manal | achraf hakimi [COMPLETE]

.24

please pray if you haven't already done so :)

a little note at the end of the chapter, please respond.

happy reading - also i just realised that my writing is overly british like the terminology and phrases i use. sorry about that ✌🏼

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20/1/2023

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[1337 words]

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manal's cheeks were warm due to the embarrassment that was spreading through her at the moment. iman looked happy to have caught them like this. sufiyane, who stood next to her, had arrived a second later saving him from the trouble that achraf had trapped her in.

'never mind, i have to take the tea.' manal quickly dismissed herself, but not before turning away from them and patting her cheeks in an attempt to calm herself down. this man was so bloody infuriating.

iman looked at her friend and her cousin/brother, seeing a glow on their faces that she hadn't seen before. she smiled mischievously but for a second her heart felt a pang of want.

she wanted something like this.

there was something so innocent yet touching about the way they interacted. she knew whatever she had walked in on, despite not being as scandalous as she made it out to be, was probably imitated by achraf. she wanted something like this. her mind wondered to the man that was currently after her, and her mood instantly soured.

he would never give her this.

'iman. are you going to keep staring into space or are you going to help me?' manal said her first proper words to iman after their 'conversation' or more like argument a few days ago. manal internally let out a sigh of relief, a burden lifted after just having iman stand in front of her. she was her closest friend, her oldest friend, and her sister-in-law.

of course, a house is a not a house if the dishes don't clang. there will be arguments and fights, it made her appreciate iman all the more, especially after not seeing her face for soo many days.

iman had taken the tray and told manal she'll follow her, motioning with her head to hurry up.

iman looked at achraf and pretended to be angry once manal was out of sight.

'you're bothering my best friend again.' iman started her act, noticing the stood smile on her brothers face. was this what love looked like? her brain conjured up the thought so unexpectedly that even she was shocked.

'so? she's my wife.' acheaf rolled up his sleeves to take the dry fruits manal had left behind on the counter, probably to take but had forgotten in her flustered state.

'careful,' iman raised an eyebrow teasingly. she continued, 'on a serious note though, don't let anyone catch you like this. people here won't appreciate it.'

achraf rolled his eyes and walked past iman, tapping her on the nose to which she scrunched. she hated it when he did that. 'we're already married, we are in nikah.' he knew he was right soo he said it confidently, 'and since when did you care about what people 'appreciate'' he put an emphasis on the last word, questioningly.

'whatever.' her mind went into overdrive, she was making mistakes, 'im warning you though, keep making my best friend a hot mess like that and you'll have to deal with me.'

'wow i'm so scared.' he rolled his eyes at her.

'i'm so scared.' she imitated him with a higher pitch voice and a terrible accent. achraf was almost offended by her imitation, except it was quite accurate and he couldn't fight it. iman's face straightened and she walked past achraf, innocently putting her pointy heel dangerously close to his feet. his eyes widened and he moved his foot out of the way.

'i'm telling you, just wait one more month. keep sending your dumb letters but i'm telling you now, stop messing around with her like this where people can see you. it won't be good.'

achraf raised his eyebrow at her sudden insistence on keeping them apart physically. iman had always pushed them to be together, so the sudden change in attitude unnerved him.

'how do you know it's me that's annoying her and not the other way round?' achraf tried to joke, even if he knew that it was not very plausible. he was trying to shift the topic from him to her.

iman made an unimpressed face at his poor attempt to shift the blame, as if the entire world didn't know just how reserved manal was in comparison to achraf. 'you sound so dumb right now, i'm not even going to bother with that one.'

'iman if you keep me waiting any longer-' laila shouted from outside, and iman suddenly remembered the tea. she bit her tongue and quickly scurried outside with achraf hot on her heels.

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'really?' he texted her back, attaching a picture of the note. the question mark more poignant than ever before. maybe what he said earlier about her not being the instigator had worked against him, but to his benefit instead.

'meet me at the well.' was what she had written on an unassuming sticky note. it was stuck onto a book she had bought for him outside without their parents noticing. she had gone through the trouble of pushing it in his hands, trying to motion with her eyes seeing as the rest of her face was covered, to try to get him to see the message.

they had all gone shopping together, to some local vendors for some last preparations. he had told his father that he wanted his wedding to be in morocco, not spain, so in accordance he had handed the preparations to his mother who was more than happy to take responsibility. the town manal lived in was not a mega city by any means, but had undergone enough of a population influx for more modern commodities.

they had pre booked a venue already, and were just waiting for a gap in his schedule for an official ceremony.

'don't leave me hanging.' was all that she replied. it was around late afternoon, and the asr prayer was due to happen. he was thoroughly surprised by her tone, not thinking she would be this bold and authoritative. he kind of liked it.

'when?' he typed again, but decided that he would rather hear her voice. judging by the time he knew she was probably at school, and probably on a break.

he sent the phone to ring, and she was quick to pick it up.

'i could just come and see you now.' he said, switching the phone from ear to another.

'walaikum salam to you too.' he shook his head, remembering what he clearly forgot to say. 'please do not do that, or else faris will start getting nightmares about me leaving again.' she calmly replied.

'wait he was serious about that?' manal rolled her eyes, she didn't know how many times she's had to convince the little boy that she was only moving countries, not dying.

'half an hour before maghrib.' she said finally, hoping that it would give her enough time. achraf noted it down mentally, and was about to ask her something else when she gasped and quickly cut the call citing that she needed to get the kids back in for their last class of the day.

achraf stared down at his phone and sighed. she was like a fever dream.

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sorry for the weird chapter? i didn't know what to write.

anyways, i feel like this book is becoming way too long and i kind of want an endpoint because i cant keep writing this forever (even if i would love to daydream about all the little scenarios).

how long would you like this book to be? because i think 30 is MOREE than enough in my opinion.

thank you for all the support,
author. also fun fact, everytime i 'sign off' as author, i accidentally write my actual name like EVERY time.