THE MASKED GIRL

45

Hafsat

Knowing that I am a few months to graduation makes me take in whatever the school throws at me without a complain, it was just a matter of time and I would be a doctor, me a freaking surgeon.

I clocked twenty-six today and I don't really care, age is now just a number in my life. I used to be excited whenever it was my birthday for all the eighteen years of my life but not anymore. Gifts and wishes from family and friends are the reason why I haven't forgotten about the day, they always remind me. It's crazy how I was happy to be born on the first day of the year before, that the whole world rejoices with me.

Well, I was pretty surprised when I didn't receive a gift from charming stranger, that is what I called him. He didn't send anything not even a note and I didn't really mind, he was after all complicating things for me.

My roommates have been acting weird since Eun Ae received a message probably from her crush, they all had been crazy about it. It was just us three now because Vidya graduated last year, she was in a five-year program. I only listened to their relationship fantasies when I was free and I am busy with a project this time so I didn't ask them what they were giggling about, they would have told me if it was important.

They left me at the library later in the evening because I was not done studying and they had to go. It was just me, my airpods and my Spotify playlist walking back to the dorm when I was startled by a shocking sight.

He looked phenomenal silhouetted in a shadow, the light from the light pole highlighting the angles on his face. His eyes caressed me, sweeping from my head to my toes and lingering on my eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt that fit his wide shoulders and broad back perfectly, paired with darker trousers.

The water bottle in my hand falls to the floor. It felt like I was stuck to the ground, I couldn't even speak, and words had temporarily left me.

"How are you here?"

My mouth speaks on itself.

He stepped toward me until he was two feet away from me. "Not the kind of welcome I was expecting"

"Why am I dreaming about this?" I didn't know I spoke my mind out loud until I saw him laughing. If my subconscious was a person, it would be beating its face against a wall right now.

He picked the bottle off the floor and gave it a look like he had seen it before and smiled then handed it to me along with a banquet of flowers and I took time before I collected it. "Happy birthday"

How is he here?— out of the blue. This is hard to process at once.

He bent down to my level and inched his face to mine. "What are you doing?" I asked him as I moved back.

"Just checking if you can still talk" He answered with a chuckle.

I was just too shocked and instead of telling him I walked a bit further from him and he followed suit. We walked in silence back to the gate of the dorm. "So are you here for work?"

He smiled in response. "Uhmm?" I asked further.

"Yes and no"

I gave him a confused look and he shrugged his shoulders. "Can the birthday girl give me a tour around Seoul?"

I rolled my eyes at him and nonetheless agreed. "How are you still wearing a mask?"

I think he only noticed that now, my eyes never stay in place whenever I'm talking to him, they roll on their own even on the phone.

"What do you expect? I live up to my name"

We talked the entire way back to the dorm, a new conversation started once the previous one ended. He told me that he was here for work and also to see me, it had been almost six years since we last saw each other.

He hasn't changed that much just a little matured but he is still the same old Aliyu who treats me like a precious item. He waited for me outside the dorm while I went in to get ready.

The girls cheered as soon I entered our room, like they knew what happened outside.

"What are you happy about?"

Nafisat collected the flowers out of my hand. "That you've met your charming stranger of course"

"Oh you are mistaken, this is from Aliyu an old friend" I explained to them as I removed my mask and kept the things I was holding on the desk.

"The card said otherwise"

Eun Ae speaks and raises the card for me to see and it is exactly the type that charming stranger sends. I quickly walked to them and read the card.

"Wishing my Maamah a happy birthday and a new year, it is finally the year we are getting married. Don't overthink things.
-Charming"

Oh my goodness, Aliyu is charming! How I'm I oblivious to how things go around me?

He had been calling Maamah since we started talking again, saying that is his name for me because he can't continue calling me Hafsat. After all, I have his mother's name. I cannot remember the last time he called me with Hafsat in the past three years and most of the cards and letters I received from charming addressed me as Maamah. How did I not realize that? He never acted like he was the one behind it.

No wonder he looked at the water bottle like he had seen it before and smiled, because he was the one that got it for me. It was a gift from him. I changed into another pair of clothes in uttermost surprise. He is charming, my charming.

He texted me to meet him in the parking lot because he had rented a car for us to ride in. He is lucky I was done with my project and have the time to spend with him.

"You will go with him even if you were busy," The voice inside my head tells me and that's right. I will go with him no matter how busy I am.

He opened the door for me and I got in before he also hopped in.

"How could you not tell me that you are charming?" I asked him as soon as he put his seatbelt on, I have been dying to ask him.

"You never ask"

It makes me happy that he reminds me of Suhail in a lot of ways. Suhail had said those exact words to me before. He called himself charming like I wanted to call Suhail.

He scratched the back of his neck after realizing that his words had sparked something from my past. It makes me sad before but not anymore, I even want to find something that makes me remember so I smile at him to tell him that it doesn't matter.

He looked away from me, his eyes settling on the dashboard. "I cannot wait for us to be married and see the smile on your face instead of your eyes"

I was caught up in realizing that he was charming and didn't get to think about what he said on the card, What does he mean by we are getting married this year?!

My heart did something it had never done before as I listened to him speak.

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I know I told some of you that I will only publish this after I complete it but I unfortunately didn't🤧. I am sorry. I really really appreciate you for reading, thank you so much. Only five chapters and we would be done. I promise not to keep you waiting.

See you in a few days:), ilysm😚❤️