Chapter 58 — The Ones Waiting Outside
The journey back to campus became lighter little by little.
Faridat kept teasing Basit openly now, completely entertained by the softer version of her brother she was witnessing.
"So this is how mighty Basit Abbas behaves around one girl?"
Basit sighed tiredly.
"Faridat."
"No seriously," she continued dramatically. "If I tell people my brother is capable of smiling like this, they will think I'm lying."
Rihannat laughed quietly from the backseat.
A genuine laugh this time.
Small.
Soft.
But real.
Basit glanced at her briefly through the mirror, and seeing that tiny spark of life back in her expression made him relax a little.
At least she was breathing easier now.
Even if the storm inside her had not fully settled.
They were still about thirty minutes away from campus when Faridat suddenly frowned while looking through her phone.
"Uh…"
Basit glanced at her briefly.
"What?"
Faridat turned the screen toward him.
"Balkis has called me six times."
Rihannat blinked immediately.
"And Folakemi called me too," Faridat added. "Multiple times."
Rihannat suddenly remembered.
The two girls had followed them from the Abbas mansion yesterday.
But with everything that happened afterward, she completely forgot about them.
Basit immediately understood.
"They probably got worried when you disappeared without explanation."
Rihannat sighed softly.
She felt bad now.
Very bad.
Especially because Folakemi had been crying yesterday too.
Faridat quickly dialed Balkis back and put the phone on speaker.
The call barely rang once before it was answered loudly.
"FINALLY!"
Faridat winced immediately.
"Omo, why are you shouting?"
"Where is Rihannat?!"
That voice definitely belonged to Balkis.
And she sounded ready to fight somebody.
Faridat laughed helplessly.
"She's here."
"Give her the phone immediately!"
Rihannat took the phone slowly.
"Balkis…"
"My friend!" Balkis nearly cried. "Do you know how worried we were?!"
Another familiar voice suddenly entered from the background.
"Let me talk to her!"
Folakemi.
The next second, the phone changed hands.
"Rihannat?" Folakemi's voice sounded emotional already. "Are you okay?"
Rihannat's chest tightened slightly.
"I'm okay."
"You disappeared yesterday!"
"We followed you home but your street was dark already and we didn't know the exact house."
Balkis' voice echoed again from the background.
"We waited like two thieves outside!"
Despite herself, Rihannat laughed softly.
Faridat smiled seeing it.
Folakemi continued immediately,
"We even argued whether to knock random houses one by one."
"Which was your stupid idea," Balkis interrupted.
"How is it stupid?!"
"You wanted us to get arrested."
Rihannat shook her head helplessly while Basit quietly listened with amusement.
The tension inside the car eased naturally.
"We're coming back to school now," Rihannat finally said softly.
There was a brief pause.
Then Folakemi spoke carefully.
"Are you really okay?"
The concern in her voice was genuine.
Rihannat looked outside the window quietly for a moment.
Was she okay?
She honestly did not know.
But she answered anyway.
"I'm trying."
Silence followed briefly before Balkis suddenly spoke again in her usual dramatic tone.
"Good. Because if you refuse to survive this problem, who will help me pass statistics?"
Everyone burst into laughter immediately.
Even Basit.
Faridat turned slowly toward him in disbelief again.
Ah-ah.
Her brother was laughing openly now?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"See?" Balkis continued proudly through the phone. "I made everybody laugh."
"You're still annoying," Folakemi muttered.
"And you still love me."
"I tolerate you."
"Same thing."
Rihannat laughed again, this time more freely.
And hearing that sound—
That genuine laughter after everything she went through—
Made Basit feel strangely relieved.
Meanwhile, back on campus, Balkis and Folakemi were indeed waiting outside the female hostel.
The moment Basit's car finally entered the compound later that evening, both girls practically rushed forward.
Before Rihannat could even step down properly, Balkis grabbed her tightly.
"You scared us!"
Folakemi hugged her immediately afterward.
"We were so worried."
Rihannat smiled softly between them.
"I'm sorry."
Balkis pulled back slightly and narrowed her eyes.
"You cried."
Rihannat blinked.
"Your eyes are still swollen."
Folakemi's expression became emotional again instantly.
"Did everything go badly?"
Rihannat hesitated briefly.
Then quietly replied—
"No."
Her voice softened.
"Just… overwhelming."
The two girls exchanged glances immediately.
They could already tell something major had happened.
But thankfully—
Whatever it was—
Rihannat did not look broken anymore.
Basit stepped out of the car quietly while Faridat stretched dramatically beside him.
Balkis immediately pointed at him accusingly.
"You."
Basit raised one brow calmly.
"You should have informed us yesterday."
Faridat gasped dramatically.
"Omo, you're scolding my brother?"
"Yes."
Balkis folded her arms stubbornly. Her feelings for basit had been buried six foot deep. She wont disrupts their long term friendship for something Qadar has decreed for Rihannat.
"He carried our friend away mysteriously."
Basit looked completely unbothered.
"She needed space."
Folakemi sighed softly.
"He's right."
Then she looked at Rihannat carefully again.
And for the first time since yesterday—
She noticed.....
There was pain in Rihannat's eyes still.
A lot of it.
But there was also peace slowly forming underneath.
As though despite the confusion…
Despite the emotional storm…
Somewhere deep inside her—
She had already made one decision clearly.
No matter who her biological family turned out to be…
She was never abandoning the people who raised her.
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What do you all think about balkis mindset now????
@OLUKOYAZAINAB