Bewitched

29

MUMTAZ

I stood in the corner of the packed living room, half-hidden by the lace curtains, watching the whirlwind of people move around the house. The wedding festivities had officially started, and the place was overflowing with guests—everyone laughing, chatting, eating. Somewhere in the crowd, I spotted Mama, deep in conversation with a woman whose presence made my stomach flip.

Muntassir's mother.

I hadn't spoken to her since the whole mess with Muntassir. And honestly, I wasn't sure I could face her.

My heart raced as I watched her, hands gesturing as she laughed with my mother. What were they talking about? Me? Muntassir? The disaster I caused?

Suddenly, a voice behind me broke through my thoughts. "What are you doing?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin, whipping around to see my brother Yusuf grinning at me. "God, you scared me," I said, clutching my chest.

He looked over at where I'd been staring and raised an eyebrow. "You're watching Muntassir's mom, aren't you?" His grin widened. "Come on, you're not really hiding from her, are you?"

I groaned, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "I'm not hiding, I'm just... strategically avoiding. There's a difference."

Yusuf let out a soft laugh and shook his head. "You need to relax. I seriously doubt Muntassir's mom is holding a grudge. It's been, what, a year?"

"Long enough for her to think I'm an absolute disaster," I muttered. "I can't face her. Not yet. Not until I've... fixed things."

Yusuf's expression turned curious. "Fixed things? What exactly are you planning to fix?"

I looked away, trying to avoid his probing gaze. "You'll see."

He studied me for a second, arms crossed, before his eyes widened in realization. "Wait a minute. Is that why you came back? To fix things with Muntassir?"

I hesitated, then shrugged. "Yes... and no."

He opened his mouth to respond, but another voice interrupted us.

"What are you two doing, whispering over here like you've got some grand scheme?"

It was Saif, our other brother, who had snuck up on us without either of us noticing.

Yusuf, clearly enjoying himself now, turned to Saif with a grin. "Oh, you know, nothing major. Mumtaz here is just trying to get Muntassir back and is actively avoiding his mother."

Saif burst into laughter, clapping me on the shoulder. "Muntassir? You? Trying to get him back? Didn't see that coming," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I groaned. "Okay, okay, yes. You both can laugh about it, but I'm serious. I want to fix things with him."

Saif wiped a fake tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Oh, this just gets better. Well, I'll let you in on something—Muntassir's outside with Ridwan right now. If you're looking for a chance to talk to him, now's as good a time as any."

My heart jumped into my throat. "What? Right now? No, I can't— I haven't even prepared my grand speech yet."

Both of my brothers burst into laughter at that. "Grand speech?" Yusuf asked between laughs. "Come on, just go talk to the guy. It doesn't have to be Shakespearean."

I glared at them. "This is serious! I've been thinking about it for weeks. It has to be perfect. It has to be... raw. Honest. I need to tell him how I feel."