Being Mrs Dantata

32

It took a minute for Hanan to adjust to the brightness of the room.

One glace at the digital clock on the nightstand let her know that it was 10:47AM. Zayd's arm weighed heavily on her waist and she pushed it away gently as she sat up. It caused him to stir but he did not wake. She let out a soft sigh as she stood, the ground cool beneath her bare feet.

The first thing she did was close the curtains, the sunlight immediately blocked out. The side lights dimly lit up the space but it was bright enough for her to find her way to the bathroom. She sleepily peed and washed up before she finally looked at her reflection.

Her blue nightdress hid her slender frame. Her hair was a tangled mess and she knew Zayd would use it to tease her. He had asked her to dry it out before returning to bed but she did not listen. She was now going to suffer the consequences. Her tiredness showed on her face but she did not mind it.

She saw the fading spots, especially around her collarbone and her neck area, memorable reminders of every moment she and Zayd had shared the night before and then in the first hour after Fajr. She shut her eyes, her hands on the vanity top, as the memories flooded her mind. She was going to have a hard time pushing all those memories back, she was sure of it. Not like she minded much.

"You okay?"

Her eyes flew open and she turned to see a worried Zayd in the bathroom's doorway. Her brows furrowed. "Did I leave the door open?"

He nodded and then stepped into the wide space. "Yeah, you did. Are you okay though? You were just standing there."

She nodded, smiling at him. "I'm okay. I just –" She caught herself and exhaled. "Nothing."

"You just what?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She hoped he dropped it. She could feel the blush creeping up the back of her neck. "I'm just going to try and untangle my hair."

She tried to walk away but he easily grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him, causing her to gasp. He had a teasing smile on his face. He definitely knew what was going on. "What were you thinking about, Nehita?"

Hanan decided to face it. "Everything that happened last night and this morning too." She pushed her chin up, silently daring him. "Why? Can't I do that?"

"I never said you can't."

Her smile returned and she visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being a gentleman and for ensuring I was okay with everything."

His smile warmed her heart. "I don't see why you have to thank me but you're welcome. How do you feel?"

"Tired, but I don't mind it. I thought we'd sleep till Zuhr but here we are." She sighed softly. "If we were to be in Abuja and we had visitors, how would you have explained the marks on my body?"

"It's not like they haven't heard about people having sex after getting married before."

She was mortified. "Zayd!"

He laughed. "But it's the truth. They'll fade away before the end of the day, or maybe tomorrow. No one's going to see it so you don't have to worry. Even if they do, it's not like we did anything wrong."

She nodded slowly. What he said was true but it was going to take at least a day to get her head around it. She decided to let it go for a while. "When did you wake up?"

"When you pushed me away."

"I had to use the bathroom!"

"You still pushed me away."