MAKESHIFT HUSBAND (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER TWELVE

When Maryam opened her eyes, she was alone. In bed. Naked. And sore.

She sat up quickly, wincing as a full blown back pain hit her hard. Memories of what happened last night started flooding into her head.

Kamal hugging her, Kamal touching her, Kamal kissing, Putting up a weak protest, warning him he would regret it, finally doing the deed and Kamal leaving the bed in the middle of their third time.

She sighed and made her way to the toilet, supporting herself with the walls. She had a long hot bath and performed ablutions.

After praying, she made her way to the parlour feeling really hungry. There he was, seated and holding his head in his arms.

It went without saying, Maryam already knew Kamal was regretting in and despite the fact that she had told herself so many times to steel her heart and emotions, it still hurt.

He looked up when he heard her walk in. He opened his mouth as if to say something but looked away quickly.

Maryam shrugged and entered the kitchen. About an hour later, she emerged with a tray of tea, fried chips and eggs.

Kamal was still seating in the same position.

"Would you care to join me for breakfast?" She threw him an invitation and settled on the dining table.

"How can you even be in the mood to eat after what happened last night?" Kamal burst out of his bottled rage.

He had been sitting there for the past two and half hours thinking of what he has done. Scolding himself for not keeping his self control, for touching her, for sleeping with her and worse, for even wanting to do it again.

She's Salman's younger sister! Whom he was expected to divorce in three and half months time.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit and sulk all day like you've been doing?" Maryam rolled her eyes and took a huge bit of eggs. "Please Kamal quit sulking. It was just sex and we're married"

"You think it was just sex?!" For some reason, her nonchalant attitude infuriated him even more. How dare she think it was just sex when he had been doing some serious thinking about he had enjoyed himself?

"I suppose you're used to sleeping around that the act of intimacy has become just sex to you"

As soon as the words left his mouth,he regretted them and wished he could swallow them back.

Clang!

Maryam dropped her spoon and stood up.

"Is that why you've been so worried?" She fought back the tears that were threatening to spill. "You think I've been sleeping around with men?"

Kamal stood rooted. He didn't know if he shaking his head would make her feel better or make what he'd said sting less.

"I know I've done things in the past and I'm not proud of them but I never slept around." She choked and turned her back on him.

She would never let him see her cry or give him the satisfaction that he had hurt her deeply.

"I'm sorry for thinking maybe things would change after what happened last night." She spoke in a quiet voice. "It's my fault for getting my hope high. I forgot you're just a makeshift husband and this marriage is temporary."

She wiped her face and turned to face him with a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Don't worry, I'm clear of STD's I'd that's what is bothering you. I'm not hungry anymore, you eat." She made her way to the room with a straight back and high head, collapsing as soon as she locked the door behind her.

Kamal muttered a curse and hit head real hard. What had he done?

Makeshift Husband? Temporary marriage? All of that had changed from the moment he decided to make love to her last night.

That was what he intended to tell her. Maybe they should give their temporary marriage a chance and see if they could make it permanent.

He had done a lot of thinking from last night to this morning. Maybe Zainab was treating him the way she wanted because she was the only one in his house.

Everyone always said communication was a core key to a good relationship and he'd  tried his very best. Talking to Zainab only make things worst.

He was sure he didn't love her or have any feelings for her but he'd already touched her and one part of his brain had been nagging him since morning.

What if she gets pregnant?

No matter what, things had changed between them.

However, her remark about it being "just sex" hurt him a bit and he blurted out a lot of rubbish.

"Idiot" he cursed himself. "Stupid idiot!"

He glanced at the dining table and his stomach rumbled however, he wasn't in the mood to eat right now.

After covering the dishes, he went to her room and knocked.

No answer.

"Maryam I'm sorry. I swear it wasn't what I intended to say"

Still no answer.

"I'm going out. I'll be back soon. Is there anything you need?"

Silence.

He sighed and left the house. As he drove out, he thought of how he could make things better and for the first time in his life as a married man, he pulled over by the roadside and googled.

"How to appease your wife when she's really angry at you"

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

"What do you mean she's married?" Yakubu, Yaks thundered and flung his cup at the wall.

The glass shattered with a loud sound but none of the two men sitting with their heads bowed flinched.

"I told you to watch her Mike" he grabbed the fair one by his collar. "I told you to keep her safe and made sure she would be here as soon as I got released"

"Sorry Sir" Tamin, the darker and shorter of the men muttered wishing the ground could open up and swallow him.

"You think sorry is enough?" Yaks let go of Michael and walked to Tamin. "You told me you sent her husband's family the information didn't you?"

Tamin nodded like a chicken pecking grains. "I swear oga. In fact I personally gave it to his mother to avoid troubles."

"Good" Yaks laughed and clapped. "You gave it to his mother then she decided to be a forgiving mother and take in spoiled goods?"

"No oga" Mike said in a small voice. "The wedding was called off but they proceeded with her brother's friend."

"Who is he?"

"Sir?"

"Who is he? The man who had enough galls to marry Yaks woman. Who is that man?"

At their silence, Yaks groaned. "You two are so very useless. So you expect me to tell you to find out everything about him before you do so?"

"No Sir" the two men chorused and scampered out of the house.

Yaks sat down and poured himslef another glass of cold wine. He opened his wallet and pulled out an old photo.

Maryam was smiling at him, her eyes bright and full of life. It was the very first time he met her just outside the university's library and he requested to take a picture of her.

She smiled at him and he captured that smile before she even said yes.

"How could marry someone else Mary?" He rubbed her face fondly. "How could you let go of our love so easily?" He brought the photo to his lips and kissed it.

"Do whatever you want while you can" he said with a sinister chuckle. "Yaks is back and I'm coming for you my love. Just wait a little"