Destined Hearts

Chapter 29

Muhammad's POV

She's in the kitchen. I can hear her talking to Jamila as they chatted. It's been a week since we came back with Inayah, and it has been 11 days since we got married. I subconsciously kept count. I am in the living room, watching Barbie Charm School with Inayah when I hear her laugh, and my head snaps up to look at the door into the kitchen from the dining room.

I haven't heard her laugh in what felt like a long time. It was loud but soft, and so full of life. It was the only time she let down her guard. The moment she stopped laughing and the small smile on her face faded, her walls would come back again.

I stare at the door waiting for her to come out. Inayah had slept with me, and we woke up together. Madeenah was already in the kitchen by the time we came downstairs, still in our pyjamas. Inayah is leaning against my chest as she focuses on the TV.

Madeenah comes out holding two plates and Jamila follows her with Inayah's pink one. She doesn't even see me staring at her, too busy setting the table and bringing out juice and water for tea. She takes her time arranging it as though she even enjoys it.

She's wearing a silk pink robe over her white pyjamas set. I let my eyes roam over her as she pays attention to her arrangements. There's a bit of sweat above her brow that she wipes away with her sleeve, her skin looks flushed, and her brows are furrowed in concentration. I can see strands from her ponytail escape the scarf on her head, she hasn't once let her hair out around me except that day I came back from Lagos. She's kept that part hidden and a part of me just wants to make her expose it all to me. I won't though. It's only fair since I exactly haven't been offering to do the same.

We barely talk. She cooks breakfast and dinner every day, and leaves Lunch for Jamila to handle. She plays around with Inayah as the run outside or watch barbie movies. Whenever i come back from the office, I find them sitting on the floor in the living room, playing with her dolls, rather than watching TV. She mentioned how she needs less screen time once when she caught me watching them from the doorway. She was right.

"Ya Muhammad. Inayah." I snap out of my thoughts and turn to see her looking at us expectantly.

Her brown eyes are so light even from afar. Her eyes are so expressive that one look at it will let me know how she feels and right now they look at me with wariness and hesitancy. I hate it. Before she looked at me with this hint of admiration and wonder. A part of it lingered but it was now overshadowed.

Inayah got up and we went towards her. She has set up the table like she usually does. I sit at the head of the table, she sits on my right and Inayah on my left. Inayah immediately started eating her chips and sausage, submerging it in ketchup. She made two options for me, a stack of pancakes and then chips, eggs and sausage with a spicy sauce. I chose the latter.

"Inayah don't put too much ketchup." Madeenah says to her as she takes a bite of the pancake I didn't pick. I look at her as I realize she planned to eat whatever I didn't choose. She glances at me before she put her attention back to the food in front of her.

"I like ketchup." Inayah says as she adds more on her plate.

"Inayah." Madeenah says in a warning tone and with a look that reminded me of Mami. Inayah looked up at the tone and dropped the ketchup. I almost chuckled at the sight.

"Are you going to the office today again?" It is a Saturday but I understand why she asks. I went out on Saturday last week though it wasn't to the office.

"I didn't go to the office last week." I tell her.

"Oh." She says then hesitates as if scared to continue. "Where did you go?"