#9

She made it successfully to Nadia's house, before she could take a grasp of her thoughts and knock the door; Abban Nadia had already came out of the house. She greeted him politely and he answered before they made their way to the street. Today, when he offered to pay for her she politely declined and paid for herself, because she had some money with her. She can't be an added responsibility on him.

She had the front door key with her, Maheer gave it to her because he made it crystal clear that he couldn't be waking up from his sleep just so he could unlock the door door for her. She opened and entered, and what she saw in the living room made her lips naturally curved to a pout. 

Maheer was only in a sweatpants and a V-neck shirt, he had his index finger in between the pages of a book Fadwa managed to read its name to be 'Toxic Bachelors' written by someone that looked like Danielle steel. She scrunched up her face and looked at the mess he made. There were leathers of junks, packs of cookies, bottles of ice creams and what not. Don't he have a room for God sake? Did this meant he slept in the living room while wasting his time on a book or what?

He squirmed, and that's when she smacked herself back to her senses and rushed inside. She started taking the garbage to the kitchen before he woke up and stumble on one of them. She had finished clearing the mess when he stretched himself and almost fell before he woke up, his hand jot releasing the book. Fadwa wondered what he felt from reading a novel.

He squinted his eyes at her and scrunched up his face. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked and rubbed his left eye brow. Opening his eyes again, Maheer felt stupid for asking her that question because she had been giving him a confused look. Now she would think he sleep talked.

"Good morning," She greeted and dropped to her knees to pick up the coffee disposable cup that was beside his left feet. That was when she had the chance and looked at his feet, Majida's questions roaming through her mind.

She took a look of his complexion, and Fadwa could swear there were only green veins in his body, it looked as if he had no blood in there. The shape of his fingers, his nails...she didn't know she had been staring for too long and got lost in what was supposed to be only a feet until she felt herself being thrown over the living room. He had flung her around as if she was some piece of clothe.

Tears came, but she had an expertise in suppressing them, this wasn't the first time. She looked at how his morning face looked cute yet angry, he was angry at her. Probably because she had spent more time than usual all in the pretense of taking a coffee cup away.

"What was that? Are you dumb or have you turned into one over night? Don't ever dream of coming that close to me, you disgusting shit! Go away!" He threw her away from his way and walked through the corridors leading to the rooms and Fadwa wasn't strong enough not to let her tears flow even while staring at his retreating back.

She cried, but not a lot. She had cried more than enough for the night, crying over this too much would only make her even more depressed. She stood up and took the cup in her hands, atleast she had something to tell Majida, but surely not how she was flung over his living room while analysing the answers for her questions.

She walked back to the kitchen and did the dishes, which she found out he had only eaten quarter of what she cooked, and she made a mental note of making the quantity less. She finished and cleaned the kitchen, until she satisfied with the look it gave. She might have been born in a wrecked home and was now working for an arrogant man just so she could pay for her WAEC exams, but Ammi made sure they knew what cleanliness meant.

She proceeded to the living and only moved out of it when it was sparkled. She looked satisfied and a smile graced her lips. She loved it if she do something beautiful, and this was surely beautiful. She went to the other room, her favourite room. And there, lay her black veil. She quickly ran to it, removed her hijab, wrapped it over her head and put her hijab back on.

She cleaned the room as well and when she was back to the living room, a certain door caught her eyes and she found herself walking towards there. When she opened it, it wasn't as luxurious as that room, but it spoke heaven. She cleaned it too, even though there wasn't something to clean before came back to the living room and the tv he left on was what took off her boredom.

She decided to walk around the house when she was tired of the tv, and as she walked out of main door, she found herself taking the left route. She was walking silently while her heart was having a hassles of thoughts. Thoughts she was sure would make a mess of her cheeks with her tears. She was thinking of Baffah, what he was doing to them and Ammi. Was that all because they were unfortunately born as girls? His words.

She didn't know she had reached somewhere until she stumbled and fell on an ottoman, that was when she lifted her eyes up and saw the magnificent view that made her swooned outwardly. It was an eccentric garden, adjoined with a beautiful pool. There were flowers planted and she could swear everywhere looked like a painting.

"This is beautiful, Subhanallah!" She beamed and clapped both her hands in excitement before she ran towards a white rose and began sniffling its scent.

It was 9:45am, and Maheer just had his bath, he was inside his closet when he heard hands being clapped, feets tapped excitedly and he heard a melodic chuckle. It was real, and the person seemed so happy. He slowly lifted the curtain and had the better view of who was there, he didn't know the garden existed, but that wasn't what got his eyes hooked. It was her.

She had her legs dipped into the pool, her hijab neatly folded beside her. Even though she had her hair wrapped into her black veil, a bunch of the strands were on her shoulder, and she was splashing the water on her face with her legs. She looked extremely happy, and when she turned towards his direction, the sun reflected on her eyes and it pierced him directly. He didn't know when he abruptly released the curtain. She was a damsel.

He took his time before he got ready but those eyes and that hair were still embedded in his eyes, what was so special about her? He could see the worry lines on her forehead, but right now she looked like someone that had no worries in the world. He hissed and scratched his left eye brow.

Maheer sluggishly walked out of his room and met the house cleaned, he could give her a thumbs up when it comes to tidying up a house but ego; she wasn't up to that standard for him to appreciate something he paid her to do for him. He noticed the door she left slightly ajar and he walked inside, the first time he saw the room himself. He was on his way out when he saw a bunch of drawing pads with lots of crayons and wondered what got into Mamitah's to order those expensive crayons and drawing pads for him. He had nothing to do with them.

Then he thought, it might be Badra. She was the drawing freak among them, and she was the one behind all the paintings in his house. She wanted a house full of paintings. They calmed her down, she said. But he had nothing to do with these, he took them in his hands and walked directly towards the garden. He didn't know why he was going there himself, but what other chance did he have unless that? She didn't have a phone to start with.

He dropped the pads and crayons palette on the ottoman and sat on the resting chair beside it. She didn't noticed he was there, because she was  long into her thoughts, lost. "You!" He called out, with a thunder and her whole body shook. She was trying so hard between putting back her hijab and getting her legs out of the pool when she throw herself completely into it. Floating. 

Swimming had always being his hobby, but he didn't think he could bring her out of this water himself. Not when he was decked up and had a book in his hand. What made her come here in the first place? Who gave her the right to dip her dirty legs into the water he was later going to swim in? That too she looked so comfortable, eased off and happy? She would pay for it herself.

He turned his eyes from how she was gasping for breath and he could see her tears amalgamating with the water. She was starting to lose her strength, but he didn't care. She was just a poor lady that deserved nothing but a painful death. He had the money, and there nothing money cannot buy in the world. His innocence included. Even though he was sure even if she died they don't have a penny to file for a case in the court. He didn't killed her to start with.

Fadwa had lost all her strength, and she began to give up to the harsh waves of the water. She had never swam in her life, she couldn't save herself. She thought he would help her out, he was the one that freaked her out. But as it was said, rich people never cared for someone less. She was looking at him painfully and vulnerably, but he seemed unscathed with the condition she was in and the one she might fall into, which was worse.

"Help me..." she begged breathlessly, using the little energy left in her to move around the water but it was of no use. It was as if she tried emptying an ocean using a bucket.

He didn't bulged, not even looked her way. She was slowly giving up, the water had already languished her lungs and she was no more breathing. "Help me please..." She cried, but even her tears were nothing compared to the water in this vast pool.

It's there, she began seeing darkness blanketing her eyes, with the pictures of Ammi, Majida and Sabeehah, she gave in with the name; "Maheer..." coming out of her lips as faintly as her breath seized. But she was sure she felt her right hand being held firmly before she gave in to unconsciousness. 

He heard when she called his name as faintly as the lips of a night would whisper, with no sound nor timbre. It wasn't supposed to be audible but he heard it nonetheless. The way she called his name sounded as thought the sound of the star he had fell in love with, the one he looked at every night before he slept. He didn't even know when he fell into the pool and he was lucky to get a hold of her hand before her body slackened. 

He brought her out of pool and lay her down beside it, but she wasn't breathing, she looked as if someone that had no heart beating within her chest. He looked at her hair, it was wet, sticking on her face and shoulder. But she was cold, heart unbeaten, and her soul seemed lifeless.

Who else notices that this book is written with full details. I have something for this book that sets me free. I write uncontrollably, unmindful about the number of words. It's rich in description, not omitting a single description I have within my soul.

Maheer....hmmm