Dare You To Love Me

«10» on my radar

Spending time with Fulan the day before had been reckless, exhilarating, and nothing like what Yaseerah had imagined it would be.

Spending time with him again today was beyond reckless, and Yaseerah had no excuse for it beyond the fact that she'd enjoyed their outing two days ago.

Horse racing had always been a one person sport for her but Fulan had brought out her competitive streak and made her question everything she'd known, before he entered her life.

Could one person upend her life in a beautiful yet tragic way after spending just a handful of hours with him?

Sneaking out again tonight while her father was at home was dangerous, but she'd already set the ball in motion and couldn't stop, even if she tried.

Fulan was simply mesmerizing. His intense gaze always held her in its gravitational pull, his eyes like deep pools of warmth that seemed to understand her soul. He made her heart race and made butterflies take flight in her stomach. He made her hope and wish for things she hadn't thought were possible before, which was absolutely foolish.

With every stolen moment with him, she could feel herself straying further from the path her father had chosen for her, and the guilt gnawed at her like a relentless predator.

In less than two weeks, she was going to be married to another and it was neither fair on her nor Fulan to continue down this path. But she couldn't tell him the truth. Not now at least.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to experience joy and love, before she was locked away in another gilded cage with someone who didn't want her.

Was it selfish of her to use Fulan this way? Yes, it was. But she didn't want to think of it as that. She was simply going with the flow.

As she stealthily slipped out of the gates of the manor, narrowly missing the guards, her heart raced with anticipation of what the night held.

Dressed in a casual ensemble of jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt, she had thrown on a pale pink kimono to add a touch of elegance and modesty to her outfit.

The Rink Arena in Abuja had been a long-time dream, and tonight, it would become a reality. Bilal would hate her for going without him, but she couldn't think of a better person to skate with than the man who made her dream.

As she approached the predetermined rendezvous point, her heart quickened. A few houses away, bathed in the soft glow of a street lamp, Fulan's car sat patiently. He had parked in the shadows, just like she'd told him to.

When she opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat, her eyes instinctively met his, and she offered him a soft smile.

There was an unspoken connection between them, a magnetic pull that transcended words. His warm, brown eyes held a depth of emotion that mirrored her own, and in that fleeting moment, she knew she'd made the right choice to come out tonight.

No one had ever looked at her the way that he did, and she had no doubt after him, no one would ever look at her the same way.

“You look...” Fulan swallowed, his gaze roving over her face once again, before he settled it on the steering wheel. “You look radiant.”

Yaseerah’s heart stuttered for another reason. Hayat had taken her to a traditional esthetician as a pre-wedding gift earlier today so, she was glowing from hours of having dilka and halawa pastes rubbed into her body.

'you are a cheat!'

'what do you think you are doing out here with someone who isn't your fiancé?'