In this country, priority always comes with wealth, that's the bitter truth that people made. If neither you nor your father has something, then you are nothing. Rulaynah already knew about this since ages ago, however, her blood always boiled whenever she witnessed something of such happening.

She had been in front of her faculty registration office since morning but, she couldn't enter because of a long queue, the queue that could have been dispersed already if not for the riches that came late yet used connections to enter.

A hiss was heard from her side and she looked up to find a crinckled face of a lady that looked like she was about to burst. They made eye contact to which Rulaynah offered a small smile to ease the irritation on her face, the latter did the same and Rulaynah shifted for her to sit when she realized she was standing.

"Thank you, the waiting is so frustrating." The lady appreciated Rulaynah's offering of seat.

"It sure is, and the hot weather isn't helping matters." The latter responded with a smile.

"Yeah and more people are coming in, the place is too crowded. My name is Sunaina by the way, I got admission in English Literature department, what about you?"

"Rulaynah, same department, nice meeting you."

"Same department really? this must be destiny's work, let's be friends please?" She clapped her hands excitedly like she wasn't the one frustrated earlier.

"Erm... okay.. sure, friends", Rulaynah tried widening her smile when she saw how excited her new found friend looked, although wondering how on earth it turned out to be a destiny's work when they're in the same faculty and were both there for registration.

Done with the procedures, Rulaynah and her new friend parted ways in the parking space with Sunaina offering a lift to Rulaynah, but the latter rejected.

Life wasn't as easy as it was before, she couldn't just blindly trust anyone anymore, her very own family taught her that lesson. Had it been she didn't eavesdrop on her uncle's conversation when he said he was taking them for an ice cream date, they could've ended up in a nasty orphanage full of domestic violence or maybe on the street as beggars. She shook her head out of the thoughts and started trekking to the school gate for a tricycle.

Rulaynah received Ameerah's phone call on her way back, the latter ordered some snacks for her cousin's engagement party the coming weekend. The party was solely for the couple's family, thus the snacks were not much for her to not be able to make, with that, she accepted and changed her rout to a nearby market.

***

Making snacks wasn't much of a worry to Rulaynah anymore as she had hired a help, so when Ameerah told her they needed every single thing on her menu, it didn't bother her much.

They finished making everything by noon and Rulaynah notified her customer about it. She wanted to send her delivery man with the goods but Ameerah said she was sending her brother already.

Well nothing beat customers satisfaction even if you have to spend more than an hour waiting for an unpunctual creature to arrive. Rulaynah was more than frustrated because the only thing she wanted doing was to return the sleep she missed that earlier morning.

"Anty Ru guess who's here, it's uncle A, he said he's here for the snacks." Amal came running, pronouncing the word uncle as uncu.

Out of energy, Rulaynah just nodded and started taking the snacks out without registering Amal's words completely. 

"Truly, which of the favors of our Lord would we deny?" Rulaynah heard a voice uttered as she tried squinting her eyes to ease the sun rays directly shining at her face making it unable to see his face. Well, when she did, she was left utterly speechless cause she had made sure that she avoided meeting him. She could still remember all those days he came looking for her in the orphanage but she warned the kids to not say she's living there, until he lost hope and stopped coming.

"I just knew that if we are meant to be, God will find another way for us to meet. This is fate, you can't keep ignoring it Hoor." Only Allah knows the amount of happiness that was sprouting in Haidar's heart at that time.

Yeah of course he'll call it fate, Rulaynah thought, she really had no idea why people like tagging mere coincidences as fate. Well just like he said she's so going to ignore it this time as well.

"Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah, good afternoon, I suppose you are the one Ameerah sent to collect her order right?" Yup, go and hug transformer! She mentally patted her shoulder with a proud smile.

Haidar let out a small chuckle realizing what she did. I will be a fool if I miss this chance again darling, he thought before clearing his voice and answered her Salam.

"Wa alaiki salam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh, sorry I didn't greet you first, I was carried away, I'm sure by now even you have realized the things you do to me."

"It's okay, so where's the car? abii you are taking them all with your hands?" Good job babes keep #missionIgnoreHisWords active, Rulaynah gave another mental pat on the shoulder widening her smile.

"Well, I won't mind trekking from here to home if you can accompany me, I mean at least I get to spend more time with you, it's a win."

Ya Rabbur-Raheem can't this guy get rejection signals? what in the world is wrong with him. Rulaynah's brain guffawed at her mental scream while she mentally rolled her eyes. At the rate she had been talking to her brain, she was about to go crazy especially with that annoying smirk decorated on his face.

To avoid scratching the annoying face with her vampire nails, she uttered a quick bye and turned to leave, only to be blocked the next second.

"I had always left you as you wanted, but I'm sorry to say I can't do that today, trust me someone will even swear on me if I did." He chuckled at the glare she threw his way but still stood his stance.

"What do you want?" She huffed and asked.

"In simple terms, your location."

"What?" Yeah, he shocked her, that was the first time a man asked her a different thing other than her number, she had even started recalling her old contact to give him. 

"What, you think I'm going to ask for your number? No Hoor, your voice alone won't make up for all the times you made me missed. Besides, from the little I know about you, you may likely ignore the call, so I won't be taking that risk."

She sighed, the nerve of this guy, "I live in kano, you get it, now bye."

"C'mon Hoor you can't be serious, please let's make this quick okay? I'm sure you've seen how I'd been rejecting calls since, Ameerah's gonna have my head for dinner today, so atleast allow me to die knowing I tried getting you into my life, uhm? Please?"

I swear this guy's a total psycho. Rulaynah laughed in her head.

'Yeah yeah look who's interested in talking to this psycho guy though.' Her brain muttered.

Shocked Rulaynah widened her eyes, are you crazy? Vamoose, disappear, hug transformer or do whatever but don't ever talk to me again. She rolled her eyes shutting her brain out.

Looking up to the pyscho guy, she found amusement dangling in his eyes and that's when she realized she made all that facial expressions in reality not mentally. Goshhh! What a bummer!

Seeing he's still passistently waiting for her answer, coupled with the fact that she was very tired, she decided to end the conversation by telling him her address, hoping Ameerah would really have his head for dinner that day so he wouldn't come disturbing her again.

"Fine, this is my home, I live here."

"Sweetheart I swear Allah will punish Ikhram and the rest if you mean to tell me that they had never told you how many times I came here looking for you."

"Well I warned them not to ever tell you I was around, so..." She replied shrugging one shoulder.

"Are you serious?" He asked gaping.

"Duh"

"Wow your heart is too nice Hoor, do you know that? I mean, you were aware of every single time I came, but never felt the need to pity my poor heart, like seriously‽"

"Can you just go already? I'm sure by now the whole family are waiting for you." She deadpanned.

"Crap! Yeah you're right, it's just that I don't want to leave you yet, I'm enjoying our conversation. But, I should probably be going if I don't want the groom to have my body since Ameerah's having the head. Good bye Hoor, see you soon."

****

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