3~Welcome home #2
The man stirred lazily before turning toward her.
The moment their eyes met...
Hanan froze.
"Faruk?!"
His lips curled into an amused smile. "And here I thought destiny was done with us."
Before she could say another word, one of the flight attendants approached her.
"Ma'am, please have your seat. We're preparing for takeoff."
Hanan shot Faruk a glare. "You're on my seat."
"My mistake." He stood immediately with a grin. "Ladies first."
He moved to the other seat, allowing her to slide into the window seat.
She fastened her seat belt, still trying to process the situation.
Seriously?
Out of every flight... every seat... every passenger...
She ended up sitting beside him.
"For thirteen whole hours." She muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Faruk asked.
"Nothing." She mumbled.
He chuckled. "Isn't this one crazy coincidence?"
"I wasn't talking to you."
"Ouch."
She ignored him, pulling out her headphones instead.
"If you don't mind." She said flatly. "I would appreciate it if you pretended we don't know each other."
Faruk placed a dramatic hand over his chest. "That hurts."
She said nothing.
"How am I supposed to pretend I don't know someone who's impossible to ignore?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'll simply keep myself occupied... away from you."
She connected her Bluetooth headphones, searching for Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish.
Just as she was about to press play...
Faruk swiftly snatched her headphone.
"Faruk."
Her voice turned dangerously calm.
"Give it back."
He laughed. "I just wanted to..."
"I'm serious."
The sharpness in her tone wiped the smile off his face.
He immediately handed the headphones back.
"Okay... okay."
An uncomfortable silence settled between them.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Finally...
Hanan sighed. "I'm sorry."
Faruk looked at her.
"You don't have to apologize."
"No... I overreacted."
He shook his head. "It's my fault."
She looked at him.
"I've been trying to apologize for what happened that night ever since. I swear to you... I never meant any of it."
"I know."
"You do?"
"I've known you for three years, Faruk." Her voice softened.
"I know you didn't do it intentionally."
He exhaled quietly. "Then why have you been avoiding me like I'm some criminal?"
Hanan stared out of the airplane window.
After a long pause, she finally answered."...Because I've been nearly sexually assaulted before."
The words came out barely above a whisper.
"And every time I see you..."
She swallowed.
"...I'm reminded of that horrible night."
Faruk's expression immediately fell.
"I'm... so sorry."
He genuinely looked devastated.
"I didn't know."
"I never wanted to trigger those memories."
"I know." She gave him a small smile.
"You were drunk."
"And I know you weren't trying to force me to bed on purpose"
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"So..."
He smiled hopefully.
"Can we put everything behind us?"
She studied him for a few seconds before nodding. "I would like that."
A genuine smile finally appeared on her face.
It was the first sincere smile she had given him in weeks.
"There she is." Faruk teased.
"I was beginning to think the cheerful Hanan disappeared forever."
She laughed softly.
"So..." He leaned back comfortably.
"What now?" She smiled.
"School's over." He shrugged.
"We're officially adults, what are your plans?"
Hanan rested her head against the seat. "I want to practice law."
"That's it?"
She looked at him. "What else did you expect?"
He certainly didn't expect her to tell him that getting a job wasn't her only goal.
Revenge was.
Returning to Nigeria wasn't just about starting a career. It was about settling old scores with the people who had destroyed Habiba and forced Hanan into existence.
That secret would remain buried for now.
"I don't know." He grinned.
"Maybe marriage?"
She laughed. "So you think every girl's life plan revolves around getting married?"
"No..."
He raised both hands in surrender.
"I think most girls."
"Well..." She smiled. "I'm not most girls. I still have dreams to chase."
"There are too many things I want to achieve before I even think about marriage."
Faruk nodded approvingly. "I like that answer."
Then he reached into his backpack and pulled out a business card.
"Speaking of your future..."
He handed it to her.
"I might be able to help."
She accepted it curiously. "What is this?"
"Our family's law firm."
She read the bold lettering aloud. "AA Law Firm."
"My father's company." He smiled proudly.
"We're always looking for brilliant lawyers."
"And after graduating summa cum laude..."
He gave her an inspiring look. "It would be crazy not to recruit you."
Hanan raised an eyebrow. "So this is a job offer?"
"You could call it that."
She turned the card over thoughtfully.
"You would get an accommodation too."
"Accommodation?"
"Free accommodation." He smiled.
"Hmm..." She tucked the card carefully into her purse.
"What about salary?"
Faruk laughed. "Straight to business."
"I'm serious. Can you guarantee good pay?"
He leaned closer. "Before I left Nigeria, my father's driver earned over two hundred thousand naira."
He smiled.
"Now imagine what a top lawyer earns."
Hanan's eyes widened slightly. "Interesting... I'll think about it."
"And I'll be waiting for your call." He chuckled.
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Then Faruk spoke again.
"So... What does your family do?"
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Are you interrogating me?"
He laughed. "No."
"I just figured... If we're going to become coworkers I should know something about my future colleague."
She folded her arms. "And who said I've accepted your offer?"
"My instincts."
She burst into laughter. "Oh no... Not your lame instincts again."
"But they've been right so far." He smiled.
She reached over and lightly knocked his forehead.
"You and those instincts of yours."
He rubbed his forehead dramatically.
"They're reliable."
She chuckled before finally answering.
"My brother remodels cars."
Faruk's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"
"Mhm."
"Custom builds. Restorations. Luxury modifications."
"Wow, that's cool." Faruk beamed.
She smiled back proudly.
"So..."
She tilted her head. "Are you satisfied now?"
Faruk grinned. "Nope. That only made me more curious."
Faruk couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips.
Having Hanan back felt like getting a missing piece of himself.
Ever since the day they bumped into each other at the university bursary office, she had occupied a special place in his heart.
Both of them had stormed into the office for the exact same reason, their tuition fees had been paid but still hasn't reflected on the school portal. What started as shared frustration quickly turned into an unexpected conversation.
From that day onward, they became inseparable.
They studied together, attended parties together, went on long late night drives, and practically spent every free moment in each other's company.
Their closeness became the talk of campus.
Most students assumed they were dating.
Only Amira and Lucy knew the truth.
They were simply best friends.
Or at least... That was what Hanan believed.
Faruk had never really had a best friend before.
Hanan was the first person he has ever grown this attached to, which was exactly why losing her friendship after the incident had hurt far more than he was willing to admit.
Now fate had placed them on the same flight...
In the same row...
In the same seat.
He refused to believe it was a mere coincidence.
To him, it felt like destiny offering him another chance.
"So..." He began, turning to continue their conversation.
There was no response.
He glanced sideways.
Hanan had fallen asleep.
A small smile spread across his face.
"You're even prettier when you're asleep."
For a few quiet seconds, he simply admired her peaceful features.
Then, unable to resist, he pulled out his phone and quietly snapped a selfie of the two of them.
Carefully, he adjusted her posture so her head rested comfortably against his shoulder.
She didn't stir.
The cabin lights had already been dimmed as the aircraft continued its thirteen hour non stop journey toward Nigeria.
Hours later...
Hanan slowly opened her eyes.
She realized her head had been resting on something warm.
She lifted it and found Faruk fast asleep beside her.
Looking around, she noticed most of the passengers were asleep as well.
Curious, she pulled up the window blinds.
Outside... Darkness stretched endlessly across the sky.
"What time is it?" She murmured.
She checked her phone.
1:00 am.
"No wonder..."
She slept for hours.
Now all she felt was hunger... and the stiffness that came with sitting in one position for too long.
Yawning, she unlocked her iPhone.
Several unread messages waited for her.