Chapter 2: Fortuitous Union

"Beep... Beep...," AY's phone rang, it was Ayat.

"Hello dearie, you called as promised," AY said scratching his head.

"uhm... uhm..., I just wanted to tell you I will be coming any moment from now," she replied coughing, pretending not to hear the word 'dearie'.

"I just said hello dearie."

"Yeah... you did buh..."

"But what?"

"Just forget about it, see you in the hospital, bye," she said ending the call.

"Wait sef, hope this guy is not thinking far cuz hmm... Daddy will just skin me alive," she said dropping her phone on the shelf in the kitchen, she was preparing a meal for AY.

She finished preparing the meal and dished it in a VIP cooler and left for the hospital.

"Knock... Knock..., Assalamu Alaykum," Ayat knocks the door and do sallam.

"Yes come in, the door is open," AY said, while buttoning his shirt to hide his unclad chest.

she entered. With the cooler hidden in a leather bag and said;

"It seems this your own sister is not always around."

"Nap, far from that, I guess you are just been unlucky," he said jokingly.

"Abi?" she asked smiling.

" So how are you doing," added.

"With your thought in my mind, I hardly remember I am a hospital patient," he said arranging the beg neatly for her to sit.

She taught to herself:

"What is this guy thinking, abeg oooo, nothing attached, am just been friendly."

She knew it was for her but went straight to sit on the chair. He looked at her and shook his head. They continue chatting when he talked to himself loudly:

" where is this girl, must she always starved me before bringing the food?"

"Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you, I prepare a meal for you," she said. She removed the cooler out of the bag, remove the white serving plate with green design on it and dished out the food.

"Wow!!! Such a nice aroma," said AY inhaling the aroma of the food.

"Thank You, I prepared it purposely for you," she said bring out the spoons.

"Na die I dey, I don get babe be dat," he taught to himself. He was lost in taught.

She looked at him and noticed he was looking at her face, he had travelled for a tour in the land of fantasy.

"AaaaaaYY...," what are you think of?

"Nothing."

"For your mind," she said within her.

They started eating the food together in the same plate, it was a well cooked rice and stew garnished with salad and cucumber with meat as capping. The food was so delicious that AY felt Ayat is an all-rounder. He told her how good she was with cooking and she thanked him for the complement.

The food finished and she put back the plates and spoon back into the bag. AY stood, went slowly to where Ayat was sitting. She remained calm looking at what seems to be a movie to her. When she noticed he was getting closer, she stood also. He attempted to hold her but she refused. He then looked deeply into her eyes while she stare at him with a red eye.

"Am sorry," he said moving back to the bed.

"Hope you know the implication of touching me," she asked.

"I, I'm sorry, it wouldn't happen again."

"Better, am going now...," she said, moving toward the door.

"Am... am...," he stammered as he moved close to the door to stop her.

"I'm not angry, I have just over stayed here, lemi see my sister."

"Ok, I wanted telling you I would be discharged tomorrow and thank you for the meal, that was why I came closer the other time."

"That nice, I will see you before then," she said while passing through the door.

He shot the door and went to the bed to lay.

She left there but the thought of how delicious the meal was didn't, AY felt how could a lady be so beautiful, religious and above all, a good cook and he concluded she is one in a million and is better he stop seeing her as a friend material but as a wife material and he said to himself;

"I'm 30, with a nice paying job, a house and cars.What then am I waiting for? He concluded he was going to tell her what he feel and hope the feeling was mutual."

Later that day, Ayat's sister, Rahinat told their father that Ayat was seeing someone that do not put on jallabia and cap but someone that seems oriented in the western culture.

Ayat was asked by her dad to stop seeing AY and that made her sad feeling for the first time in many years, she is seeing someone that she could say she like and they will tell her not to go close just because he is not an ustaz. She later concluded that since he is a Muslim, she can't stop seeing him after all, they are not dating and he is just a friend.

She dialled his number and after exchanging greetings, she told him what happened and her decision. That made him happy, he told her he can't wait to see her tomorrow. They ended the call but Ayat felt sad for herself and felt unless hell will be let loose, she can't keep her distance from him, not when she have the chance of changing him for the better.