Love? A Disaster

♪ 31 (b): Amal's Mr. Right ♪

"Green one or white? Come on, Alina. It's not that hard."

Alina took a sip of her herbal smoothie and concentrated on the dresses flashing through the video call. Haleh controlled the urge to gag at the beverage but that's what friendship is about. You have to make peace with their choices no matter if that makes you want to gouge your eyes out.

"I still don't get it. What's the occasion, again?"

Behind Haleh, she could hear a loud groan. Amal pushed Haleh out of her view of Alina and raised her arm exasperatedly. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past half an hour. There's. No. Occasion."

It was not in Haleh's system to back down from a fight if it was being offered to her. She glared at Amal as she smoothed the fabric of the dresses indignantly. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"Whatever it is, the green one, Haleh." Alina gave her verdict, much to Haleh's relief. She immediately got up with the said dress in her hand, to get the matching jewelry out of Rameen's collection. If looks could kill, Haleh would've dropped dead by then but she was hopping like an energizer bunny, rummaging through Rameen's drawer. Poor Reen could only attempt a feeble "Hey! Be gentle!" at her, but a determined Haleh was a force to be reckoned with.

"Reen doesn't look so good," Alina said with concern. Rameen raised her hand so she could see it through the screen. "Soldier down but not for long."

Haleh was back in the frame, having picked what she deemed suited the dress choice the most. "She's just taken her medicine. I know because I was the one who made sure she did. We can't afford to have her down and bedridden tonight."

"For the umpteenth time, what the hell is tonight that has you all worked up?" Alina was tired of the suspense. Well, she and Amal were in the same boat, both done with Haleh's enthusiasm for different reasons.

"Oh, that's a surprise." Haleh wriggled her eyebrows as she hummed under her breath the new Natasha Noorani song. Amal could only glare at her traitor best friend. Haleh halted mid-twirl and grinned at her and then, before they knew it, Amal had pounced on her. "Is killing your best friend and then staging it as an accident legal?" She asked Rameen and Alina as she chased Haleh around.

"Not really but make it interesting while you're at it," Rameen said which warranted a warning glare from Haleh. "Reen, you're one cough away from landing in the hospital. Be mindful of what you wish for others."

"All I wish for is some peace and my best friend. She would've never let me be subjected to this torture while I'm down with flu and fever."

"You're down with flu and fever while she's down and dirty with her husband. You unlucky child." Amal puckered at Rameen. Both she and Alina tried their best to not do it but in the end, they ended up bursting into laughter. Yeah, Sila and Aahil's shenanigans were an inside joke among them.

Rameen shook her head and turned to focus on Alina. "Raed's coming over for dinner tonight. Hence, the preparations."

Alina was instantly interested. "Is he Amal's—"

"Eye candy. Yes." Haleh completed it for her.

"He's not my eye candy and you're incorrigible, Haleh." Amal cried.

"Yeah, eye candy is too boyish and he's all man. Amal's Mr. Right, it is."

"That's not—"

"Okay, take a break you two," Alina interjected. "Is he really coming over?"

Amal placed her pillow in her lap as she nodded at the phone screen. "He is going back home next week. I wanted him to conduct at least one interview before that. Talking to Banu Auntie was on his list because of her family background. When I talked to her, she was mortified why I hadn't invited him to dinner yet."