V- Hooked

Aslan didn't sleep a wink the night before after Najmah had woken him up, he sat behind the desk of his office rubbing at his temple tiredly. Bags were visible under his eyes and the mug of coffee he kept on his table wasn't helping matters, the caffeine wasn't strong enough to ward off the effects of the nightmare.

He shuddered as events of his nightmare kept replaying on his mind, he still remembered that dreadful night; the night that cost him the life of someone close to him, and almost cost him his sanity. It was a night he'd never forget.

"Sir? You have a meeting in five," his secretary knocked at the door of his office, interrupting his thoughts.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" he grumbled, picking up the file on his desk. He straightened his tie, slipped on his suit which was hanging on the chair then walked out of the office with strides that demanded authority.

Every employee scrambled up from his seat greeting him, while he gave a curt nod as he passed them. He strolled into the boardroom, apologizing to the board members for his tardiness.

The meeting passed by in a blur with Aslan's mind still hung up on his nightmare. He knew without being told that he had to see his sponsor. There was no putting it out any longer even though he was going to come face to face with one of his nightmares, it was a sacrifice he had to make for the greater good of his health and sanity.

When the meeting ended, he went into his office and dialed the number of his sponsor, wishing he was doing anything but that.

"Can I come in today?" he queried, once the Dr had answered the call.

"Yeah, you can. Is everything okay?"

"No, I'll be there in a few." With a click, the phone went dead.

"Hold off all my calls and cancel my meetings for the day, reschedule them to the day after. If anyone asks after me, tell them I've gone out to take care of something," he addressed his secretary as he walked out of his office.

"Yes sir," she nodded, going through the diary, she knew not to object or ask about what he needed to take care of. She thought the deal with Kartal Industries was more important than anything right now, but she kept shut lest she lose her job. She bit the end of her pen in nervousness as she dialed the secretary of Asil Kartal.

"Hello," she cleared her voice. "I'm calling to tell you..."

"Oh, Thank God you called," the secretary sighed in relief. "Mr. Kartal wouldn't be able to make it to the meeting today, I'm apologizing on his behalf."

"That's okay, we can reschedule the meeting. I'll send you the details when I talk to Mr. Sadek," she hung up the call with a smile on her face as she began to reschedule Aslan's meetings.

{••}

"So, this is your fourth day in Istanbul and I know how boring it gets, sitting in one place without moving out. I've thought of a remedy for that. We're going out today, a girl's outing. You and I," Lale rambled, interrupting Najmah who was busy reading.

"I'm totally fine with sitting at home," she shrugged, not taking her eyes off the book she was reading.

"Like seriously? I can't keep still at home, I'd feel suffocated," Lale shuddered at the thought of sitting at home all day and not being able to ransack a boutique or a mall, she'd die of boredom.

Najmah didn't reply her and continued reading, totally ignoring her presence. Didn't lale know that it was rude to interrupting a person reading? It's like one of life's fundamental rules.

Apparently, she didn't as she continued talking, oblivious to the fact that Najmah wasn't listening to her. "You and Aslan are totally perfect for each other. You both are antisocial and take joy in being alone, loners even."

"You're not listening to me are you?" she pouted, snatching the book away from Najmah.

"You really aren't gonna give up right?" Najmah threw her hands up in surrender.

Lale gave her a toothy grin, squealing like a five-year-old who was given a piece of candy.

"Fine," she huffed, rolling her eyes.

"There, that's the spirit," Lale cheered.

"But I have a condition."

"See I told you that you and Aslan are perfect for each other. You don't do things without laying down conditions."

Hearing Aslan's name for the second time, Najmah's mind travelled back to the events that transpired between them the night before. She hadn't seen him since he bolted out of bed and she kept on wondering about him. Even as she read, her mind still wandered back to him.

"Your condition?" Lale queried tapping her leg on the floor impatiently.

"I go out with my book."

"Wha...," she began but clamped her mouth shut. "Fine, you can come with it but you're not going to read it in public."

"I'll go get a veil," Najmah smiled in triumph before bouncing off the sofa.

"And by the way, I love your outfit. You look so chic." she stated, giving Najmah who was clad in a Bogota border print jumpsuit a once over.

"Thank you," she replied going up the stairs. She rummaged through her bag and picked a floral veil, zipped the bag up then wrapped it round her face.

She sauntered out of the room and found Lale outside waiting for her by the fountain. It was the first time she was stepping out of the mansion ever since she walked into the foyer. The day she came in, it was a little bit dark so she didn't notice the intricate details of the environment outside like the porch swing and the cottage by the right, surrounded by all kinds of flowers, like a mini garden and to the right of it, a greenhouse she couldn't wait to explore.

She got into Lale's electric blue lambo and Lale revved the car, bringing it back to life. They zoomed out of the house and unto the streets of Sultanahmet. Lale did her best pointing out the glorious buildings which stood out among the rest, giving Najmah a brief history.

"You should definitely see the Aya Sofya and oh yeah the Yerebatan Sarnıçı, the blue mosque also. Oh God! There are so many places I need to show you but not today, maybe next time. I'll be your essential tour guide in the great city of Istanbul," Lale bobbed her head up and down as she maneuvered through the traffic.

She drove to Istinye Park and parked the car in the underground parking lot. They got out of the car and went towards the Life Style Center section of the park which was an open-air town square housing a green central park and Fashion District.

As Lale was busy ransacking the isle of clothes in the fashion district, Najmah was busy reading.

"You promised not to read in public," Lale pouted, taking the book away from Najmah. "We're here to shop not to read."

"I don't want anything, I have all that I need," Najmah protested trying to get her book from Lale.

"Not when it comes to clothes. A girl can never say no to shopping."

"Well I can. Now gimme back my book."

"No, I won't. You're going to shop and act like a human being not a zombie," Lale gagged, placing the book in her flap bag.

"But I don't have any money," Najmah protested. She intentionally left her credit card at home not that she had a lot of money in her account, but she had enough to sustain her before her Abba sent her more.

"Who said you were paying for anything," Lale rolled her eyes. "It's my treat. Pick anything you want and I'll pay."

"But..."

"No buts Missy," she cut her off, placing her hands on her hips daring Najmah to challenge her.

"Okay fine," she huffed then stood up and started looking for something that would catch her attention. Fashion wasn't really her thing; she puts on whatever she feels comfortable with.

She wasn't comfortable with someone paying for her stuff so when her eyes fell on a black romper shirt, she picked it up and paired it with a red high waist skinny jeans she picked at random then met Lale at the cashier with a heap load of clothes.

"Did you shop for the whole of Istanbul?" she queried, her eyes widening.

"No," she shook her head. "They're all mine. Don't tell me that's all you got," she pointed at Najmah's hand.

"Yeah, I told you I don't like shopping."

"Well that's going to be remedied when next we hit the store. I'm so hungry right now that my brain can't function. With Aslan's credit card, you're going to have a mall-like wardrobe." She paid for their things then went to the Bazaar area after stuffing the bags in the boot of her car. They ate lunch then strolled through the green central park before going back home.

{••}

It was almost past midnight yet Najmah couldn't sleep so she went down to the media room with a jar of nutella and a teaspoon. She switched on the TV then browsed through the various movies she saw, pressing play on Ouija then settled back into the comfy sofa, giving it her uttermost attention.

Occasionally, she would dip the teaspoon into the jar and scoop a portion of the chocolate then lick it off. By the time the movie had ended, she had already eaten half of the jar. She switched off the TV then retraced her steps back to the room, praying that Aslan wasn't there as she pushed the door open.

Her face fell when she caught sight of him working on his laptop. He didn't raise his head to acknowledge her, rather he continued tapping away on the keyboard.

″Definitely unwanted,″ she thought as she kept the jar she was holding on the bedside table then build a wall between them again. She placed her head on the pillow and said her du'a, falling asleep almost immediately.

He rounded up his work at 2 a.m then closed his laptop and set it aside. He stared at the sleeping form of Najmah who had hugged a pillow, crushing the wall she built. She looked so angelic in her sleep, the low light in the room a shining contrast to her dark skin. Her lips were patted slightly and soft snores emanated from them.

The cap she used to cover her hair had slipped off, releasing her mass of African hair. As if hypnotized he ran his hand through her hair, making her turn a bit. He quickly retracted his hand and jumped off the bed, placing his hand on his face.

"What is wrong with me?" he mumbled into the air. He huffed then went back to bed, rearranging the pillow wall but somehow it crumpled again and they ended up snuggled into each other.

Fajr time came and the two woke up in each other’s arms, with their scents on each other’s body. Their eyes widened when realization dawned on them and Najmah quickly ran to the bathroom, smelling of strong oud musk. Sighing, she performed ablution then got ready to pray, knowing that the scent would linger for a while.

Aslan went into Muhan's room and performed ablution before going to the masjid with her magnolia scent still lingering on his body.

The next morning when they both collided in the kitchen, they acted as if what happened the other night hadn’t happen.

He poured the brewed tea into his cup and bolted out of the kitchen, with Najmah staring at his retreating form, unable to fathom what was really happening. Could it be that she was slowly getting used to being around him?

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