LAYLA

Chapter Five

Sunlight casts it's warm glow into my bedroom, slanting through the shuttered windows and and streaking behind my eyelids. The fluttering sensation lifts my eyelids open.

Memories from yesterday flood through my mind, I stood up from the very comfy bed that now belongs to me, pulled off the dress from yesterday, my wedding dress, and let it pool at leg on the tiled floor. 

Where the hell are my suitcases. 

I found them in front of my wardrobe, i took the one I arranged my toiletries inside and put everything I'll need in the bathroom in the right position. I picked a towel and wrapped it around my body. I need a shower. I didn't bother to remove my makeup last night and I hope it won't cause any breakout for me. After removing my makeup I stepped into the shower, allowing the hot beads of water to wash the remains of yesterday. 

When I was done, I brushed my teeth and performed ablution to say my fajr(dawn) prayers. After applying my body lotion I picked out a coffee coloured Abaya, my hijab and a scarf to wrap around my head when I'm done with my salat(prayer).

After praying, i supplicated and recited the Quran. Then I arranged all my clothes, shoes, bags, makeup, perfume and jewelries in their respectful places and left some of the wrapper I'm yet to sew in a box. I arranged the boxes in one corner of the room, then laid my bed, picked up my scarf and phone and headed downstairs. 

Zayyad was not down yet, or maybe he left early, I don't have his number and I can't bring myself to knock on his door. 

Does he go to work, how old is he, what time does he normally have his breakfast, I was confused. 

I checked the fridge for something I could prepare for breakfast, it was almost empty, i checked the cupboards and I gathered the necessary ingredients for pancakes, but I still need to go grocery shopping later today. I couldn't help but think back to those times when I use to post everything that happens to me on i********:, if I would have gotten married then, I would have done several wedding photoshoots with Nabeel, and show up on the Alter with Zayyad. That would have been epic. 

When the pancakes were done, I ate mine and left his in the microwave for him, then I tapped a note to the fridge and went back to read any of the books I brought in case of times like this. 

There was a knock on my door, for sure it's going to be Zayyad, i placed the book I was reading on my bed, not bothering with my scarf and went to open the door. 

"Good morning" I said as soon as I opened the door. 

"morning, how was night"

"Restful, how was yours" I replied, 

"It was ok, I went for a run earlier, i saw the food the left me, thanks"he said with a smile, "but you know you don't have to cook for me if you don't want to"

"I'm your wife, why wouldn't I want to cook for you, was the portion too small, is that it or you don't like pancakes? I can prepare something else for you then" I said stepping out of my room. 

"No that's not it"he chuckled, "chill, It was perfect, i just don't want to stress you, that's all"

"Oh, it's no big deal seriously, besides I'm not doing anything around here so it takes my mind off stuffs and it's my duty, I'm totally fine with it"

"Alright,tell me if you need anything, we can get it together, i won't be at home tomorrow" 

"Ok we need to go grocery shopping and I need some cleaning agents too"

"Alright then, should we leave now, I don't really have anything to do"

"Yeah sure, I'll meet you downstairs, give me 10 minutes"I said going into my room to get ready. The abaya I was wearing was okay so I just picked out a sandal to wear, some jewelries, then I applied lip balm to my lips, mascara and just powder, before heading downstairs with my phone and a small side bag that I filled with essentials like lip balm, mirror, my earpiece, my purse and a handkerchief.

He drove us to wuse market, we bought everything we needed within an hour and thirty minutes.

As soon as we got home, Zayyad brought everything we bought from the car and placed them on the kitchen counter. He took a seat and watched me me put everything we bought in place. 

"This feels weird, I never thought I would be married at twenty seven. "He chuckled dryly. 

So he is 27 years. 

I looked up from what I was doing and sat beside him. 

"I'm 21 years old"

"You are really young, you look mature than you really are, i was expecting 25"

I gasped, placing a hand on my chest, "Are you saying that I'm old"

"Old? Nahh, darling you are far from being old, trust me"he said with an amused glint in his eyes. "You behave mature than your age, damn when I was 20,i didn't even know what I was doing with my life"

"Now you sound like an old man"I said laughing 

He scoffed,"please"

"I already know you schooled in the Uk, what else am I supposed to know? "

"We have forever to do that, but I'm allergic to honey, that's important "

I wanted to get more than that from him. 

"The house looks too good for a man, i mean the decoration, did your girlfriend do it or did you get an interior designer for it"

He laughed. A real laugh, this is the first time I've heard him laugh, it's that kind of contagious laugh because I found myself smiling at him. 

"Is that your way of asking if I have a girlfriend?" He said, 

"Maybe" I replied shrugging to make it look less like I'm trying to pry. 

"Well no I didn't get an interior designer to do it"

"Then your girlfriend did it"

"Nope I did"he said proudly, 

"Haha, humor me, i didn't know Nigerian guys do this kind of thing, but seriously it looks professional "

"It is professional"he said, 

Now i was beyond confused, and I let it show because I was looking at him funny. 

"But you just said you did it yourself"

"That's because I did. I am an interior designer"

But he avoided my other question about his girlfriend. 

Okay that was unexpected, i thought about engineer or lawyer or maybe a business man but interior decorator never crossed my mind. 

"Ohh, I can't believe I didn't understand that sooner"

"Don't worry, I'm used to it, i get that reaction a lot"

"Sorry"I mumbled "so where do you work then"

"Well, In the Uk, i have an organization there but I'm already starting up something here, but I'll still be traveling occasionally to check out things in the UK"He replied, 

"Ok that's cool, what do you want to eat for lunch, I could fix it, I don't really have anything to do"

"I'm not hungry now, let's just watch a movie or play video games, we can go out for pizza later, there's a pizza place here in the estate, we can walk there later, I'm not used to all this"

"Ok, that fine by me, but I think we should watch a movie, i don't know how to play video games, I'm picking the movie though"

"Just make sure it's not a rom com, i hate that s**t"

"And I love it"I said grinning widely, "but don't worry that's not what I have in my, let's watch the originals"

"We are so going to get along without issues"he was smiling too. 

We stepped out of the kitchen, the things I was arranging long forgotten, and that's how we spent the rest of our first day as a couple.