WHISPERS OF ENCHANTÉ

52: shattered vows

Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Siyama walked out of the exam hall, the first person to finish. She had tried to help the people around her because the course was tough, and everyone was losing hope. The invigilators weren't smiling, so they forced her to submit and leave.

Since she was done with her project, she was able to focus on her exams more than others, and there was a high chance of her getting a distinction. Her last semester's result had been a distinction, though it wasn't by much. If she didn't rise, she wouldn't fall either.

A smile lifted the edges of her lips as she remembered this was also her final paper, and she was done with her national diploma. To some, it wasn't a big deal, but to Siyama, this was just the first step toward more success. It didn't matter how tiny the achievement might look to others... she did it!

After spending the whole night studying with Mahmud yesterday, she could only think about calling him to tell him his trick had worked. He had managed to shorten all the long calculations for her and helped her memorize formulas in no time.

He hadn't slept much throughout her exams, despite the time difference, and she knew it. The thought of his quiet sacrifices always made her chest ache in a way that felt oddly sweet.

Their late-night study sessions had become a routine... her whispering questions into the phone, his low, steady voice guiding her through calculations and concepts. She would often fight to stay awake, her head lolling against her notes, but eventually, exhaustion would claim her.

Every time she'd wake up hours later to find him still there, his voice would be softer but no less determined as he explained another formula or broke down another problem for her. Intelligent men>>>

The fact that Mahmud studied business in Oxford but learnt how to solve physical chemistry, thermodynamics, organic chemistry and the rest just for her? Siyama has no doubt he is going to be the best man she'd ever be with in this lifetime.

He never complained, never even hinted at how tired he must have been. She could almost imagine him, sitting at his desk or stretched out on his bed in his quiet apartment, one hand scribbling equations while the other held his phone, keeping her company across the miles.

She would tease him sometimes about being a perfectionist but he'd only chuckle, his deep laugh warming her even through the phone and bringing ideas to her late in the night. Ugh.

"I just don't want you to stress over this." He'd say simply, as if staying awake for her wasn't the most selfless thing in the world.

They had done the whole thing together. Every late-night session, every sigh of frustration, every little victory was shared. She hadn't felt alone once, even when the weight of her final exams had threatened to overwhelm her.

And now, standing outside the exam hall with her phone in hand, she could feel her heart swelling as she thought about him. Mahmud made her feel like she could do anything, like she was capable of more than she had ever imagined.

Her fingers hovered over his name in her contact list, a soft smile playing on her lips. She couldn't wait to tell him that his tricks had worked, that she had finished her exams with confidence because of him.

But more than that, she wanted to hear his voice again, to tell him how much his support had meant to her, even if she couldn't find the perfect words for it. Even if she knew she was going to ask him that one question that might either make or ruin them later.

She's decided to tell him what she heard from his father. Uh, eavesdropped.

The smile turned into a grin as she hit the WhatsApp call button. When he finally picked up, his voice was groggy, tinged with the kind of sleepiness that only made her love him more. Can a man's voice make you fall in love? Because she's fallen a degree.