love by chance

chapter 39

Nouf woke up from her sleep, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. She checked the time and was surprised to see that it was already 4 am. She carefully got down from the bed, making sure not to disturb Amaan, who was still fast asleep.

As she made her way downstairs, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Her stomach ache was gone, and she was feeling much better. She was eager to join the rest of the family and catch up on some much-needed conversation.

As she entered the living room, she was greeted by the warm smiles of her loved ones. Irfan's grandmother, Grandma, was the first to spot her and rushed over to give her a warm hug.

"Nouf, my dear, how are you feeling?" Grandma asked, concern etched on her face.

Nouf smiled and hugged Grandma back. "I'm feeling much better, thank you for asking," she said.

Aunt Malika, who was sitting on the couch, also got up to give Nouf a hug. "We were all worried about you," she said. "But Alhamdulillah, you're feeling better now."

Noor, who was sitting next to Aunt Malika, also smiled and waved at Nouf. "Hey, Nouf, glad to see you're feeling better," she said.

But amidst all the warmth and love, one person stood out for being different. Mrs. Khadija, was sitting in the corner of the room, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Ah, Nouf, dear, I'm so glad to see you're feeling better," Mrs. Khadija said, her voice dripping with insincerity.

Nouf, who had grown accustomed to Mrs. Khadija's pretentious behavior, smiled politely and thanked her. But she couldn't help but feel that Mrs. Khadija was not genuinely happy to see her feeling better.

Noor suddenly looked around the room, her eyes scanning the faces of her family members. "Where's Amaan?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Nouf smiled and replied, "He's still sleeping. I didn't want to wake him up, so I left him alone."

Grandma nodded understandingly. "That's probably for the best. He needs his rest, especially after taking care of you all night."

Aunt Malika chimed in, "Yes, and I'm sure he's exhausted from worrying about Nouf. He's always been so attentive and caring."

Mrs. Khadija, who had been quietly observing the conversation, suddenly spoke up. "Yes, Amaan is a very responsible boy."

Nouf's eyes narrowed slightly at Mrs. Khadija's comment, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to Noor and asked, "So, what's the plan for today?"

Noor shrugged. "I don't know, I was thinking of just relaxing at home. Maybe we can watch a movie or something."

Grandma smiled. "That sounds like a lovely idea. I'll make some popcorn and we can have a nice family movie day."

But before Grandma could get up to make the popcorn, Aunt Malika suggested a new idea. "Wait, why don't we play a game instead? We can play charades . It'll be more fun and interactive."

Noor's eyes lit up. "That sounds like a great idea, Aunt! I love playing games."

Nouf nodded in agreement. "Yes, it'll be a nice change of pace. Let's do it!"

Grandma smiled and clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! I'll go get the game boards and we can set up in the living room."

As Grandma went to get the game boards, Aunt Malika started to explain the rules of the game. "Okay, so we'll divide into two teams. One team will be the actors, and the other team will be the guessers."

Noor's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I want to be an actor! I love acting out words and phrases."

Nouf smiled and nodded. "I'll be on the guessing team. I'm good at figuring out puzzles and clues."