Her whole body was in shock as she tried to process what was going on. So many things were happening at the same time; the car somersaulting, glass shattering, airbags bursting. It was too much. She could hear Haseeb's voice from somewhere faraway invoking Allah's name. She tried to open her eyes but she was too scared to do so.

The car finally stopped somersaulting and came to a halt with its tires facing the blue sky. The smell of burning tires burned her nose. She was hot all over. There were glass pieces in her hair and inside her shirt. She couldn't feel her legs.

Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raajiun

"Shukrah. Shukrah are you okay?"

She couldn't answer. She was totally paralyzed with fear.

She heard him move around in the car. He was trying to get out.

More shattering of glass.

Haseeb groaned as his knees grazed some broken glass. He managed to slip out through the window. He was pretty much disoriented as he tried to stand up on his feet but he was shaking like a leaf. Still, he gathered himself and crawled to the other side of the car.

Shukrah was clutching the seat belt, eyes shut with tears streaming down her face.

"Shukrah" he called gently. "Can you hear me?"

She barely nodded.

"I need you to take off your seat belt so I can pull you out."

She was motionless.

"I can't....I can't move" she whispered shakily.

"Please just try" he begged.

A loud sob escaped her throat as more tears poured out of her eyes.

He was in so much pain. His knees were bleeding and his head was throbbing really hard. He also couldn't handle watching her cry helplessly.

He lurched forward, glass biting into his skin again as he tried to locate the seat belt latch. In between shukrah and the airbag that has popped out, there wasn't enough space for him to squeeze through. But he eventually found it and unbuckled her.

Too much blood was rushing to her head so she didn't even know when he dragged her out of the car until she felt him shake her.

"Open your eyes please. Look at me"

She did.

There was blood on his face. His shirt was now soaked in it. He looked freaked out.

"You're covered in blood" she said as more tears poured out of her eyes. "Innalillahi"

She reached for his face to wipe the blood but felt a sharp pain on her arm. When she looked down, a chunk of glass was stuck in it. Without even thinking twice, she pulled it out. Blood spurted instantly and she felt herself sway. She's never seen so much blood in her life.

"Subhanallah" Haseeb gasped as he crawled towards her."Put some pressure on it."

She was too shaken to do anything. She just stared at her arm as the blood kept oozing out.

She didn't even realize when Haseeb tore the sleeve of his shirt and tied it over her bleeding arm. He placed her other free hand on it and pressed it hard.

"Shukrah I need you to focus" He pleaded. "Hold the pressure"

She was still crying but did as he asked anyway.

He pulled her away from the car and told her to stay put then went back to search for his phone. He eventually found it lying somewhere in the car. He dragged his bagpack from the backseat. He knew his laptop would be shattered but he carried it anyway.

His phones screen was cracked but he was glad it was still working.

He came back to where Shurkah was sitting motionless as he dialed Ahmad's number. It was not going through. He checked and realized there was no network service. They were in the middle of nowhere, but not far from the highway because he could hear the sound of cars driving by in the distance.

"Can you walk?" He asked gently.

She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. She was no longer crying and her breathing was a bit labored.

She nodded slowly.

He passed down his hand and she took it as he helped her up.

They walked for nearly 10 minutes before they reached the road.

Cars passed by without even giving them a second look. Haseeb tried to flag a few of them down but no one wanted to stop and help. Shukrah was still bleeding and he's afraid she'll lose a lot of blood and pass out before help comes. He kept trying to call Ahmad but there wasn't any cell service yet.

They kept walking until they reached a small settlement by the side of the road. Someone saw them and immediately ran to the nearest checkpoint  to alert the police.

When the police arrived, Haseeb explained that they had a car accident and needed to go to the nearest hospital.

"I think it's better we take you guys to Kaduna. The nearest hospital here won't give you the proper emergency care you're seeking" the policeman advised.

"But she's loosing so much blood already" he pointed at Shukrah who was sitting down under a tree.

"Let's just pray she doesn't loose much blood before we go there sha"

Haseeb nodded. "Alright. Can you help us get there?"

"Yes sure. You can come" he gestured towards the black Hilux parked at the side of the road.

When they reached the car, he opened the door for shukrah and she slid in then he got in beside her.

The police man got into the passenger side and just as the driver- who was also in uniform- started the car, he turned to look at Haseeb.

"Oga we get one problem like that" He scratched his neck.

Haseeb gave him a blank look.

"There's no much fuel in the car. Abeg help us pay for fuel"

Haseeb was too spent to even argue. Everything hurt in his body. But his heart was hurting even more.

Ahmad gave him his sister as an amanah. And now she is bleeding out. All because he zoned out while driving and didn't see the goat that came crossing the road.

When they reached Kaduna, Shukrah was too weak to open her eyes. He carried her into the emergency ward of  Garkuwa Specialist Hospital where she was immediately attended to by the nurses on duty. There was no doubt that she needed blood transfusion and Haseeb arranged for that immediately.

"Excuse me sir, we also need to look at your wounds" the nurse said to him as he sat on one of the chairs in the waiting room.

He nodded. "I know. I just need to close my eyes for a bit"

And just like that, he slid off the chair and landed on the floor. Two more nurses and a resident rushed towards him. They helped put him on  a stretcher and one of them opened his shirt to check if he had any wounds. There was a large blood patch on his light skin.

"I think he's bleeding internally" the resident declared. "Prep an OR stat!"

.............