Newfound Destination

~ 14 ~

Now I was debating...

Should I name his number? Should I not name his number?

What should I do?

"Hey." My room door suddenly opened and I jumped causing my phone to slip out of my hand and fall to the floor.

"What's going on?" Amir asked.

I shook my head, "It's nothing. What do you need?"

I squatted down and picked up my phone. Thankfully, it didn't crack.

"I don't need anything. I just came to inform you that Salma is downstairs waiting for you." He said to me before leaving.

I sat on my bed staring down at my phone for a while before I just named the number as Mustapha.

Well, I didn't die.

Ping.

A text from...Mustapha.

Mustapha: Hey.

Me: Hi...I finally named your number.

Why did I even tell him?

Mustapha: Oh, that's good.

I had nothing to say so I just didn't reply.

I was about to get up when I felt my phone buzz in my hand right as the door opened.

"They told you I was here but you didn't come down even as you're the one who called me here." Salma said as she walked into the room.

She sat next to me on my bed.

"What's up now?" She asked me.

I just gave her my phone.

She scrolled through our chats reading attentively. Her eyes widening by each passing second.

"Hm, it's like you've got yourself an admirer." Is all she said as she returned my phone.

"What do you mean?" I asked her, genuinely puzzled.

She sighed, "I'd actually wish a guy would wake up one morning and just start texting me 'Hi', 'How are you doing?', 'What are you up to?' but guy, this is creepy."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah...I mean, it's unusual you know." She mumbled.

"That reminds me, I actually met him at the Henna party. Scratch that, I bumped into him and stained his white kaftan with my hennaed hand. It was all Habibah's fault though. She's the reason why I was running." I narrated.

"So...how was he like? And what was his reaction when you stained his kaftan?" She questioned.

"He seemed unbothered. He just asked who I was and when I told him, he introduced himself as Mustapha and that's when I realized it. He even said I was prettier than he imagined. I wondered if he was weird or just so confident to say whatever came to his mind."

She laughed, "Hold up, let me ask you this one question...did you think he was more handsome than you imagined?"

I closed my eyes as I tried to recall exactly how he even looked.

He had a slender nose, a scruffy beard covering his lower face, sparkly brown eyes, perfect thin lips and neat black hair.

Oh...

"Now that I think of it, he was really good-looking. He looked like a grown man but in a good way...he didn't look old. All wrinkle-free, you know." I explained to her.

"That's...nice?" Salma said awkwardly.

I sighed, "And for some reason, I still haven't blocked him. I guess I just want to keep talking to him."

Salma shrugged, "Do what you think is best."

Ping.

It was Mustapha.

Mustapha: Would you like to hang out someday?

Me: Sure.

"What did you just do?" Salma questioned me.

She probably saw me text 'Sure'

"I want to meet him." I said straightforwardly.

"You're really going to meet with him?" She asked me.

I nodded, "I want to get to know him."

Another text came in.

Mustapha: I'll come pick you up. Send me your address.

Me: Don't bother. Send me the address of where we can meet and I'll come on my own.

Mustapha: Fine. Downtown Restaurant at Gwarinpa.

Me: Okay, I'll be there.

Okay, what was I doing?

"Are you sure about this?"

I looked at her, "Omo, I don't even know again."

"Girl, what if he's a human trafficker- Oh no, wait...did you say that you met him at the Henna party?"

Then it hit me.

"I think he's related to the bride!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Whoa, don't jump into conclusions- Who am I kidding? There's no doubt!"

I laughed weirdly, "Wait. But it's impossible for him to be the bride's brother, right?"

"Only one way to find out..."

Salma dialed Halimah's number.

"Hey...just out of curiosity, what's your sister-in-law's surname?" Salma asked her.

"Sani? Are you sure? Oh...okay, thanks. Bye." She hung up.

"It's Sani." She said to me.

I gasped dramatically, "Wow, Mustapha's surname is Sani! He's her brother!"

"This is so crazy!" Salma squealed.

"I don't even know what to think..." I mumbled.

"I think it's a funny coincidence, honestly speaking." Salma contemplated.

"Yeah..."

Well, this is just great.

"Are you okay with that?"

I shrugged, "What's there not to be okay about? It's fine, I guess."

"Hm, I suppose so."

I hope...