Her Hidden Lies

12: His Return.

Those everything is roses and peaches with Aisha and Abdulrazaq she can't deny that sometimes he annoys her.

Since she told him about her parents he'd sometimes give her pitiful looks, she loved when he treated her like a rare gem but the pitiful looks hurt her.

"Why don't you talk to him about it? Latifa asks her.
"You think so?"

"You should" Zainab says coming out of the bathroom.
"Okay. Anyway, you said you have something important to tell me, that's why I came"

"Guess who's back to Kaduna?"
"Who?" She asks curiously.

"Come on, guess"
She hisses "Zainab just tell me who it is"
"Fine, it's Faroukh"

Aisha freezes.
What she feared the most was about to happen.
"Are you serious?"
"Dead serious".

She starts pacing around Zainab's room.
"Impossible! I'm ruined! What do I do? What if he comes looking for me?"

"Wait—" Latifa starts "—Who is this Faroukh?"
"Well, one thing I'm sure of is that, he's not over her".
"I thought Umar was your first boyfriend?"

She shakes her head.

Flashback.

"I don't like that idea Farouk" Aisha says with a frown on her face.

"Aisha think about it you only dated Umar to keep the heat away. But now you will be forced to marry a guy you don't like, and I don't want another man treating you like you don't matter because you're everything to me, you mean the world me". He replies back.
    
"But Abdulrazaq isn't like that, I don't think he'd treat me that way. He knows I was forced into it too".
 
"Aisha, I can't live without you, I can't function or breathe without you and I'm not lying. You don't know how good you make me feel. Please, you're not the first woman who runs away from an arranged marriage".
                  
She huffs staring at him.
She couldn't bear leaving without him either.

End Of Flashback

"Wow" Latifa says in disbelief "But Zainab I thought you didn't know she dated Umar"
She shakes her head "I didn't but I knew about Faroukh".

"I'm freaking out. What if Abdulrazaq finds out? I know Faroukh and I know he won't just let it slide" she says almost in tears.

"Aisha calm down. You knew from the very beginning that Abdulrazaq was bound to find out but I think he should hear it from you and not someone else" Latifah says rubbing her shoulders.

"You're right".

•

Someone knocks again.
"Come in"Abdulrazaq says.
His secretary peeps "Someone is here to see you, he says he's an old friend of your wife's"

He was confused.
"He?"
She nods back.
He's never met any of Aisha's male friends, hell he didn't know she had male friends.

"Send him in"
A few seconds later a man comes in.
He didn't look familiar at all.

The guys sits across him, smiling.
"Yes, can I help you?"

"So you're the guy Aishatu married" he says a bit annoyed.
"Yes I am. Are you a relative of hers?" He asks playing dumb to the friend part.

"Yeah you could say that. We were almost family". He answers with a devilish grin.
"Okay, and your name is? Seeing as you show up to my office asking about my wife"

He shakes his head "All that isn't necessary and you don't have to get curious either, I just wanted to know how my dear Aisha is doing".

"If you were family you'd call and ask yourself but obviously you're someone she's unconcerned about so kindly make an exit and don't show your face again" he says sternly.

The man looked pissed, no he looked resentful and bitter, clenching his fists "Just tell her, her old friend Faroukh stopped by". He says before walking out.

He was curious and worried. Curious how his wife knew the man and worried what he might do next, obviously there's something amiss.

Abdulrazaq kept thinking.
The door opens and his secretary steps in.
Your next client is here "it's 2pm"

"Please send them in"
"Okay" she closes the door.

He was annoyed that a man had the valor to show up at his work place and disrespect him, it made him furious.

•

Abdulrazaq hasn't been able to get his earlier conversation with that Faroukh since he left his office.
It got him really worried.

He was wearing a jallabia, seated outside in the gazebo just staring at the ceiling absentmindedly.
"You good?" Aisha asks joining him. She sits next to him, placing her hands on his, tapping it gently.

He smiles.
At that moment he made up his mind not to confront her about it. Whoever that man was to him there's a reason he approached him directly and not Aisha.

She was smiling but he could feel her hands shaking.
He turns to her "Are you okay?"
Now he's worried the man might have actually approached her too.

"Can we talk?" She asks nervously.
"Of course".

"Firstly, I shouldn't have kept this from you but Umar and I dated"
His expression was blank.

He smiles "That's what's bothering you? It's okay babe. That happened in the past and I kinda suspected with the way Umar has been acting so possessive".

She was relieved but that was barely the icing on the cake. Now she's back to being frightened.

"But—I didn't really like Umar. I had a reason for dating him. It was so I'd divert the attention away from the guy I was really dating" she takes a deep breath "His name was Faroukh".

He was starting to add up.
Why he's interested in her but now he was curious why he approached him.

He nods.
She felt a bit relieved he didn't start asking questions that'll just freak her out.

"Baba and Ya Ahmed warned me against him and that was why I kept my relationship with him a secret. And later on when we met and our marriage arrangements were being made, we made plans to elope but I realized I couldn't do it, I couldn't leave the only family I have, the only people who accepted me so I decided against it and I didn't see him after that".

He looks at her blankly, he didn't know what to say to her. She hated the fact that she couldn't read his expression, it made her nervous and scared.

"Aisha––" he starts but she cut him off.
"I swear I changed my mind—I Couldn't do it".
He smiles, clasping her hands "I'm not judging you. Believe me I know how it must have felt. You couldn't be with the man you love but the fact that you decided against it—I respect you for that because not many can do it. You don't have to feel on edge or walk on egg shells around me. Whoever this Faroukh guy is and whatever his aim is I don't care, you're my wife and I love you. And I'll do anything to protect you no matter the cost".

She hugs him.
"What would I do without you?" She smiles holding onto him tighter.

"Nothing" he jokes.

::