Married To A Tyrant [PREVIEW]

Before The Wedding - Part 2

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SALMA

"Is that all?" Aunty Raliya asked as we entered the living room. I nodded and dropped the box beside her chair. I felt Mansur standing behind me, waiting for me to move out of the way.

I moved aside to let him drop the boxes in his hand. As he did, I caught a whiff of his cologne. He smelled like a typical Abuja man; sweaty and rich.

As he backed away, he briefly glanced at me. I rolled my eyes and went to sit beside my mum. As I sat next to her, I saw her nodding her head thoughtfully as she watched me. "Me ya faru, Mama (What happened, mother)?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"Miye tsakanin ke da Mansur (What's between you and Mansur)?" she asked, keeping her voice down. Aunty Raliya was busy talking with my siblings, - Nana, Jafar, Safiya and Khalid - so she wasn't paying us any attention. "Nothing is going on between Mansur and I. Why are you asking?" I replied.

"Don't be naive, Salma. He obviously likes you. He's been glancing at you since he came." she said. I rolled my eyes and forced a smile to my face. "Trust me Mama, there's nothing between us. He's my cousin, and that's all there is to it."

"Ku dai kuka sani (That's between you and him)." she said, leaning back as she turned her attention to the conversation my siblings were having with Aunty Raliya. I took out my phone from my purse and began to play Subway Surfers until Mama decided it was time for us to leave. As Baba came down from the stairs with Uncle Shareef, I stood up to say my goodbyes to Rukayyah and the twins, Nafisah and Hafsah. They promised to come and visit us soon, and Mama was very happy at the news.

As I hopped into the car, I saw Mansur walking around to come and say goodbye. He spent a few minutes talking to Baba, probably about work. Then he greeted Mama, Jafar, Safiya and Khalid. Without even looking at me, he turned around and went back to the BQ.

"Thank God." I muttered to myself, clasping my seatbelt. I didn't want anything to do with him. His reputation was well known among all the elites in Abuja. Mansur was known to go to parties almost everyday. He slept around with multiple women, which surprisingly Aunty Raliya did not seem to know. Maybe it was because nobody close to her was willing to tell her.

Just two months ago, I went with my friend to her cousin's birthday party in Maitama. She was celebrating her 20th birthday, so her brothers decided to throw a party for her.

While the girls were inside, having a good time and dancing to Bruno Mars' Uptown funk, the guys were out in the backyard doing their own stuff. Halfway through the party, we heard a commotion outside, which we all went out to see.

A huge fight had broken out, and several people were throwing bottles at each other. Apparently, Mansur and his friends had brought some alcohol which they were drinking in a corner. Some of the guys were beginning to join them, so the hosts asked them to leave. They took offence to that, and an argument broke out.

I didn't want anything to do with him after that incident. Thankfully, he didn't know I was at the party. No wonder he was trying to act all nice and caring today.

Idiot.

"Salma, ba zakiyi missing dina ba (Salma, won't you miss me)?" Nana asked as she stood beside the car.

"Kwana biyar kadai zakiyi fah (You're only spending five days)." I laughed. "It's not like you're not coming back."