Kano State, Nigeria.
2018.

"Don't move that, silly." Jaiyana laughed in delight because she's never been in more than three girlfriend's and now that she has four more girls around her, her happiness knew no bound.

Though when Falak said Fikriya is her best friend right from the village, the girls got a little frightened and jealous thinking Falak will stop coming to then for advise and spending some days together. They don't know what to expect but since Fikriyyah isn't the worst of person, they will get along just good. The girl knew how to console them, what to say and what not to.

She has Inayah –Asad's wife, Jabrayah, Falak and now Fikriya with her. They are all sitting in her room after she tucked her girls to take a little nap. They cooked and made so many cupcakes to share around the whole Palace because they have nothing good to do and with their hands busy, they could talk more fluently without holding back and everyone does what he knows best.

"Jaybee, you better remove your legs from my body before I disfigure your face and tell Bilal, you won't like what he will do." Falak groaned, removing Jabrayah's legs for the nth time from her thigh but the pregnant woman isn't getting it.

Her due date is coming and she is more whiney which makes Falak wonder how Suwaid is managing.

•*•*•

Falak merrily laughed when Bilal's sarcastic reply came through the phone after he told her that he is downstairs waiting for her in the hospital. She left her office and got into the elevator where she met some of her other colleagues and decided to chat with them than listen to the elevators stupid boring song. She doesn't get why they put it, they should use something someone can dance listening to.

It's one week to her wedding and no matter how much her mother tried pursuing her into staying at home, she wouldn't budge and said the hospital will need her and she just can't stay at home because she is getting married. After the wedding, she can take two weeks off, instead of taking a week before and another two after. She is not in love with staying at home ever since she started working.

She's been getting pampered from up to down from side to side and she won't lie, she is enjoying the whole attention. There are more things that her mother has been giving her to take bath with and there is skin beauty session she undergoes every morning by one of the maids that volunteered. She said she used to do it back from where she came from, Adamawa before her parents died.

Her relationship with Shaddad has been good if she would say so herself. No, he doesn't smile nor does he laugh but he still talks and his eyes also said more than he would like to let her know. She goes to him and ramble when she has her free time while he only narrow his lazy face at her and fold his arms underneath his stomach as he listened attentively.

She is overjoyed!

Even if she doesn't get married to him, she is happy with him allowing her to talk to him randomly and even let her sit in his office when he should be working. She's once find him in a heated conversation on the phone where he placed the phone on speaker mode and kept quite listening as the person ramble with serious voice and he didn't remove it from speaker even after she walked in and made her presence known. At least she felt like he trusts her a little to let her hear his conversations.

Maybe even if she did get married to Shaddad, he might not even talk to her in their whole stay and she will get depressed after so many years of his silence and then divorce will follow her back. It is just better to be his best friend and support when he is breaking so she will agree with that and just be the one to make him smile is enough for her.

The kayan lefe –wedding gift boxes given to the bride by the groom before the wedding– has been brought the week before and she could only say Masha'Allah because he's tried. There were seven boxes each filled to the brim with anything a woman could ever need and ask for. He is just an average mam but he went out of his comfort zone to match everything with her Royalty even though she's told him not to.

"I hope that smile across your lips is for me." Bilal's voice brought her out of her reverie and she smiled again, forcing her way closer to his white Accord.

He is dressed in simple jeans and polo shirt and it looks like he is going to work from there. He didn't get to fulfill his dream but was lucky to get a job from one of the greatest company in Kano and they do pay well. He was interviewed so much by the King before he agreed and gave him her hand in marriage and that is where she heard a lot about him.

"Who would I smile so broadly at?" She beamed, adjusting her green veil around her head so her hair won't be out again like it did earlier when she was with Shaddad, she could clearly see his face in her eyes at the moment.

It wasn't even her long hair that was out, it was just the front of it. Because her hair is black and shiny, it took his attention from the patient he was working on and stared at it with great curiosity that she almost removed the veil to show him the rest of the long hair she is proud of. She's spent much more of her time on her hair those last few years in India and now it is just growing long everyday.

His eyes were shining fastidious, ready to explore more and fill his quenched eyes but he didn't. She knew he wouldn't do anything and will not even compliment her because he is too reserved and lazy for that. His eyes always speaks and she made sure she drank in whatever emotion it is that his eyes likes to display and loves each moment of it.

"Only me, huh?" He chuckled before opening the door to remove the paper bag he has brought with him to give her the gift he's been carrying since in the morning.

"What's this?" She questioned with her brows furrowed and brows creased in a deep frown, not wanting to open the bag but also filled to the brim with curiosity.

"You can open it." He gave her his knee weakling boyish grin, looking like an eager boy waiting to open his own present and not what he gave his parents.

"O' my God, you got the bracelet!" Falak beamed, looking at the sparkling golden bracelet in her hands as it shone under the pressure of the sun rays.

She saw the bracelet online and tried purchasing it but they told her it was all sold out and no hope for anyone coming soon and so she cried to Bilal about how she's wanted to buy the golden bracelet. He consoled her then and said there must be something they can do to get it and here it is, in her hands as she hold it like something too dear to her.

Though Bilal isn't the richest, he is kind and always considerate to her needs. He made sure she never cries about anything, though she is rich, he is there to make sure she doesn't spend too much money on unnecessary things. She just wished she'd loved him since back from her village so that when arrived in the palace, she wouldn't have fallen for Shaddad.

"Anything for you, princess." He wounded his arms under his chest, feeling proud that he brought so much happiness to her face. His chest is puffing too.

"Thank you so much." She smiled at him after returning the bracelet back to it's cushion and into the small case it was sitting in.

From the look on his face, he knew just how thankful she is though she couldn't voice it out. She's lost the bracelet he gave her in India, the very first year. When she went to collect the parcel sent by Samir, she noticed that and kept trying to find it but no such luck so she gave up and when they met, she explained that to him looking so guilty. It was the first beautiful and expensive gift she's ever received.

They continue to stroll around the hospital talking about everything and nothing. He told her a lot about him and his parents that she met some days back. They were very kind and she is already feeling the mother in-law bond with his mother. She is cool and looks like the easy going type so she won't have problem when she gave birth.

Falak is already thinking about her children after meeting Bilal. She's thought about them a lot when she was so in love with Shaddad but when Bilal came into the picture and looks so serious, little Shaddad started fading slowly away to the back of her mind and she started focusing on Bilal, if only her heart would agree with her brain.

She always thought that her brain is against Shaddad and that he will hurt her while her heart is always leaping and chirping by the mere sound of his voice so she is about to be torn into two. She hates arguing with herself about the men. She likes yelling to herself that she is engaged to a kind hearted man who is being so patient with her.

She's told him about her little crush on Shaddad and said it was nothing serious so he agreed with her and stated that if she had had that crush on him, it will be easier and he can ruin Shaddad's attraction into fragments, he was confident that he could so that.

Her phone rang from her hands, jolting her back to reality especially after seeing the person calling her is Shaddad. She smiled nervously at Bilal because of the way she saved his name, it was just a red heart. She calmed herself since he wouldn't know who the person is. She couldn't help herself when she saved his number like that.

"Come to my office with your fiancée, now." Shaddad said in his lazy voice And he hung up the phone leaving her confused, puzzled and flummoxed.

She could already feel something bad happening, the danger is there, she could feel it in her bones.

*****
Yoyoyoyo!
We're about to get married, can you see that? Hheheheh, just a week before we tie the knot #BiLak or #FaLal, amazing. I can't wait for the grandest wedding o, you guys should wait for it. I've been thinking and planning about the wedding since ever and I can't wait to have it down for you guys💃
RQ; Would you rather marry a Billionaire or someone Royal? Forget, my love for royalty done pass anything so I'm going for Royal, you?

Aishatu.