25~Do you love him?
Never did Hanan imagine she would wake up to a flood of flirty messages that would rob her of her precious morning sleep.
From 5 am, when dawn had yet to break, till 7 am., when the sun was already shining brightly, she remained awake, smiling helplessly at her phone.
"Doesn't he ever sleep?" She mumbled shyly, a smile lingering on her lips as she typed back.
Faruk: I have a meeting by 9. I'm going to ?? now... care to join? ??
Hanan: Eww. ???? No!
Faruk: C'mon! ??
Hanan: ?? Bye.
Faruk: Wait. Will you be free this evening?
Hanan: Yes. Why? ??
Faruk: You know I've got a short time to prove myself worthy of you. ??
Hanan: ?? Okay.
Faruk: So I'm planning our first date tonight. ??
Hanan: Okay. What time? ??
Faruk: By 6. Keeping Abdul's curfew in mind. ??
Hanan: Lol. Alright, see you by 6.
Faruk: Wear something... ?? Something that'll make it hard for me to focus. ?????
Hanan: ???? The weather is already hot, so I can't guarantee that.
Faruk: I know... You'll look hot regardless. ??
Hanan: Okay, Flirt Lord. ???? I wanna sleep now.
Faruk: ?? Dream of me.
Hanan: ???????♀?
Chuckling to herself, she set her phone aside and turned toward her pillow, ready to catch the sleep she sacrificed.
The moment she looked up...
"Oh my God!"
She flinched in fright before realizing it was Nanny Ann standing quietly by the doorway with a sheepish smile.
"Gosh!" Hanan sighed, sitting upright.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Only a few minutes." Nanny Ann smiled apologetically.
"Sorry... but I couldn't help watching you. The moment I saw you smiling at your phone, I just stood there."
She walked into the room.
"It's been a long time since I last saw you smile like that, you know."
"Well..." Hanan smiled.
"You can come in."
She patted the empty space beside her on the bed.
"It was Faruk, wasn't it?" Nanny Ann asked as she sat down.
"I know how much you treasure your morning sleep, so seeing you awake this early is surprising."
"I couldn't ignore his messages..."
Hanan smiled unconsciously.
"Especially when he decided to be extra sweet and..."
She trailed off.
"And what?" Nanny Ann chuckled knowingly.
"...Flirty." Hanan admitted shyly.
"Oh?" Nanny Ann laughed.
"So romance is already in the air."
She nudged Hanan playfully.
"I hope it lasts forever."
"And from what I'm seeing, you're already giving in, aren't you?"
"Maybe..."
Hanan smiled softly.
"After a week, we will know."
"A week?" Nanny Ann frowned in confusion.
Only then did Hanan realize she had accidentally revealed the agreement she made with Faruk.
"I mean..."
She quickly corrected herself.
"It's still too early to conclude anything."
"Oh..."
Nanny Ann nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Just then, someone called her name from outside.
"That must be Abdul."
She stood up.
"Let me see what he wants."
"Sure."
Hanan smiled.
"I should also get some sleep."
Once Nanny Ann left, Hanan settled back onto her pillow.
She had barely closed her eyes when her phone began ringing.
She reached for it and frowned.
Unknown Number.
She stared at the screen for a moment.
Answering unfamiliar calls wasn't exactly her thing.
The call ended.
A second later, it rang again.
After a brief hesitation, she answered.
"Hello?"
"Am I speaking with Miss Hanan?" A familiar female voice asked.
"Yes... Who is this?"
"This is Faruk's mother."
Hanan immediately sat upright.
"I was wondering if we could meet later today."
Silence hung between them for a few seconds.
Her heart skipped.
She couldn't help feeling nervous.
Why did Faruk's mother suddenly want to meet her?
"Yes, ma."
She finally found her voice.
"Anytime is fine."
"Alright."
"Let's meet by ten this morning at my restaurant."
"Okay, ma, I'll be there."
"Good. See you then."
"Bye, ma."
"Goodbye."
The call ended, but Hanan remained staring at her phone, her thoughts racing.
"I hope this isn't another trap like last time " She muttered.
She contemplated informing Faruk.
"Should I tell him?"
After a moment, she shook her head.
"No..."
"I shouldn't disturb him."
"He's probably busy preparing for work."
With that, she finally placed her phone aside, rested her head on the pillow, and closed her eyes.
It was past eleven, and Hanan was still tucked beneath her blanket, fast asleep. If not for Nanny Ann waking her up for breakfast, she would probably still be asleep by now.
"Thanks, but I'll have breakfast when I get back." She said, grabbing a slice of toast as she hurried toward the door.
"Where exactly are you rushing off to?" Nanny Ann called after her, following with a flask of tea in hand.
"A job interview." Hanan replied with the first excuse that came to mind.
"My Uber is here. Wish me luck." She waved before climbing into the car.
"Driver, please drive as fast as you can. I'm running late."
"Okay, ma."
As the car pulled away, Hanan used the ride to finish getting ready. She applied a light touch of makeup, adjusted her accessories, and slipped properly into her shoes.
"At least I look presentable." She smiled at her reflection in the compact mirror before taking a long sip from the flask of hot tea.
"This should keep me alive until lunchtime."
She leaned back, letting her eyes wander outside the window, when something immediately caught her attention.
A newspaper headline.
"Can you pass me that newspaper?" she asked the driver.
"Here you go."
She unfolded it and her eyes instantly widened.
"I know this man... Musa? Najib's former PA?"
She quickly scanned the bold headline.
"What attempted murder case is he involved in?"
Curiosity took over as she flipped to the inside pages where the full article continued. She had barely begun reading when the car came to a stop.
"We're here, ma."
"Oh."
She reluctantly folded the newspaper and set it aside before paying the driver. Stepping out, she hurried into the restaurant.
"Welcome, ma'am. This way, please," one of the waiters greeted politely.
"I'm not here to eat. I'm here to meet your boss... I mean, the owner of the restaurant."
"Welcome, Hanan."
Faruk's mother approached with a warm smile.
They exchanged a brief hug before greeting each other properly.
"I'm sorry I arrived late."
"It's alright. Come with me."
She led Hanan upstairs to her private office.
"Wow... this place is beautiful and cozy." Hanan smiled as she settled onto one of the visitor's couches.
"Thank you." Faruk's mother smiled back while taking the seat opposite her.
"Did you have breakfast? I can have something prepared for you."
Yes! I would absolutely love that! Hanan screamed inwardly.
Ever since she stepped into the restaurant, the rich aroma of freshly prepared meals had been tormenting her. Combined with the tempting pictures of different delicacies displayed around the restaurant, her stomach had practically begun protesting.
But despite wanting to say yes...
"No, thank you, ma." She declined politely.
"Alright." Faruk's mother nodded.
"So... I heard Faruk reserved my entire restaurant last night for a romantic dinner."
She smiled knowingly.
"Is that true?"
"Hmm... yes." Hanan nodded, recalling the beautifully decorated rooftop.
So he really booked the entire restaurant just for me?
No wonder there wasn't a single customer in sight last night.
"Do you know how much that cost him?"
Hanan blinked."No, ma."
"A million naira."
She smiled casually.
"That's roughly what this restaurant makes on a slow business day."
Hanan nearly choked on her saliva.
A million?
"That's... mind blowing." She muttered.
Is she trying to show off... or intimidate me?
She honestly couldn't tell.
"Well." Faruk's mother continued, "I'm happy my son has matured enough to make such a grand gesture for a woman."
She smiled softly.
"You're the first woman he has ever brought home."
The smile on Hanan's lips slowly faded.
"He truly loves you, Hanan."
Her gaze softened.
"But do you love him back?"
"Huh..."
The question caught Hanan completely off guard.
For a moment, words abandoned her.
She suddenly wished she had never answered that phone call this morning.
At least then she wouldn't be sitting here trying to answer such a difficult question.
"It's alright."
Faruk's mother smiled gently.
"I can see you're struggling to answer."
"If you're uncertain, that's perfectly fine..."
She paused.
"But please... don't lead him on."
Silence settled between them.
"For my son's sake..." She continued quietly. "...I can do anything."
Her voice remained calm, yet every word carried undeniable weight.
"I'll be honest with you."
She looked directly into Hanan's eyes.
"You are not bad for him."
She paused again.
"But I'm afraid you might end up hurting him."
Hanan remained speechless.
"Faruk is all I have."
A faint smile rested on the older woman's lips.
"He may look strong on the outside, but he's actually very fragile."
"I've watched him grow into the man he is today, and as his mother, I'll do anything to protect him."
"So please... Don't break him."
The room fell silent.
Hanan lowered her eyes.
The truth was... She had no intention of hurting Faruk.
In fact, the thought of becoming the reason for his pain frightened her.
That fear had been growing since the moment he confessed.
But how was she supposed to explain that their relationship was only meant to last one week... unless he succeeded in making her fall in love?
Would any mother understand something like that?
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"It depends on Faruk."
She lifted her gaze.
"I have no reason to hurt him."
And that was the truth.
She could already feel herself slowly developing a soft spot for him.
Not love.
Not yet.
But definitely something she could no longer deny.
"Keep your promise." Faruk's mother said with a small smile.
"I will." Hanan replied.