Over and Over

lily

EL-BAAZ MANSOR,
KANO.
NIGERIA.

NARRATOR'S POV

Maymun sat alone in her room, the weight of guilt pressing heavily on her heart.

Her thoughts swirled around the harsh words she had flung at Layla earlier.

"I have to apologize," she whispered to herself, rising with determination.

She needed to find Layla and make things right.

As she stepped into the corridor, she spotted Hakeem coming in from outside.

"Hakeem, where is Layla?" she called out.

He ignored her, and walked past her without so much as a glance.

Frustrated, she raised her voice, "Hakeem!"

Finally, he stopped and turned to face her, his expression unreadable.

"What?"

"Where is Layla, please?" she asked again, her voice softer now as she moved closer.

He sighed, his disappointment evident.

"Do you want to irritate her further, Maymun? I never expected this from you.

I'm highly disappointed." With those words, he walked away, leaving her standing there, feeling more remorseful than ever.

---

LAYLA'S POV

I had been in Abuja for six weeks, and the city had treated me well.

Between Yasmin's wedding preparations and other family activities, my days were filled with a whirlwind of events.

Yet, i kept a secret close to my heart, one i hadn't even shared with Yasmin: my relationship with Hakeem.

The thought of Yasmin telling Imam terrified me so much, so i planned to deal with Hakeem first.

Today, my younger cousin Hammad was arriving from Europe. He used to stay with is in our house.

I went to the airport to pick him up.

As soon as he saw me, he ran and hugged me, forgetting for a moment that we were no longer children.

If only Hakeem were there to see it, I thought wryly as i gently pushed Hammad away.

He greeted Dada, who had insisted on coming along, and the six of them piled into the white Seina to drive home.

Later, Dada prepared a sumptuous meal, and the family gathered around the table, enjoying each other's company.

I stood up to capture the moment with a selfie.

"Hey, everyone, say cheese!"

"Cheese!" they chorused, grinning at the camera.

Afterwards, i decided to take a selfie with Hammad too.

"Hammad, let's take a selfie," I said, holding up my phone.

"Alright," he replied, posing with me.

When the meal was over, everyone headed to the garden for a walk.

I stayed behind to clean up as I had promised Dada.

Once the house was tidy, i settled on the couch and scrolled through my phone.

I found the selfie i took with Hammad and sent it to Hamida, who had been bugging me to help her find a boyfriend.

Hours later, I realized Hamida hadn't responded.