"Ya Ajike."

She hugs me and holds my face to look at me. I'd seen only flashes of her during the time I was indoors. I move to hug Ya Nusaiba, Khadijah, and finally Maryam.

"Walaikum Salam sisters, who missed me?" I asked cheekily and they all chorused Me!!!

"How far now? It should have been that Chiroma witch that died, not that your amazing Father-in-law." I sigh and hold out my hands in a confused state.

"Allah knows best. Wallah, Allah Knows best. He's in a better place, Alhamdulilahi." They nod and mutter prayers for him then a waiter comes to hand us menus.

"A pina colada for me." I say and hand the drink menu back. The others give their drink choices and hand their menus back.

Ya Nusaiba leans over the table and asks in a mischievous tone. "Have you done it? Seduced him yet?"

Ya Ajike slaps her hand on her best friend's back, Ya Nusaiba turns to her with offense.

"How were they supposed to think of that, they've been in mourning." Ya Nusaiba shrugs and rubs her back.

"How couldn't they have done it, it's a new year fa. They got married in May." I lean back in my chair, intimacy with Adeel scares me. It's one thing for a man to be an amazing man normally, he could have a different behaviour where intimacy is concerned.

"I should wash your mouth with sop and put incense in it." I waved my hands.

"I fear intimacy with him wallah." Ya Ajike stops scolding Ya Nusaiba to look at me, infact, the entire table turns to look at me.

"Why?" Ya Ajike walks over to me and Maryam moves out of her chair for Ya Ajike to seat in.

"Affy. Why do you do so? Has he done anything to make you fear so?" I lean back in my chair again. From across the table, Khadijah takes my hands.

"I don't know, Nadir has probably soiled all my ideas of what sex is. I don't miss it." Ya Ajike sighs deeply.

"Makes me want to to go and beat the Son of a useless chicken wing." We all laugh at her words.

"Are you no longer seeing the therapist?" I shake my head.

"I couldn't find time with all the trouble surrounding Inna and Baaba's demise." They all nod.

"But, I think you should just talk to Adeel about sex." Khadijah says and I remember what he told me sometime last year.

"He told me that if and when we do it, I'll be thinking of only him." Ajike bursts out into loud laughter.

"That man is a king, I stan. Just let it happen naturally." I nod.

"So, who's going to the Vice president's daughter's wedding?" I look round the table. Only Ya Nusaiba's hand is up. I sigh.

"Why the heavy sighing?" I sigh again.

"The lady dated Adeel. Before he married his first wife. During her makeup consultation, she talked about him so much I thought she was marrying him." They all burst into laughter that is cut short by the waiter bringing our drinks.

"Khalifa was invited and I am tagging along, she's going be on stage after her makeup, try to just allow her talk. If it makes you feel better, charge her extra." We laugh out louder again.

I look around the table and feel a tight feeling in my chest. They make me feel better anytime, they are one of the best things last year gave me and I'm extra thankful for them.

"Babes, I love you all." They all aww and put out their arms around each other to form a circle.

"We love you too Afyy!!!"

****

"Ina wuni Maama."

Maama replies and i see a duplicate of her smiling at me. I squat in front of her and greet her too, she's as amazing as Maama is because she hands out a box to me after I settled down to sit next to Maama. My type of humans.

I inwardly squeal gifts!!!.

"I heard you are a makeup artist. So, I got you a little something." I smile and say thanks again, curious to see what she got me.

"I can see you itching to open it. Go ahead. I'm your mother too." I giggle nervously and untie the bow holding the box together.

Finally, I lifted the lid and the newest Kylie makeup products are what i see first.  They are stacked atop each other in the large box.

"Thank you so much Ma. Jazakallau."

She mutters an ameen and I carry my box in glee up the stairs. I place it carefully on the vanity table and enter the bathroom to perform ablutions for the prayers I missed and Maghrib at once.

When I finish almost thirty minutes later, Adeel is back. I keep kneeling on the mat as I ruminate on what the girls and I talked about earlier.

To be sincere, I didn't think a time would come when I would be thinking of matters like this and with Adeel for that matter. I look him over again and sigh again.

Especially now that Inna Saude is causing all these trouble, he'd need a child to assert his space. I shake my head  to hurl the thought out once the thought crosses  my mind.

None of my kids will be space keepers.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" I look up to see Adeel sitting on the bedbench in front of me. Busted!

I smile to divert attention. "Nothing much." He smiles in a way that brings attention to his brown eyes.

"I know it's nothing, but I've watched you look leeringly at me since you finished praying." My mouth drops open.

He spreads his hands out and leans back to rest on the bed with his elbows. "Truth be told though, I don't mind being leered at. It's my woman that is doing the leering." I shake my head and try to get up, but by Allah, the jilbab I'm wearing decides to embarrass me by tripping me.

Adeel laughs out loud but remains on his seat. "That's the price of not telling me what you were thinking off. But if you are blushing and tripping like this, it means you were thinking of Me, honeymoons and a great destination. I don't mind. You can whisk me away."

I huff and walk away to the closet to remove the hijab and Jilbab. He follows me to the door of my closet and begins to make noises.

"Where do you want to go?" I eye him silently and go deeper into the closet to change into a clean pair of pajamas.

"Paris? No please, Paris is Overrated." I laugh at the way he pulls on the word overrated. I raise an eyebrow at him before answering.

"If I'd go anywhere, it'd be KSA and London. I want the wind from the Thames to whip my scarf." He smiles and blows me a kiss. I show my head at his antics. He's in a rare good mood.

I walk back onto the room and open my gift box to sort out which eyeshadow I'd keep for myself and which I'd use for others.

"Maama's sister gave me these. They are limited edition and I couldn't stay up to get them last week. She's just the best." I gush to Adeel who just smiles and watches me.

My phone rings and I joyfully pick it up. It's Safiyya.

"Saffy swetie." She says something that I don't catch.

"My mother did what?" I see Adeel jump up from his seat.

"Is she drunk or high on drugs?" Safiyya's voice is calm whilst my heart is beating so fast, my voice hitches.

"It's impossible. They don't have a right. Most of all my mother. She has no right. I'll straighten things out." I drop my phone angrily and walk back to the closet to wear the Jilbab I pulled off after praying. I throw a large grey veil around my head.

"What happened?" I walk out to see Adeel is dressed also.

"Just take me to my parent's house. The audacity of them." He picks up his keys and I pocket my phone.

Someone is either going to back down or get disowned. They better be ready to do both.

****

Hello everyone,

Good Morning. I know, it's late. But school and life, it's all taking my strength. 😑😣.

Guys, please pray for me. Please. I'm going through a lot mentally at the moment and I can't afford for anything to happen to me right now.

I'd earlier promised TeemahGujbawu I'd do a double update thingy or be like fareeree and give triple updates, but I woke this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I hope this makes up for it.

And I'm trying to wrap up a few holes I widened all by myself. I pray I finish so I can concentrate on a new story.

I love all of you(I've blabbed enough), see you all in the comments section. Please make my day by commenting. I beg you.

Have a great Monday.

TheOmoope.