My Husband's Twin

Happiness is an understatement for what she was feeling at this very moment. She felt complete and contented. She never knew that marriage was like this, she would have done it long ago with this very man. The man who captured her heart in a very tight grip, the man who stayed with her through thick and thin, who stood as a rock when she couldn't sit, who apologize for her own mistakes. True love is rare but she knew she had found hers and she'll never let go nor trade him for the earth.

As she awoke from a very deep slumber, Nadia felt a smile tugging at her lips, just thinking of seeing her husband's face as soon as she turned around, made her all edgy and fluttery. Her husband, that sounded so sugary.

Her smile immediately dropped when she didn't feel his arms around her. With a frown, she turned around only to find the space behind her empty. She jumped out of the bed and was about to walk out of their side of the house to ask his mother about his whereabout when she heard the running water from the bathroom.

She knew he was taking a bath, but why did she feel sad about him taking a bath alone. Since their wedding, which was already a month, they always took bath together but today he's taking one alone and she isn't happy with it. Should she knock on the door or she should just wait for him to come out and face her wrath? After contemplating, she settled for the latter.

After some few minutes which felt like decades to Nadia, Hassan finally came out from the bathroom. A towel was wrapped around his waist while his chest was widely opened for her to gush at. She did gush inwardly but had a grumpy look on her face, her lips pursed in anger. She casted her eyes downwards, not wanting to look at his apologetic eyes. She knew with one look at him again, her anger will fly out through the huge window.

Seeing the pursed lips of his wife, Hassan knew he was in deep trouble and he knew the reason. He can't have her mad at him when what he's about to tell her will make her even more infuriated. So, he took some slow strides to the resting sofa she sat on. He knelt down right in front of her, not minding about getting a lotion on his drying body. She still didn't make eye contact with him, he lifted her face with his hands that rested on her jaw.

She knew it, she was going to drown herself in his eyes once she made eye contact and that was exactly what happened. Ugh, he knew her weaknesses.

"I'm sorry," he pressed his forehead on hers, their noses' were touching and their lips just half an inch away.

Breathless, she quaked, "You should be." The close proximity was taking a toll on her and all the reason why she's angry at him flew away.

"I'm going to Kano, but I'll come back before Maghrib Insha'Allah." his eyes were pleading her to understand but it's hard, she already felt the tears tickling her eyes.

"I don't want you to go." She dropped her head in his shoulder as the tears forced themselves down her face and to his bare shoulder. His arms went straight to her waist.

"I know, Singleton! I'll be back as soon as I can, I'll make sure you won't miss me much. And I have a surprise for you before today ends." He grinned but she only glared at him even though he couldn't see her.

"Just make sure you're having your dinner here!" She grumbled before reluctantly pulling away from his grip and kissed his lips lightly.

"Wait for me," she warned before jumping into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

She immediately sauntered into their walk in closet to bring out something to wear. Her eyes settle in a navy blue linen maxi dress and she quickly put it on and walked back to the room where Hassan was waiting for her with his office bag on one shoulder.

"Here, let me help you with that." She managed to collect the black office bag from him after much struggle as he didn't want her to hold it.

"You're too much." He shook his head whilst chuckling at his wife.

"I know, right. You're very lucky to have me, ain't you?" She wiggled her brows teasingly.

"I am, my love!" He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead then mumbled "I love you."

"I love you so much more dear husband. I wish you a safe trip and come back with anything sweet from there that we don't have here, make sure of that," she sternly said.

"I'll make sure of that, wifey. I'll just leave now, let's go to Hajia." He guided them both to his mother's flat, where she lived with their younger sister- Sohila.

After saying their pleasantries, Hassan walked straight to his car with his wife in his arms. She only left his hand when he ignited the car to life. She smiled at him then waved as she watched the car zoom out of her sight.

Sluggishly, she walked back to their flat to cook something before she went to Hajia so that she could pass time and help her cook dinner. Today her other son is coming back and the dinner will be very lively though Sohila was in school. Nadia couldn't wait to meet her Husband's Twin!

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Soon, they were done with all the dishes they wanted to cook. Everything was neatly arranged and they made sure it's just enough and not more than that so they could not throw away any or leave any leftover.

"Hajia, I'll just go and pray Maghrib and then change. I'll be here in some few minutes." She smiled at her mother in law.

"Alright dear, look good for your husband." The older woman laughed when her daughter in law blushed.

Ducking away, she ran out of Hajia's living room with a loving smile on her lips. She banged her head on a broad chest that gave her a souvenir of a scent, just as juicy as her husband's. She knew he was the one, her Twin kept to his words.

Not looking up to his face, she wrapped her hands around his waist and nuzzled her face deep into his chest, chuckling. "I missed you so much, Hassan. I was just moving in that kitchen fah, but your thoughts were a second away from making me crazy!" She lifted up her legs and planted a smooch on his left cheek.

Roughly, she was peeled off his chest and a certain longing of his warmth seeped within her. That was bad. What happened to him? He left looking all loving, had she done something wrong?

She looked into his eye level, lifting her face completely because of their height difference. This is her husband, but why the hard face and the frown? Is this a frank? He didn't miss her? Or was he pulling her legs? Nadia's thoughts were put into a halt when he opened his mouth, he sounded exactly as her husband would, just the words differed.

"I'm Hussain!" It was her husband's twin! Not even a single mark was there on their faces to help her differ between the cheerful Hassan and a grumpy Hussain. She felt her limbs gone weak as he walked past her.

Coldness seeped into her heart, as she dragged her legs to their apartment. She entered their room and found it fixed as she left it, only now it had Hassan's clothes placed on it. She was hesitant to touch the clothes at first, because girl, Hussain had the same colour, size and everything on him.

Wait, was she even in the right room?

Looking over the mirror, she took a glimpse of her favorite perfume and her lavender spray. Then her baby pink lip gloss Hassan loved so much. A small smile stretched her lips, because even now, she wouldn't be sure it was her husband in their room.

What if he had forgotten about his room too? Because even their room were exactly the same. Nothing differ, not even the owners of the rooms. Just that now, Hassan had an addition to his room while Hussain didn't.

This is the first time she was meeting him after their marriage with Hassan, she heard he had to left on a trip, something about him being a pilot.

'They're of different characters though.' She silently hushed, just when the door of the bathroom turned open and he walked out in a towel wrapped around his waist. A deja vu of what happened in the morning came back to her and she couldn't wait to see that loving smile on his face.

"Come on here, Wifey. I don't bite, or you're afraid of your Twin today?" He noticed how her pulse was rising and falling at a faster pace.

Nadia let out a breath out of relief and ran to him, taking him into an embrace. Oh, this felt so right and fruitfully halal! How was she so carried away that she had to hug her husband's twin without missing the heart flickers she usually feel when she hugged her Hassan?

'Take note, Nadia.' She warned herself and began recollecting the kind of feelings, emotions and goosebumps that appeared on her skin whenever she hugged Hassan, so she wouldn't make the mistake again.

Hassan broke their hug and looked at her in the eyes, "What happened? You're tensed. Are you alright? Have you met Hussain yet?"

"No, I'm okay. Just a but tired from the work and exhausted from missing you. Apart from that, your strong Nady is fine! And Hussain? No." She had to lie, or did she expected herself to start telling her husband how she gave his twin the bone crushing hug of his life with a smooch souvenir to take home with? She wasn't that dumb please.

"I'll just slide into my sweat pant with a shirt and we're good to go for dinner in Hajia's living room. Wait for me." He walked towards their walk in closet and Nadia gasped; which brought his attention to her.

"What happened? You're scaring me, Singleton!" Whenever she called him Twin, he would say she's a Singleton. Calling her this name when she was agitated like this melted away her worries.

"Hajia said I should come and look hot for my husband before he comes back. And you've already seen me with my sweaty clothes." She made a sad face, walking towards the bathroom.

"I'm so done with your dramatic self. I'll be in Hussain's room when you're done."

She came out to an empty room. Nadia did all her night routine before she put on a simple boubou, adorning her head with a matching veil and she walked directly to Hajia's living room. She didn't have the guts to even knock on Hussain's door, because she might be confused of who is who between them.

"My daughter is looking so masha Allah! They're still not out, right? Let's go over to the dinning table and wait for them, nothing separates them apart from their works, they're always together." Nadia could point out the pride in Hajia's words, she's proud of the men her boys had become.

She wanted to ask why Hassan studied international relations while Hussain was now a pilot, but she knew how to tame down her curiosity.

They waited for almost fifteen minutes before they heard the deep husky laughter of both men, and Nadia's heart began thumping in her chest. What if she didn't recognize her Twin?

As if reading her thoughts, Hajia halted them midway to the dining table and looked at Nadia with a wide grin plastered on her lips.

"Nadia, go and guide your husband to the table."

Oh! Not now please, Hajia! Because they're all together in black sweatpants and white v-neck shirts. Even the way they stood in the middle of the living room was something a clueless Nadia couldn't point out, not to talk of the smug look on their faces.

Hassan! Show yourself please, even a wink would do! She silently prayed, and one of the men winked, but how sure was she he's the one?