Nilefa: The Union

CHAPTER 14

" Enough now. What do you want?" Abdulsalam wanted to end the conversation as soon as he could.

" I want us to meet. There's something I need your help with." Yasmeen answered.

" If it's a lawyer you need, I'll help you. Then ..."

" No" Yasmeen interrupted. " I need you as a friend." Yasmeen paused for a bit."

" I don't want to be your friend meena ."

" It's Yasmeen. Yasmeen" she stressed" it's the name of a flower"

" Okay sorry Yasmeen." Why would he have to remember her name? He didn't want to remember a girl's name apart from Kubra's.

" When can we meet?"

" We can never meet. Are you aware of what our parents are trying to do? "

" Yes I am aware. They are trying to get us married. It's the reason we have to meet."

Abdulsalam mentally kicked himself. How couldn't he catch it, Yasmeen clearly didn't want to marry him and it was why she offered him friendship. He agreed it was better to maintain friendship with her so that it didn't affect the relationship between the two families. Yasmeen would convince his father that they didn't want to be together, and he would get off hiss back on the matter.

" When do you want to meet up?"  He asked.

"Monday will be fine."

" Okay fine. I'll send you the location of our meeting venue." He was ending the call when she called back.

" Hey what do you mean send me the location? I can't go by myself. "

" Why can't you?" He was befuddled.

" I'm new here. I don't want to get lost."

" You won't get lost. You have GPS! "

" Alright then that brings me to the point where I have to be honest. " She paused " I'm scared."

" Have someone take you there then Meena" it's Yasmeen, he reminded himself mentally, but before he corrected it...

" It's Yasmeen not Meena. Yasmeen is the name of a flower. You can't....."

"Whatever! I'll pick you up at 5:00pm on Monday."

"Isn't 5:00pm a bit late?" She asked.

"It's the best I can do. Take it or leave it " He was dismissive.

" Okay. I'll be waiting for you, at home, right?."

"Where else were you thinking?" He was starting to be annoyed"Good day" and he cut the call.

From the day she left his office,he could not look at the AC the same. He hated that he always pictured her lanky figure in front of it. He even remembered how she smelt, her soft feminine scent lingered in there, sticking to his memory. He shook himself out of the thought and began to wonder why his father had asked to see him.
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After the call ended, Yasmeen took a shower. As Aunt Ruwaya had decreed, they went shopping. The woman no longer lived in Nilefa, but she had stopped to say hello to literally everyone she came across. An hour's shopping took forever as Aunt Ruwaya had something to talk about with each of the people they met. Yasmeen lost count of the number of times her aunt had asked her to return the the clothes she had taken. Anything she picked out was either too simple, too common or cheap.

" If was dressing the way you are, I wouldn't have attracted the prince. He was taken away by my elegance Yasmeen,I had him wrapped on my finger." Aunt Ruwaya swung her index finger." To get a man's attention, you must look unaffordable. Like this" she motioned at herself.