RIDE OF A LIFETIME [COMPLETED✅]

Chapter 23

Hidaya✨

"Ziyad..." I call his name my voice breaking a bit.

What's going on? What have I done? Does he not love me? Is that not what he wanted to say? Why did I say it first?

With all these questions running through my mind and the deafening silence between us, I started to feel really dizzy. My eyes tearing up, my vision clouding but I could still make out how pale his face looks.

"I..." he starts but goes silent.

"What is it?" I muster the courage to ask but he doesn't say anything rather he looks down his face still pale.

His hand goes to his forehead. "I..." he massages his temple going silent again.

"Say something!" I exclaim somewhat startling him.

"Assalam alaykum." Yaya's voice came from the direction of the gate breaking the insane tension.

"Wa alaykum salaam." Ziyad somewhat breaks out of the trance he was in and greets yaya as if nothing had happened. As if I hadn't just told him I loved him.

"Come on in" Yaya invites him.

"I would love to but I was leaving anyways." He says not looking at me once, not once.

And that was it, my brain couldn't comprehend anything else. It was as if my hearing had stopped. I felt sick! Sick to my stomach. My vision blurred I see his figure leaving, he didn't look at me! He just left without looking back.

      A warm hand on my shoulder brought me back to my senses. "Are you okay?" Yaya asks.

"Yeah I'm just...I'm gonna go inside I don't feel too good." And with that I sprinted away leaving a confused Yaya standing outside trying to figure out what had happened. The second i got into the bathroom I spilled my guts out. What just happened was too much to handle. So much that I just threw up.
      I slump down by the toilet all my energy leaving my body. I felt like burying myself alive, what have I done? Why did I even tell him? Why did I think he was gonna tell me he loved me? Why is all this happening? Every bit of air that was within my lungs started to escape and I found it hard to breathe.

Does he not love me? I thought he did? Did I scare him away? Does he hate me now?

       After what felt like hours, I calm myself down and manage to shower. I felt numb, nothing, empty like a broken shell with nothing in it but air.  I somehow drag myself into bed where I succumb to the darkness of my room and fall asleep.

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Ziyad

"I said I...love....you...too." She mumbles confusedly looking at me.

Everything goes quiet, it's like the trees stopped moving and the whole world stopped existing.

"Is that not what you meant?" She gulped.

A tight feeling makes it's way to my chest making it almost impossible to breathe let alone talk.

"Ziyad....." her voice stuttered a bit coarse. "...you love me right?" I couldn't take it anymore so I stand up and she follows.

I try to talk but nothing comes out of my mouth. I try again but nothing. I couldn't say anything, I didn't know what to say.
Just then her brother walks into the house saving us from the silence. We exchange greetings and he invites me in but I decline. I just wanted to leave, I didn't feel too well.

I walk away without looking back, I couldn't look into her eyes, I just couldn't.

I walk to my car outside and get in the back seat. I immediately hand the keys to Mubarak.

"Bro can you drive?" I ask not looking at him.

"No stupid, I'm not driving you. Are you my bos..."

"Bro PLEASE DRIVE" I interrupt my voice a little loud.

"The heck is wrong with you?" He says annoyed.

"I'm sorry just....please drive." I beg.

I could tell I pissed him off from the way he slammed the door after getting out the car to switch to the driver seat. I was just glad he agreed to drive, I'm not myself right now,I need to gather myself.

I lie in the backseat with my hands on my face. What just happened? What just happened? My mind couldn't comprehend it. I was still trying to grasp what had happened.

She loves me. Hidaya loves me! She loves me! How? Why?

My phone vibrates in my pocket and my heart immediately thinks it's Hidaya. Within a heartbeat I get up and answer it without even looking.

"Hello Hidaya...."

"Ziyad I have amazing news! Assalam alaykum!" A familiar voice exclaimed through the phone.

"Wa Alaykum salaam..." I answer disappointed that it's not who I thought it was. I check the phone to confirm the voice and it was Alhaji.

"Is everything okay Alhaji?" I sit uprights

"I just finished talking to the Aztec chairman, the investigations have been completed and you have been proven innocent! In fact you can return to work today if you wish! Alhamdulillah!" He exclaimed further.

"Really? Subhanallah!" I feel somewhat better, I make eye contact with Mubarak through the rear view mirror and he seemed curious. "What about Nazif and the rest?"

"They were caught last night in Lagos. Apparently they have been tracing every single bank account they own and the got to track down their latest transactions in Lagos. As we speak they have been arrested and will be presented at court next week! Just....come to the office son! Alhamdulillah alhamdulillah!" He says before ending the call.

I look at the phone in silence trying to process all that has happened from the past hour. I just got my job back and Hidaya literally just told me she loves me.

"Mubarak....I just got my job back. Anyi arresting su Nazif and I can return to work." I say my head still down m.

"What? That's amazing! Congratulations bro!" He celebrates.

"Yeah....thank you." I say.

"Indeed the truth always comes to light! Amma will love to hear this!" He cheers and I simply nod.

My Amma, I'm sure she will be happy.

"You don't look excited, you've just been proven innocent." He looks at me through the mirror again.

"I am...I'm happy. I'm just processing." I mumble.

"Oh! That means you can now drop the driving job yeah?" He asks and my heart sinks.

I never thought about it like that. Getting my job back would mean not having as much time as I did and that would mean I would no longer be able to drive as a job....I won't get to drive Hidaya again.

"Shit!" I hiss.

"What is it?" He asks worried.

"Nothing just......I'm thinking of a way to tell her brother." I lie.

"Yeah well, goodbyes are the worst." He sighs.