Her Boyfriend, My Husband

CHAPTER 22

Yusuf's POV

Morning was quick to come. I didn't know if it was because of yesterday's tiredness or because of the fact that time goes by fast when you don't want it to. I never wanted those few hours I spent with Maryam to end. Even though we were a distance apart, with me down on the carpet and her up on the bed but still, at least we slept in the same room. Something that has never happened before and something I want to happen every single night for the rest of my life.

After Subhi, I wanted to give Maryam some privacy to get ready for the day so I left the room for a run. I had on a sweat shirt and a pair of khaki trousers and with my earphones plugged in, I hit the pavement where me and Maryam had walked through on that magical last night.

The resort has started to awaken and I could see a few people out on a run just like I was. It was still not yet sunrise and everywhere was tinted a light shade of blue. Everything I saw, reminded me of her and that was more than enough reason for me to be lost in thought with a giddy smile on my lips. The people wheezed past me and the music blasted into my ears but it wasn't what kept my mind occupied. Maryam's smile, her beautiful voice with that accent I can never get enough of, the sound of her laughter, her face and everything else about her, was what made me so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even realised that I had trailed further away than I had intended to.

I have been jogging for almost an hour and I calculated I would take another hour to get back to the suite so I turned back, deciding that two hours were enough for my wife to finish getting ready. Yes, now, in my mind, Maryam's title has become what it rightfully is; my wife.

Yusuf's beautiful, amazing, kind, honest and down to earth wife. My wife. I don't think I ever loved the sound of a phrase more than I do that one and there's no day that I don't spend a long portion of time after every prayer to ask Allah to bring closer the day where I can say that out loud to Maryam and she'd agree with it whole heartedly. I pray to be granted an easy way out of this predicament, To make Maryam feel for me even if it was a little bit of what I feel for her and to make Zainab understand and accept our relationship.

Like I've been doing since she left, I've just blocked out every thought of Zainab out of my mind. I don't want to think of her and remember the fact that when she comes back less than a year from now, she would want me to put her plan into action. I never want to hurt Zainab but I know that now, it couldn't be helped. I felt nothing for her but I felt everything for Maryam. I just pray and will continue praying that somehow, she'll understand that. Somehow, she won't allow herself to stand as a barrier between me and Maryam because I know it won't be easy for Maryam to accept me when Zainab doesn't approve. It felt like betrayal. I know that too but at this point, my love was selfish and it could do everything to make Maryam truly accept our relationship.

The hue of the surrounding has changed turning much lighter and I realised that the sun had risen a while ago. I looked around to see the beautiful scenery and I grew eager anticipating what this glorious morning held in store for me. I had Maryam by my side, I have two more days to spend with my wife.

Since Maryam had wanted to go to Abuja, the plan was for us to spend the rest of this Saturday here with Hamza and his wife and then leave for Abuja in the evening where we would spend Sunday before taking a flight back to Lagos in the night.

Every second from now on was going to be golden, I could feel it and I just hope and pray that Maryam would allow herself to feel it too.

I was only a few feet away from the hotel and perhaps, it was from the excitement of reaching back that I sped up my running and on the way, I bumped into someone. I recognised him right away and plugged out my headphones to apologise.