"So, this will be the room you will be occupying," Yumnah informed, pushing open the door to a room, along the hallway of the house.

Larai stepped into the room with her luggage hung on her shoulder and looked around. The room was spacious. On the wall, was a plasma television and in the middle of the room, was a huge bed. The classiness of the room had her completely awestruck. "This is my room?" The question flew out of her mouth before she had the chance to stop it.

Abashed, she looked down.

"I did say that earlier." Yumnah gave a tight-lipped smile. "So, yes, it is your room. Do you like it?"

Larai gave a nod.

"Great!" Yumnah remarked. "Yusuf instructed the maids to have the abandoned guest room conducive for you. There is the bathroom." She pointed to a door on the left side of the room. "You will find fresh towels in there. You should freshen up and then have a rest. If you need anything, just step out of the room. I'm sure you're going to see someone."  With that said, she turned around and sauntered out of the room.

"I didn't even thank her." Larai hit her head at her imprudence. The least she could have done was thank Yumnah for her efforts. "I wonder what she must be thinking of me now." She muttered underneath her breath. She shut the door, then walked into the room and dropped her things on the floor.

Her legs conveyed her to the big window. She pushed aside the heavy curtains and allowed her eyes to roam the environment: the view from there was spectacular and the air was fresh. She could see how big and neat the compound was. The fleet of cars parked beneath shields amazed her.

•

"Ammi, you wanted to speak to me?" Yusuf asked, walking into the stylish master's bedroom of his parents, which was painted in white.

Mrs. Hadiza was seated on the edge of the king-sized bed. "Yes." She responded and tapped the space beside her.

Yusuf took the seat and waited patiently for his mother to speak up.

"It's about Larai." She began.

A frown etched Yusuf's forehead.

"Okay..." He trailed off. "I hope it's something good."

"She's a naive girl —so innocent and pure. What happened to her is really sad. I can only imagine how sad she must be for running away from home."

"She shouldn't be." Yusuf sighed. "Her parents aren't good people."

"Even so. They are still her parents and you did mention she has never been away from home. She may not breathe a word to you or to anyone, but deep within her, she's not happy."

Yusuf nodded in concurrence. "I will try my best to make her feel at home here." He knew she was still uncomfortable and for that reason, he took it upon himself to make her feel at home.

Mrs. Hadiza smiled. "I may not say this often, but you should know that I'm proud of you— always have been. You're just twenty-six, but very mature.  For deciding to help that poor girl, you've done a good deed."

"Thank you, Ammi." He smiled. "Your upbringing has made me who I am today. I just couldn't turn a blind eye to the injustice. I had to step in and offer my help."

"That's good, my son, but for how long is she going to stay here?"

Yusuf shook his head. Left to him, he wanted her to stay forever. "I also don't know yet, but I have been thinking; wouldn't it be a good idea to help her further her studies here in the state?"

"Further her studies?"

"Yes, Ammi. Despite being in that remote village, Larai is a passionate girl. She strived hard to study. The school she attended is very far from her village, but because she had the zeal, she used to walk a long distance to get to school. And Ammi, she's very intelligent as well. What do you think? It's a good idea to help her further her education, right?"

"Of course, but we can't make the decision alone. Your father's opinion is requisite."

"Abba is not going to have a problem with this. I'm sure of it."

"You still have to ask for his permission."

"Of course."

•

Larai kept tossing and turning on the big bed. She was very tired and needed to rest, yet she could not bring herself to sleep, because she wasn't used to sleeping on a bed.

As a last resort, she left the bed and lay on the foot of the bed instead. "This is better." She muttered to herself and In less than five minutes, she had already begun to drift to slumber.

Just when she thought she could finally have the rest she sought, a banging noise on the door, from outside the room jolted her awake and soon enough, Yusuf walked into the room, holding a blanket in his hand.

Larai sat up; her back resting on the bed.

"Why are you on the floor?" He asked, concerned. "You should sleep in the bed, otherwise, you're going to catch a cold. I brought you an extra blanket, in case you need it."

"It's more comfortable for me." She disclosed, looking everywhere, but him. "I'm not used to sleeping on a bed. I'd rather sleep here, it's fine. I don't need the blanket either, but thanks for your consideration." For Larai, it was really heartwarming to know Yusuf cared so much about her. She had always known, but at the same time, she feared his feelings for her may drastically change with time because the two of them were worlds apart. He was civilized and she, timid. She felt she wasn't good enough for him and that he deserved someone equally as sophisticated as him.

"Alright." He shrugged. "You can sleep on the floor if that's what you want, but you will have to use the blanket. It gets really cold at night."

Larai nodded. As it was, she was already freezing. She wrapped both her arms around her arms and rubbed the goosebumps that had risen.

"Should I turn off the air conditioner?"

"Air conditioner?" Larai's forehead wrinkled. "What is that?"

"It's a machine used to control the temperature and humidity in an enclosed space." He explained. "Right now, that's what is making the room cold. There it is." He pointed.

"Oh!" Larai remarked. Ever since she arrived, she had been getting amazed by one thing or the other. She doubts she would ever be able to get accustomed to the environment they lived in and their lifestyle. "Yes, please turn it off."

Yusuf picked up the remote from the nightstand and pressed a button. He then picked up the blanket from the bed and spread it on the other side of the bed. "All done. This is much better now."

"Thank you," Larai mumbled her appreciation.

Yusuf sat on the floor, opposite her and smiled. "The pleasure is mine. I'm happy doing all these. I'm happy you're here with me. Please don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything, I'm just a call away. You can scream my name at the top of your voice and I will come running to you."

Larai chuckled.

"I want you to be as comfortable as possible here." He continued. "Thank you for coming with me."

"Shouldn't I be the one thanking you for taking me away?" She raised the corner of her lips and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm saying thank you to you because you could have chosen to go ahead with the wedding and not only your life would be ruined, but mine as well. I wouldn't have known what to do if I lost you. You mean a lot to me and I never want to lose you to someone else, especially if the person is as filthy and worthless as the man you were supposed to marry."

His words eliminated all of the doubts Larai had harbored in her mind. He loved her immensely. Through his eyes, she could see how genuine he really was.

"When the time is right, I'm going to tell my family about us and make my intention to marry you known to them. After that, we will go back to your parents and they will be left with no choice, but to accept our relationship. I pray all these happen soon."

"Me too." She mumbled. She wanted nothing more than for his words to come to pass. For a fact, she knew her father would be a challenging obstacle in their path, but hopefully, their love would be triumphant in the end.

"Go ahead and rest now. Don't forget to offer your prayers before you sleep."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Goodnight. Rest well."

"You too. Goodnight."

•