Too Little, Too Late

19

Just as Ibrahim said, The Hexad got busier than ever with the upcoming release of Little Walker and the application created a worldwide buzz that made Ayra really proud of her husband and their friends. Ibtihaj was impressed too.

If there was something Ayra loved, it was the fact that on some days, Ibrahim made an effort to come home early just to spend an hour or two with her before retiring to the home office to continue working. On some days, when he had an issue he couldn't handle alone, he went down to Bella's place or Bella came up to their place and Ayra let them be. She usually stayed in her space during such times, working on her own dissertation and going through notes while being happy that her husband was home or close-by.

March 4th was a Thursday and all her classes were cancelled for one reason or the other. Glad to have enough time on her hands, she called Ibtihaj because although Ibrahim didn't go to work, he was at Bella's place as they had some coding to do before they booked tickets for their Saturday trip to Argentina with the others – except Nathaniel who was very busy at the hospital.

"Omo, I wanted to call you too." Ibtihaj said when Ayra requested they hung out. "But Mummy said I need to come with her to the market." She hissed. "If I knew sef, I wouldn't have shouted that I don't have class today. Sorry, dear. Let's reschedule."

"No problem." Ayra smiled as she took in the view from the living room. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yep. Don't get too bored before tomorrow."

"I won't. Enjoy your market trip."

"Ayra, I swear to God –"

Laughing, Ayra hung up. She stood there for a minute longer before a plan came together, causing her to grin. After all, she was free and Bella was home which meant she could finally visit and get a tour of the Italian beauty's home. She rushed up to her room and grabbed an open abaya which she wore over her vest and jeans. Using a cap to cover her hair, she changed her home slippers for flip-flops and then left the house, remembering to grab her phone from where she'd left it in the living room.

The short ride down to the eighth floor was nice and Ayra had a skip in her step as she walked over to Unit 8C. She happily rang the doorbell and smiled at the security camera. She smiled wider when a familiar chuckle reached her ears and then the door went open. Ayra grinned. "Hi!"

Bella, dressed in a waffle knit tee and tie waist shorts lounge set from Shein with her hair in a messy bun and fuzzy slippers on her feet, grinned right back. "Hi! Don't tell me you're missing Ibrahim already. Should I kick him out and send him back up with you?"

Ayra shook her head, laughing. "No, you don't have to do that. I'm here for you actually."

Bella's expression brightened. "Really?"

"Yep! I'm free since my classes were cancelled and this is the first time I'm not busy or tired when you're home so I came for my long overdue tour of Isabella Valentino's home."

Bella laughed. "It's really an overdue tour." She then stepped aside, opening the door wider. "Come in then. Benvenuto a casa mia e del mio amante (Welcome to mine and my lover's home)."

Ayra giggled as she stepped in. "I'm going to pretend I understood all of that."

"I'm telling you welcome."

"Well, that wasn't far from..." Ayra's eyes widened as she took in the foyer. "Whoa."

Bella's foyer was the exact same size as Ayra and Ibrahim's but her walls were white while every accessory was black, all of which went well with the tiled floors that illusionised wood. A round, black framed mirror sat on the left wall and right below it was a minimalist Scandinavian console table with thin, black legs. The table held a Tyler table lamp, a black vase with faux flowers, an empty grey vase, a big jarred scented candle, and a tiny basket for keys. Underneath the table was a black basket that held woollen scarves, beanies, and nicely rolled socks.