HER CRUSH

Chapter17

Zarah..
I have devoured all my chocolates and was pouting at my phone screen"

He let out a chuckle," that's cool! What do you want me to do now?"

"I want more!" I replied

More chocolates or chilies?" Abdul burst out laughing.

I protested, "Abdul, this isn't fair. Stop it, please."

I can't help but think that my relationship with Abdul is heading in a new direction. Although he has never explicitly confessed his love for me, his actions speak volumes. It seemed like he is trying to be clever, tricking me into confessing my feelings to him. But why should I, when he, as a man, hasn't mustered the courage to do so himself? It's almost as if he is waiting for me to make the first move, which felt strange.

Abdul would often call me, sometimes three times a week, whenever he get the chance. Right now, he has called to ask me to pray for him as he's writing his final paper tomorrow and wasn't feeling well, possibly due to not seeing Asma for months.

He always did that, knowing that whenever he mentioned her name, I get jealous easily, which I can't hide. To be honest, I wasn't happy that he knew I am jealous. I end up the call and stood up from the bed, noticing that the house is quite noisy due to Anty Ramla's wedding preparations.

I have mentioned to Abdul that I broke up with Faruoq, but he still calls me occasionally as a friend. I have shared this with Abdul, thinking that if he knows, he might confess his feelings, but instead, he simply said that Allah will bless me with someone else. As for Abdul's family issues, he never shared any details with me; whenever I asked, he would change the subject.

My cousin Fauziya called out, "Zarah, Aunty Sadiya is calling you." I sighed,"Inalillahi, they will never let a person rest..."

"Tell her I'm coming," I muttered, standing up from the bed. I wanted to go to the salon to wash my hair, but I know I have to attend to Aunty Sadiya first. I made my way to Ammi's room, where I find Aunty Sadiya eating stick meat. "Aunty Sadiya, you called me," I said, squatting beside her. She smacked my back, "So you only noticed me now, right?"

"Aunty sadiya , it's not like that," I protested.

Eat," and then suddenly said, "Zarah, you and Fauziya should go to the airport right now. Iklima and Fatima are coming; you should pick them up."

I screamed in happiness, "Oh my Allah! The house is going to be so much fun!" Fati and Iklima are my cousins who live in Lagos. I quickly went to my room, grabbed my abaya, and picked up my phone. I bolted out the door, not before texting Abdul that my cousins are coming and I am going to pick them up.

Aunty Sadiya's driver drove us to the airport. Meanwhile, Abdul texted me, "You can drive?"

I replied, "No."

He responded with a simple "Oh... okay." I put my phone aside, and we continued our 15-minute drive to the airport.

As we arrived, I heard my name being called, "Zarah!!!" I quickly turned around and saw the two familiar faces walking towards us. I rushed towards them, and we all screamed, hugging each other tightly. It is a joyful reunion with my cousins, Iklima and Fatima!

******
"Skip time 10:30pm

"Hey!!" Iklima exclaimed, holding my phone and scrolling through my gallery. "Isn't this Abdul?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you've sealed the deal already?"

. I pressed my lips together, knowing they are aware of my crush on Abdullah.

Care to explain?" she asked, and I narrated everything to them. "Wallah, he loves you, but time will tell," Iklima said, and I prayed that her words would come true.

The next day, we went to the salon and washed our hair, and that same day is the henna party. I didn't get a chance to call Abdul, and I was surprised he didn't call either. The wedding has been finalized, and Anty Ramla is now legally Isma'il's wife, set to stay in Abuja. Aunty Ramla has cried a lot, and I cried too, knowing I would miss her. We followed the convoy directly to Maitama, and I wondered where exactly Abdul's mom's house is . Oh, I remembered him telling me they stayed in Asokoro.

As we pulled up to the estates, Abdul hasn't called me for about a week now." But I pushed the thought aside, focusing on the beautiful house in front of us. "Anty Ramla's house is stunning, Masha Allah. I can't wait for mine and Abdul's...I know this sounds silly, but I've been dreaming of this for years." I admitted, feeling a mix of emotions. I missed him a lot, but that didn't mean I will call him.

We made our way towards the entrance, my phone suddenly rang around 9:30 pm. Abdul's call came in, but I ignored it. He called three times, followed by a text message apologizing for not calling for a while, blaming school work for his absence. A smile crept onto my lips as I read his message. He called again, and I didn't answer, so he texted me once more: "Hey, please pick up my call. I hate to admit this, but I miss you. I miss your voice...I'm jealous of people who hear it every day."

Did he actually say he's jealous? What a great start! I smiled, dialing his number. After three rings, he picked up, and there was silence for a while before I cleared my throat and spoke. I know he wouldn't say anything unless I started the conversation, which is something I didn't like about him.

We talked for a few hours before he end up the call. He mentioned that he has returned from school the day before, and I told him I am in Abuja. He asked if we can meet today, as I had mentioned that we will be leaving tomorrow morning.

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