My Knight In Shining Kaftan (COMPLETE)

Chapter Twenty-One

You're The Stars In My Empty Night Sky.

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He walked over to them with a smug look on his face, he assessed her from head to toe. "Miss Salma" he didn't bother saying a Salam to the both of them, he just gazed back and forth the two, then say "I thought I ended your days as a prostitute" when they ignored him.

She felt another wave of pain shot directly to her heart being regarded with the dirtiest word by the man she once thought she loved. That pain would last forever, she didn't cry but rather glared. He continued, in an attempt to ruin whatever she was having with the man in Hala's family that intimidated him the most, Salma doesn't deserve good things, not especially a man like Adam. Malik thought.

"Perhaps being a female dog is still your only speciality and before—" he didn't get to finish what he was saying when a fist landed on his mouth, he staggered back and touched his cracked lips then saw blood. He frowned deeply and longed at Adam, "YOU SON OF A—" he tried to land a fist on his face, Adam swiftly dodged.

And gave Malik another punch, he pushed him away from him and Malik looked between Salma and Adam. "B!tch." He walked away.

Salma on the other hand froze on her spot, she was too pained and stunned to move a muscle. Adam felt Malik deserved more than just a good punch, if it wasn't for the fact that Hala convinced him that he was a good person, to her, the story would have been different.

"Don't worry about him, he has more problem with himself than he has with you. I will walk you to your car" he said and did just that. She murmured a thank you and entered her car, she didn't leave, she simply watched her knight in shining white kaftan that saved another day walk away.

But well, that knight might have handled situations she had no I idea how to get out of but that same knight wasn't meant to fight her Demons for her or fall in love with her before she realises her self worth, even when Malik was spewing dirting words to her face, she knew for sure she was never any of the words he'd regarded her with.

He didn't deserve her and God took him out of her life. She felt sorry for Hala, that her fate had to intersect with Malik's. She also didn't want to be like those girls that wait for someone else to do the hard work for them, she wanted to fight her own Demons and from experience, wouldn't want to attach her self worth to any living thing, it is suicidal.

That knight was meant to awaken her soul and show her places that she never thought pieces of herself were hidden at. Within her, in her mind, her heart and entire being. Those pieces had been there all along, with her. His presence in her life taught her what it look like to like a man positively because after Malik, life didn't seem like rainbows and cookies. But it could be all sunshine and joy when you're with the right people. She was ok with that one truth, no matter what, they will never spend the rest of their lives together but only as friends.

She laughed bitterly at herself, she wasn't even denying that she wanted to be more than just friends with him. She cried her way home.

She didn't let the events that happened on that day get in the way of her spending time with her family. Inwardly thanking God she'd be leaving to Canada for a new beginning which was even better. She'd have to get away from Nigeria for as long as she needs and eight months no longer felt too long.

"I love you Maama" she whispered and hugged her mother tightly amidst their work in the kitchen. Her mother patted her back, having no clue of the thunderstorm brewing at the pit of her daughter's stomach. All she saw was her baby growing older and more mature by the minute, then she was distant, now they were close. She hugged her back.

Hadiza squeezed herself in saying she won't miss out on a group hug. That day certainly marked as a lifechanger, she scribbled down the date and Adam's phone number then hid it somewhere she knew she won't find it in a long period of time. She sent him a long essay describing how she felt and her reasons for what she would do, then deleted his contact and kept away every tiny detail of his existence.

She wasn't planning on being friends with a man she had feelings for but can't be with. That should be considered harder than getting over Malik. Her feelings for will only grow stronger, she wouldn't sign up for that.

Fatuma came and helped her pack.

* * *

She struggled with her bags as she dallied down the departure hall in Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, right after she bid her family goodbye. Salma didn't miss the look in her parent's eyes, she knew she had to do better, not just for herself but her family also. She couldn't bear to be in their blacklist even for a nanosecond, she had to study hard and hold onto her religion. Their prayer was all she needed and her mother had held her head earlier in the morning and prayed for her. 

When she settled on her seat in the plane, she kept her backpack on her lap and recited duas before sighing deeply.

Throughout her twenty years of life, Salma had undeniably been the type that walks into a place and never gets noticed. She met Malik and she met Adam, thus that sense of naivety had left her long ago. Her heart beat wildly against her ribcage. 

She wasn't used to travelling and living alone and on her own, she wondered how she would survive there. She moved her hand into her backpack when she had snapped herself out of her thoughts, she pulled out a book and stared at its cover for a while, unlike most introverts Salma never was a fan of novels and fantasies but she brought the book along to avoid interacting with her seatmate and speaking of the devil, a young lad sat next to her then shuffled with his bag.

She quickly opened the book and hid her face in it, Fatuma once told her that most couple in books meet on the airplane. So if her seatmate turned out to be a dude, the chances of them ending up together was at 30 percent. She didn't meet Malik or Adam on a plane. She frowned, hating how she usually compared the two, Adam is way and a hundred times better than Malik, but the thought of him caused her as much pain.

She wasn't ready for that or anything that had to do with men or love, Now that she was sitting beside one, she almost thought the journey to her new life began with an obstacle which is conversing with a guy. It would be easier to just pretend to be asleep, though she didn't get to see her seatmates face, she hoped he would instantly doze off and sleep for the rest of their journey. She really hoped. She took in a measured breath and in the process, she inhaled his strong cologne. She wondered if he bathed in the perfume company, they were later told to fasten their seatbelts as the plane was about to take off. 

Oh Great! She thought. Pouting slightly to the pages of the book she'd been covering her face with. She bit her lower lip and shut her eyes close, then sighed before taking the book away from her face. She tentatively moved her eyes to stare blankly at him, their eyes bored into each other's for a brief moment before he uttered what he wanted to tell her, “You should fasten your seatbelt” his voice found its way to her ear drums and her eyebrows twitched in confusion, “Pardon?”

“You should fasten your seatbelt..the plane... Is about to take off now” he blinked once, twice and wondered why the girl was being weird. She mentally facepalm-ed for zoning out,  “Oh thank you” she whispered almost to herself and fastened her seatbelt, there was no point in hiding her face though and pretending to be asleep to avoid interacting with the stranger.

Forty five minutes after the plane was in midair, Salma pulled a soft cover over her lap then adjusted her headphones while watching a movie in her laptop, she took a bite of her chicken pie comfortably. The unnamed lad had slept off several minutes ago and she was happy he doesn't snore. 

Halfway through the movie, he groaned softly and turned over to her direction, he rested his face on his palm. He looked awfully familiar, without any doubt, she'd seen that face but couldn't remember where exactly. She sighed of relief when she realized that he was still asleep. Then she remembered him, Ali. Fatuma's cousin, Salma's childhood sworn enemy and the last memory she had of him was when he threw slippers in her face, she gritted her teeth and glared at his sleeping figure.

You bloody bastard!

THE END.