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#FewWords
Break first, love later

Recap
"Damn! you wicked soul!" He clapped his hands and stopped while I threw back my head and laughed.

I knew I had to work and be steady for me and for Nasir, that's the least I could do for him. He has been really helpful.

Chapter Fifty Three
Third Person's POV
Zafeerah sat on a fox red bean bag that was beside the window in Salma's room. She patiently waited for Salma to get prepared because Hammad made plans to take them all out before they travel out for school, they had their exams two weeks ago and the results were fairly well.

Salma walked out of the bathroom and got what she'd put on from the wardrobe.

"What's that?" Zafeerah stood up and asked her.

"What I'll wear..." She unfolded the neatly folded Palazzo with a loose long sleeves shirt that will go for a baggy.

"Did Hammad tell you he'll take you to the backyard for the outing?" She sarcastically asked her and laughed.

"Come on, I'll get something better for you..." she opened the wardrobe and looked at her, amused.

"Can't I just wear this?"

"Nahhh..." Zafeerah's voice came

"Come on, this will do..." She held down a sky blue simple gown that had a gradient of a darker blue at the edge, huge beads embedded on the front, matching buttons on the collar and also served as links for the long sleeves.

"Come onnn, Zafeerah..."

"Nahhhh, you are putting that on" she dropped it on the bed and went back in to look for a matching scarf.

"I'm putting on flats please..."

"Nahhh, drip over suffering..."

"Hahahaha...."

"Please Salma, live life girllll..."

The argument went on for some time and Zafeerah finally agreed that Salma wears flats because that's what she claimed she'd be comfortable in.

"What?" Zafeerah stood up and sat down immediately, looking at her phone then at Salma who was changing into the gown she chose for her.

Hammad, Hamid, Nasir and Salma all stood in front of the mansion, waiting for Zafeerah to come out. She excused herself in the last minute saying she had to tell her dad something.

"Nas, you drive, right?"

"Yeahh, he does..." Hammad answered on his behalf

"Alright, please pick these items from the grocery store down the street, Zafeerah needs them. Salma, accompany him..."

"What? Me? Hammad should..."

"Hammad, get me some food...apple...yeahhh...apple in..." Hammad ran inside even before his brother could complete his request. Salma knew they just had her set up to be with Nasir and the fact that almost all of them are desperate to have her spend time with Nasir is scary sometimes.

She just turned and went into the car that was driven by Nasir. She just kept mute and listened to the music from the car's radios.

"Hmm, do you know you suck at choosing outfits..." Nasir started, a smirk pasted on his face, one of his hands carelessly dropped and the other did the driving.

"I know..."

"You really don't know that blue is a bad color on you..."

"That's why you really can't ignore making a comment on my look, right? I look good and I know, thanks for the compliment, you shouldn't be that obvious fellow" she said in one breath

"Hmm, you must be kidding!"

"I'm not!"

"Hellllllooooo..."

"Do not roll your eyes!" She warned and in a second they were both in a fit of laughter.

Nasir drove slowly and they chatted about everything and almost nothing. Each of them knew they had a yearn to be with each other but One accepted while the other wants to accept but is yet to accept because of the fear of been broken afterwards.

"I came across a quote that says Happiness is an illusion, life is all about pain" Nasir said, out of the blue. Salma didn't say anything, she just kept quiet and looked at her hands, then wondered how she had long slender fingers that had good looking nails.

"I think that might be slightly true...life is all about pain Nasir..." She flatly said.

"Yeahhh, I want to tell you something and it's from my heart, I'm not kidding and I'm not trying to be a... I'm not tryna to be what I'm not" he started then kept quiet and looked at her before he faced the road.

"You've been through a lot! That's true and I know, I know about that and I've been with you all through a quarter of what you've been through throughout your life. I've made a promise to make sure the pain you've been changes from one concentrated flavour to another..."

"...to a less concentrated flavour?" She asked as she understood what he meant and she could clearly see what he meant

"Yes... that's it! You understand what I mean!" He smiled

"You mean my pain will never fade or disappear rather it'll change from concentrated flavour to a less concentrated one till I learn to let it be a part of me?" She asked again

"You are still so smart!" He chuckled

"Nasir, I'm going to strangle you one day" she raised her hands and made a body language with her hands as if she'd strangle him immediately and her face with an expression of pleasure, the type found in people's sufferings.

"I'd be happy to be strangled by someone like you, at least I'd leave the world knowing I was strangled by..."

"Ohh please please..." She put him off.

They kept quiet for sometime before Salma started talking about how she felt and what scares her the most while Nasir just kept mute and let her talk about everything. Last time Hammad and Zafeerah talked, they all advise her to let it all out... maybe through writing or talking to someone she trusts

"Hmm, I got to know about my biological mother, at that time I thought that was the most heartbreaking thing I'd go through but I was wrong. My dad's death came through the window and I was devastated, thought I'd die... I thought I'll lose myself... I thought I'd be no... thought that'd be the most heartbreaking thing, I lost the one person that has been there for me from day one, the one person that has always stood behind waiting for anything alarming so he'd pick up, the one person that made me feel loved, the one that made me feel loved above all. Life didn't care, never cared and will never care so it took that one element of safety I had and left me standing in the middle of a desert, my legs stuck in pain..." She kept quiet and looked out of the window before she continued

"Then, the ugliest thing of all happened to me. I know I'll never recover from this and God knows..."

"All these while, life took from me and gave me one little thing in return. Maybe it gave me one thing that won't be able to replace what I lost but it tried to fill the void I felt. Life has happened to me in different ways..." She lightly chuckled and clasped her hands then she laughed again and Nasir just smiled without looking at her, he knew what those laughs meant.

"... Nasir, thank you" she finally said after a while.

When she noticed he didn't stop at any of the malls, Salma asked him and he just laughed.

"There's nothing, right?"

"No, come oonn"

"Let's get some chocolates along with the so called Zafeerah's list of items which doesn't exist!"

Nasir parked the car and they both walked into the mall with Nasir in the front while Salma walked behind him. She walked straight to where she'd pick up what she wanted leaving Nasir to get whatever he wants.

"Been a long time" a familiar voice uttered as the person behind the voice stood in front of Salma. She grabbed her bag and tried to ignore her but it wasn't successful because the voice kept on talking and walking by her side.

"Hmm, you got mum arrested because Mr Muhammad Shehu took you in, right?" Maryam said but Salma ignored and held unto believing that silence is also an answer.

"I think you are now his mistress cos how on Earth will he..."

"Stop it Maryam, why are you so mean? You were never like this!" Salma spoke for the first time and Maryam just chuckled and kept walking.

"I heard you had sex for the first time" she brought her mouth close to Salma's ears but loudly said it, getting people's attention around. An old couple huffed at Salma and walked out murmuring something about kids of the new generation. Another couple with a kid quickly held their kid and walked out of the section while disgustingly looking at them

"You see that? Hope you saw what just happened..." She smiled mischievously

"... that's how I'm going to deal with you" she gritted her teeth and was about to grab her hijab when Nasir held her hand and entered between them.

"Stay away from her if you don't want to get arrested" Nasir said, Salma just looked at Maryam, with her face blank.

"That's what you are good at, arresting your dad's mistress's family because they don't want her relationship with your dad!" She shouted

"What do you mean?" Nasir asked, stunned at her guts, then he turned to Salma who looked as surprised as he is.  By now, most people in the mall stopped whatever they were doing to look at them.

"This is child abuse! Your dad needs to be arrested!"

"What do you mean young girl?" A middle age woman asked them.

"My mum was arrested because she doesn't want her step daughter to keep living with this boy's dad, he's molesting her but she can't speak up about it" she started shedding crocodile tears.

"Your dad is molesting her and..."

"No, he isn't..." Salma said

"He is, he's molesting her. She can't talk about it" Maryam claimed.

"Poor girl..."

"Take us to your house, he needs to be arrested"

They kept on talking and Maryam kept adding fuel to the fire while Salma and Nasir just stood, rooted to the ground and speechless.

"This is Mr Muhammad Shehu's son, CEO of Shehu Corporations" a young girl in the crowd said when she saw Nasir in the crowd, phones were lifted to record the entire thing.

Salma just looked at the ground and raised her head one more time then said what she will never expect herself to say even in her dream.

"Listen everyone..." She started but no one kept quiet then she raised her voice and started again.

"... actually, we are married, Nasir is my husband" she smiled flashing her teeth, then she held onto Nasir's hand and rested her head on his shoulder. The entire crowd kept quiet and the fall of a needle will be heard.

"What?" Maryam asked

"The truth is, Nasir is my husband and Maryam has been sending him signals but he ignored her and that's why..." She smiled again

"What?"

"This can't be"

"How can he get married without the media knowing"

"Well, he's my husband, it was a very small Nikkah so no one was invited apart from family" she raised her head from his shoulder and put it back.

"Awww, you are such a young couple" the crowd started again

"Yeahhh, Nasir and I love each other and we just couldn't wait..." She looked down shyly

"Awwww...she's shy..." One girl added

"Yeahhh, she's my wife" the crowd slowly dispersed and Maryam disappeared before she could be confronted.

"So, we are married now?" Nasir asked when they got into the car and on their way back home.

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End of Chapter 53 thank you so much for your reads and don't forget to vote, comment and share.

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