Forever & Always 3

0.1

Over the course of Fajr, the whole Ezra family was gathered at the dining table, in a few minutes adhan would go off signalling to them the sun rising, so everyone was sat at the table eating. 

"Where's JJ?" Maya asked. She was Amir's new wife, having married her over a year ago, the family were still not very fond of her presence. She wasn't a likeable person and no one could pinpoint why. She just was.

"Asleep," Hadiyeh snorted tonight would be the last suhoor they would eat together, Eid was tomorrow, and everyone couldn't wait to celebrate, "Just like you should be."

"I never understood how you could marry out of your religion." She pretended not to hear Hadiyeh's last comment. 

"I'm going to brush my teeth, don't bother waiting for me for salah, I'll be praying in my room." Hadiyeh snapped, a pinched smile on her face as she pushed her chair back, the friction making the rest cringe. 

"Nonsense, Hadiyeh, you'll pray with the rest of us." Mohammad Ezra said sharply, putting his knife and fork down harder than he should have.

Hadiyeh nodded, knowing better than to argue with her father. 

"Maya, I don't believe staying up at these hours is beneficial for you or your child." Mohammad continued in the same tone, turning to Amira for confirmation, she nodded agreeing. 

"He's right, it's not good for the child, you need to sleep," Amira said factually. 

"Yes, I'll help you to bed." Abbas motioned for Maya to get up, taking her hand in his he walked her away. 

"I don't think I'll ever like her." Hadiyeh rolled her eyes drinking her last bit of tea. 

"None of us do." Hamza agreed. He had to be up early tomorrow morning, he was working on a new project with the royal family, they were building a university and had asked for Hamza to be the architect. 

"I miss Saeedeh's presence, how is she doing the little brat hasn't talked to me in weeks." Leila changed the subject, talking badly about someone behind their back was a heavy sin, especially during Ramadan.

"She's doing fine, she and Tobi are doing Ramadan together," Hadiyeh chuckled, her sister had convinced Tobi to fast this year with her, and he had agreed not wanting her to feel alone when she was away from family. She had wanted to desperately come to Dubai this year, to spend Ramadan with her family just like she does every year, but unfortunately for her exams were also during the same month of Ramadan and she couldn't afford to miss them. 

"He's such a gentleman, I can't wait for their wedding." Amira cooed, she was the first to approve of their relationship, Hadiyeh having been very on the ropes about it at the beginning whereas Amira had welcomed them with open arms.

"They're going to have the best wedding." Hamza nodded. 

"So when are you going to get married, hm?" Leila's attention turned to her son who suddenly blushed a very rouge type of red.

"Leila." Mohammad chuckled, his hand on his wife's thigh, "Let him be, he is still young."

He was right Hamza was only twenty and happily single, not to mention very religious, the poor boy hasn't even had a girlfriend before.

"Yes, but I'm getting old." Leila mused, pecking her husbands cheek lovingly. 

"Mum, we're still at the table." Hamza gagged, getting up, leaving to do his wudhu. 

The rest of the table soon disbanded each going to their own rooms to pick up their sajadehs' and make wudhu. Just as Hadiyeh stepped into the room she was met with JJ's sleeping figure holding Jannah's protectively on his chest as she lay her head on her father's chest. Both sleeping soundly. She cooed at the sight and picked up the blanket draping it gently over their sleeping bodies, pressing featherlight kisses to each of their heads. She couldn't believe that JJ's tour was finally over and he had decided to surprise her by turning up at her parent's house in Dubai. Before he had arrived she and Jannah used her old bedroom, and with him here they had thrown his luggage into one of the spare rooms and he too had joined them in her old bedroom.