27~Dear rosy lips
"Hanan... Hanan!"
"Huh?"
"Are you even listening?"
"Hmm... sorry. You said what?"
"You zoned out again?"
"Sorry." She sighed. "I just can't ignore my thoughts."
"And what thoughts are those?"
"Nothing serious." She forced a smile. "What were you saying?"
"I said Faruk came very early this morning to check on you. He left a while ago, but he promised to return this evening. He was really worried about you, but I assured him you were fine."
"Okay." Hanan replied, suppressing a smile before drifting back into her thoughts.
She could barely remember anything after her encounter with Najib at the beach.
Fragments of the night flashed through her mind.
Najib...
The ocean...
The crushing pain in her chest...
The panic that stole her breath...
Everything after that was a blur.
She couldn't even remember how she got home.
Although she was certain Faruk had brought her back, curiosity still lingered.
"Nanny Ann..."
"Hmm?"
"How did I get home last night?"
"I thought you would never ask." Nanny Ann chuckled.
"Faruk brought you home."
"You were asleep in his arms, completely soaked from head to toe."
"I had to change your clothes and keep you warm throughout the night."
She paused before adding,
"I was so worried you would wake up with a fever."
"But look at you."
She smiled warmly.
"You're sitting here watching the morning news with me."
"That's quite surprising because you never watch TV."
"I honestly thought you would spend the whole day asleep after the panic attack you suffered."
"I heard it was really bad."
"It was." Hanan nodded slowly. "A really bad one."
She subconsciously rubbed her chest.
"It almost stopped my breathing."
The memory alone made her heart tighten.
It all started because of Najib.
She hated admitting it.
She hated it even more because... She was still worried about him.
The very moment she opened her eyes that morning, she didn't care about the weakness in her body or the dull headache pounding against her temples.
Her first instinct had been to return to the beach.
To search for him.
But both Abdul and Nanny Ann stopped her before she could even leave the house.
"You need to rest." They both insisted.
"It was probably stress that triggered your panic attack, so rest." Abdul advised.
Left with no other option, she searched the internet instead.
She checked every news website she could think of.
Then every blogs.
Nothing.
Not a single report.
No breaking news.
No headlines.
No mention of Najib whatsoever.
It didn't make sense.
Najib Aminu Garba was practically a celebrity.
The media followed his every move.
If he so much suffered a scratch, bloggers, newspapers, and magazines would flood the internet with the story within minutes.
Yet... There was no information about him.
The silence unsettled her more than any headline ever could.
"Did he survive? But... how? I saw him drown." Hanan whispered, nervously biting her nails.
"You've drifted off again." Nanny Ann sighed. "What is it that's bothering you? Tell me."
"Nothing." Hanan forced a smile. "I was just wondering whether my job interview I went for that day went well."
"Don't worry, it will work out in your favor. And even if it doesn't, Abdul can always help you find a job." Nanny Ann smiled reassuringly.
"Yeah." Hanan nodded. "Can you turn up the TV volume, please?"
"Of course. But I'm curious... why are you suddenly so interested in the news today? That's so unlike you."
"You could say... I'm just curious about what's happening in Nigeria."
"Well, a lot is happening. The inflation rate, insecurity..."
Nanny Ann continued talking, but Hanan's mind had already wandered again.
How can I tell you the real reason I'm glued to the news? That I'm worried about someone I claim to hate?
She cringed at the thought.
So weird... I can't believe I'm wasting my time and energy on him. That's enough. I'm done.
With an irritated sigh, she rose from the sofa, ready to leave the sitting room.
Then the breaking news headline flashed across the television screen.
"JUST IN, LIVE: Popular industrialist, Najib Aminu Garba has allegedly filed a case before the Supreme Court against his stepmother, Hajiya Khadija Aminu Garba, and his former secretary, Musa Lawal, accusing them of conspiring in the death of his late ex girlfriend, Miss Zaitun Mansur,
and the attempted murder of his ex wife, Miss Habiba Aliyu."
The moment Najib appeared on the screen, being interviewed live, Hanan froze.
Her mind went completely blank.
"W... What... What is going on?" She stammered.
She choked on her saliva and immediately a violent cough overtook her, making Nanny Ann rush to her feet.
"Are you alright? Let me get you some water."
She hurried toward the kitchen.
"Last night... I thought you drowned." Hanan whispered at the television. "You didn't... but what on earth are you saying?"
Her brows knitted together.
Why is he trying to frame innocent people for his own heinous crimes?
And... Zaitun is dead?
Did he actually succeed in killing her too?
"Oh my God..." She murmured, pressing a hand against her forehead.
"My head is spinning trying to understand all this."
"I need to meet him."
"He need to answer me."
She remained rooted to the spot until the interview ended.
Only then did reality sink in.
She had been fooled.
Again.
She had worried herself sick over him.
Risked her own life trying to save him.
Only to realize he had been playing with her emotions all along.
"I'm really still the same naive eighteen year old Habiba."
She laughed bitterly at herself.
"He deliberately tried to drown himself... but why?"
Her thoughts drifted back to the previous night, to the strange smile on Najib's face as he walked deeper into the sea.
Typical of her.
She had convinced herself that he probably lost his mind, and without thinking twice, she risked her own life to save him.
"I nearly died because of him..."
"And now he's trying to pin his crimes on innocent people?"
"I swear... I won't let him."
Her jaw tightened.
With a determined expression, she stormed toward Abdul's room.
"Abdul!" Hanan called as she walked into his room, only to find him fast asleep.
"Hmm... yes?" Abdul yawned, rubbing his eyes. His sleepy gaze widened in confusion when he saw her hastily going through his chest of drawers.
"What are you doing?" He mumbled curiously.
"Please lend me your car." She sighed, grabbing his car keys before hurrying out of the room.
"Huh?" Abdul instantly sprang out of bed and hurried after her.
"Why? Where are you taking my car keys to?" He asked, running after her as Nanny Ann also joined them.
"I want to visit someone." Hanan replied, pressing the unlock button on the key.
The headlights of Abdul's brand new sports car flashed outside, making him glare.
"Wait!" He hurried ahead of her and held her back before she could get into the car.
"Do you even know how to drive?"
"Yes." She nodded. "I just don't have a driver's license yet. I took driving lessons back in school."
She gently pulled herself free from his grip, got into the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, and started the engine.
Just as she was about to drive off, Abdul hurried in front of the car, blocking her path.
"But who exactly are you going to meet?"
"Your evil friend!" Hanan snapped.
"Najib."
"What?!" Nanny Ann gasped.
"Don't tell me you're going to meet him because of the news we just watched."
"Not just because of the news, Nanny Ann."
"A lot has happened. Bye."
"No, wait!" Abdul snapped.
"What?" Hanan groaned impatiently. "Please move."
"No." Abdul reached for the door handle, but Hanan had already locked the doors.
"Open the door!"
"I'll drive you there."
"That's my new car. I can't afford to have a single scratch on her!" He snapped.
"I'm not a novice." Hanan sighed. "And I want to go alone, so don't follow me. Bye!"
She waved at them before pressing hard on the accelerator.
The tires screeched loudly against the driveway as the sports car sped out of the compound.
"Hanan!" Abdul shouted after her.
"You better return that car in one piece!" He yelled, even though she was already too far away to hear him.
"That car is worth a fortune!"
Nanny Ann slowly turned to look at him, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Abdul." She sighed. "Is that really what you're worried about?"
"The car or the condition Hanan is in?" She amusingly at him.
"Nanny Ann!" Abdul scoffed.
"Hanan is mature enough to handle whatever she's going through."
"But that car is only two months old!"
"I'll be held responsible if anything happens to it." He sighed dramatically.
Nanny Ann folded her arms.
"Oh... So now you finally agree she's mature?"
She raised an eyebrow. "I just remembered someone calling her immature not too long ago."
Abdul scratched the back of his neck awkwardly while Nanny Ann lifted her eyes toward the ceiling.
"God..."
She sighed deeply.
"Please give me strength."
"I have one whose screw has completely loosened..."
She glanced at Abdul.
"And another who keeps throwing herself into trouble."
"Please, Lord..."
"Give me strength."
"C'mon, Nanny Ann." Abdul laughed at her wrinkled expression as they both walked back into the house.
"My poor girl."
Nanny Ann murmured anxiously.
"She's been suffering since she was so young."
"She's far too innocent for this chaotic life."
"God... Please have mercy on her."
Abdul's smile slowly faded. "It's all because of Najib."
He shook his head. "That crazy dude."
"I wonder what he did to make her this angry."
"Watch the news." Nanny Ann sighed.
"Then you'll understand."
"I suppose... It's finally time for her to learn the truth."
One could easily mistake Hanan for a participant in a car race with the way she sped through the roads, determined to outrun everything behind her. She drove far above the speed limit, barely acknowledging traffic lights or road signs.