RIDE OF A LIFETIME [COMPLETED✅]

Chapter 31

Hidaya

   The party died down, Zahra left and I had just answered the fifth phone call from another one of my cousins congratulating me. Mama and Yusra were inside getting changed and it was just Adda, Yaya and I left in the living room.

"You should both go get changed too, I'm gonna go pray Maghrib and come back insha Allah." He helps his heavily pregnant wife up before turning to me. "Ke kuma don't forget, we need to talk when I get back." He points at me like an old strict school professor and I simply nod.

     I get to my room, get changed and decide to take a shower. The whole time I was just thinking of the weirdest, craziest encounter I had with Ziyad earlier. Did he really mean what he said? I mean...he has never lied to me before and it felt really genuine. Or maybe he's just going through something? But then I remember what Mubarak told me, maybe he really was scared and decided to take a protective step back in case I broke his heart.

         I dress up in my comfortable pajamas and clean up my room, Adda walks in as I make my bed. She brings up a conversation and we start talking about stuff, one thing leading to another eventually I tell her what happened earlier with Ziyad.

"Wow....that's honestly...." She inhales through her teeth.

"I know I know...I'm just in a dilemma, I don't know what to do. My heart wants to believe him but my brain is warning me....what if he later on changes his mind?" I grab my penguin plushie squeezing the life out of the poor thing.

"Don't take it hard on yourself, it's not easy to just immediately believe something like this. Take your time and just get to know him for real but that's if you want to give him another chance...." She takes a sip from her water cup "...do you want to give him another chance?"

"I think so...maybe? Should I?" I bite my nail.

"Don't ask me, try to think deep down. This is your decision to make honey, you can sleep on it, pray istikhara and make a decision when you're ready to." She smiles.

"Yeah, I'll do that kawai because I honestly don't even know what to do." Yaya's call comes in and I mute it grabbing my hijab from the couch. "Ga yaya ya dawo bari naje." I get up and head back to the living room and find yaya already seated waiting for me, I sit opposite him.

"Tahm...Hidaya. I honestly don't know what to make of what happened earlier, I'm very confused and don't even know where to start. Have you guys been dating or something?" He sits up, his elbows on his knees as he scans my face.

"Not at all wlh, I'm also equally confused. All I know is we got close as friends but we never dated or anything like that." I fidget with my hijab.

"Well...he did ask for your hand in marriage, do you want to talk about that? I mean..are you ready for that?" He continues to examine my face.

"I'm not sure wallah yaya. But Adda suggested I pray istikhara so that's what I'll do and insha Allah I'll let you know ko next week ne." I manage to look at him.

"That's a great idea, abun da zaayi just take your time. Really give it a good thought shima I'll do a proper background check on him in the meantime okay?" He reassures.

"Okay yaya."

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Ziyad

"And what did you say?" Mubarak asks with genuine curiosity staring at me interestingly.

"I told him I'll be there insha Allah."

I had just told him all that happened the previous day.

"Did you message her?" He asks.

"No, I honestly didn't know what to say again....I kept typing and erasing." I grab my phone from the coffee table to check the time. "I'll be going to the house in an hour tho insha Allah, we'll meet anyways."