RUWAIDA ✔️

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

Ruwaida bit on her index finger as she marched around the room in foreboding butterflies. Her hiding in the bathroom had finally ended and she was yet to decide on what to do. She could not ask Zarah for help either. On the face of it, she vividly picture's the satirizing stare she'd receive when she attempts to ask Zarah and that was enough for her to dismiss such thoughts. It was all left to her to decide.

She could here the clang of metal spoon against the ceramic plate and she knew he was already stuffing his face with the dishes. He'd returned from work earlier and resolute to check up on her. And she, she purposefully left the shower on, locked herself in the bathroom and had only emerged when she couldn't here his movements around the room.

A quick beep came from her phone from an incoming message and Ruwaida skeptically walked to where she plugged it to have a look.

"Just as I thought," She murmured and then placed it back disappointedly, seeing it was just a random BET message. She had already turned to sit on the bed when suddenly, an inkling put in an appearance in her mind and she hastily picked up the phone.

"How to present a gift" she typed biting nervously on her nails. A more than few recommendations began to appear on her screen and she smiled. Ruwaida took her time in browsing through them but she couldn't come down in favor of any, they all seemed too clichéd and she finally gave up, almost throwing away the phone.

She sighed as she stared at the shopping bags and she found herself walking tenderly to them. She picked the one that had a couturier tag, looked at the mirror before leaving the room with it securely grasped in her hand.

She approached the dining area with her heart in her mouth, immensely frightened of her own shadow and yet managed somehow to take out the ATM card settled somewhere in the bag to hold it in her hand, before she sat on the sit beside his, making sure he couldn't see the small packaged bag.

"Are you eating?," She scratched her nape.

"Have you changed your skin?," Muhammad smirked as he looked up, picking the glass of water beside him to take a few sips. She looked at him cluelessly. "You stayed almost an hour in the bathroom...I thought maybe you were changing your skin," He shrugged.

Ruwaida released a hearty laugh. "Do I look like I've got my skin changed?," She embossed her brows questioningly, not minding that he was forthrightly ogling her; too openly. And then he shook his head with a laugh probably to hide his gaiety, tho she didn't even care a wrap about that.

"Thanks for allowing me go shopping with Zarah...I had a great time," She thought that was a nice start of a conversation. She decided to keep it that way, up until she settle on a plan of action on how she'd pass the bag to him. "How was work?,"

"Work was all good today...I think I had a good time too, treating a woman who thinks she has a phobia for electronics. Unbelievable?. We'd so much tried to assure her that her wiring was the cause for her getting shocks when she touches the naked cables but she was dissenting from that!," Ruwaida muffled back a laugh.

"And guess what she called it?," giving Ruwaida some time to think, he laughed uncontrollably then said. "Dr sir...I'm sure I've got Electro-phobia," Beside her as they both laughed irresistibly, he saw something fall from Ruwaida's sit and how she suddenly stopped laughing to push it close to her. Muhammad smiled broadly. "Ruwaida?,"

"Hm?,"

"What are you hiding," He ceased from peeping at the bag to give her a quizzical look. And she shook her head fumbling nervously in her sit. He wondered what she was hiding that was making her look edgy and he suddenly wanted to know. "Come on show it to me,"

Ruwaida stared at him, feeling the blood draining out of her cheeks and she gulped. "Uhm dama...I err bought you something from the shop," She stretched her hand with the bag in front of him. "I hope you like it?,"

Turaad raised his hand and took it. He stared at her and then turned his head to pull out the small black box from the poke. Almost without thinking, he got up and moved swiftly to hug her securely with the wristwatch still in his hands. Oh Allah! How he adore this very woman!

Ruwaida smiled and slowly seceded from his embrace. "Do you like it?," she raised her brows with a small grin and he nodded, mirroring her beaming expression.

Suddenly, he stopped smiling having his brows creased and he scratched his face as if trying to think. "You only spent a few thousands and this watch cost almost 25,000 notes, don't tell me you did not buy anything for yourself," He knew what the answer would be, but he still asked, hoping maybe something else would come out of it.

She looked up apologetically. " I really don't need anything," she began packing the dishes he'd used. He wanted to be angry, but he found himself unable to harbor such emotion and he mrmured incoherently, following her into the kitchen to wash his hands. "But I bought Barra a nice floral dress...I thought it would look pretty on her," Ruwaida placed the dishes into the sink and turned to beam at him with so much excitement after he'd rinsed his hands.

"I doubt if as much as this red outfit looks on you. you've given the dress so much elegance,"Ruwaida's smile broadened and she thought a little tease would do no harm.

"Have I?," She took a few steps closer to him waiting for him to reply her but he didn't, surprisingly. He only stood, watching her without a shimmer of his eyes. She lifted her hand as if to speak then wavered, closing her eyes and letting her body slowly slide sidewards but Muhammad was fast to hold her.

"Ruwaida? Hey, open your eyes? Look at me," He began to panic and when she was sure he'd already lost it, she opened her left eye comically then burst in a fit of laughter. For him, there was nothing funny about what she just did and he pulled her up.

"I was just joking...I'm sorry," She chuckled watching as he moved his shaky hand to run it down his face, taking a little while to control the sudden rush of sentiments he'd felt.

There had been a moment's silence and then Ruwaida spoke again, regretting everything she'd done. "I'm sorry...,"

"You know?," He inhaled deeply then exhaled, staring at the ceiling. "You've become so mischievous and prankish these days," He kept his eyes on her, and she thought too, it wasn't like her to act like Abdul! And she mentally presumed it was best if she blamed her hormones.

"What should I do to be forgiven, uhm?," Ruwaida asked, keeping her voice as even as she could, holding back the strong urge she had to laugh at him for shamming to be angry. She wasn't sorry any longer, she was messing around, just like he was! What she knew not was everything ending in his favor.

"sé el camino correcto my dear inamorata," And he picked her up her releasing a silent whimper from the suddenness. He gave her a sedated smile, heading back into the inner rooms.

        If you know not to speak Spanish,
                       The Joke's on you!

Love_
SilentWriter 🦋