JAWAHIR

"This is it for the day." The chef said as the students stood up, packing their belongings and exiting the class.

"Jawahir see you tomorrow." Fauziya and Samira, the new friends I made here a week ago said to me as they stood up.

"Bye. See you too In sha Allah." Come to think of it, I don't have any friends except the girls. So I'm glad I met them. They are pretty cool and laid back.

I sighed softly before walking out. I saw my chauffeur already waiting for me. Aayan assigned him to drive me to and from school, even though I told him I would myself, but he refused to listen. Some people here think I'm a spoilt brat who gets everything she wants. I once heard a lady saying that and I'm pretty sure she's not the only person. Smh! People just can't mind their business these days.

I joined Red dishes chronicles a week ago. Aayan did keep his word and we went to get the form together and also did all the registration procedures together. And over the week he has been trying as much as he can for us to have at least a comfortable relationship. We have breakfast, sometimes lunch and dinner together. And I so much appreciate his efforts. It's good to know that I'm not the only one trying.

"To the AA's please." I said to Audu deciding to visit my in laws since I haven't in a while.

"Yes Ma'am." I rested my head before closing my eyes.

The early sun is shining as bright as ever, making me shield my eyes with my palm when I alighted the car. I met Ammiey in the backyard trimming her flowers.

"Assalamu alaikum Ammiey."

"Jaw habibty." She said wiping her hands with a towel before pulling me for a hug.

"How are you?" She asked after we took our seats in the patio. She motioned for the maid that was with her to bring some refreshments.

"I am fine Alhamdulillah." I smiled at my mother in law.

"Aayan told me you started school last week."

I nodded my head. "Yes." I took the view in, the grasses are ever green even though we are in the dry season.

"Which course are you taking?" She asked.

"Professional chefs diploma. It's the combination of all courses. For 3 months."

"Masha Allah. Have some samosa." She gestured to the tray that was just dropped.

I moaned after taking a bite. This is amazing. "From that sound, I'll take it as you liked it." Ammiey chuckled.

"Naam. Who made it?"

"I did."

"You?" I asked surprised. I didn't know she... I now remember Kausar saying something about her loving cooking the first time I came here.

"You have to teach me." I said practically jumping on my seat. "It tastes great."

"I will dear. You know when I was young, making snacks and pastries was my passion. It still is."

"Wow! I never knew that."

"Yeah. My mother and I bonded more because of what we had in common. I tried doing the same with your sisters but they are just not interested."

From what I know Kulthum prefers sketching more than anything, Maheera is kind of a nerd, always studying. So they never had an interest, besides they have so many maids to do everything for them so they don't really enter the kitchen. And Kausar, that girl can't cook to save her life. She almost burned down our kitchen back at my family house once.

"Well I absolutely love it." I said. "Maybe this is what we have in common, I mean we can use it to bond too, like you've always wanted." I said hopefully. Please say yes.

"Of course." She exclaimed. "That's a really good idea." Her lips curled into a smile as she looked at me adoringly making me beam at her.

"Let's head inside and I can get my recipe book." I followed her in, of course with my plate of samosas.

"Ammiey the kids aren't here today?" I noticed that the house is really quiet, Humaid and Yasmeen usually don't let this happen. I mean they are just two, but when they decided to announce their presence.... and if Amal decides to join them it's worst.

"Amal went out with Maheera and Kulthum's family traveled to Katsina, her husband lost his sister." Ya ilahi.

"May her soul Rest In Peace." I made a mental note to call Ya Kulthum when I get home. Home, I never knew I'll be calling anywhere apart from my parents house home anytime soon.

"Ameen ameen."

We met Baba walking down the stairs. "Aah Jawahir, you're here and didn't bother to look for this old man." He jested making duck my head down shyly.

"Baba I was coming to look for you." Liar pants on fire.

"Really?" He raised a brow looking exactly like Aayan.

"Ina wuni Baba." I finally said.

"Lafiya qlau Jawjaw. How are you? And Aayan?"

"We are all fine Alhamdulillah and he's still at work."

"You didn't come together?" We are now seated in the living room. Ammiey and Baba on the same couch and me in a one sitter.

"Actually Jawahir is coming back from school." Ammiey answered instead. "She signed up for culinary school." She explained.

"Oh that's good, Masha Allah." He stood up taking Ammiey's hand. "Jaw I need to borrow your mother real quick.

"You don't need to ask Baba." I said laughing. Don't i have the best in laws? They treat me as if I'm their own daughter, I see them as my parents as well. Ammiey reminds me of Mammie in so many ways. While Baba is jovial and Abu is reserved, they do have their share of similarities.

I continued munching on my samosas slowly savoring the taste as I flip through channels. Ammiey must package some for me to go home with. The sound of the door being opened and closed made me turn around. My friends and two girls I don't recognize walked in with shopping bags each, giggling.

"Jawahir." Kausar said, surprised to see me here.

"Oh my gosh! She's Jaw? Nice to finally meet you I'm Kubra.' One of the unknown face said sticking her hand out for me to shake, which I completely ignore.

"So this is the studying huh?" I asked them, crossing my arms under my chest.

They all looked at me with guilty expressions. Yeah you should be.

"I called you guys, all of you but you gave me one excuse or the other about school stuffs like you've been doing and now I see you returning from a shopping spree." I said angrily.

"Jaw let us....." Jahara started.

"Explain." I said cutting her off. "I should let you explain? There's nothing to explain when it's obvious that you lied. You could have told me you have something already scheduled and I would have understand, but did you have to lie?" The worst part about being lied to is feeling stupid cuz you believed.

And I believed them! "You don't have to tell me everything, but did you have to lie?" I asked them again. What for?

"Jawahir—"

"Save it Amani. I don't want to hear anything." I turned around and picked my bag and phone and walked pass them.

"Jaw don't leave." Kausar desperately said.

"Yeah. Don't be angry please." Nabila added.

"Angry?" I turned to look at them again. "I'm not angry." Ok maybe I am. I definitely am angry. "I'm just disappointed."

Four apologetic expressions and two confused ones are the last things I saw before walking out.

"Jawahir please listen to us."

"Jawjaw!"

"Min fadhlik Jawahir."

"Let us explain."

I paid no heed to them as I entered my car. "Drive please Audu and don't stop."

He looked confused but did as he was told. I can't believe them. All this while they've been making excuses, have they been lying to me? Mtsww I didn't even inform Baba and Ammiey I was leaving and worst part I forgot my samosas.

I dropped my stuffs on the kitchen counter, taking a bottle of water from the fridge. I'm still very angry, I can hear my phone blowing up, I switched it off and toss it beside me on the couch.

...............

"Jawahir." A voice said waking me up. I must have fallen asleep on the couch. I looked up to see Aayan still in his work attire.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. Why?" I replied, sitting up.

"Well Kausar called me to check on you, she said your phone is not reachable." Of course.

"It's nothing, my battery must have died." I said to him as I stood up.

"Okay." He waltzed to his room.

Entering the kitchen I started preparing dinner. I made a quick pasta with meatballs and a coconut juice.

What happened Jawahir, back at home?" Aayan asked pushing his plate aside.

"Why do you think something happened." I grumbled, playing with my food.

"Well you've been moody and you've been stabbing that poor meatball with your fork."

"It's nothing let it be." I mumbled.

"Jawahir—"

"It's a girly problem okay? You wouldn't understand." I sighed.

"But I'm willing to listen." I didn't know he can be this persistent.

"They lied to me." I said quietly.

"Oh."

"Yeah Ohh." I scoffed.

"But did you let them explain?" He asked placing his hands on the table. I shook my head. "You should have. You have to know their side of the story too, it might not be what it seems."

"I guess you're right. But I'm not calling them first. I have to cool off."

He chuckled. "Okay it's justified. Stand up."

"Why?" I asked confused.

"Just take my hands."

Oookay, I took his hand. It's surprisingly soft for a guy's hand. I thought their hands are always rough.

He led us to the kitchen. "Take a seat."

He went to the fridge, came back with a big tub of ice cream and two spoons. "I'm helping you cool off."

Awwn. "Thank you." I smiled appreciatively.

"Don't thank me yet. Let's go." He took my hand again and led us to the theatre. "We'll watch a movie of your choice."

We took a seat and he placed the ice cream between us. "Let's watch—" I was going to say the fault in our stars but decided against it. He wouldn't want to watch a sappy movie. "Fate of the furious." Every dude likes cars right?

"Good choice." He smiled. You see.

"Can you call Umm Yasmeen for me." The movie is through and the credits are now rolling.

"Okay." He handed me his IPhone 8 after unlocking it and dialing the number.

"Hello? Umm Yasmeen—" I sent my condolences to her and her in laws. Yasmeen blabbered to me about what's happening before I hung up.

"Thank you." I handed him back his phone.

"What was life like in the Uk?" I asked, trying to start a conversation since he didn't make the move to leave.

"Cold." He joked. "It was okay, I guess. But what I didn't like is not being surrounded by your people, family y'know. I had to adapt to a different environment, learn a whole new culture, that made me almost forget mine. I was thirteen when we moved so the things I knew were still very little, Ammiey knows little to almost nothing and Baba was always traveling at that time, that's why we are still struggling with Hausa and it's out native tongue."

I laughed at the last sentence. Now that he mentioned it, I don't think I've heard him speak it nor Maheera. Kulthum is fluent, Kausar and Amal are learning.

"But you don't speak at all. How will you learn then?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." He said running his fingers through his hair. I've wanted to do that to be honest, my hands are itching to but I don't think he'll like that.

"Okay any love interest back then?" I asked, jokingly. But he clenched his jaw and frowned, his expression turning sour. Did you have to ask at? Bad topic! The warning bells in my head started ringing.

"Uhm.. how did you meet Uthman?" I asked instead trying to change the topic since he obviously doesn't like it. I wonder what happened.

I sighed when he didn't answer. I mentally smacked myself. Why did I have to blabber that?

Yeah everything was going great till you decided to open your trap. You're so stupid Jawahir, who the hell, in the right sense of mind will ask her husband about love interest?!

Last time I checked you didn't have a mouth, so we've been using mine.

Warrever.

Shut up!

"But I didn't say anything." Aayan looked at me strangely. Oh oh, I said that out loud.

"And to answer your question, I met him during our first year in the university. He was this lanky guy who couldn't keep quiet and had no filter, well he still doesn't have a filter. Anyway we clicked immediately despite the difference in our personalities. He has been my best friend ever since." He replied with a far away look as if reminiscing the moments.

"Do you have any other friends?" I inquired again. What? I'm trying to make it last and get to know him more, who knows when it'll happen again?

"Do you think I'm a loner Jawahir?" He asked turning his head that was rested, towards me.

"What? No!"

"Relax, I was just kidding." He chuckled. "Yes I do have other friends, acquaintances to be honest, they are mostly business partners so I don't really consider them as friends."

"So you're that type of guy that has only one true friend. This means you and Uthman are practically in a relationship, a bromance of sort." I said before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"What?!" He exclaimed shooting me a strange look. "Bromance? Yuck! Never again." He said visibly shuddering making me laugh again. This reminds of the time I saw him with my cousins all those months ago. Who would have known..

"What about you?"

"What about me?" I said, then took the whole tub and kept it on my lap. He shook his head with a small smile on his face.

"Where you an art or a science student?"

"Science."

"And you've never dreamt of becoming a doctor?"

I laughed. "La abada; No, never." I wasn't that cliche girl that wanted to become a doctor. I never had the interest, not even when I was young. The amount of people that wanted to be medical doctors in my class back then was scary. Almost everybody!

"Okay." He sighed before standing up. "Well I have some files to go through, so good night." Ayy! He had work to do but kept it just to help me feel better even tho he didn't have to. This is the sweetest thing he has done for me so far.

"Good night Aayan and thank you for helping me feel better." I smiled brightly at him.

He gave me those rare full blown smiles of his. "You're welcome."

:::::::::::::

Later that night, I called Ammiey to apologize for leaving all of a sudden. She did ask why but I made up an excuse which she thankfully believed.

I decided to call Ya Akram. I miss him, so very much.

"Morn sir!" Is what I said immediately he picked up.

"See who decided to call me. Kinyi aure kin manta da mutane koh"

"Haba bro, you know it isn't that way. Ni na isa?"

"Mhmm. How are you?"

We talked for almost thirty minutes about nothing and everything. I seriously miss him, very much.

He should get married wallah. Who takes care of him over there? If he were married he wouldn't have to worry about things like food, groceries and all that. And most importantly he wouldn't miss home that much, because his home will be with him.

With that thought I went to bed.

What's the name of the first book you read on Wattpad?

Mine is; Royal bloods by 4evahannah

My best friend asked me how I sit down and write a story and how I get the ideas?😂😂 (I might have been disturbing her with new plots😁🙈🙊)

Well honestly the ideas just flow randomly

Ps: If I decide to write another story, will you read it?

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Lots of love❤️❤️❤️

Yours truly
Memzyb ✨🌹