Flawed Perfection

Chapter Nineteen:Unclothed Confessions

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.