Over and Over

Devour

KANO,
NIGERIA.

LAYLA'S POV

By the time everyone had settled into the house, i was already beginning to regret agreeing to this.

Samira, Ayra, Batoul, and Rayhana wasted no time making themselves at home.

Luggage was scattered in the hallway, laughter echoed through the rooms, and within minutes, the peaceful atmosphere had completely disappeared.

Hakeem leaned against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, watching as the girls rummaged through the fridge.

"This is a disaster," he muttered.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "They just got here."

"And they've already taken over my house."

"It's our house," i corrected, reaching for a glass.

Hakeem scoffed. "Right now, it doesn't feel like it."

Before I could respond, Batoul suddenly gasped. "Oh! We should bake something!"

Samira's eyes lit up. "Yes! Layla, let's make cookies!"

Hakeem looked horrified. "No."

The girls ignored him.

Rayhana grabbed my arm, practically bouncing. "Please, please? You promised to teach me how to make those chocolate chip ones!"

I hesitated. "Well, I mean—"

Hakeem turned to me, jaw tightening. "Layla."

I gave him an innocent smile. "Yes, hubby?"

Hakeem exhaled slowly, clearly holding back his suffering. "You're supposed to be resting, remember?"

I patted his cheek playfully. "Relax, it's just cookies."

"More like a recipe for disaster," he muttered.

But before he could protest any further, the girls had already dragged me toward the kitchen island, gathering ingredients with excitement.

Hakeem groaned, muttering something about losing his wife to a sugar cult, but he didn't leave. Instead, he pulled up a chair, watching as i laughed and got to work, rolling up my sleeves.

And, despite his complaints, he never took his eyes off me.

Twenty minutes later, i was covered in flour, giggling as Rayhana tried to shape the cookie dough into something remotely round.

"Rayhana, what is that?" I asked, laughing.

Rayhana pouted. "A cookie?"

"It looks like a pancake."

"It's abstract," i argued.

Hakeem, who had been watching in amusement, finally decided he'd had enough.

"Alright, that's it

Just as i placed a tray of cookies in the oven, Samira suddenly gasped dramatically, clutching Batoul's arm like she'd just made a life-altering discovery.

"Oh. My. God."

Everyone turned to her in confusion.

"What?" Batoul asked, concerned.

Samira turned to me, her eyes wide with shock. "Your graduation is in three days!"

The room went silent for exactly two seconds before chaos erupted.

"Three days?!" Ayra practically shouted.

"Wait, wait—why does it feel like we forgot something so important?" Batoul groaned.