under the covers [hs au]

chapter sixty-one.

tw: mention of suicide

hope everyone had a good ramadan and Eid. sorry my update is long overdue. The fic will be done soon :)

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Samira peeled her eyes open at the soft scratches on her bedroom door. An awkward, uncomfortable feeling fueled the beating of her heart when she left her bed, opening the door to let Sakinah in.

The sun bled through curtains; Samira reached for her phone. It was an hour after sunrise, and she missed the fajr adhan—as much as she was pissed, part of her wished her slumber lasted longer.

She picked up Sakinah in her arms, groaning in annoyance. Sakinah hopped onto the bed, cuddling next to Samira's lamb. A small smile then appeared on Samira's lips, watching her cat nestle with her stuffed animal.

Her eyes remained tired after performing the morning prayers; as Samira turned left and right to greet the angels on her shoulders, the door creaked open. Once Sakinah trotted toward the door instead of running away, she knew who it was.

"Oh, sorry." His silvery voice filled the room.

Samira's eyes softened: "It's okay, I finished praying."

"Slept in?" Zafri bantered, taking a seat at the desk.

"It's still early. Almost nine," Samira removed the hijab from her head. "What are you doing here?"

Before looking at Zafri, Samira made sure the door was left open. Relief flooded her chest when she remembered Omma and Wapa were downstairs and Elias across the hall.

Zafri typed away on his laptop, his back facing her—but once he turned around, Samira froze her steps. Her eyes failed to recognize the person in front of her. She blinked, scrutinizing every inch of Zafri's countenance.

Slowly, her eyebrows elevated. A smile then cracked onto Samira's face, and she wrapped her hands over her stomach, dying of laughter. Not a hair stuck to Zafri's cheeks nor chin. Whiffs of nostalgia brushed over her, reminding her of the last time she saw Zafri before he left for college.

"Samira—"

"You look like a little boy!"

Zafri then rolled his eyes: "It'll grow back. The wedding is in a few weeks, anyway."

"Why did you—" Samira slapped both her palms over her mouth, studying the nakedness of his face. "I can't believe you."

The corners of Zafri's lips slowly broke his annoyed expression as Samira giggled emphatically. He shook his head, trying to avert his attention back on his computer.

Samira sat next to Zafri, resting her chin in her palm.

"Did you step into a time machine?"

Amid her amusement, Samira felt her chest flutter. She admired the cupid's bow of his rosy lips and the gold in his eyes. Although his face was sharp, there was a bit of chub in his cheeks. She studied the moles on his face, revering the similar one they shared.

Zafri closed his eyes, a sheepish smile creeping onto his lips.

"Are you done?"

"You're late for your high school algebra class."

"Samosa, I will get back at you for this."

Lifting her head, Samira creased her eyebrows teasingly: "How?"

"Can't answer that."

Samira rolled her eyes, gazing over his shoulder. Zafri showed her everything he'd gotten done over the past few days—the wedding theme was to be green and beige, and he'd already begun honeymoon planning.