Page 149 of Storm
“I?! I'm her family friend...”
I stopped him midsentence, giving him a no-non sense look, “Please don't spoil the name of that relation.”
He walked away fuming in anger.
I thought for a moment, and then followed, making him stop in his tracks.
Giving him a friendly understanding smile, I patted his forearm, “It’s not wrong to have a crush on someone. But we shouldn’t when there is no way of it getting reciprocated the same way. Preserve your feelings for someone who would love you back, and anybody with two working eyeballs and a brain would say Sani does not feel that way for you.”
Haadi became infuriated, “I never said I like her.”
“Yeah...” I sighed shaking my head and holding back an eye roll.
“Mind your own life. You have got nothing to do in ours.” Haadi spat, walking away with a purposeful push on my arm.
I didn’t react. Maybe I should have.
Because a minute later, when he was out of earshot, my tigress came flaring at me,
“Why would you do that?!”
I crossed my arms, looking at her sternly, having had enough of this, “And what exactly did I do?”
“You humiliated Haadi. Just because you thought, he likes...”
I spoke over her adamantly, “He really does. It’s not just me who thinks so.”
She stepped forward trying to be eye to eye with me, “What if he doesn’t?!”
“So?” I scoffed in obvious tones, “He won't mind my words.” I leaned in, about to peck her, but she stumbled back, shocked.
I went on a little seriousl
y, “But if he does like you, I have done my part by warning him to save his heart from breaking. It was a fair thing to do. After all, he will be sorry when it won’t be reciprocated from your side.” I levelled her with a confident yet dangerously firm look, “It won't be reciprocated. I know.”
Sani started screeching with a dirty face,
“Stop it please! I can't even imagine. Eww!”
Laughter bubbled out of me before I could stop it and Sani became angrier, hitting on my chest, crying in miffed tones, “Anyway, why are you concerned about any of it? Who are you? You made it quite clear that you are done with me without even hearing me out. My love was nothing to you.”
“That’s not true.” I grabbed her hands, “I had come to listen. But you started with stubbornness that, you will not stop talking to them. Whether I like it or not. You didn’t care.”
Sani blinked back her tears and stated in a cracked voice, “If that’s what you prefer to think. Fine. Leave me alone.”
She started marching back into the house, when Ibbi came out as if on a purpose, everyone else just right behind him.
Seeing us, Ibbi stretched his hand pointedly, “We know what you have done Sani. Unimaginable and so unexpected from you, really.”
What the hell?
Immediately, I pulled Sani on my side. They could think what they wanted to.
She readily held my hand gazing at them all then at me fearfully, murmuring in hopeful tones,
“What’s the punch line of this joke?”
“Aaru! Say something please. Explain to me. I'm really not getting this joke. They can’t possibly know about us. This has to be a joke, right?” Sanu started squeezing and shaking my arm hurriedly as Ibbi came closer.
