*
Afrah had straightened up and smoothed out her gown by the time Adnan came up the balcony. She had more than enough time, seeing as he got lost twice on the way up, with no one to guide him. The first time, he wound up in the upstairs kitchen where he found a man who appeared to be just as lost as him.
"I... I was looking for the bathroom," he said, with his phone pressed to his ear and a guilty look on his face. "D... Do you know where t
*"Adnan," Halima smiled warmly as she saw him approaching. "You naughty boy. You've been here all along and you didn't come to see me.""Forgive me, aunt," he bowed his head. "I lost track of time. Congratulations on your anniversary."
*The days leading up to Afrah's return to Kano were a blur. She didn't remember most of it. Just bits and pieces which didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.They left Abuja two days after she had received the message. Her father insisted that the entire family would go, so they had to wait for his schedule to clear up. He understood that Afrah was hurting, and she needed her family at a time like that.
*Four months.To some, four months might not sound like a long time. Not even when it is pronounced as sixteen weeks, 123 days, 2,952 hours or 4,250,880 minutes.Bu
*The curtains were drawn shut, as they always were. Somehow, though, a few inches remained between them so that a sliver of light crept into the room and onto the carpet. Slowly, meticulously, it crawled up the side of the bed as the sun rose higher into the sky until the light touched Afrah's sleeping face.
*Nafisa's scream echoed through the house."I knew it!" she squealed. "I just knew you were madly in love with her. I knew it!" "I said I want to marry her," Adnan pointed out. "When did I ever mention anything about being madly in love with her?" "Just look at the way you're grinning right now," she laughed. "Of course you're in love with her." "That's enough, Nafisa," their mother said, rising from her prayer mat. She walked slowly towards her bed, sinking into the mattress with a decided groan. "I'm happy for you, Adnan," she said, watching him as he walked towards the window. The sight outside was enough to instantly spoil his mood as he saw Zainab sitting beside their father out by the pool, smiling at something he said. "Adnan?" she called, her tone indicating that he had failed to answer a question. "Hm?" "Don't you think it's a bit too soon to be talking about marriage?" she asked. "I've known Afrah for nearly a year now," he said. "I think I'm fairly certain that I w
* "Marriage?!" Damn it! "Afrah, I can explain.""I don't want to marry you, Adnan," the words tumbled out of her without so much as a pause. Adnan sat up on the bed, his eyes drawn to the clock. It was 11pm, the ungodliest hour of the day. "Afrah, please let me explain." "Why would you think that I would ever want to marry you?" "Wow," he said, trying at humor. "That's a nice boost to a man's ego." "Why did you do this behind my back?" she asked. "I'm sorry," he said. "Truly, I am. But perhaps if you would let me get in a word, then you will understand my own point of view." "I don't want to hear it," she said. "Afrah, please." He sounded calm. Too calm. It wasn't fair, when her mind was spinning in a million different directions. Marriage to him? Of all people? Imagine that. But the terrifying part was that she actually could. She could imagine them together, and she could imagine him as her husband. It was exactly what she had been trying to stop herself from imagini
*Zainab's eyes flew from Adnan's bleeding knuckles to the spot where he had tried to put his hand through the wall. "Was that really necessary?" she asked. "Get out of my room," he said, his back turned to her. The blood from his knuckles trickled down onto the tiles, forming a small puddle at his feet. Already, all four of his fingers were beginning to swell from the pain. But it didn't matter. None of it did. Because no matter what he put himself through, no matter how much he tried to hurt himself otherwise, the aching in his heart was far greater than any other form of physical pain. Zainab gingerly stepped forward, ignoring the menacing way Adnan was breathing. "I heard your mother talking to your sister," she said. "And I just wanted to offer my condolences." "I don't want or need your condolences," he said. "I want to be left alone." "Cheer up already," she sighed. "She'll come around. I know she will." "You know nothing," he said bitterly. "On the contrary, Mr Adna
*Several days later, Afrah still couldn't decide whether she had done the right thing or not. Sometimes, she would look at her reflection and insist that she wanted this; that it was the right thing to do. Other times, she would lock herself in her bedroom and cry, unable to bear the thought of it all. But she had made her bed, and now she must lie in it. The uncertainty remained with her however, even when Adnan's representatives came over to formally ask for her hand. Afrah nearly had a heart attack when she was called to help with the food, but a stroke of luck saved her when she realized that his father wasn't there. Instead, her father's cousins had taken up the space in the living room, conversing loudly so that their voices bounced off the walls. They were talking about politics, which had never been her favorite topic in the world. Afrah kept her face down as she placed the food before them, hurrying back to her room. She left the door open however, so she could hear what t