Najmah ran a hand through her disheveled hair, her bare feet hitting the cold marble floors. She pushed the windows open, settling down on the windowsill as she gazed out into the lawn.
It was one of the beautiful moments she enjoyed, watching the sun rise and cast its warm glow against the surface. It was the beginning of summer in Istanbul, and she hoped it wouldn't be as hot as it was back home in Nigeria.
Home, where was home for her? Was it here in Istanbul together with Aslan or back in Nigeria with her family?
Birds tweeted from atop the tree, singing through the beautiful morning. Najmah stuck her head out of the window, inhaling the sweet morning air as a sigh escaped her pursed lips. With each intake of breath, she felt her nerves loosening up, giving her a moment of peace she sought out for since she woke up at three in the morning.
Last night was too much of a revelation to her, Aslan had revea
Aslan rested his hand on the baluster, sipping slowly from the cup of tea he was holding, his shoulders tense as he gazed out into the dark starless night.Running a hand through his hair, he let out an exasperated sigh before placing the cup back unto the saucer.A lot was going through his mind and as the days passed by, he found it hard to concentrate. He was restless as he tapped his foot repeatedly on the floor, his mind masked with images he tried hard to forget.Life was becoming beautiful for him; he smiled more and engaged in more conversations with his family. Things were beginning to fall in place for him and all that was thanks to a beautiful someone Azza wajjal blessed him with, in the name of Najmah Haroun.She was an unexpected addition to his life who turned out to be one of the most significant decisions his Baba took for him and for that, he would be eternally grateful.T
Lale sat back in her chair, watching as her team of designers walk out of the conference room with the blueprint of their new fashion line.She waited till she heard the door click shut before she turned her gaze to her phone, checking for any missed call or message from Asil with a smile on her face.Her smile deflated when she noticed none. Tucking the phone into her purse, Lale strutted towards the door and pulled it open. Her phone vibrated against her side, causing her steps to halt.She released the handle before shuffling through her bag for said object. Glancing at the ID, she bit her lip in an effort to hide her disappointment before she pressed accept.Placing the phone against her ear, she pulled the door open then walked towards her office."Lale!" the caller shrieked through the speaker."My God Nisan!" Lale yelped, inching the phone away from her ear.
Tapping her foot to the rhythm of the song bursting through her ear pods, Najmah patiently waited for her therapist to be done with her 2 o'clock appointment. It was a quarter after three when she had arrived at the hospital so she had to wait for the woman to be done with the person she was with. "We meet again Miss," a voice chuckled, sitting beside her. "Yeah," she smiled at him, pausing her music. "I thought you had a four o'clock appointment," he speculated, angling his head forward so he could see her face clearly. "Are you stalking me?" she quirked her eyebrow, a smile dancing on her lips. "Am I?" he fake frowned, his lips stretching up into a smile. "Busted. Please don't call the police on me." She laughed out loud, taking off her ear pods. "Would you promise not to stalk me aga
It was the eve of Şeker bayrami(sugar feast) and the ladies had gone out to the salon to get their hair done and apply henna while the men went out to get a hair cut.After the salon treatment, the ladies went out to shop for candies and chocolates as per tradition much to Najmah's enthusiasm.When they were done shopping, they returned home to prepare traditional pastries and tidy up the house. The staff were given a holiday to spend the bayrami together with their families, so they were left to the work by themselves and Najmah couldn't be any happier. As lazy as she was, she loved being in the kitchen.The day dragged on with the ladies preparing for the bayrami celebration while the men helped out a little bit. By the end of the day, the house was already in festivity mood.{••}"I'm really really tired," Najmah groaned, flopping down on the
Najmah woke up alone, squinting at the bright lights that bathed the room, blinking rapidly to restore her blurred vision. She shifted in the bed, pressing a finger to her temple as she felt the tension begin to build.She and Aslan had stayed up late the other day, watching TV while making plans for their future. It was after fajr salah that they had gotten ready to sleep.As she sat up in bed, her gaze settled on Aslan who was leaning against the dresser, fully clothed."What time is it?" she uttered hoarsely, her palm going over her temple again."Quarter to noon," he responded, easing down onto the edge of the bed."You feeling okay to go out?" he placed a hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. A frown marred his features when he felt the hotness on her skin."Where to?" she threw her legs off the bed, standing on wobbly legs."It's a surp
Lale had always loved the three day bayrami holiday, it meant no work and also family gatherings. While she hated the first day of bayrami, she always loved the last day.It was the day she and her family celebrated their bayrami, inviting only a few guests and today, they had two more additions to the list; her sister in law and Asil Kartal.She hadn't wanted to invite him but learning that he was spending his bayrami alone, she had taken pity on him and decided to let him spend it with them and besides, there was no harm in doing so; no one should spend their eid alone.{••}"Why aren't you ready?" Lale's brows furrowed, scrutinizing Najmah's attire."Ready for what?" she queried, taking another spoonful of her Nutella."We have an occasion today," Lale facepalmed herself. "Do not pretend like you did not know about it."
For the next couple of days, Aslan and Najmah frequented their visit at their uncompleted building. Najmah continued painting the walls of her room even though she complained about being tired at the end of the day. Aslan would help her too and by the end of the week, she was done painting her room.And in those days, she hadn't received any texts from her pretentious ex-fiancé. Life was going on well for her or so she thought.{••}Najmah sat by the fireplace, her legs tucked underneath a blanket as her slender fingers glided through the soft pages of the book she was reading. A smile tugged at her lips with each word she read before her face contorted into confusion and then anger before stretching into a smile again.Aslan leaned into the door frame, watching her expressions with amusement. Watching her read had become one of his latest past times
Najmah adjusted the strap of her bag as they walked by the pavement of Sadek Holdings, her right hand held by Aslan.She could feel stares burn into her back as they ascended the stairs, making her feel nervous. She had no idea why Aslan insisted that she followed him to the office on that particular day."Mr.Sadek," the security guard sharply greeted, swinging the polished glass doors open for them, giving a nod of acknowledgement to Najmah. "Mrs.Sadek.""Thank you, Salim," Aslan smiled at him.Their appearance in the lobby was enough to initiate a change in the atmosphere of the building as the employees stared curiously at Najmah. Some have caught a glimpse of her on the magazine as the mysterious wife of their COO while some were seeing her for the first time. They all thought he was going to end up with Afet Orhan with the way she was practically throwing herself at him, but how he ended u
•Te Quero Pa' Mi ?An hour later, Najmah found herself alone in an office again. What she had to wait for, she had no idea. The room was dimmed, illuminated only by an overhead lamp.She closed her eyes and vowed to never forget what that moment felt like. The heart flutters, the joy, the happiness, she was definitely going to remember every second of it.Najmah was right on the edge, standing on a thrilling and amazing precipice of happiness, where thoughts of a flawless and perfect evening that would lead to a happy union flickered through her mind.She felt like Dorothy, gazing down at Emerald city for the first time, like Wendy rising up in the air after tasting her first pinch of pixie dust, like Cinderella, stepping out of her carriage to meet her prince charming.That feeling, she would cherish and savor every moment of it, and when she found herself alone, she would remember
There are moments in life that define us, there are also moments that divide us into two different beings; who we were before an incident and who we are after.Whether happy moments or sad moments, they change our lives forever either for good or for bad or for worse.The same could be said for Najmah Haroun as she stared at herself in the full-length mirror, reminiscing over the past couple of weeks.Her life had changed for good the morning after her reconciliation with her husband. It was a whirlwind of family gatherings, dress fittings, cake tasting, event preparations and much more.If it came down to her, she would rather skip the festivities, sign the marriage certificate and just take off to Puerto Rico.Lale would probably kill her; she thought smiling. The fashion diva would not miss a chance to party and if Najmah were to deny her that, only Lord knew what would happen to
"Do you plan on staying in bed for the whole day?" Aslan questioned, twirling a strand of her hair with his finger."Mm-hmm," she nodded, inhaling his musky oudh scent. "I like it better here where I am.""As much as I'd like to stay here with you," he chuckled, untangling their legs. "At some point, we're going to have to get out of bed so why not do it now?""I'm not going anywhere," she pouted, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Neither are you.""Sevgilim," he kissed the corner of her lips, taking her hand into his. "I'd like very much to stay in bed with you, but we need to eat, I'll just order for room service and then I'll come back to you okay?""Fine but-"The shrill ringing of her phone interrupted her and she groaned, silencing it without checking who the caller was."Aren't you picking up?" Aslan's brows furrowed as he got down from the bed.
He lifted his head which he had burrowed into her hair and gazed at Lale who had barged into the room unannounced."Are you going to explain to me what's going on here? I was outside waiting for you, and here you are cuddled with the enemy," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We've missed our flight.""Lale," he called out in a hushed tone, pressing a finger to his lips. "I will meet you in the living room okay? I don't want her to wake up."She made a sign of not complying but seeing the look on his face, she turned around and left the room, banging the door loudly for effects.Najmah shifted in her sleep, burying her face in his neck. He sighed, not wanting to leave the bed even for a second but knowing Lale, she would burst right through the door again and wake Najmah up.Slowly but reluctantly, he slid his arms from under her then set her head on the pillow before liv
Najmah stood at the entrance of Bristol Palace Hotel taking deep breaths before ambling in, heading straight towards the receptionist, scrolling through her phone for a picture of Aslan."Hi," she smiled at the lady, showing the phone screen to her. "I was hoping you would help me with something, my husband's been staying here for a month now, and I don't know his room number.""Why don't you call him? There are lots of guests who...""Listen, lady," Najmah smiled sardonically, locking her phone screen. "This is really urgent, and I don't have any more time to waste, okay? So you're gonna check your computer right now and look up his room number or so help me God, I will cause a scene here.""I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't give out guest's information, it's against the hotel's policy.""Hotel policy? You either give me the information I asked, or I swear to God, I'm gonna scream so loud that
Najmah blinked, staring at the door of her room expectantly. She had no idea what she was expecting but deep down, Najmah knew it wasn't a what but a who but after how she treated him, he wouldn't be bursting through that door not then not ever.Was she foolish to take such a decision after coming to terms with her feelings for him? It was getting hard for her to make a decision.I hate you.I love you.I want you.I need you.I can't stand you.You complete me.She was still indecisive and direction-less without him. The night she had pushed him away, she had slept peacefully. The second night, she had a nervous breakdown and couldn't sleep. The third night was worse. Her indecisiveness had taken a toll on her, and she couldn't stop thinking about all the memories they had shared
Najmah tiptoed across the living room, hiding a package behind her back as she surveyed the area. Just as she placed her foot on the staircase, cheering victoriously for slipping in and out of the house undetected, she heard her mother call her."Waye ne ya zo ganinki?" (Who came to see you?) Hajiya Salma questioned crossly, folding her arms over her chest. Najmah swore in her head before turning around to face her mother.Hajiya Salma looked rather displeased as she stared at her youngest who looked more annoyed than guilty at being caught."Fahad ne," (It was Fahad.) she replied, sucking in a breath."Fahad?" Hajiya Salma gasped. "Najmah are you in your right senses? How dare he come to see you? You refuse to give your husband a listening ear yet you have the time to talk to your ex? Has he no shame? He dares to come to my house to speak to you knowing that you're still married?""
Walking around the hospital hallways, Najmah felt a bit nostalgic as memories of the last six years of her life in there came rushing back. She had just came out of her therapist's office, where she had terminated her therapy sessions for good.She knew it was a bit reckless on her part and a risk concerning her emotional instability, but it was a necessary risk she had to take. While her sessions had helped improve her condition, she knew that the fate of her recovery laid in her hands. She was able to fall in love with Aslan, that was a definite progress.While she thought she might no longer need her therapist, she had asked the woman to write a new prescription for her just in case of emergencies.Terminating her therapy sessions was a long time coming, and she could now address other issues with a clear mind now that it was off the plate.She had made up her mind to give him a second chance, after all
Aslan scrubbed a hand over his face after his Zuhr prayer, wiping away the tears on his face. He had cried his woes to Allah during his sujood and after his salah, he felt better.Since childhood, Anne had always thought them to put trust in Allah whenever they made du'a and to have faith that things would work out well and so he did, every day and every night for the last three months she had been away from him.He could still feel the pain, the agony and turmoil raging within him like wildfire; nothing he had done was able to calm the fire, and he knew that only she had the ability to do so and yet, she kept on denying both of them the solace they needed. And now, she was willing to give it to someone other than him; she was willing to find it somewhere else.He knew that she could be a handful sometimes when he annoyed her or when he said something that triggered her emotions but the look she gave him when he kissed her