August 2008.
Abuja, Nigeria.The first time Aisha Ahmad Makama willingly touched a man, it just had to be Abdullah Umar Kallamu.
Aisha knew she should have kept her distance, running as far away as she could from Abdullah was supposed to be so much more than just a voice at the back of her mind. Staying was all wrong and dangerous at the same time. Not when Abdullah Umar Kallamu was effortlessly damaged because he lost her, not when he broke down like his knees could no longer carry the weight of his body, not when Abdullah's eyes held a sincerity so intense.
Abdullah looked at her with so much tenderness, like she would break simply from a straight glance by him. Aisha was sure she'd never felt so vulnerable, so defenseless and weak in all of her long Twenty-one years of life. Just his eyes unnerved her soul. And Aisha Ahmad Makama was warm.
Warm enough to melt.
She had been so angry at Abdullah through out the week. She'd promised to destroy the home they hadn't even created, she'd promised to walk away before Abdullah ruined her by bits and pieces. But there she was, completely ruined by a man who broke down like his entire life had just been rattled simply because he couldn't find her.
Aisha stared at him with eyes clouded by a glass of both unshed tears and confusion, this time she didn't care that his eyes were still on her, she took every second of her time to notice all of his features.
There were bags underneath his eyes, like he'd missed out on the entire week's sleep and a five o'clock stubble that shrouded his jaw, he looked so unkempt, Aisha doubted he'd taken some appropriate shower twice the entire week.
A clear of Hajiya's throat jolted them out of their little daze. "I am afraid Aisha can no longer go home with you, I have finally seen for myself how much harm you are capable of bringing to her." Hajiya began in a stern voice and Abdullah could swear he paled to his knees, he felt the drain of blood as it left his heart. For a moment there, Earth almost crashed before him.
There was no way in hell he would let Aisha go. He couldn't do that, not even for the life in his body that crazy girl was yet to drain out of him.
"Hajiya..." She raised a hand in the air.
"Sit." She commanded and Abdullah crouched to the floor. "Abdullah you have been taking Aisha for granted because we saved you the struggle of chasing after her. Afterall, all you had to do was walk home to a wife, that is why you do not value her as much as you should erh?" Abdullah knew that was it, the moment where he had to speak or forever hold broken pieces of regret.
The world got it all wrong_ hearts weren't sold or borrowed because every human needed a single one to survive. Right then, at that point in his life, Aisha Ahmad Makama was his own and unless he was tired of living, he needed her in order to exist, even just for a few seconds more.
"Hajiya, I swear I don't even dislike Aisha." He began, his heart making every known attempt to break out of his ribcage. "Love is not enough if it doesn't make you use your head Abdullah." Her tone was strong and unbreaking, like she was so keen on ending his life.
He opened his mouth to speak but Aisha beat him to it. "I'm sorry about what happened Hajiya, but he didn't throw me out of his car, I left it on my own." That was it, Aisha Ahmad Makama was defending a man, she was sounding like her mother and breaking all the million and two promises she'd made to herself.
But Abdullah Umar Kallamu's world had just collapsed and even though Aisha was unsure if it was by guilt or want, the cloud didn't make the sight of a grown man breaking apart because she was missing in his life any less heart warming. It didn't brake at that, he also had a mother who loved her as if she was a part of herself, a mother who cared for her and protected her in a way even Mama never did. The warmth in Hajiya's eyes was enough to make Aisha want to fall asleep.
"Aisha, even that is not enough justification for what happened. What if we had not seen you that day? How would you have gone home?" Hajiya asked hysterically, as if the thought of it alone sickened her.
"I'm really sorry Hajiya. I'm sure he has explanations." Aisha denoted, her head ducked.
"Abdullahi be thankful Aisha is defending you from me, if anything ever goes wrong again, even if it's a complain about you from Aisha, it's the end of this for you." The minutes after that passed by with warm words of advice; about marriage, patience, kindness and all the other things needed to make marriage work. Both Abdullah and Aisha made respective promises to Hajiya to put in more efforts, to grow and work as a team until they could no longer carry on.
While all that was going on, Aisha knew she'd found a mother, she knew she would do marriage with her life, if not for complicated Abdullah himself, then even just for his kind mother.
Aisha wanted to be around her longer, to know her better and love her, even just a bit more than she already did.
* * *"Don't you think you're being a little too hopeful?" Aisha glanced at Abdullah over her shoulder. He was sitted on the floor beside her, his back reclined against the front of their three-sitter chair.
"Mhmm? Am I?" He responded with another question, his eyes never leaving her face once. "Let's see, I defended you from Hajiya, followed you home, it's a bit unlike me to sit here and let you have peace." Aisha began, her tone soft and stern at the same time. Abdullah chuckled. "For a woman who spills fire everywhere she steps, I thought that was a bit out of this world too." The smile he passed her was so delicate. Like he wanted to love her so peacefully.
Aisha knew that look_ it was the look he passed her the night he first saw her wearing makeup, the one he gave her the day they were supposed to see the house. Even today, a few hours ago, he looked at her that way_ as if he found her so beautiful, he couldn't help it. But it was Abdullah, and that man could be transformed into a book and still have about three million plot twists. Aisha knew better than to get swooned by those eyes, in a few minutes, a swap would occur and Abdullah Umar Kallamu would go back to being himself again. Aisha knew it only lasted that long because he hadn't defrosted from the thought that he'd ended her.
"You're one cunning man, Abdullah Umar Kallamu." She blew out an ample amount of air.
"I'm here. I can hear you." He adjusted his position till he was lying on his back, a hint of a smile to his lips.
"I see you, y'know. You rant a little too much to stay unnoticed around me." A replica of his smile was on Aisha's lips as she spoke. She began her statement as if she was not about to start a conversation that would determine whether she continued breathing around a handsome man or a cruel-aged woman.
"You're such a loud mouth Abdullah. I told you you'd realize I'm not the woman for you. It's just sad, you ranted a whole lot and now you're leaving even before you see the heck marrying me really is." Aisha exhaled deeply, her hands running circles around the embroidered design on the burnt orange free gown Nafeesah had forcefully dashed her. Her smile left her face when she said that.
Abdullah sat up from his lying position and Aisha's entire existence could burn from the intensity of his gaze, unlike all the other times he stared at her, Aisha did not feel the need to stop him. As strange as it was, she liked the feel of his eyes on her.
She felt beautiful enough.
"You're not even as bad as you believe you're. Who knows? You might even be my type." He winked, a faraway look playing in his eyes.