Destined

07.

*Nora's POV*

How could Amir just spy and frighten me like that?! "Well, duh." Amir said, with a smug look on his face. "Of Course I was spying on you." I held him by his ear and dragged him away from Fatima, into another room. "How much did you hear?" I asked him. "Pretty much everything, but it's not even a big deal." Amir said, shrugging like it was nothing. I quietly gasped at his confession. "But why did you even eat his food? It could have been poisoned! You know what things he'd done before!!" Said my brother. It was silent for a second. I was completely dumbfounded. What goes on in this guy's head?! "AMIR!! Have you gone insane! How many times have I told you to put his past behind? Just what will it take for you to see good in people?" I asked him. "Oh yeah? Then just what will take for you to realize that there's no good in Omar?! He shouted. "He always was, always is, and will remain as a bad person!!!!" Oh no. Amir said that wayyy too loudly! And then, the worst possible thing happened. Omar was there, standing frozen on the stairway. He heard our conversation.

I was overwhelmed with sudden stress, and I became extremely furious for what Amir had done. "U-um, I can explain!!" I said to him in a hurry. Hoping for Omar to forgive me, instead he said nothing and continued his way back to his room. The moment I saw the expression on his face, the expression of such a heartbreak, the expression of feeling so betrayed by someone he happily welcomed into his home, I felt so horrible. I turned to look at my brother, who I was shocked to see covering his mouth trying to resist his laughter. My head drooped low, and my tears created puddles which were scattered all along the way to the room I was staying in.

"N-nora... you don't see my brother in that way too, do you?" Fatima asked, sitting on her bed and choking back an awful lot of tears. "I guess that Omar has had a bad record of things he'd done in the past, but he would never poison you or anyone! Plus, he's changed so much since then." She continued, quietly sobbing. "I know, Fatima. I know." I said, as I tried to comfort her, even though I also really needed some comforting from someone too. "Your brother is a great person. I trust him and I don't care a single bit about his past. Just like you said, he's now a changed and improved man and that's more than enough."

When I said that, it seemed to at least make her feel a bit better. We ended the discussion shortly after that, and made wudu to pray Fajr. I prayed Fajr and felt so at ease, and trusted Allah with my worldly hardships. As I was about to get up, I remembered the following Quran verse:

And seek assistance through patience and prayer; and most surely it is a hard thing, except for the humble ones (45), who know that they shall meet their Lord and that they shall return to Him (46).

So I sat back down on my prayer mat, and talked to Allah about my hardships and made Dua for Him to ease them and make it easier for me.

*Omar's POV*

"Omar..." Fatima said, slowly stepping into my room. I tilted my head up to face her. She gasped. I already knew why she did that. My eyes were swollen from crying and my face was completely puffed up. "A-anyways, come pray Fajr dear brother." She gestured for me to come pray with her. "I'll pray Salah here." I replied, forcing a slight smile. Before leaving, Fatima placed my prayer mat on the end of my mattress as well as a piece of candy to try and cheer me up. After I performed Salah, I made lots of Dua for everything to go well.

"Ya Allah..." I began.

"Allahumma Ameen." I said to end my supplication.

My face was drenched with tears. Alhamdulillah for Islam. During my times of ignorance and extreme wrongdoings, I had no one to turn to when I needed help. No one wanted to help, nor were they able to. But now, it's different. I have Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎.

*Nora's POV*

I glanced at the fancy clock on the wall. It was 5:47. I grabbed my things with me and before I was about to head outside, I felt that if I just left without a word, it may offend or confuse Fatima. So because of that, I quickly wrote a brief letter that explained my sudden departure. Even though I was trying to make my letter quite short, it took me many attempts to write the perfect one. In the nearby trash bin, were a few of my drafts that I didn't like. About 20 minutes later, I finally finished it and placed it on a desk. I sighed. "Okay, time to make my leave then..." I thought in my head. But then suddenly, I felt someone from behind grab my hand. I turned around and I saw that it was Fatima. "Nora, where are you going? You're not leaving are you?!" She said in a sad tone. "I'm sorry but this is best for everyone." I told her. But she didn't seem to agree. "I don't get it..." Fatima said. "You know how my brother sees your brother, right? Well, Amir won't leave this house until I leave. And I don't think it'll be good for him to stay in the same house as Omar. So, I have to leave." I explained to her. There was sadness written all over her face "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused for everyone." I apologized. "Huh? Why are you saying sorry? There's no need for that! I really enjoyed having you here, and In'Sha'Allah we can meet again." Fatima said with a warm smile. I then reached in for a hug. After that, I waved goodbye and walked to the taxi that Amir was already waiting in.