Kasih Nadiah (Nadiah's Love)

Chapter Ten: Compromised (Part One)

Chapter Ten: Compromised (Part One)

There he stood, watching Nadiah looking at Maa'rof leave. Harun had seen the way they had passed each other wordlessly and Maa'rof's continued nonchalance. He saw how Nadiah'd stop walking a few feet later only to whirl around and unleash her thoughts; her expression creasing upon hearing Maa'rof's response.

Harun had seen it all and there was no mistaking: Maa'rof's attitude pained her.

Before he could be discovered, with one smooth glide, Harun shielded himself behind a tree trunk, his hands already balling into tight fists, his ears flaring a deep red and his mind already racing.

Only a fool would not be able to tell what it meant. Only a fool would be blind to something so blatant. Only a fool...

And now he was the fool. For thinking that she would accept his marriage proposal, that her heart belonged to him and that she was successfully his.

You're such a fool. A voice at the back of his head told him - wounding him and making a mockery of his manly pride. Never had he felt so humiliated and ashamed in all his life. He had money. He possessed wealth. He could easily buy plots of land if he wanted to, not just in this small island, but also in other neighbouring states. He could easily shower her with jewellery, a bungalow and whatever else her heart desired. Other girls would kill to marry a man like him.

So why was he the object of her affection when he's nothing more but a mere Ustaz (religious teacher) who would never be able to afford all the luxuries which he could easily offer her? In what aspect was he lacking?

Then he stopped. No! He definitely was not lacking. The problem didn't lie with him, it lied with her because she just had to refuse him. He rationalised, justifying his ego. How foolish was she? For not giving up her stupid crush after three years of absence? And how even more foolish was he, for not managing to capture her heart during that period of advantage? Harun had a hard time swallowing that fact. He was a man full of ego and pride and the one thing his ego and pride could not stand was to be taunted by a woman.

And he would not permit that.

***

With heavy steps and an even heavier heart did Nadiah tumble into the empty kitchen. As she stowed the groceries, her mind reeled at an incredible speed but not a single thought made sense to her. Not even the loud clucking of the chickens outside was audible to her hearing. All she could hear was Maa'rof's words repeating in her ears, the scene she left earlier replaying in her mind. Why? She questioned to no one in particular. Why was she that despicable to him? What exactly had she done wrong?

She left the kitchen with her mind still in a frenzy and entered her bed chamber. The moment she closed the door behind her, the world seemed to collapse around her - the room spinning and drawing close. Gripping onto the bedspread, she lowered herself onto the mattress and curled into a ball. All the pent up emotions collected over the course of three years already at its peak.

Her throat constricted and the dam broke. Her vision blurring as sobs racked through her body. For reasons she did not understand, she cried. For the most part, she did not know who to be disappointed in: herself or Maa'rof.

"Abang!" Nine-year-old Nadiah waved her hands in the air in a frantic manner to get Maa'rof's attention who was all the way across the field, emptying basket of coconuts into a wheelbarrow. She spotted a shirtless man mounted on a coconut tree near him, working to remove a coconut.

She had to catch Maa'rof before he goes away.

Cupping her hands over her mouth, she stood on tiptoes. "Abang Maa'rof! Wait!"