Chapter Four

Sufyan had an impish smile on his face as he drove to Asokoro district. His friend, Hassan was in the passenger seat looking terrified.

"The girl is scary man! I haven't met her but I feel like pissing my pants already." Hassan said.

"How can you be going to meet a girl for the first time and you're this scared? Why'd you even agree to it?" Sufyan asked.

"It's all my mom, she wouldn't stop bugging me about the whole thing. Apparently the girl's mom is her friend's cousin and they're worried she isn't married since she's old and all that."

Sufyan honestly was tired of family members pushing for someone to get married.

"If she's as old as you say, isn't she supposed to be desperate to marry anyone? I mean most people tend to be, it's just humanly." He hadn't met this girl but he was intrigued by the whole situation.

"She definitely isn't, you know Shar'ib real estate and construction company right?" He continued after Sufyan nodded, "well she's the old man's daughter so she's rich, beautiful and isn't bothered. I've heard tales about her, they aren't funny."

At that Sufyan laughed, he was at work when Hassan had called asking him to please follow him later in the evening to meet with a girl his mom had set him up with, he wasn't surprised, that was the life story of all his single friends, their families were constantly trying to get them with a girl.

"I think I've heard of her, Sabeerah AbdulMalik right?"

"Yes! That's her, businesswoman down to the core. You should hear my cousin who works at their firm talk about her, she's rude, annoying and bossy. She once hit a man her father's age because he mistakenly spilled water on her shoes, the disrespect."

Sufyan bursted into laughter, releasing one of his hand from the wheel to hold his stomach.

"You're being a rumour monger honestly, those sound exactly like a fabricated tale would. If you have your whole judgement about her even before seeing her, plus your obvious disinterest, I don't get why I'm still heading there."

"Well I'd love to see what she's like, I saw pictures on Instagram and she's very beautiful but I did tell my mom twenty eight is too old for me."

"You're thirty-one and no lady is complaining you're too old for her." Sufyan pointed out.

"Well I'm a guy, these ladies have their biological clock ticking. Twenty eight and unmarried, really? What has she been doing? Probably being excessively choosy about who she'll marry considering her family's wealth, these rich girls and their pompousness."

Sufyan frowned. "Hey man, you're being really judgmental and honestly I'm not comfortable with it."

"I'm sorry, I'm just a nervous wreck okay? Consider this a coping mechanism." Hassan said rubbing his hands together.

"It's not a healthy one."

"Stop being a mom. We're almost there right?" Hassan asked as Sufyan cornered into a street.

Sufyan didn't really like Hassan sometimes, the guy was a sicko no doubt but he was also a good guy other times.

"Yup! House number 4." He stopped the car in front of the gate, staring at the humongous mansion that lay ahead.

"Wow." Hassan breathed out with a glazed look as he took in the house.

A knock on Sufyan's window side jolted them both, he winded down to see a uniform man staring down at him with an intimidating look on.

"Who are you?" The man asked in a deep authoritative voice, Hassan whimpered quietly and Sufyan almost whacked him for being such a scared cat.

"I'm Sufyan Khalid  and this is my friend Hassan Bashir, we're here to see Miss Sabeerah AbdulMalik." Sufyan answered in a steady voice.

"I'll be back." The man said before leaving.

"This whole situation is scary Sufyan, can we just go back? I'm not in the mood for having issues with these rich people." Hassan muttered.

"Rich people but they're also humans and besides your family isn't poor and neither are mine so what's the intimidation about?"

"They aren't just normal rich like I and your family bro, they're wealthy. They're like at the top hierarchy with the president and all of that, probably going to look down at us with their nose high up in the air when they ask about our professions, I've told my mom to stop associating with..."

"Okay I've had enough Hassan, can you just stop with your prejudice against the rich? Especially a family you know nothing about? Honestly it's making my stomach churn."

"I'm sorry, it's just my nerves acting up, I'm never comfortable with people whom I deem above me, I always feel like they're all judging me you know how it is."

"No I don't and you should wait for someone to judge you first before..."

"She's expecting you." A deep voice interrupted Sufyan. He nodded before driving his car through the gate.

The house was even more beautiful, the walls gleaming.

"Wow, I've never been somewhere like this before and did you see the cars parked outside? These people are rich!" Hassan whispered in his ear.

"Assalamualaikum." Sufyan greeted with a small crouch as soon as he sighted an elderly woman who looked like the lady of the house, Hassan followed suit.

"Walaykumsalam, please take a seat." Simultaneously, he and Hassan sat down. The woman was gorgeous, she was dressed in a flowing abaya, her fair skin shone and her eyes seemed to be smiling.

"How're you both doing? What'd you like to have?" She asked.

"Water is fine ma'am." He spoke up when he noticed Hassan was tongue tied from awe.

"No, no, not water. Wine perhaps? It's non alcoholic."

He nodded.

"Your friend too?" She asked.

"Yes, I think." Sufyan answered nudging Hassan a little but his eyes were focused on a work of art that seemed to cost a lot.

A girl Sufyan had barely noticed left the room probably to get their drinks.

"You're welcome to my humble home, my husband is away for work but my daughter is getting dressed, she'll join us soon." Sufyan noticed she spoke directly to him probably mistaking him for Hassan, who wouldn't with the way the fool was acting?

"Oh that'll be nice. I'm actually Sufyan, a friend of Hassan here." He said elbowing Hassan and that was when his attention finally switched.

"Yes ma'am, I'm Hassan Bashir, we spoke on the phone."

The woman smiled but he didn't miss the flitting look of disappoinment that had crossed her features.

"It's nice to see you, how's your mother doing?" She asked Hassan. Sufyan let his eyes shift to other things now that he knew she'd be less interested in his business considering he wasn't the one meeting with her daughter.

"Umma I'm going out to grab some chocolates and Pringles from the mall quickly." A girl announced coming into the living room, Sufyan's eyes turned to her, she definitely wasn't Sabeerah, she looked younger and friendlier if the tales were true, plus she said she was going to the mall so nope! The women in this household were strikingly beautiful though, this one was dark skinned and skinny with innocent eyes.

"Assalamualaikum, pardon my manners." She said to him and Hassan.

"Walaykumsalam." They both answered.

"This is my last daughter, Huda. Huda these are Hassan and Sufyan."

"Nice to meet you guys. See you later Umma." She said hurrying off.

"Don't be late for dinner." Her mom called out but Sufyan doubted she heard.

"Sabeerah will soon be down." The woman assured with a tight smile, Sufyan had an idea Sabeerah was intentionally stalling because she was being forced.

He wasn't surprised when she came into the sitting room in sweat pants and a baggy T-shirt with a veil carelessly draped on her head but he was surprised at how his heart did a double flip when their eyes met and her lips curved into a smirk.

Ya Allah please, this is the woman I want to spend my life with!

His thoughts scared him, he was sure it showed on his face. God! What had he gotten himself into? He wanted her.