A Promise From My Heart

27.

NOORIE'S POV

There are a lot of things about Nadia that drew people to her but her smile takes the cake. The gap in between her two front teeth had always drawn attention to her heart shape face. The feature enhanced her beauty and I have always loved it on her. Her smile was even more captivating with the shade of lipstick she had on.

As I threaded toward her, my lips broke into a smile. She called my name as she rose from her seat to give me a hug. The embrace was tight and showed how much she had missed me. I sighed inwardly. I have pushed a lot of people, including good and loyal friends, away in my time of grief. A very bad decision.

"Just look at you Noor, beautiful as always."

"Have you looked into the mirror recently? Your look prettier than the last time I saw you."

"Abeg." She threw a hand to dismiss my praise as heat consumed her face.

My eyes fell on her skin. The melanin was more prominent and had a shine to it. Acne scars used to be on her face and they were all gone. Her face looked plump, hydrated and flawless. Something she had always wanted. I was glad she finally got what she wanted.

"Iyawo Sadiq." I teased. Nadia is married and had been for three years. Her husband's name is Sadiq and I had always teased her by calling her Iyawo Sadiq, meaning Sadiq's wife. "Look at your skin." I started. "What's the secret because..." I paused dramatically. "It's goals babe."

"Hmmm." She gave me a side look. "Coming from someone with perfect skin. You that don't know what it means for your skin to be dealt with by acne."

"Perfect ke!" I exclaimed "Not when I am dealing with dry skin." We laughed.

My skin has always been envied by a lot of my friends. It was something they dote on. I was one of those with good skin. As teenagers, when hormonal acne was a thing many of my peers battled with, I had none. A lot of people had ran their hand through my face and pulled my cheeks as they commented on my good skin. Sincerely, it was something I enjoyed and was happy about. But, I have dry skin. It was worse during hamarttan, a season when the air is very dry. I could moisturize now and look as white as a chalk twenty minutes later. The skin on my body was drier than that on my face.

"Really? You have dry skin."

"See eh, the thing don tire me. I don't know which moisturizer to use anymore."

"You can't use moisturizers alone. You need hydrators like hyaluronic acid, snail mucin, snow mushroom and a creamy moisturizer."

"What's with all these big grammar again?"

"Lol." She rolled her eyes. "They are all skin care products that help with dryness of the skin. They are humectants that help draw moisture from the atmosphere to the skin, hence making the skin hydrated and plump. What facial cleanser do you use?"

"Facial cleanser?" I frowned. "I don't have any. I use my bathing soap to wash my face."

"Ah!"

"What?"

"I will recommend some good products to you from cleansers to hydrators and moisturizer." I lit up. "Do you use sunscreen?"

"Sunscreen? No!"

"You who is fair in complexion need it the most. I also need it irrespective of my melanin. But skincare products can be expensive." A brow crooked.

She recommended some products, told me their price range and where I can get them at affordable prices in Lagos.

"Thank you so much." I said saving the list on my phone.

"Now." She exhaled. "How have you been, Noor?" She took my hand. "I have not seen or heard from you in over a year. I tried reaching out a number of times but...."