Better Late Than Never

26

When they dropped Ayman and Adil off, Ayra and Ibtihaj met the Azaiza brothers who were in the lounge with Amna and Aabidah.

The tension between four of them didn't go unnoticed and Ayra took note of the pain each one tried to hide. It was a stark difference from the bubbly Amna and Aabidah she was used to. When there was no more pushing her curiosity away, she quietly asked Ayman if it was okay to know what had happened between the twins, Amna, and Aabidah. A few feet away from them, Ibtihaj asked Adil the same thing.

Ayman stared a moment longer at his sister who hugged herself while she listened to Hayder before he sighed and turned fully to face Ayra.

"They were all in love once. They clicked from the very first time four of them met so we all knew it was a matter of time before they got together. While Amna was shy about letting Hammad know she had feelings for him, Aabidah was proactive about it. It went well for her so it gave Amna the push to do the same. Thankfully, her feelings were reciprocated as well."

Ayra felt a pinch in her chest as Ayman glanced towards his sister's way again, continuing the tale. "With Aabidah and Hayder, things went quickly; getting together, the unofficial proposal, and then the fixing of the date for his parents to visit ours. With Amna and Hammad, they took things slowly but they were on the same path."

He refocused on Ayra. "Unfortunately, a lot of things went wrong that year with the Azaizas. Let's just say Hammad and Hayder didn't handle it well, especially with their relationships with Amna and Aabidah. One day, all was well. The next day, they were leaving England with the first flight without an explanation and without saying goodbye."

Ayra's chest pinched some more and she glanced Amna and Hammad's way before she turned to Aabidah and Hayder. Ayman, who felt bad that she felt bad, forced himself to continue.

"It was destabilising for us then. I didn't even know what was going on until Aunt Bisan told my parents who then told us. Aabidah and Amna weren't mad that Hammad and Hayder had to leave. They were concerned and they tried everything possible to reach out but with each passing day, it kind of became clear that Hammad and Hayder didn't want to talk to them."

Ayra turned back to Ayman, her voice unusually small when she asked "Why?"

Ayman half-shrugged. "I guess they didn't want to burden them with all that was going on because it was a lot. At the end of the day, though, they didn't go about things the right way. I think a month or two passed before they sent messages that they had to call off everything because they were no longer ready to settle down. That, and the fact that they weren't sure they were coming back to England, even when everything settled. From Gaza, they went to Qatar and apart from a few sightings here and there, we haven't really seen them since."

He sighed. "I won't tell you moving on from all of that was easy on Aabidah and Amna but they pulled through so seeing them here now...It's something I don't know how I feel about yet."

"Will they be okay though?"

Ayman managed a smile. "I pray they will. The bottom line is that they know better than to cause a scene or to dampen the wedding spirits for the sakes of Ibty and Adil. Knowing Hayder and Hammad, they're going to apologise over and over although it's coming a lot later than it should have. At the end of the day, it'll be up to Amna and Aabidah to decide what they want to do. I just...I just don't think I want to watch them go through the pain again."

Ayra stared at him for a moment longer before she looked back at the pairs that were in love once. She gave into the urge to hug herself, her heart heavy. The sight of her in that moment broke Ayman's heart.

All he wanted to do was lighten the situation and make her feel better so he made his smile wider and got back her attention. "Ayra."

She reluctantly turned back to him, humming in reply. He smiled even more. "Don't let it get to you. They're going to be fine, no matter the decisions they'll make. That much I can assure you. Okay?"