No Looking Back

Chapter 5

Layla's POV:

I awaken from my blissful sleep with a screeching Reyna.

I gasp, jumping a little in surprise and glancing to the other side of Reyna's king-sized bed. She was leaning against her white, wooden headboard, breathing in and out heavily. Her hand was placed on her heart, sweating profusely.

"Had a nightmare?" I grumble, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I check my phone.

It was 4 a.m. in the morning.

She nods, calming down a little now. I shake my head in exasperation, predicting this would happen.

The night before, she had decided that while we did face masks and did each other's nails, we could watch a horror movie.

She had picked 'The Exorcist'.

I knew she was going to regret that later, so I tried to suggest another movie, and even another genre, but she wouldn't budge.

We watched it, peach and aloe vera sheet masks on our faces and giving each other mani-pedis.

I had already watched the film with Yusuf, against my parents' better judgment, and he absolutely loved horror movies.

They would only let him watch them, however, if I watched with him, too.

Even then, already knowing where each jump-scare was, I still scared myself shitless.

Even when I had prepared for them, letting Reyna know as well, we still managed to scream and jump one foot in the air.

At some point, probably after the tenth jump-scare, Auntie came by to ask if we were okay and when we were planning to sleep.

She then stayed for a couple of minutes, watching with us, saying astaghfirullah the whole time.

After one jump-scare, she had gotten up, said allahfiz, kissed us both on the forehead, told us not to stay up too late, and rushed out of the room.

Shortly after, we had decided to head to sleep. Reyna had seemed fine then, but obviously, she wasn't.

And now, here we were, Reyna hyperventilating a little beside me and me, not being able to sleep because I was sharing a bed with a person very loudly hyperventilating.

You would think that at 23, Reyna would be a little bit better at this.

After about five minutes, who to open Reyna's door than her big brother, Faiz Aslam.

Shirtless. He was freaking shirtless.

"Is everyone okay?!" He says, looking around for any potential danger.

I let out a loud gasp and could feel my eyes widen. I immediately pull the blanket on top of me to cover my face.

I peek out of the blanket to see Reyna's reaction beside me.

Reyna had stopped hyperventilating at the sight of her brother and immediately covered her eyes, screaming.

"OH MY GOD, BHAI, MY EYES!" she screeches, "MY PURE, INNOCENT EYES."

I snicker a little at her antics, but was still a little shocked to see Faiz's six-pack at 4 a.m. in the morning.

Okay, a lot, I was a lot shocked at seeing my best friend's brother's six-pack at 4 a.m. in the morning.