Handsome Devil ✅

Nineteen

Noor has been quite impressed by the guy that came to see her. In all sincerity, she was beginning to like him even though some areas about him are grey. He hadn't make any contact yet but she hopes he would. When it was almost a week and she didn't hear from him she wasn't sure if he would really make a contact. Hoping soon enough he would prove himself worthy, she stepped down to greet her father in his parlor.

He returned her salam while adjusting his back on his leather chair. His parlor has sophisticated elegance that Noor always feel comfortable reading in the room. The scent of the room was a mixture of his perfume and the incense her mother burn everyday. It was a tradition that makes her feel her home whenever she's been away for long.

He was mixing water with honey as part of his 100 ways to stay young. The effort was however fruitful because her father has been young for as long as she's known him. Not until recently that silver hair was visible on his head which he claims was part of good health.

"Noory, I was just about to send for you." He said in his ever calm voice. "Come sit down."  He urged looking at her smiling. She sat and greeted him for the second time after the subh greeting.

"It's about Alhaji Hussein son. I wanted to talk to your mother about it but I genuinely want to hear from you. So, how did the meeting go?" He leaned down as she ducked her head lower, trying to avoid his eyes.

Zayyad has been in a hurry when he came and she didn't get to access him as she wanted. He was noncommittal. His demeanor shows he wasn't interested or it was her thought. She knows Alhaji Hussein as he was a frequent visitor to her father in fact this chair she sit on was his favorite spot. He was a nice, religious man. A philanthropist. She could give quite credit to Zayyad and that, she supposed, could earn him some points. Like father like son they say.
The time she had with Zayyad was not sufficient for her to get an insight but she would wave him a pass partly because of his father and then because his father was a friend to her own father. The irony!!!

She drew the hem of her hijab lower and spoke rather low. " It was well Abii. I'm soliciting for your blessing." She really hope she wasn't making a mistake.

Her father smiled and looked at her proudly. This is his daughter. The coolness of his eyes. qurratu ainihii.

Hearing him offer his blessing made Noor so happy and she knew with her father's blessing everything will be alright. She had no regret for what she had said.

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ZARIA

Pregnancy is an amazing journey that every woman yearn to experience. It comes with different physiological and emotional issues. For some it was that time when they become dramatic, hyper and emotional wreck while for others their hormones get more active making their skin clearer and more beautiful. The change comes bit by bit each preparing the mother for a connection with what lays in her womb.

For Layla, each day was a dreadful threat to her and obviously a strategy making moment. She had sense Innah's aloofness toward her and it didn't matter because she was determined to stay at home. She had wondered if Hajia was concerned about her silence seeing she was supposed to have been back 3 days ago.

She had just woken from a terrible nightmare with Innah following her with a knife. Even though it doesn't make sense to her she recited some zikr and prayed for Allah's protection. She found herself praying to God to keep whatever it was in her womb enough to grace this world. Whatever that means which could barely make sense to her.

Despite her condition that requires less stress, Innah seem to be deliberately giving her chores that were strenuous yet Layla never complained. Seeing she has slept in late she hurriedly tied her scarf and went to warm the tuwo for breakfast.