FATE INSPIRED

Chapter 12

Layla

Accidents... I hated them with every fiber of my being. They're like these terrible reminders of how quickly life could change, how fragile it all was. It's not just some abstract fear for me, it's personal. I lost my dad in a horrific car accident when I was younger, and it shattered me.

Now, every time I heard screeching tires or see a close call on the road, it brings back all those memories, the pain, the loss. I couldn't help but be hyper-aware of my surroundings, constantly on edge. It's exhausting.

I found it hard to trust others behind the wheel, always wondering if they'd be as cautious as they should be. It's made me overly cautious too, almost reluctant to take risks or enjoy the freedom of just going with the flow. I kept replaying worst-case scenarios in my mind and struggled to let go of control.

Sleep refused to take my consciousness away last night, all thanks to the fact that I witnessed an accident yesterday. I couldn't get a wink until the early hours of the morning which got cut short by my darling brother, Ya Malik.

"Layl," Ya Malik dragged my name. "You either wake up this instance or I cancel the brunch date." Oops, I forgot about that.

Ya Malik messaged me last night after he came back home about having brunch early this afternoon. I was too shaken to reply or even remember. I was always the one initiating dates with my brother except when it came to occasions like birthdays, graduations, him securing a big deal at the company, or when he felt intense surges of love for me, which was never until today.

"I will throw cold water on your face right now if you don't wake up." He threatened at the same time I turned my blanket-curled body towards him.

"Why are we having brunch today again?" I asked, still half asleep.

"Oh, I can still change my mind. It is not too late." He said with his two hands pinching his waist acting like a stern dad.

"No, no, no." I chanted while sitting up on the bed. I loved dates with my brother. I loved dates in general, to be honest. I was the one mostly doing the dragging, so I was not going to mess up my sweet chance to be dragged. "I will get ready in 20 minutes. Record time, count!"

"15 minutes." Ya Malik playfully bargained.

"18 minutes."

In about 40 minutes, we hit the road en route to the restaurant. There was a buzzing café downtown I had earlier suggested we go check out, but lo and behold, here we are sitting in one of Ummi's new restaurants. What a surprise. Who would have thought since we go there only 90% of the time?

"I thought we were going to the place I chose," I spoke

"No, we are going to the place of my choosing."

"But it hasn't even launched yet. Why are we coming here?" I asked fully aware that this restaurant is not launched until a week or two to come. It is fully done and furnished, only waiting for the launch date.

"I know. Ummi is delaying the launch date because she thinks the recipes aren't perfected to her standard." He responded while turning off the ignition. I knew that.

Ummi operated a series of 4 restaurants, each featuring a distinctive blend of cuisines from around the world, combined with Nigerian flavors and her uniquely curated recipes and flavors. So far, Ummi had nailed down a fully Nigerian cuisine restaurant which is the main branch, an Indian cuisine, a Lebanese cuisine, and a Chinese cuisine. She was adding one more addition to the collection; a Khaleeji cuisine restaurant, which will be made up of the Gulf countries' cuisine.