MAKESHIFT HUSBAND (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

**

"Remind me again why you want to spend the night here and not with your loving wife" Maryam inquired as she tied the knots to secure her robe in place.

She leaned against the door and crossed her arms to stare at him, putting a pause to her intentions of taking a shower.

Kamal who was resting on his elbows looked away. She had no idea that by crossing her arms, her already short bath robe had risen to a few inches above her knees or what she was doing to him. He hissed and shook his head to clear the lewd images that popped up as she bent to pick her skirt off the floor.

He really needed to do something about her and her body of course. There was only one thing to do but he wasn't so sure he could do that.

"I told you before, she travelled"

There was no way he would tell her Zainab had gotten really suspicious of him and how he'd grown inattentive during their bedroom sessions simply because he'd seen her body that day.

He also wouldn't say his wife had come up with an absurd excuse of wanting to visit her home just after he refused to divorce her, Maryam, after six months.

'There's nothing really special about her body.' He said to himself. 'Zainab has everything larger than hers'

Yet you couldn't get it out of your head

A small voice inside his head chirped and Kamal hissed louder. He checked his phone to see if he had any missed calls or text messages from his wife.

None.

Just his wishful thinking. Zainab would drag this cold war between them until he conceded and apologised but she would have to wait a while this time too.

*
Maryam spent a long time in the bathroom more because she sat on the toilet seat and wondered what would happen once she changed into her nighties and laid on the bed.

She wasn't sure Kamal would offer to sleep on the floor like the gentlemen in romance novels did and she sure as hell wouldn't give up her bed to him.

But what if he wants to do something else? What if he tries to sleep with you? What would you do?

A voice in her head asked and she blew out hot air through her mouth. What would she do? She would know what to do if that happens.

With her thoughts less jumbled than before, she donned her bathrobe and walked out.

Kamal was lying on the bed pressing his phone with half a mind focused on the bathroom. As soon as the door opened, he immediately looked and felt his throat go dry.

Maryam ignored his looks and went through her nightly routine not missing to notice how her own body was reacting to his provocative looks.

When was the last time she had sex? About two years ago, the night before she was released from jail. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh.

Mere memories of her dark past and the things she used to do was enough to haunt her for the rest of her life. Her palm slid down to the left side of her chest where she had been stabbed.

Doctors said she was lucky to be alive for if the stab had been a bit inches higher, she would have had a knife through her heart.

"Are you even listening to me?"

She jumped.

Kamal frowned and crossed his arms across his chest. He'd been thinking of ways to talk to her. Two months into the wedding already, he needed to know her plans for after their divorce.

"Sorry what did you say?" She had changed into a set of trousers and shirt. "I wasn't paying attention just now."

"Forget it" Kamal muttered and turned to face the other side.

Maryam shrugged and muttered "weirdo"

"Shut up and go to sleep" Kamal snapped.

"Hey!" She sat up. "This is my room and my bed so I can do whatever I want to. If I wanted, I could even start dancing or singing."

Kamal faked a snore and she snorted. Reaching for the switch, she turned the lights off.

**************************

The locks clicked open and he took a deep breath as he walked outside the cell walls.

He gave the DPO a two finger salute and walked out of the station.

Even the air outside smells  different.

He mused and laughed loudly ane spreading his arms wide, he jumped.

One of the police constables who were just returning from patrol looked at a standing officer.

"Wetin dey do this one?"

"Them jus release am" the officer replied. "That guy that was brought in for drugs naw.."

"Oh" the constable recalled. "That one that his girlfriend exposed him too abi? Shey she served two years too"

The man whom they were discussing patted his face with overgrown beards and felt his whole body.

He headed to a street he was too familiar with. Years in the prison had made him more fit and he walked there with ease.

He laughed at his predicament. Here he was now, former big boy of keffi, the one who called all the shots, the one who wouldn't pass a lane without people calling out to him, now he walked like he was a nobody.

"Maryam" he spat the name out like a spit that stuck in his neck. Once he was settled and got his affairs in order, he would look for her and make her pay for sending him to prison and boy, did he have lots of things in plan.

He stopped in front of the gates and knocked. The gateman peeped through the hole

"Na who be that?"

"Its me, Yakubu"

"Welcome Sir" the gateman pushed open the gate and greeted. "Welcome o. Them Sir Michael and Tamin don come since dey wait. Welcome Sir. Welcome o"

"It's okay Idi. Thank you"

He walked into the mansion, his home. Sweeping his eyes across the cars that were parked, his cars, he felt the years spent in jail were worth them all.

He has lots to do but first, a long hot shower was needed.