Sadiqu rolled to the other end of his mattress. He was angry with himself since yesterday morning. How could he be dazzled in staring at Mimi? So much that he didn't recognise Maleekah. What was happening to him? He didn't even jested her like he used to? She asked for his digit and like a dummy, he gave her. Ya Allah.

He hoped he wasn't turning into a crazy man.

After they left, he felt as if a part of him had been ripped off, as if a protective barrier that shielded him had been removed from his system.

And then it rang a bell, he knew those eyes. He knew that soft and mellifluous voice. He knew that innocence that peered in her voice. That voice that made his world whole.

How could he explain to her? Convincingly.

He was carried and buried away in his thought when he heard the call for adhan through the speakers of the Masjid. It was already Maghreb and Inna wasn't back from the market. He rose up, performed ablution and walked to the mosque. Once in sujood, he prayed to Allah for guidance. He prayed for his brother's guidance and prayed for eternal blessing in this world and Akhirah.

***

Fatimah just finished sweeping their compound for the fourth time that day. Whenever she found herself thinking; drawing back to the event of that day, she engaged herself in thoughtgripping works.  She washed her hands and drained them then began to fold the clothes she washed earlier in the morning. She was folding the last one when her small phone rang.

Her younger brother Wali, brought it for her. Fatimah starred at the screen but she didn't know the number.

She took a sharp and loud breath.

"Hello?" She mumbled almost inaudible for the person next to her to hear. It was silent from the other side of the line. She hissed and removed the phone from her ear to cut the call but stopped when she heard as if someone was talking.

"Fatimah it's Muhseen, Dr Muhseen." He didn't need to tell her. She could recognise his voice even in a stupor state. She became heedless. Should she cut the call or wait to hear what he has to say? She wondered where he got the nerve to call her after all that happened.

"Oh Muhseen, are you calling to hear how I am faring? Well, I'm so good, hale and hearty. I mean healed from your betrayal." She cut the call.

No matter how she tried to keep the pieces of her intact, she lost it all. She broke into a sob that she couldn't control. She might be trying to be strong on the outside. But the wound in her heart was fresh and new.

Fatimah was lucky and cunning enough to smile in all the long days in three years. She mastered the way of hiding pain behind her smile but it hurted more than everything else. It hurted to deceive herself by smiling.

"I caught you! You have no escape route today. What's happening?" Sadiqu sat beside her. Since he came back, he had noticed the way Fatimah was distant. He had noticed the way she flinched whenever he touch her hand either for a high five or a warning.

"Ya Sadiqu I am fine." She pursed her lips. Then, gave him one of the deceptive smiles.

"This lie is too cheap." He smirked.

"Okay I miss Ya Jameel," she confessed, lying.

"Try again." His eyes were on her eyes. He was an expert in knowing the truthfulness of people's wordings through their eyes.

"Is it Muhseen?" He tactfully asked. Not that he knew anything or had a clue. He just made mention of him to know what exactly was wrong with his sister.

Her eyes grew big. "No." A tear slipped from her eyes. She kept shifting uncomfortably on the mention of Muhseen's name. Right there, she felt like all that happened three years ago was happening at the moment and her brother knew it.

"It seems your eyes are disagreeing with you. When did you fall so much in love with him?" Sadiqu took her unawares.

Love? God forbid!

"Ya Sadiqu please! I don't want you to ever mention Muhseen or whatever in this house! I hate him and the whole of his generation!" She blurted without having forethought.

Sadiqu saw a glint of pain in Fatimah's eyes. The pain was intense to be caused by love. He wondered what pained her this much to make her shout at him. She's never done that before, even to the younger siblings.

"Ya Sadiqu, Zuwaira said I should greet you." His other sister, Maimuna came in. Zu...Zuwaira? Oh! His cousin whom he was engaged to, since childhood. He's totally forgotten about her. He really had to go and see her tomorrow night after he's come back from Mimi's party.

"Oh I will go and see her tomorrow." He said, his voice lower than usual.

"Let me go and tell her."

"Mai—" she was already out before he protested. It was now Isha but Maimauna wasn't afraid of dark. Well, most of the children were not.

Now, he really had to go even if he changed his mind earlier.

**

"Where's your gatepass?" A man dressed in gatekeeper's uniform stopped Sadiqu from entering the event centre. Sadiqu gave up when he called Mimi twice but she didn't pick up the call.

He was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of her. His madam M.

"Excuse me," Maleekah almost screamed because he startled her. She was just out of the hall to get something from the car when he saw her.

"Wa'alaikumus salam, who are you?" She feigned. She hoped it turned out in a good way.

"Sorry I'm about to say the Tasleem when you said it first Madam M." Leek looked at him stupefied.

"Has anyone ever told you, you're not good at pretending?" He dipped his hand into his pocket. Leek looked at him from head to toe and moved her gaze away.

"She's inside. Follow me let me take you to her." She ignored him and continued walking while he followed her in. This time around, the gatekeepers allowed him when Maleekah explained to them.

"You can sit here, I will call her for you." Tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"I came to see you." 'It's a lie' she repeated to herself.

"Please do me a favor and sit on the other chair. I want to talk to you." Leek's eyes locked with his for a moment. She couldn't turned it down, she couldn't resist herself from doing him a favor. And so, she sat.

"First of all, how have you been?"

"Fine," Sadiqu's lips spread into a smile. He could feel the jealousy in her voice.

"Glad about that. What happened to your face mask. Niqab?" He asked.

"I stopped using it for a long time." She shortly answered looking sideways.

"You grew so beautiful that I couldn't recognise you day before yesterday until after you left, my brain notified me that you stole something from me." Sadiqu noticed the way Maleekah was fighting the urge to smile.

"The eyes grew smaller perhaps it's because you grew fa-, I mean chubbier." Leek eyed him.

"Stop it all." She glared at him but Sadiqu knew that glare was the shyness glare. The glare that says 'I've forgiven you' and lot more.

"You didn't received my letter. Did you?"

"Letter? I didn't."

"That means I have to tell you it's content face to face." His heart raced in it's crib. It seemed simpler in writing than saying it out.

"Leek there you're! I have been waiting for you." Mimi faltered to where Maleekah was sitting. Leek raised her head to talk but Sadiqu was no where to be found. Has she been hallucinating?

"I.. Uhm... A thorn pricked me that's why I sat here but I'm now fine." She rose to her feet and clasped Mimi's hand with hers.

"Assalamu alaikum ladies." Sadiqu made his presence as if he just came. It meant Sadiqu had seen when Mimi was approaching them.

Maleekah looked at him and he winked at her. She didn't know when a smile formed on her lips.

"You actually came. I'm so happy!"

"Let's go." Mimi said referring to them both. When she took two steps ahead of them, Sadiqu turned to Maleekah.

"I love that smile." His compliment lit up her mood for the rest of the night.

————

😍😍😄
Lamely romantic huh?😂

So, Fatimah...?

Let's keep going and see where it's gonna take us to💃💃