ENSHROUDED

13

Not even for a second had Aisha sat down, Mama had been calling her to greet one woman or the other. Sometimes when their eyes met Nasir, he smiled brightly at her and that soothed even though not all her tiredness, half of it. She hadn't enjoyed her stay in the hall until it was not less than an hour to leave. Nasir had gone out of making a call, who knew maybe he was even tired of the place? Aisha wished she had as much freedom as he had. Even though Mama couldn't let him leave and have the driver take them back home.

She sat down and was sipping a cocktail from her cup when a girl of her age smiled at her and sat down beside her. Aisha smiled back and awkwardly, the girl spoke. "My mom is over that table. She asked me to speak to you that Hajia Maryama told her you have gained admission into Alqalam, right?"

Aisha's face immediately lit up, she was glad Mama sent the girl to ease her off. "Yes, I'll be leaving in two weeks, Insha Allah."

"Okay, that's good. My name is Fatima Bello Jibia, I'm a student there as well. Level one." Fatima extended her hand and Aisha took it with utmost pleasure.

"My name is Aisha Umar Faruk, I'm glad I met you. Which course?"

"BSC Chemistry. That's what you're going to study too, right?" Fatima asked she was such a chatterbox as Aisha noticed. She smiled and nodded her head at Fatima, and they sat there as Fatima ranted off her ears with unending stories about the school.

Nasir came back to the table and sat down before he looked at Aisha. "A new friend?" he asked, smiling at Fatima that just greeted him.

"Yes, Dr." Aisha beamed and began talking that it amazed Fatima. She just acted like the most silent girl even when she told her her father was from Katsina, Jibia local government that they once resided there, but due to work, they had to relocate back to Bauchi.

"She's a daughter to one of Mama's friends, can you imagine? She's studying in Alqalam and Bsc. Chemistry as well. Isn't that a relief, Dr?" From the way her eyes shone brightly, Nasir knew she was truly glad she had met someone since at home.

"I'm glad she met you, Fatima. Please take very good care of her, I promise she won't cause you any trouble. Right, Aisha?" Aisha nodded her head as she turned to look at Fatima with a goofy smile, who was smiling widely at them. They looked like those couple on Instagram that had her awwing for days and nights.

"I heard she called you Dr, are you one? A medical doctor or PhD owner?" Curiosity got the best of Fatima, because the moment she spent with them, she had seen the chemistry that they failed to make obvious. And she wanted to know, everything that got her curious between them.

Nasir laughed and in his mind, he was amused at her straightforwardness. He assumed Aisha had gotten herself a friend that is exactly the opposite of her, and he would love to see how this friendship would unfold.

"I'm a medical doctor, Fatima. And yes, she calls me Dr. But truly I want her to be calling my name, you know? The doctor sounds too formal to me." He made a face that made Aisha chuckled and Fatima shook her head at them.

She was one hell of a hopeless romantic person. While reading romance books, she had her heart fully devoted to the main characters that they felt real to her. And seeing Nasir and Fatima stirred the emotions she felt while reading about the two lovers she fell in love with, in a book.

"Aisha, why Doctor? It's just every other person calls him. May be his name feels heavy to your lips, right?" She winked at Aisha and the next thing Fatima felt was a smack on her shoulders. It baffled Aisha had she had gotten free with her in what was less than an hour.

"No, it doesn't. I just feel like I love regarding him as a doctor. He's a doctor to me, in any way possible. And I write it as Dr Not Doctor in full. At least I've changed." Aisha argued and looked at Nasir with her full oceanic eyes, and he felt attacked.