Cake Cafe

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"First I get cold then hot,
   Think I'm on fire but I'm not
Oh what a pain I've got
   It must be love."

                       ~~Don Williams
                           It Must Be Love.

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HIDAAYA
~~~~~~~~~~~

Powder. Puff, dab dab.

Kohl. Yeeaaahh.

Lip gloss. Smack smack.

Perfume. Chiss chiss chiss.

I turn from side to side in front of the mirror, inspecting my light make-up and dress. I'd picked out a dark blue abaya for today, a simple outfit and also one of my favorites. It had slim golden colored lines running up and down the front with a half zip in the middle that drags up to the neckline.
Free fitting and still fine. I had a golden brown cap on and then the small veil came on top.

The time on my phone read 4:45. As promised, Najib had called me a few minutes earlier, stating that he was outside my house. And my heart has been going dipdipdip  since then.

Today, I used the coworker excuse again when I went to inform Inna of my going out. 24 years old that I am, I still could just go out of the house without her knowledge entirely. It simply wasn't part of the family's ways to do that. Even she, although she was our mom, always informed us whenever she had to go out whether it was to her shops or otherwise.

But I still didn't know how to tell her that the guy who had come here with his family's the one I'm going to see without raising questions in her mind. So I'd still rather say the half truth.

I'll tell her one day, if it turns out to be good. Not right now however.

As I had promised to, Najib's written reply fitted into the same envelope he'd given me, lay quietly on the bedside drawer. I snatch up my phone and the envelope before heading for the door.

'Are you going out?' Raheema said from her place on the couch as I passed them by in the sitting room.

'Yep.' I slip my feet into my flats.

'Close by or far? Because I wanted to ask if you could get...'

'It's close by,' she pouted her lips at my reply, 'Well you can drive too Raheema, key's in the console, go get what you want mana.'

'I told you to go by yourself.' Hayley poked her finger in Raheema's stretched leg.

'Toh. Ni sai na dawo.'

~~~~~~~~~~
His feet, crossed at the ankles, were covered in black office shoes, and above them, soft looking suit trousers that had that pressed to perfection line. They were blue, but a very dark shade of blue there was only a slim line between that and black. Atop the long legged trousers, he wore a crisp white shirt. But there was no tie and the topmost button was undone. The shirts sleeves were folded up nearly to his elbow and a wristwatch adorned his right wrist.

Najib had his face turned away from me, leaning on his car and looking so deep in thought. His hair cut low and a long stubble, black on his brown skin that looks like it has it's own conditioner.

Snap out of it Hidaaya!

The voice in my head snaps me out enough for me to finally pull the gate close and walk forward. He heard the sound and in the same second that he turns to look at me, he straightens up to his full height, freeing his arms and pushing his hands into his pockets instead. His entire person is turned to me and his eyes remain on me as I walked closer and closer until I stop right in front of him. Hands still in his pockets, eyes still on me, he smiles.
A full, complete smile that moves his lips, nose and eyes.