...she thanked him and went inside, feeling exhilarated.
...
It's been two months, two excruciating months for them, they all wanted to be anywhere but their situation at that time, no one could do anything about it. They left their all in the hands of The Best of planners.
Muslim went to his wife, probably a thousand times just for everything to be back to normal but she didn't listen to him neither did she listen to anyone pleading with her to forgive him, not even her dear father. Whenever he brought the topic of mending things with Muslim, she would start crying and he hated her tears so he had to let it be.
Fatima slowly calmed down and wasn't angry with her son anymore, she was just sad about the tight situation which she couldn't decipher at all.
...
Hugging her tightly for the umpteenth time, she let her go. One would say they spent years without meeting each other when the reality was that they met two days back.
"You don't look like yourself Jay, you need him," Hafsat, Jasmine's best friend–whom she had not seen in a long time–said.
"I told you several times, I'm just concerned about myself. Since I had miscarriage I haven't been myself physical and mentally. I need to see Dr Layla." Jasmine told her friend.
"Whatever the case may be, I made this cake parfait and filled doughnuts for you," Hafsat smiled as she brought out the box of doughnuts from a paper bag alongside a cup of parfait.
Grinning widely, she uttered, "thank you so much Hafsy, I've been craving doughnuts for long but I'm to lazy to make it. You can always read my mind and I can't love you less squishy sweety," Jasmine hugged Hafsat tight. Hafsat was surprised that just a simple sight at doughnuts lightened up her mood.
She devoured the doughnuts like she had been hungry for years. Hafsat was just watching her friend eating like a glutton as she smiled, the smile that showed happiness and sadness at the same time. Her soul sister had not been herself since when she got into that toxic marriage. She was always insecure and afraid, the issue of losing her baby added to it, and now she had to go through the trauma of being a divorcée, probably.
Hafsat examined Jasmine, the poor soul had been stressed. Dark circles around her eyes and also bags grew under her eyes, she looked so pale and emotionless, like someone who is used to being in so much pain.
"Jay?" Hafsat called in a soft voice and Jasmine hummed.
"Oh Hafsa you're here," Nooria said as she emerged from the door of Jasmine's room.
"Good morning mummy," Hafsat greeted with her usual killer smile.
"Uh oh, where is Asma? I came to take her with me." Nooria asked of Hafsat's two-year-old baby.
"I enrolled her in a crèche in Humayd's school," she voiced, smiling at her mother figure. Humayd is Hafsat's oldest son.
"Oh, so she won't come to see me again?" Nooria feigned hurt as she sat on the sofa while the girls sat on the bed.
"Of course she will, I'm bringing her next week to spend a whole day with you, in shaa Allah."
"That's more like it. I hope you're talking some sense into your friend's head, she needs to know what to decide, what turn does she want to take. She doesn't want to listen to anybody. Ya lal haul." Nooria told Hafsat, knowing full well that Jasmine; who didn't look at her since when she came in, could hear her.
"I'm trying my best mummy, we'll find a solution soon," Hafsat said, keeping her smile intact.
"Thank you," Nooria smiled. "I'll get going, I have things to do. I'll see you before you leave." She left after hearing an "okay" from Hafsat.
