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ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

"Hey, babes, you home?" Betsy hollered from the other end of the line as soon as Fatima answered her call.

"Yeah and I don't feel too good too. Can you stop by and get us something? I don't even want to talk to Adda mama." She massaged her throbbing head as she lie comfortably on Ahmad's bed. They are still sharing his room even five days later, Adda mama won't have it any other way and Fatima done have the strength to argue on the matter.

Betsy's voice swarmed with worry. "Did something happen between you two?"

"No, just my usual moodiness." And then hung up the phone, threw it beside her and lie her head on the fluffy pillow that smells of Ahmad.

She smiled as she recalled what has happened after the incidence at the police station. Like Raheeb had predicted, Adda mama gave them both an earful before she decided to make the pizza herself saying it's now a bad omen and they should never eat domino's pizza. Ahmad came back home brooding and didn't eat anything, settle in the room the whole evening and only come down when he needs to go to the mosque. He didn't talk to her and she didn't either. Why would she? It's not like she did anything wrong to him, she was merely defending herself against the everyday mocking that comes from him. She wasn't kidding when she asked him to scold his colleagues, she hopes he does.

When it was time for her to go to sleep, Fatima was reluctant to go to his room but Adda mama declared without a tinge of remorse that she won't allow her to sleep with her in the room and she just go to Ahmad's room. Fatima wore her big girl panties and went to the room, slipped beneath the covers quietly and stared dully at the ceiling because she couldn't fall asleep. Sleep had evaded her, her stomach was filled with nervous butterflies that she didn't know where they came from. Why was she nervous? It's not like he is going to kill her in her sleep? The worst he could do is rape her and that doesn't make any sense since she will willingly surrender herself with just a kiss.

Fatima kept on sighing the whole time, turning from one side to the other till she awoke Ahmad or had he been sleeping? He braced his hand and pull her to his chest in a tight cuddle that will stop her from moving. Fatima had tensed, her spine straight as a bowstring. Her eyes were wide open as she stared into the darkness, his breaths falling slowly on her forehead while his chest rise and fall evenly unlike her own rapid and shallow breaths. Nothing happened for three minutes and Fatima was tired of being tensed so she pushed herself away from him and look up to find his eyes wide open in the dark. It almost startled her, almost if not for her ranging heartbeat in her ears.

He raise a brow which she didn't see in the darkness, she only stared at him in confusion. They were fighting few hours ago, why is he suddenly hugging her and cuddling her up to his chest. Shouldn't they be giving cold shoulders to one another? That is how fights are conducted but why is it different with Ahmad? Is this what being mature is?

Ahmad inclined his head and tilted it to the side then scoop her closer to him and pressured her lips with his. Fatima shuddered visibly, her resolve shattering and thoughts disappeared. She closed her eyes and let him lead the kiss like always, he coaxed her into opening her mouth and she thanked God she took her cardamom tea before she came into the room which will surely leave the taste of mint leaf. She managed to drape one of her legs on his, molded her chest into his as if she wants to enter the same skin as he. He is just so far away, she wants him much closer.

Ahmad closed his eyes and gave a faint, desperate groan. He wanted her. Not merely to bed her, though at the moment that was certainly his uppermost thought, but in other ways as well. He could no longer deny that for the rest of his life, he would measure every other woman against her, and find them all lacking. Her smile, her sharp tongue, her temper, her infectious laugh, her body and spirit, everything about her struck a pleasurable chord in him. She was independent, willful, stubborn, qualities that most men did not desire in a wife. Men always want to be the tyrants of the home but he found it difficult to believe that he'd allow her that tyranny anyway and anytime.

The fact that he did want her as she is was as undeniable as it was unexpected.

There were only two ways to manage the situation. He could either continue trying to avoid her, which had been a spectacular failure so far -he couldn't even do it for a few hours- or he could simply give in. Give in, knowing that she would never be the placid, proper wife he had always envisioned having. In being with her, he would defy a fate that had been scripted for him before he had even been born. He would never be entirely certain what to expect from Fatima. She would behave in ways that he would not always, understand, always ready to surprise him. That will make their life more interesting.

But the bigger question here is, will she agree to that? Fatima doesn't want to be caged and he is more than sure that she doesn't like him enough to stay chained in such marriage. She would want to prove her father wrong by walking out of the marriage he's influx forcefully on her. There will be so much problem awaiting them when they decide to have sensible conversation of ending things. Fatima might leave him the minute she gets bored of what they are doing, their escapades. But so far, she enjoys is more than he does.

Fatima grinned, she always looks forward to coming to his room now. For the past five days, Ahmad had started teaching her how to read Qur'an after he taught her the whole huruf in one night. She thought it was going to be hard but when she read it out to him and showed him she's memorized everything, Ahmad applauded her loudly and gave her an encouraging kiss. Fatima was muted for a few seconds after the kiss before he playfully nudged her that she should concentrate on what he is about to do. He asked whether she could read something from the holy Book and she did read Surah Ikhlas, Falaq and Nas albeit not perfectly.

He started teaching her from the mother of the Qur'an -surah Fatiha- and now they are hanging at the last page of Baqara. He always starts with complimenting her way of reading then go through to tell her her voice is the most beautiful voice he's ever heard reading Quran and she'd blush because she knew he was telling the truth. Whenever she starts reading the holy book, she always keeps her mind locked and brain quiet to listen to herself. Knowing the meaning of what she is reading makes it more perfect, more personal and heartfelt. Ahmad gave her a new Quran as a gift which have translation in case she wants to read that part first before the Arabic part.

She took the memorizing off-head part because he told her she could do it and there is nothing Fatima takes satisfaction in more than knowing someone believe in her. The will to prove them right, the will to make them proud of her overpower every other thing. She became aware that along the path, she started enjoying it more for her own sake than for his. She wants to make it, be a good person when it comes to her and her Lord. She didn't promise to stop making people's lives hell when required but when she is with her Lord, everything should seize to exist except their bond and connection. That's all she wants, closeness with her Creator.

Now she is going to surprise him today with three entire pages that will bring them to the end of Surah Baqara. She cannot wait for the night because immediately after they finish, they tumble on bed again for a long night of passion. They get intimate everyday like bunch of rabbits and one had think they will get bored and tired of one another but with new arts of seduction from her husband all the damn time, Fatima is sure there is no tediousness knocking at their door anytime soon. Everyday feels like a new day. A day to exploit each other, find more weaknesses and whisper more promises that makes the other one's knees wobbly. She is working on her seduction too and she is succeeding at it.

Sometimes she does something that will have him begging, she will mark it as his weak tender spot, delicate. She hugged the pillow tighter around her, eyes closed as she recollected their morning. God, she is just being so coarsened all the damn time. Shouldn't that be unhealthy of some sort? Thank God for the pills she got from Betsy or she would've been sure without an ounce of doubt that she is already pregnant.

Seeing as lying on the bed won't do anything for her, she stood up from the bed naked and sashayed to his bathroom to take her bath. She has already packed a few clothes from her room and brought it to Ahmad's with the help of Adda mama who thinks she should stop roaming around the house all disheveled and disoriented in the morning. She didn't mean it in a sexual way but with Fatima's knowledge of how loud she is and the guilt that she is enjoying being in her husbands arms all night long, she had flushed at the comment. Ahmad had cajoled her that the doors and walls are soundproof, she agreed but she can be too loud.

She bite her lower lip to stop herself from smiling at her reflection on the mirror. She is seriously fucking glowing. So the saying is true that when you are happy and taken care of, you tend to glow radiantly. She wouldn't have believed such notion had she not being staring at her flushed and glowing face. She looks and feels different in a good way. A sigh rose from her stomach, she relaxed the muscles on her face and entered the Jaquar my home stainless steel bathroom shower panel.

Ahmad shouldn't find out he's made her a blushing mess all over and she's started smiling unnecessarily at the sight of herself. Few months ago when Fatima looked at herself in the mirror, she'd grimace at the broken girl that will stare right back at her but now... damn it ACP Al-hafiz. She is now a teenager because all those things she's read about teenagers, she didn't feel them until now. He makes her young again. God, the muscles on her face are so relaxed now that she smiles a lot. The Fatima before doesn't even like smiling, they are always cynical and satanic but now? She hissed beneath her breath, she should stop thinking about this.

She quickly took a bath and left the bathroom in Ahmad's enormous white fluffy Balenciaga logo print beach towel. She's observed that everything about Ahmad is either designer or just extremely expensive. Not even her designer freak self could compete with him, she tend to get the ones that are not designer if she likes them but Ahmad, every single thing she's seen him using is branded and they are not fake! How much does her father give him? She thought ruefully and went to his dressing mirror to rub on her lotion and comb her hair thoroughly. Her hair cream is bound to arrive in a few days, Ahmad told her so.

She wants her hair to grow longer so Ahmad can tug on it the way he likes doing her short one, she loves the feel on his fingers wheedling and fondling her scalp. He said he loves her hair the way it is but Fatima of course didn't believe him. Who would prefer shorter hair to longer one? Definitely not her since she's spent her entire life trying everything and nothing to get it off that stage.

Changing into one of the few clothes she's stacked in his closet -crocodile t-shirt featuring queen Anna neckline and bishop sleeves then seaweed boyfriend, the shirt tucked inside- then slipped on his Gucci flip flops. She left the room pushing her phone inside her pocket, holding a seaweed crinkled cotton veil with her head and shoulder. When the phone is successfully inside her jeans pocket, she roughly tied the veil on her head and skipped down stairs to meet Betsy. Her voice floated from below the stairs to Fatima's ears and she wants to save her from Adda mama's intimidating presence.

She found Betsy siting in an un-Betsy way looking all too polite and forceful smiles. Fatima laughed at the sight. Betsy was not comfortable with her too before but with time, that is all in the past now. The girl is not even wearing any polite outfit -lavender tank top with scold neckline and soot Capri jeans that permitted her long slender caramel legs to glimpse the earth- which means she rushed there from somewhere to tell her something, Fatima is now serious.

"Adda mama, can we use my room? I'm afraid the ACP's isn't cleaned." No, that is not why she doesn't want Betsy in her husband's room but she feels like she will violate their privacy by taking her there. A private sanctuary.

Adda mama stared at Betsy again from head to toe before she nodded. She obviously doesn't like Betsy and her friend doesn't give a damn from the way she rolled her eyes at Fatima to quickly take her away from there which she did. They rushed with the paper bags in Betsy's hands to her room where they settled on her bed and opened them all at the same time. She brought sandwiches, suya, large burgers, fries and chilled Pepsi.

"You are a lifesaver. I haven't eaten anything since morning and it's eleven already." Fatima started pushing fries inside her mouth then opened the Pepsi with oily hands, she cannot help it.

Betsy started chewing slowly. "You have such a grumpy aunt. I thought she was all nice and cool but nah, she is stuck up like all those rich aunties." She rolled her eyes and open her own Pepsi with more leisure moves that Fatima.

Fatima shrugged her shoulders knowing Betsy is right. Adda mama is stuck up to everyone but her family which only include her older brother, Fatima and her son. "She is not like that with me though. Forget about her now and tell me why you are here. I know something is up."

Betsy's grin began to widen before she close the Pepsi and place is gently on the floor. "I told you about the guy I'm crushing on right? The one I told you is using Roman numerals as his Instagram username?" Fatima nodded, he is the only person Betsy had talked to her about but she never bothered checking out his account too focused on her career to do so.

"What about him? Did he ask you out?"

"No, bitch. I just saw that he is in Adamawa state on his story earlier. I went to the place he snapped but it was empty. I want to find him but I don't have nice outfit for that so I'm here for help. He is a Muslim and I want to impress him." She clapped her hands together. She's given her whole clothes to an orphanage that got burnt down and she cannot use her money to buy new ones when she knew Fatima have more than hundreds to give away.

Fatima regarded Betsy skeptically, she looks a bit too serious with this guy she's never talked to. "Are you serious for once?"

Betsy gave a secretive wicked smile that Fatima knew all too well. He is going to be her new play toy before she gets tired of him and dump him. Fatima let out a breath or strangled disappointment.

Betsy pouted. "Don't look at me like that. You are not serious with your husband but you want me to be serious with a crush? I don't even know his name." She accused, her pout still intact.

Fatima glowered, she is turning the tables on her now. "My case is different, Bets. We are both happy with the way things are now before the time comes. Now go and check my closet for maxi dresses. That is the only thing you can wear to impress him."

Betsy stood up enthusiastically to go do that right before Fatima's phone rang and Raheeb's name flashed on her screen. She smiled, he didn't see her the whole day and probably missed her and is going to ask her to come down for their shenanigans but she wasn't ready for his next words that shattered her.

"Maah?" She answered with a little exaggerated cleared throat then he continued, voice computed with worry. "I just got a call from the police station that ACP Al-hafiz has been shoot on the chest. And he might not ma..."

Fatima's eyes had widened and the phone fell away from her suddenly languid fingers before a loud outcry filled the room. A voice that sounded awfully like hers before everything goes black.