A walk on thorns

Chapter 3| Her Arrival

Anisha’s POV

An hour from now, she’ll be here. Their plane was said to land by 2:00 p.m., and now it's already one o’clock. Malam Habu, Jenny, and Rubina are all set to go and pick her up at the airport.

Something has been gnawing at me ever since I heard about Sabrina applying to the University of Abuja. But when was the last time I ever felt certain about anything? My greatest fear about having Sabrina here is that she’ll see what kind of life I’m living with Mukhtar in this house, and she’s not one to keep quiet.

The girl is... different. Even Mama complains about her all the time, but it never bothers Sabrina, not in the slightest. She’s like a flame that refuses to be dimmed. Sabrina is a black girl with a white man’s mentality. If she had been raised in a place like America, I’d have indisputably blamed her environment. Yet, even here, she stands out. She’s often right, but her delivery is sharp, almost cutting. She's just... hard to explain.

I know the moment she walks in, she’ll complain about me not being at the airport. Then she'll bombard me with questions about my well-being because I’ve lost weight and my complexion has darkened tenfold. But I’ll handle it, I have to. She won’t find out anything. Not yet.

I assigned Karima and Jessica to prepare her room downstairs. If anything happens upstairs during her stay, she won’t be able to notice easily. Anything to prevent her from finding out. I know she likes nude colors, so we made sure her room reflects her taste. Anything for you, Sabrina. Just... please don’t find out. I sent a silent prayer upward.

Sitting in front of the huge mirror in my room, I was too lost in my thoughts to notice the time slipping away. It was already 2:40 p.m. I did the final touches on the concealer coating the purple bruises on my neck from yesterday’s incident.

I looked in the mirror one last time, whispering a shaky affirmation to myself before heading downstairs. Almost as if on cue, the front door opened just as I stepped into the living room.

And there she was.

Sabrina rushed toward me, her suitcase forgotten by the door, and threw herself into my arms. Her bone-crushing hug made me bite back a wince as sharp pain flared through my body.

“Ya Anisha!” she laughed, squeezing me again with infectious excitement.

“My God, Sabrina, you’ve turned into such a beautiful woman! Look at you!” I said, my voice softening as I took in her bright face.

“I’m just eighteen and slightly chubby, Ya Anisha. Don’t call me a woman, please,” she laughed, her nose scrunching adorably. “But that’s not the point, why weren’t you at the airport? You know I missed you so much, don’t you?”

I knew this was coming.

“I was supervising how your room was arranged, and I had to get ready before the OCD queen arrived.” I teased her lightly, a smile cracking through the weight in my chest. I didn’t even know I still had this part of me left.

“Well, I thought you were sick or something... You look different,” she said, studying me carefully. Her sharp gaze was unwavering. “No stress, just saying.” She shrugged, smiling softly.

“Just be yourself, Sabrina,” I said with a small laugh. “I knew you’d mention it the second you walked in.”

“Well... am I wrong?” she asked, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“Of course not, Sabrina. I am sick, but it’s nothing serious. Come on, let’s get you to your room.”

As I walked her towards the room, she cleared her throat, a deliberate sound I recognized well.