Chapter 73: Teeny Weeny Kiss

She didn't reply him, but it took only a small lounge of her body to mesh their lips up and that was the perfect answer Na'im wanted. She kissed him slowly, in her own pace to show him the love he was sure she didn't know about in her heart. To tell him that she too, was in love with him as passionately as he loved her and Na'im kissed her back with equal hunger and passion.
When they broke apart to take a breather, Na'im stared into her eyes and smiled, "Was that an I love you, too?" He whispered and she nodded her head before she hide her face on his chest and he hugged her even tighter, chuckling a bit as he whispered again, "I love you, more, Hoor."
...
Maryam became the one taking care of him for a whole week now, and it felt like a torture to Na'im. Having to lay on the same bed with her every night but he wouldn't be able to touch her like he wanted. It was time for breakfast and unlike every other day that he slept in until after zuhr prayer, today, he was awake earlier than usual and she was in the bathroom when someone knocked on the door.
He knew his soldiers wouldn't have allowed someone they didn't trust into the room unless they knew who it was. "Come in," he said, his voice a bit clear than it was a week ago. He was staring at her when she walked in with a basket full of meal and he wondered who she was. He knew, the face looked familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out exactly who she was meant to be to him.
She looked at him warily and smiled softly before she closed the door behind her. Na'im wondered if she was his niece, cousin or sister. The face was that of someone he knew, but he couldn't point out who. She placed the basket that held their breakfast and sat down on the sofa that gave her the chance to stare right into his eyes. "Good morning, Yarima," she greeted and he nodded his head, placing his feet down to the warm marbled floor of the hospital bedroom.
"Morning, young lady. Who are you? Did Mammi asked you to bring our breakfast?" He asked, looking at the basket then he turned his eyes back to her face that looked so innocent and warm. "I'm sorry, but you don't look like a maid. And certainly, a maid wouldn't have called me Yarima."
She smiled, feeling as something knotted in her heart. She wanted to lie to him about who she was, because he might end up hating her if she told him the truth. But then he would hate her even more if he found out about who she was, later in their lives. "My name is Saima Abubakar Bolori, I'm your sister."
Na'im chuckled at how she had to tell him her full name, instead of her to just say she was his sister. He had had a few sisters that got married and they even had kids, so he wondered if she was one of them. "Are you married? Did you come to visit? I know your face looks familiar, Saima..." Maryam that came out of the bathroom squealed when she saw her and ran towards her. Na'im was left mouth agape when he saw how Maryam had hugged Saima as warmly as she could before they chuckled at what she had whispered into her ears.
"Hoor, do you know her?" He couldn't help but ask, because he had thought that he was the only one she easily accepted body contact from? Lest for her to initiate it first?
Maryam sat beside Saima and turned to him with her morning smile, "Yes, I stayed in her room when Alan Gubro took me from your chamber. She's so warm and lovely." She said and when their eyes met with Saima, they all smiled at each other.
"Where did he keep you and I couldn't find you?" He asked, but his heart swelled and he was glad about what had happened. He could see that Saima had taken care of Maryam so well to have her trust her to this extent.
"Ya Gumsu's chamber," Saima said warily and he noticed how she waited for the hatred to fill his heart but none came. He could remember how briskly Amjad had told him about their sister that had helped them and if not because of her, Maryam wouldn't have been saved from Sadeeq. "I'm her daughter and..."
He cut her off with a warm smile and opened his arms warmly for her, "Come over, I need to give you an appreciative hug, Gimbiya." She chuckled emotionally and rushed to the bed. Saima sat beside him and Na'im pulled her into a hug that had her gasp with the emotions she felt in her heart. Of how much she craved for her family's love and not the hatred she had always being accompanied by because of her mother. She broke into tears without knowing how, it was just that the hug had touched all the necessary places in her heart.
Na'im chuckled and pulled her away from his body, all this while Maryam was staring at them with a smile as she wondered when she would be able to see her sister. So she would hug her even tighter than Na'im was hugging his sister now. "What's with the tears, Saima? The triplets had told me about you, I just happened to forget the name they mentioned, I would've given you a hug since when you entered."
She was trying to clear her tears when she spoke, "Nothing," she said as she shook her head but her tears rushed down, "I was just afraid that you'd...hate me. That's why I wasn't able to visit you since then, Yarima."
Na'im smiled before he pulled her back to his body and side hugged her. "How would I hate such an amazing lady like yourself? You're nothing like them, Saima, you're a good person. And even if you're like them, so long as we have a way to change your ways, we won't hate you. You're deeply loved by us, okay?" She nodded her head and the first question she asked made him threw his head back and laughed.
"Can I have your number then? Will you start acknowledging me as your sister whenever you see me? I'm now staying in Ya Girema's chamber, Umma asked me not to ever show my face to her eyes, will you be the brother I've obviously lost too?" She pitied herself. And even though Saima was certain she had done the right thing, she was still bound to feel guilty and sad for doing what she did to her family.
He was the one that wiped at her tears now while he smiled softly at her, "You're my sister, Saima, why can't you have my number? Of course you will and I'll save it as 'My Princess' because you're mine. You should take pride in that, you're the first among the princesses who I saved her number. Maybe through you, I'll get to know the rest of them too." She chuckled happily and he saw the life was back into her eyes and that's what he loved.
"And for the brother you've lost, even if Sadeeq will forgive you and you'll have the brother you've always had in him, I'm still your brother too, okay? I'll always be here, all you have to do is call out my name and I'll run over to save you wherever you are." She chuckled and he fondled her head lovingly. She was a good person, Na'im thought and he genuinely loved her too. "And for Ya Gumsu, we just have to give her some time to cool down or ask Alan Gubro to beg her for you. Are you tired of staying at Mammi's chamber?"
She immediately shook her head at him, who would, in his right senses be tired of that woman? She was the real definition of a good woman and if not that a mother would always be one, Saima wouldn't have had a reason to think about the strain between her and her mother. "She's lovable, kind and warm, I love her so much. I won't mind staying with her for as long as I could, it's just that it pains that Umma doesn't even want to see my face or hear my voice, she blames me for what happens to Yarima Sadeeq."
"I know she will, you'll be fine and she'll forgive you later, okay?"
The knock that came on the door took her mind off the reply she had to get him and Maryam went to get the door. It was Hafiz, and he had involuntarily had his eyes fixed on Saima since when he walked into the room that for those fleeting minutes, Na'im just knew who among the princesses caught Hafiz's heart since the first Eid he had shared with them.
"Lieutenant," he called out and that brought Hafiz out of his reverie. "I could remember you complaining that I've never introduced you to one of the princesses, that's why you're still unmarried. So, meet my sister, Saima Bolori."
Saima blushed when he referred to her as his sister, it was a good feeling. "Gimbiya?" He called out and she looked up at him, "My soldier friend, Lieutenant Hafiz."
They both shared a look as if that was the first time they had ever met and held each others eyes for a moment before they all took their eyes off and muttered, "Nice to meet you." In unison, which made Na'im smiled and he motioned for Maryam to serve them, so she could feed him while he fed her himself.
?
Hafiz was saying his greetings and excusing himself that he was going to leave when Saima stood up as well, "Mammi had called. I need to go back to shehuri now, Yarima." She was staring at Na'im, but she was aware of how Hafiz had his eyes hopefully staring at her and she knew what that meant. He wanted him to say that he should drop her off and to hell if that wasn't what he was going to do.
"Okay, I've sent the driver on an errand, Gimbiya. Is it okay if Hafiz drops you off?" He asked casually and they all turned to Hafiz, awaiting his response to see whether or not he was willing to do what Na'im had suggested.
"I'll be waiting for you in my car." She couldn't hide her smile and briskly said her goodbye to them and followed him out of the room, holding the basket she had brought that morning. She knew she had only brought it along so she would have something else to think about because Mammi always sent a maid to take the kitchen utensils they had used for the whole day.
"If it's that heavy, you should've left it in the room. Someone would be there at night to take out everything they don't need anymore." He said, when he noticed how she kept moving the basket from one hand to the other and Saima sighed, it was indeed heavy.
"The driver brought it to the room when I came, if I had known this is how heavy is it-" she was flabbergasted when she saw him leaning to her left side and her heart lost a bit beat because for a moment, she thought he was going to hug her. But he simply collected the basket from her hand and they were already outside and walking to the parking lot before her heart was back to normal.
She silently sat in the car and faced the window, thinking about how amazing it felt to have someone like Na'im by her side. And like he said, he said her number as 'My Princess' with a heart emoji that showed her he really liked her, she had to take a picture of them before she sent it to the WhatsApp group only the princesses shared.