Faurah

Chapter 17

"Shut up," Layla squealed, "red is traditional but you look so sexy in pink!"

I blushed and shook my head, "sexy isn't the look I'm going for! I want to be classy... elegant."

Layla and I were rummaging through the dresses in Dua's Bridal Boutique. I was trying on all the dresses Layla threw my way until my eye caught a floral cream and red lengha. "That's the one!" I pointed and grabbed Laylas arm to the dress." She looked at it with eyes that instantly lit up.

"Try it on!! Right now!!" She ushered me into the changing room, joy evident from her tone.

I stepped out of the room wearing the dress of my dreams. It was a little on the pricey side but it made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Auntie, how much is this one," Layla asked addressing the woman behind the desk who was sick of us to manhandling all of her garments.

"12 hundred." She sighed, fed up of how many times we've asked that question.

Layla's eyeballs bulged out of socket. "Rupees?"

The auntie didn't look pleased and didn't reply to Laylas question.

"Don't worry, we'll find something better elsewhere." I said while waltzing back into the changing room.

I heard Layla protest while I slipped the heavily embroidered dress off. "Don't be silly. We have Arfan to worry about the costs. You just get changed, we'll pay for it and then go get food!"

After changing we asked the woman behind the counter to give us a slight discount. Her annoyance towards Layla managed to knock £50 off of the suit.

Suit in hand, we both walked out of the store with smiles stitched ear to ear on our faces.

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We were on our way to my house, not more than 5 minutes away when an unsettling feeling prickled around my neck. It felt like we had been walking for ages but in reality it had only been several minutes.

Cars sped past us while driving through puddles which splashed onto the pavement we were walking on.

"Do you feel that?" I whispered to Layla. She had one handle of the dress bag in her right hand and I had the other in my left as we walked together.

"Feel what?" She sniffled, the cold air getting to her.

"The-" I heard footsteps pacing behind us. I whipped my head around to see the black hooded figure running towards us.

Fear pulsed through my body. I knew Layla had the same rush crashing through her when we both let go of the bag and broke out into a sprint.

I took an unforgiving glance back to see how far we were managing to make space between him and ourselves but it was futile. One second I was running side by side with Layla and the next I was being pushed down onto the road, the headlights of a car blurring my vision until it all went dark.