Chapter Thirteen

The smile on Sufyan's face broadened as he walked back to the table to join Hadassah and Firdaus.

"You look so happy, I don't think I like it." Hadassah commented giving him a one over.

"Uncle I don't like the lady or her dress." Firdaus complained with a small frown.

Hadassah laughed "And Firdaus usually likes everyone, Sabeerah must have been really awful to my baby."

"Hey Jannah love." Sufyan cooed at her, "she's not a bad person at all, she's simply angry at someone else and it has nothing to do with you, I promise."

Firdaus simply shrugged and focused on her glazed donuts.

"Forget her, she'll get over it. Tell me how it went, I saw you inputing you number in her phone." Hadassah's tone was that of excitement.

"Yeah but trust me, that was only because she wanted to get rid of me quicker."

"So she might not call?"

Sufyan shrugged "I think she's with someone, there was a man waiting in the car for her and she bought things in twos."

Hadassah bursted into laughter. "I think she will, you're too handsome for her not to and damn Sufyan, she's even more beautiful than I thought."

"She is right?" Sufyan asked proudly.

"You have good eyes, but they're so opposite physically, Sabeerah and Halima."

And at that moment Zubayr walked in with a huge smile on his face.

"My girls." He said with his arms wide open

"Daddy!" Firdaus screamed as she scrambled down from the chair and ran into her father's arms, Sufyan watched Hadassah's face lighten up as soon as she saw her husband, her smile became broader.

Zubayr walked up to her with Firdaus in his arms, he gave her a kiss on the forehead that brightened her smile even more, Sufyan didn't know how that was even possible.

"I missed you." Zubayr said with an even wider smile than that of his wife and daughter.

"You just saw me this morning." She said lightly pushing him away but she still had the smile on. Sufyan was awed by the love that existed between them, they were a beautiful family and it made him sometimes think of how lonely his life was.

The thought of Sabeerah sneaked back into his mind and he wondered if they would have a love like Zubayr and Hadassah's, that when one of the other walked into the room, they practically glow from the happiness emitting from within them due to the presence of their other half. His heart twisted at the fact that he'd spent thirty years alive and he was yet to feel this joy and completeness that came with loving someone who loved you back.

"Hey man." Zubayr greeted pulling him out of his reverie with a slap on the back. "What are you lost in thought about again?"

"My love life." Sufyan answered honestly.

"Of course." Hadassah said with a knowing smile.

"You really should, it's becoming worrisome. I met with Ahmad yesterday, he's married now." Zubayr said looking solemn.

Sufyan stared back confusedly. "Who's Ahmad?"

"That's the point man, you don't know him and even he is married too."

Sufyan and Hadassah shared a confused look.

"What are you even talking about?" Hadassah asked him with a nudge.

"Look at it this way, they're thousands of men out there that are married and Sufyan doesn't even know them, the few he knows are mostly married so when he's thinking of his sad love life and the fact that almost all his friends are married, I want him to remember the people that are not his friends but are also married." Zubayr finished off looking proud of himself.

"That was pure rubbish." Hadassah's words like a knife cut through his pride and his face fell, she continued. "Being married doesn't mean being in love or happy, they're over thousands of couple who wish to leave their relationship because of how much it has killed their spirit but they're locked in it, so the next time you think about people that are married and in love, I want you to also think of the ones who are slowly dying emotionally while being held captive in a love illusion."

Zubayr looked at his wife with pride while Sufyan thought carefully about her words, they were true. He was a witness to it, the first relationship he'd somehow gotten himself into was with a lady who he didn't love and he felt the pressure from every angle pushing him to make it work with her.

Sufyan's mother being the number one pressuring him the most, even more than Halima herself.

She wanted him to get married before his brother, she insisted on it and who better than Halima, the daughter of a longtime friend who was Yoruba, and the only thing she had more than her beauty was her good character? The Yoruba culture thrived on respect and his mother like a typical Yoruba mother sometimes equate respect to control, Halima was mildly timid and easily controlled by his mother, just the perfect daughter in law.

He hadn't spoken to her since the last time they'd went out where she'd walked out on him after he had tried to break things off, his mother had asked him about her numerously but he had thankfully been able to evade it. She had called him severally and sent messages but he'd ignored it, he was aware that he should talk to her but right now, he couldn't deal with Halima or the fact that she was aware how much weakness he had when it came to her tears. 

"Not everyone is lucky to have our kind of love babe, it's something so rare unfortunately." Zubayr said with a long face.

"Of course it is." Sufyan replied in a sarcasm dripping tone.

"I'm damn serious dunce, although I shouldn't expect you to know that."

"Don't say things like that Zubayr. God! I'm tired of you." Hadassah complained as she dramatically buried her face in her palms.

"You can leave him Hadassah dear and when you're ready to find love again, I know a few men who'd fall all over your feet."

Hadassah raised her head to look at him with hopeful eyes. "Are you sure about that Brother Sufyan?" Her voice had been toned down to a small one.

"Hell no! Not in my presence." Zubayr interrupted.

"Don't swear in front of Firdaus." Hadassah said covering her daughter's ears with her hands. "Asshole." She whispered to him.

"Is heaven no accepted?" He asked and his wife simply eyed him in response.

"I want a cake loaf." Firdaus said licking the cream from her fingers, Sufyan stopped her and began wiping them with a tissue.

"You've eaten enough sweets today to last six months." Hadassah said.

"I'm going to get something, is there anything else you want babe?" Zubayr asked as he stood up.

"A box of Swiss roll with whipped cream would be just fine love." Sufyan replied in a tiny voice.

"For fuck's sake man!"

"Zubayr!" Hadassah's hands promptly went to Firdaus's ears. "Go away you bad influence."

"I shall revenge this." Zubayr said pointing his fingers at Sufyan while slowly moving backwards, he bumped into an older man. "I'm sorry sir, I'm so sorry."

Hadassah simply shook her head at him. Sufyan picked up his phone and refreshed it, he knew it was too early to expect any form of contact from Sabeerah but wishful thinking was allowed. His phone pinged as a message from his mother came in, she asked him to come home from work earlier.

"As much as I enjoyed evading work just for lunch with you and Jannah, unfortunately all good things must come to an..."

"Shut up! You sound like Zubayr and I would like to retain this image of you being a normal person in my head." Hadassah interrupted immediately.

"I shall revenge this Hadassah, I shall revenge this." He said standing up.

She smiled a little. "You're a fool but I'm thankful you came and don't worry, Sabeerah will definitely call."

His heart picked up at the mention of her name but he didn't let it show, instead he shrugged nonchalantly.

"I wouldn't want to put my heart to it." He picked up his iced coffee from the table, "and I forgot to tell you but please don't tell Zubayr about her."

She gave him a guilty look. "I won't."

"Hadassah!"

"You didn't tell me it was supposed to be a secret." She defended.

"I didn't think I had to. Oh Allah!"

"He won't say a word to anyone else, I promise." She swore with a hand raised.

"He himself isn't supposed to know, not yet."

She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"You owe me one for that, I'll be calling in favours soon." He turned towards Firdaus, "I'll see you soon Jannah."

She gave him a toothy smile in return, "I want a cake loaf."

"I'll buy you one when next I'm coming."

"Promise?" She asked pointing her pinky finger.

"Promise." He said touching his finger to hers.

"Your next coming should better be in the next six months because that's how long she's staying off sweets." Hadassah said.

"Don't be dramatic Hadassah, I'll see you next week In Sha Allah- if Allah wills."

"Do that and she won't call you."

Sufyan laughedas he walked towards Zubayr, he was making payments.

"I'm heading back to the office now, Hadassah and Firdaus were amazing company, I almost didn't want to leave." He said.

Zubayr threw him a dirty look. "Your Swiss roll whatever is paid for, have you even eaten it before?"

Sufyan shrugged. "No but I want to now."

"I hope your system ends up not liking it and it makes you purge for days."

"I have no words for you." Sufyan said, the box of Swiss roll was packaged, he bid Zubayr bye and walked away sipping his iced coffee.

The cafe was a short walk from his office so he got there in no time. He opened his car and kept the box in the passenger seat, locked it and walked into the company. He greeted his employees as he made his way into the media room, everyone stopped to stare at him as he entered.

"Please continue." He crossed his arms aandl back on the wall watching them, they were acting out a short ad video. Two of the actors were professionals who were also the ambassadors of their client's brand.

"We'll finish up with the second part tomorrow, the address will be sent to you all." The director instructed the team as the closed up for the day.

"So... What'd you think?" Liv David, an actress asked as she walked to him. Sufyan remembered the first day Liv walked into the company, his workers who'd mastered the art of professionalism in the face of anything had all turned crazy fans, she was one of the most popular actors in the country and very beautiful too.

He smiled at her. "I only caught the end of it but I'm sure it'll turn out great, as usual."

"Of course it will, would you like to drop me off?" She asked giving him a flirty smile that Sufyan translated into an innocent one.

"I'm not leaving now but I can tell someone else to do that." Sufyan said looking around.

Her smile dropped. "I was only kidding, my driver will be here shortly."

Sufyan nodded. "Well I hope you enjoy the rest of your day." And he walked out, headed towards his office.

He heeded to his mom and finished up work in an earlier time and ate the Swiss roll on his way home, it was almost the best thing Sufyan had eaten and he was glad Sabeerah had made him buy it. Thinking about her reminded him that he was yet to hear anything from her, he sighed, it wasn't unexpected but he had held onto a flicker of hope still.

Maybe he needed to get her out of his mind but how was what he had no idea about because seeing her again today, had served as a reminder to what he'd first felt when he had seen her.

Sufyan knew he was damned.