A Promise to Aabidah (#1 Natives series) #ProjectNigeria

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

            AABIDAH LOOKED UP FROM HER phone at the sound of someone calling her name and for a brief moment her heart skidded in her chest as she laid eyes on AbdulAzeez Dawud.

How long had it been since she last saw him? Two months? She mused as she looked at him.

During her visits to his parents house she had never once seen him. Aabidah had figured that he was probably avoiding her because of how awkward things would be between them. She couldn't blame him, she had also prayed not to run into him. He still looked the same, she noticed. Even after being away for two months Aabidah could barely notice any difference in him, except for the slight tan he'd gotten. 

What had she been expecting? She scoffed silently. Engraved tear stains on sunken cheeks? Bloodshot eyes? She nearly laughed at her ridiculousness. She was glad he looked okay, that way her mind could be at ease.

"Asalamu alaykum," he greeted.

It took Aabidah a second to clear her throat and send back his greetings. "Wa alaykum salaam."

The adhan for isha prayers had gone off a while ago. Sulaiman and Bilal who had accompanied Aabidah had gone to pray, and in their long absence the sky had darkened measurably. After she had finished eating, Aabidah had began to grow bored of sitting so she had picked up her phone and gone straight to WhatsApp.

She was scrolling through the messages Rafiah had sent her a few days back when she heard AbdulAzeez call out her name.

"I came to buy awara when I saw you, so I thought that..." He was saying when his neice skidded up to them.

"Yaya AbdulAzeez," Khaila heaved, her chest rising and falling under the bright orange khimar she had on. "I've bought it!" She announced, halting in her tracks as she noticed Aabidah. "Oh, asalamu alaykum. Good evening, ma."

Aabidah beamed at the young girl. "Wa alaykum salaam. Ya kike?"

"Lafiya kalau," the girl responded and looked around her. "How is Bilal? He didn't cone with you?" she asked, her eyes still roving around for him.

Aabidah breathed out with a slight shake of her head before she gave a reply. "Even I don't –"

"See him there! Bilal!" Khaila pointed and called out to him before she dashed over to meet him.

Aabidah turned around just in time to see her son's face contort in annoyance as Khaila stopped by his side. So caught up in watching as her son tried but failed to shun the persistent girl away, Aabidah hadn't noticed when her brother walked up to her until he spoke up.

"What is he doing here?" Sulaiman demanded with hardened eyes locked on AbdulAzeez.

"What do you mean?" Aabidah queried. "This is a public space." She reminded him.

"I came to talk to Aabidah." AbdulAzeez's replied calmly.

Stuck between an irritated older brother and an ex who looked to be trying his best not to blow off, Aabidah felt like she was in some soap opera.

Sulaiman took a step forward, his chest puffing and his nose flaring. "Who gave you the right to –"

"That's enough!" Aabidah snapped.

"Aabidah!"

"I want to talk to him." She said simply. "A few minutes," she promised, "and then we can go home."

"You better don't try anything funny." Sulaiman grunted, shoving his nose up AbdulAzeez's face. He grumbled a few things before eventually leaving.

"Subhanallahi," Aabidah muttered underneath her breath as she watched her brother stomp off. She craned her neck to the side only to find him slouching on a stool, his eyes fixed on them.