"Coincidence-love"

PART - 7

Alam's voice was ringing in Irha's ear. Groggily, she flailed her hands around on the bed, trying to locate her phone. Dua, still half-asleep, muttered softly, "Turn it off." Irha, feeling a bit annoyed, responded, "I'm about to." Finally, her fingers found the phone, and she grabbed it, expecting Alam. But to her surprise, it was her mom calling. Startled, she sat up straight, wide-eyed, and slapped her cheeks a couple of times to wake herself up. With a deep breath, she cleared her throat and answered, trying to sound composed, "Assalamualaikum, Ammi."

Her Ammi's voice came through, sharp and worried, "Walaikum assalam. Where have you been? I've been calling you repeatedly!"

Irha quickly said, "Nowhere, Ammi, I was just here. Making an excuse, she added, "Oh, the professor had called me over for something, so I went there." Her mother, not fully convinced, asked, "Okay, where's Dua?" Irha, feeling a bit cornered, tapped Dua's hand and said to her mom, "Ammi, she's here with me."

Dua, stirred by Irha's tap, woke up groggily and asked, "What happened?" Irha, covering the phone's speaker with her hand, whispered, "My mom's on the call." This news made Dua's eyes widen in surprise and anxiety. She sat quietly, listening to their conversation, her heart pounding.

Irha, in a hurry to pass the responsibility, said, "Ammi, here's Dua. Talk to her," and abruptly placed the phone against Dua's ear. Dua, now in full panic mode, nervously stammered, "Hello, a-a-assalamualaikum, Ammi." Having just woken up, her voice was shaky, and she struggled to form coherent words.

her Ammi responded warmly, "Walaikum assalam, dear. How are you, Dua?"

Dua, still feeling the weight of grogginess, replied, "Alhamdulillah, Ammi. How are you?"

Her ammi said "I'm okay, but it's been four days since you girls left, and I haven't received any calls or messages. It's a good thing Irha taught me how to call, or else I wouldn't have been able to get through to you."

Dua shot an annoyed glance at Irha and gave her a light tap on the head. Irha, rubbing her head and making a face, looked back at Dua with a mix of guilt and amusement. Irha, listening to the conversation, felt a pang of guilt herself.

Dua, trying to sound sincere, said, "Ammi, we've just been so busy, otherwise we would have called you."

Her mother's voice softened but still carried a trace of longing, " why don't you both make a video call? I really want to see you two."

Dua and Irha exchanged worried looks. Dua quickly said, "No, Ammi..."

Her Ammi , confused, asked, "What is it, ?

Dua, trying to think fast, said, "No, Ammi, the professor is calling us. We have to go now."

Irha, playing along, called out, "Dua, hurry up, we're running late!" in an exaggerated tone.

Dua, feeling the pressure, quickly told her mother, "Ammi, we're running late. We'll talk to you later. Allah Hafiz."

Her Ammi sighed and replied, "Alright, Allah Hafiz," and the call ended.

As soon as the call ended, Irha let out a deep sigh of relief and dramatically flopped onto the bed. Both girls took a moment to catch their breath.

Dua, still slightly annoyed, gave Irha a playful swat and said, "What on earth got into you to teach Ammi how to call? Now look at what's happening!"

Irha, sitting up and rubbing her arm, replied, "Sis, just remember, we're not in college; we're in Korea. Of course, she's going to worry."

Dua nodded, realizing the truth in Irha's words. "Hmm, you're right," she said with a hint of resignation.