prat 5: practicing or more?

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Ann set her phone down and went to join her mom, Nesreen, and her siblings, especially her younger sister, Sara—the mischievous one who constantly "borrowed" Ann's clothes when she wasn’t around, taking over her whole room as if it were her kingdom. Her brother Ahmed, on the other hand, was an introvert, content to keep to himself in his room like many college guys do these days.

Ann finally allowed herself to relax, taking a deep breath and sighing with relief now that everything was done. It was time to unwind with her family. But her peace was short-lived when her mom reminded her about the house cleaning scheduled for tomorrow.

"Mom, come on, I just got back! I barely even rested," Ann protested.

"Rest? What rest?" Nesreen shot back, her tone tinged with frustration and blame. "I’ve been doing everything here by myself while everyone else is too busy to lend a hand. I don’t need anyone—I’ll just do it myself."

Ann felt a pang of guilt, her earlier sense of accomplishment replaced by a heavy sadness. She retreated to her room, feeling unappreciated and overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Adam was at the gym, focused on his back workout. He lifted heavy weights with ease, moving hundreds of kilos as if they were nothing. His serious, focused expression matched his toned physique, sweat dripping onto the floor as the summer heat mingled with the heat radiating from his exertion.

 His serious, focused expression matched his toned physique, sweat dripping onto the floor as the summer heat mingled with the heat radiating from his exertion

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On his way home, his thoughts turned to his upcoming trip to Port Said, excitement bubbling up and pushing aside any pain or exhaustion. The familiar routine of cooking his meal—chicken fajita cubes with pasta—awaited him, a dish so ingrained in his routine that he joked he’d turn into pasta if someone squeezed him.

But Ann was on his mind too. He admired her modesty, despite her having spent half her life abroad. He was drawn to the way she thought, her intelligence, and he found himself increasingly curious to know more about her.

After finishing his meal, Adam cleaned up, took a quick shower, and spent some time studying gynecology. By the time he finally crawled into bed, exhaustion weighed heavily on him. Yet, as if by instinct, his fingers swiped towards a familiar app on his phone. With a flicker of excitement, he messaged her, "Hey, Mrs. Teacups. I'm back! I had a lot to do—cooked my meal, did the dishes, and even managed a back workout today. It was exhausting."

Ann didn't see the message until the following morning, as she'd already fallen asleep. When she did, she replied, "Oh hey. I hope you had a great day yesterday. You're so good, masha’allah."

Adam, now awake and eager to start his day with his new favorite person, responded quickly. "Good morning! I hope you had a great day too." His voice, still heavy with sleep, carried a soft, calm tone.

Ann felt a shy smile spread across her face as she typed, "How do you make your voice like that?"

A pang of worry shot through Adam. "Oh, what's wrong? Is it bad? My voice has always been an insecurity of mine."

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