"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Yasmeen flinched, instantly raising her hand up to cover her ears so her poor ear drums won't be damaged. Flicking her eyes open, she casted a glance at her best friend, whom either lost a few screws or is about to blow up.

Swallowing thickly, Yasmeen blew out a small breath, her lips slightly puckered. "I just felt it's unfair, that's all" She mumbled, hoping it will help with whatever scolding she's bound to get best friend.

It's always like that. She does something without thinking, and Amina ends up scolding her despite being 'a day older'. Her words, no one else's.

"SO, YOU WENT TO HIS HOUSE?!"

"Aishh! Stop screaming will you? You'll damage my poor ear drums at this rate." Yasmeen whined, eyes narrowed at Amina who apparently isn't scared of letting the whole house know what Yasmeen did. Well, technically, Nusaiba already knows—and supports it—Mama though, doesn't, and Yasmeen would prefer it to stay that way.

"Don't 'aishh' me. You're not in Korea." Amina hissed, pointing a finger at her best friend who is a certified psycho. She doesn't know what to tell the girl anymore because she never expected Yasmeen's craziness to have reached that point. Who else would do what she did for crying out loud? "How did it end again though? Like what happened after he came?" She questioned, settling on the bed and now looking curious.

She couldn't help it.

Who wouldn't want to know?

Yasmeen darted her tongue to swipe across her lower lip, before she sighed and recounted everything to Amina again, for the third time or so.

"What are you doing here?" Asad questioned, eyes narrowed in slits. That particular glare, Yasmeen has been subjected to it quite a lot lately and it never fails to intimidate her.

That day though, she didn't show it though her feet ran cold due to the look he's giving her. She simply blew out a breath, and then crossed her arms over her torso—straightening her spine so she won't look so small in front of him. "What does it look like? I'm here to see my in-laws of course." Her lips slanted upwards into a wide grin.

Asad's frown deepened, and instinctively, a brow rose only slightly. For a few seconds, he didn't say anything, as he tried to comprehend whether this woman is in her right sense or not. He couldn't find the right words to say, because his mind is jumbled and he is simply befuddled. "Just...what?" He shook his head, blinking repeatedly.

Her smile fell slightly, "Wait, don't tell me you've forgotten already?" She feigned discomfit.

"Forget what?"

Yasmeen cleared her throat slightly, and morphed her expression into that of solemnity. Her head tilted to the side, then her shoulders slumped—her voice dropping. "I didn't want you to find out this way. But..." Blowing out a breath, she turned her head to look at him, and then offered him what is supposed to be a warm smile—but it still resembled that of dolls from horror movies. "...'this is the love of my life'..." The smile then fell. "Shey una don't remember that one?"

Completely and utterly dumbstricken, Asad could only stare at her in disbelief. This time around, he arched a brow, lips slightly parted. If Yasmeen wasn't too caught up in what she's doing, she would've paused and asked him how he's able to do that effortlessly.

When he finally gathered his thoughts, he blinked and held back a scoff. "How did you even find this place?" He is still yet to come a conclusion regarding her sanity, but he's certain she'll need a visit to the mental institution for her sake and that of humanity.

Yasmeen simply shrugged, "I have my ways" She choose to say, all the while her smile never wavered. She couldn't, and doesn't want to tell him that he's her bestfriend's coursemate's cousin's neighbor.

If she does, he would undoubtedly send her to the nearest asylum because that connection is not normal.

At that moment, she's no longer glad that they aren't in Ama's sight. Since he arrived, the older woman gave the two space while she tried to gather her thoughts because this girl is about to give her myocardial infarction. Somehow, Yasmeen has a feeling Ama would help her in case her son wants to take her away, and that doesn't sit right with her.

His mother doesn't seem convinced that she's 'the love of his life' and honestly, she needs to make the woman believe it. In a way, she's a bit jealous he has a parent that doesn't believe lies easily, unlike hers.

She doesn't want to dwell on that though, so she pushed the thoughts aside.

Reaching his hand out to massage his temple, Asad muttered all sorts of duas wondering how he managed to get involved with a woman this crazy. Seriously, what did he ever do in his life to deserve this wahala?

A few minutes later, and when he finally put a leash on his thoughts, he looked up—his expression solemn. Pinning his now cold eyes on her, he tossed aside all hints of wittiness because honestly, he felt like it isn't the time for that. "Why are you here, seriously?" Jokes aside, he doubts she went all the way to his house because of a lie he made up.

She couldn't be that crazy. If there's one thing he has learnt from his last encounter with her, then it's that perhaps, she's not as strong as loony as she seems. It could all be a façade to shield away how she truly feels.

He's good at reading people. And maybe it's because he could relate to that on a certain level.

Yasmeen wanted to give out a snarky remark, but seeing the solemnity of his expression, she decided against it. She then dropped the doll-like smile, and set her lips into a tight line—her visage taking a turn to mirror his. "Are you going to pretend like you don't know?" She questioned, her tone grave.

Asad blinked, wondering what exactly she could be referring to. "Know what?" Quite a number of things came to his mind, but he needed her to tell him what exactly she has in mind.

She took in a discrete breath, her eyes watching his visage hawk like. "I know you are friends with Rafa" She stated, her voice albeit stern, still held that muliebrity he has never seen in her before.

So, she could act that way too? Not surprising but...

Regarding what she said, he sighed and shook his head slightly. "I wouldn't exactly say we're friends" He argufied, his tone tepid.

"Were friends, are friends...I really don't care" She has no interest in the two's friendship. "I know he told you that our wedding has been called off" She just has a feeling. The last time they met, she could tell there's bad blood between them and from the little she knows about Rafael, he seems like the type that would blabber and pin the blame on someone despite looking composed on the outside.

"And?" He didn't deny it, which confirmed her thoughts. "Trust me, you're better off without him" He doubts he would ever stop telling her that. Even if it's another woman, he'd tell her the exact same thing.

She couldn't help it though. For a few seconds, she stared at him in incertitude, before she scoffed, shaking her head. "You're all the same" She mumbled, her tone bitter. Blinking, her eyes met his again. "You don't see the point here, do you?" That's what annoys her, he still thinks he's right.

Asad though was genuinely confounded. And though he didn't voice it, he arched that darn brow that she wants to pluck out. But, held herself back because violence isn't always the answer—though Nusaiba would've argued otherwise had it been she's there.

"It's your fault that I'm in this situation, don't you see it?" The anger she tried to put a leash on the entire day was threatening to spurt out. Her heart throbbed, and she was so close to screaming it to his face. "My family thinks I'm seeing you because of some stupid pictures of us together" She gritted out, her hand clenched into a fist by her side.

"And for your information, I wasn't the one that approached you any of those times before" He pointed out, because he wouldn't take the blame for everything when she too is at fault here. No, thank you.

Folding her lips in, she blinked and blew out a harsh breath. This man truly is like Rafael. In a way, she hoped he's a bit better but men...all of them are the same.

When she finally calmed herself slightly, only a few seconds later, she met his eyes again. "Fine, I admit. All those times we met, it's my fault for approaching you. Even now, I am at fault for coming to your house. However, you were the one that planted a ridiculous idea in his sister's head, and did you even try to clear the doubt with him?"

He could not argue with that, even though he doubts trying to clear things up with Rafael could've fixed anything. Knowing the man, he wouldn't care one bit.

"You didn't" She stated, taking his silence as an answer. "After ruining my wedding, and making me go through all that trouble with my family...you're here, happily about to get married?" She chuckled humorlessly, reaching her hand out to scratch the tip of her nose. "You're truly no different from him." She stated lowly, though he heard her but she doesn't care.

She intended for him to hear it anyway.

Asad was quiet for a few seconds, digesting everything she said. Rafael did tell him, but he doesn't trust the man one bit so he didn't care. Now that she has said it though...despite of the mistake in the whole 'happily getting married' part, he couldn't deny it anymore.

He sighed, clasping his hands in front of him before he rose his head, and his eyes met hers. "I'm sorry" He stated earnestly. "I didn't intend for anything to happen to you, or for you to be dragged into my mess with Rafael" Despite being a stubborn person sometimes, he knows to admit, and apologize when he's sorry.

That's one thing about him that has always been the same.

Yasmeen wanted to stay upset, and she still is. However, she couldn't understand how his apology subdued her anger slightly. Then, her entire ordeal came crashing back, and her anger still flared as bright as ever. She didn't show it though, instead, she gave him a cold look. "Too bad your apology won't fix my relationship with my parents" She stated lowly, her eyes glossing for a brief second. Wordlessly, she got on her feet and picked up her phone before she walked out—no longer wanting to stay in that house again.

She went there to ruin his wedding too, and let him know the pain he caused her. However, that still didn't make her feel better because at the end of the day, his apology won't fix her issues with her parents.

So, she left as quietly as she came.

"I don't know what to feel to be honest" Amina admitted, her shoulders slightly slumped. She was on team 'let's get revenge on Asad' and at the same time, she didn't like how Yasmeen went to his house. "I mean, he apologized which is a surprise because I didn't think he would" She added.

Yasmeen sighed, before crashing on her bed. "Me too" She admitted, because that's the truth. She did not expect an apology from him that easily, especially not considering how sincere he looked then.

"So, did you forgive him?"

She shrugged. "I don't know" She truly doesn't. She knows she's not as upset as she was the day before, knowing that anger won't get her anywhere and it's not like she can storm to his house again. However, for some reason, the apology did help lessen her anger.

Amina parted her lips to say something, however, before she could, the door opened and then Nusaiba trudged in—a wide smile masking her features. "Yasmeen, Mama said to wear your veil and come downstairs"

Yasmeen sprang up so fast, she could've broken her spinal cord. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and her mouth agape. "Mama?" It's been days since her mother addressed her in any way. "Mama is looking for me?" She doesn't know how to feel about that either. Should she be scared, or relieved?

Nusaiba nodded, her smile stretching into a grin that did nothing to ease her younger sister's worries, and she could see it. "Stop looking so scared, just go down and see for yourself"

Still not sure, and with her stomach in knots, Yasmeen reluctantly left the bed. Amina handed her a veil, and after draping it to cover her body, she traipsed out all the while muttering any dua that came to mind. Her feet felt cold, and she could feel chills running down her body. She could only hope for the best though.

Fiddling with the hem of the veil, she reached the living room sooner than she'd like. She paused by the entrance, and yet again mumbled a string of duas first before stepping in with a salaam.

As it was answered, her gaze first fell on her mother—who's seated on one of the sofas with a smile on her face. It's the first time Yasmeen is seeing her mother that way since the wedding had been called off.

She halted, her slightly wide eyes still stuck on her mother before she shifted her gaze to the other person that answered the salaam. Yasmeen doesn't know how, but even she was surprised that her knees didn't buckle and she didn't fall face flat on the ground.

She could feel her legs became shaky though, and she could swear her breath hitched then. Did she forget how to breathe? Probably. Like a cartoon character caught stealing, she blinked repeatedly and in her head, she could hear the sound effect to accompany the action. That aside though, did her mouth fell open?

She wasn't sure, because her mind had been paused.

What the heck is going on? She wanted to question, but no words could leave her parted lips and she couldn't even bring herself to move in the slightest bit.

"I'll leave you two to talk" When did Mama get us and reach her? She doesn't know.

She only blinked and snapped back into reality having heard her mother's voice beside her. Her gaze met Mama's, and for the first time in days, the older woman offered her a warm smile and without waiting for a response, turned around and walked out.

Yasmeen brain was still all jumbled up, as she dragged herself to the spot where her mother occupied earlier. And then for the nth time since she stepped foot in the living room, her eyes fell on the man across her, then at the door where her mother disappeared.

"It's nice to see you too"

That was the last straw that brought her back to reality. Finally getting a grip of herself and her thoughts, her eyes fixated on him. "What...what the hell are you doing here?" Her heart was beating wildly behind her ribcage, and she could swear her breaths were shallow too.

Asad shrugged, leaning back slightly. "Same thing you were doing at my house yesterday" He stated casually, like it's no big deal.

The actual...

At the back of her mind, a voice was whispering that she should demand answered from him, reasonable ones and not what he just stated. But, she couldn't bring herself to do so. She feels as though an ice bucket was dumped on her.

Swallowing thickly, she blew out a shaky breath and took a fistful of her veil by the hem. She then blinked, her breathing coming out ragged. She parted her lips to say something, but no words came out because she couldn't find anything reasonable to say.

She did do the exact thing the day before...but their circumstance isn't the same.

After knowing what she's going through, how could he even come to her house like this? Something changed in her mother due to his visit, and she isn't sure if it's a good change or not but that doesn't stop her worries.

Fear was threating to have her in a chokehold, and she could feel the world will soon start to spin. Yes, she's that scared.

Having noticed her hyperventilating, Asad's lips slanted into a frown and then he straightened his spine. "Hey...I was just kidding" He spoke up, his tone susurrous. His eyes followed her actions, and he could see that she was still yet to calm down so, he added. "I'm only here to correct my mistakes. And I think I've gotten on your mother's good side."

Somehow, that was a bit calming and it did help with her racing heart. Her grip on her veil loosened, and she released the poor material from that torture. Looking up to meet his eyes, her eyes narrowed slightly. "What did you tell her?" She doesn't trust him around her mother.

What if he wants to do the same thing she did to him? But well, he said that isn't why he's there and he seems sincere.

"Just enough to clear the air" He wasn't willing to say more, because it seems the mother and daughter need to talk things out. "But seriously, I'm just here to help. Like you said, my apology yesterday won't be enough so..." He had given what she said a thought, and he knew he needed to make it up to her.

He isn't the type to dismiss other's feelings. If he knows he's wrong, he tries to correct it and that's the same thing he's doing with Yasmeen here.

For a few seconds, her eyes still remained narrowed at him—as if gauging his expression to see if he's being honest. She couldn't find a trace of anything otherwise though, and that relieved her a bit more than she expected. She then sighed, her shoulders slumping and glare, dropping. "Thank you then" She whispered, because if the look her mother gave her earlier means anything...then it's that whatever he told her helped.

"Don't mention it" He waved it off, because he truly wasn't hoping for any gratitude simply for doing what's right. The two fell into the pits of silence, but, it wasn't awkward and at the same time, it wasn't that comforting. Asad had something he wants to say, and he choose to voice it out after debating for a while. "Do you know why I lied to Aalia?"

Taken aback by the question, her brows drew in as she frowned. "Because you don't want to marry her?" It seems that obvious to her.

He nodded. "Yes, but it's not just her"

"Huh?"

He paused, thinking of how to put the words right. He isn't good with explaining stuff, but he wanted to. "I'm not 'happily getting married'" He stated. "So, in a way, by coming to my house yesterday, you were helping me"

"Helping you?" Ah, no. That wasn't her plan. To help him? Nada.

To confirm her thoughts though, he nodded. "Yes. Helped." He knows it wasn't what she had in mind, but things happened and well, there's nothing he could do about it. "That aside though, you and I are in a similar predicament and we could help each other. Your marriage fell through, and I don't want mine. But, we're already entangled in this." God, he never thought he'd even let a thought like that cross his mind any time soon.

But, desperate times call for desperate solutions.

Still perplexed, her brows drew in even more as her frown deepened. "So?" She does not get where he's going with this.

"Let's get married"

"You say what?" Her mouth hung open, and honestly, she doesn't care one bit that she looks ridiculous. If she was drinking something when he said that, she would've spurted it out or chocked.

What did he just say? Mar-what?

And he called her the crazy one?

Dude still looked as composed as ever though. It's like he anticipated her expression and the whole issue didn't faze him in the slightest. "Marry me" He repeated, with the same unfazed calmness.

"Eh God" Yasmeen mumbled, staring at him dumbfounded. She watched him up close to see whether he's grown an extra head, or maybe his head looked bigger? Nah, that's just the cap but...just what?! "You..." She started, still trying to gather her thoughts. "...want to marry, me?"

He nodded.

"Bros, why?" That's something she can't understand. Why her? He doesn't like her one bit, she's certain of that and she doesn't care about him either, so, why her?

Crossing his legs, his rested his arm on the armrest and then drew an invisible line with his index finger just a little above his brow. And with utmost calmness, he answered. "Because you intrigue me, Yasmeen Khalid" It was the first time he's calling her name, and was it her ear or did his voice change then? She could swear no one has ever called her name better.

Those darn butterflies, they instantly flooded her stomach just from a simple statement.

For a minute, she was too caught up in it and was frozen for a while. Then she snapped out of it.

There's no way she felt that way because of a simple statement he uttered. There's no way that is normal. There's no way she reacted in such way.

Ah, no. It has to be the work of her village people. Someone has to be there, probably the Babalawo, dancing in a wrapper and chanting her name in the name of ritual. Well, if it is her village people then it would probably be an old woman. The befitting name would be, 'Iyalawo'.

This is Iyalawo's doings. Because there's absolutely no way that is normal.

That aside, she chased the thoughts away with a broom before clearing her throat slightly, her eyes meeting his again looking much more composed than she actually is. "So what? You're talking about marriage here, not fake dating. There's always a breakup pact when it comes to those things." She wasn't onboard with the marriage thing, but she wanted to know his view on this entire thing.

What's his plan?

Asad quirked a brow, as effortlessly as always. "And where did you get that idea?"

Yasmeen shrugged, her eyes never leaving his. "In books" She answered. "In the many fake dating trope books I've read—there's always a breakup pact. Same goes for marriages like this one."

He nodded slowly, humming to himself as he looked away for a brief second—as if the wheels in his head are turning—before he met her eyes again. "Well..." He breathed out. "...I don't know what happens in those books. But, I do know one thing here."

"What? That we'll definitely part ways eventually?" If this ridiculous arrangement passes through, she could only see it ending in one way. "That I should keep a divorce in the back of my mind?" Asad clearly doesn't look like he's interested in marriage at all with anyone so that's all she could think of.

There was something about his expression though—is it determination or what? "No" He voiced out, shaking his head. Uncrossing his legs, he sat up. "What I do know is, if you agree to marry me—there's no going back, you're in it for life. You will be stuck with me forever, Yasmeen Khalid."

There it is again, the work of Iyalawo at its peak!

Are the butterflies having a circus show in her stomach or something?

She couldn't even tell why her stomach fluttered. Is it because of what he said? The sincerity in his tone and expression that nearly knocked the breath out of her? Or is it how he calls her name? Why does he have to keep calling her full name? She has to admit though, it's different. The good different.

Taking in a deep breath to regulate her breathing, her heart was still racing and her stomach still fluttering slightly. "I do have a choice in this, right?"

"Of course" He didn't hesitate to answer. "It's completely up to you. I didn't say anything of such to your mother so you don't have to worry. And I don't want to put pressure on your or anything, but we only have till Friday to make a decision. Don't fret."

His words didn't have the same effect it's supposed to. How can she not worry?

"—oh and, before you make a decision. I want you to know something first" He continued, gaining her attention. She didn't voice it out, but he could see the confusion masking her features. So, he added. "I have a daughter."

~*~

Alriceee...it's like this Yasmeen and Asad thing go happen o! Iyalawo, your work is going well well...keep dancing chanting their names.

And Asad has a daughter, already dropped that in chapter eleven though I didn't say it outright.

Who is her mother? Sha, that's obvious but the question is, HOW?

Wanted to update this earlier, but I was going through a tough time and I even gave up on writing, but then I felt a little bit better, Alhamdullilah, so I finished typing it.

As I dey like this, I don't know when the next update is, but we'll see sha. I'm not promising an update tomorrow or the day afterwards. When I write, you'll see update kawai.

Goodnight.

Love, Jannah.