Chaos and painkillers

19. About time...

As Laila stared at the ceiling, legs splayed and her phone in hand as Kaleo's song, Way Down We go played repeatedly from her earphones, she didn't notice when the door to the room had been pushed open. Neither did she hear the bulky man in a shirt and jeans announce until he stood in front of the bed and clapped loudly, his fingers flying to his ear, motioning for her to do the same.

When she turned off the music and removed her earphones, he announced. "My mum. She's back."

Laila swallowed hard. What did she swallow? Nothing.

The act became a regular as her heartbeat started to surge, her palms under the air con hypothetically started to sweat and she quickly rushed it down the fabric she was getting off her body.

She clumsily stepped into her third outfit of the day.

As if he had read her thoughts, he halted at the door. "Did you pray?"

With no hesitation, she lied. "I did."

He smiled, a tight one, liking the fact that he caught her red-handed. "You have your period, Sadiya."

Laila's hand that held her veil stopped mid-air as she scrunched up her face, then inhaled a sharp breath. "I took my ghusl. My period is irregular." The first sentence was a lie, the second though, far from it.

Laila sometimes had her period twice a month. Most times.

Back at the chambers, she had sat in the day before, Sudais led her into the bakhoor scented flat and they went through a series of doors before he pushed open a double door.

He stepped to the side to let Laila take in his mums room. Furnished in gold with touches of brown, a more intense scent took over her nostrils as she whipped to the side at the sound of a door opening.

A woman, fair with a striking resemblance to Sudais except for his bushy eyebrows and the cut that ran down his right eyebrow closed the door behind her, wiping the dripping water off her face but froze when she saw Laila.

Laila's eyes widened, mirroring the average height woman in a boubou, her head tilted to the sight as she glanced between the woman and Sudais before she acknowledged. "Hauwa?"

"Laila?" Maijidda glanced around before letting out a scream as she ran to Laila. "Laila!"

As enthusiastic as Laila hadn't been for almost 3 weeks now, she screamed back, hugging Maijidda just to pull and then hug again.

Sudais who had jumped at Maijidda's scream thinking something terrible had happened stood at the side, hands on his waist as he watched grumpy Laila who hadn't smiled genuinely since they met but here she was, laughing and hugging his sister.

Women could be so confusing.

He couldn't help but ask. "You guys know each other?"

Maijidda pulled back, leading Laila to the rug to sit before answering her brother who made himself comfortable on a loveseat. "Ehen. Laila is my best customer naw. Remember last year that i refused to sell you that knitted sweater that you wanted to gift someone and you said you'd double the price and i told you it was for a special customer?"

His mouth went agape as he slowly turned to point at Laila, "That was for her?"

Maijidda hit the air with her fist. "Yes..." she cranked her head to remember a few more relatable events, "Ehen, ina wani Friday you found me freaking out about an uncompleted order that i even told Mima to just get a bolt instead of picking her up and you started yelling, then a sleek red Camry car came to pick up the order and i went to stand by the car and talk to the person in the passenger seat and when i came back you said motan tayi ma kyau and i said you should back off, me motan tafi karfin ka?"