That was never It!!

chapter 25

Aliyah loved Fridays. She got to go to the Sister Daawah Group meeting. It was her favourite thing apart from the fact that it was her day off work. She woke up and hit  the bathroom. She made sure to buy new shampoo and kept it under her bed. Those boys can't go in there. She sat on her praying mat and recited the Qur'an as she waited for the Adhan (the calling before prayer).

On the bed Isabelle was woken up by her melodious voice. She was just about to throw her a pillow and ask her to shut up when she realized her friend was praying. She listened for a while at the perfect flow of words. The way it had internal and external rhyme. The way Aliyah's voice rise and falls with perfect harmony. The way every word seemed to being a different feeling in Aliyah as she recited. She watched the beauty of it all.

How can she hide something this beautiful from me? Isabelle felt  tears stinging her eyes. She pulled the cover over her head and let Aliyah's voice sooth her to sleep.

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"Habibti!" Amina shouted as she pulled Rukhayah for  a hug. "I missed you so much."

"I wanna lie and tell you I have missed you too." Rukhayah stuck her tongue  at Amina.

"Ooh you know you have missed me!" Amina shouted.

"Please Amina stop your melodrama and join the circle." Ifrah said with a stern look on her face. She was Always the serious one.

The girls talked about random things and Aliyah listened keenly.

"Aliyah tell us something." Iman said with a smile on her face.

"What can I say?" Aliyah said obviously directing it to herself but Ifrah decided to answer her anyway.

"Tell us what you think of the SDG?"

"I..uuh..I think it is great how you girls come together and teach each other stuff?" The sentence ended in a very weird way that everyone laughed.

"Aaaaw!" Went Amina. "You look so adorable when you are nervous."

"Arrghh!" Aliyah jumped on her and tickled her forgetting they were not at home.

After an awkward meeting the girl's decided to walk home. They stopped at Starbucks and took their seats. Amina wanted to ask Rukhayah why she went back to work for those people but didn't.

Hanif walked in and saw the three hijabis. He went and said hi.

"You are here to get coffee?" Amina asked him.

"Yea." He said with his eyes looking at  everything expect Aliyah.

"I thought you didn't like forcing yourself awake." Aliyah said.

"I have to. I promised Hassan and Hussein I would take them out today."

"Have fun with those monsters." Rukhayah said.

"Could you do me a favour while you are at it?" Amina asked him.

"Yea sure." He said rubbing his panda eyes.

"Please take Sumayah along with you guys." Amina said.

"Yea sure." He looked tired. Staying awake all night was fun but struggling not to fall asleep most of the daytime wasn't easy.

"No way!" He shouted when he realised what having Sumayah and the boys at the same place meant.

"Please! I have to take Isabelle to the saloon. She says it's my fault she got pranked."

"Yea right! Use me!" He said and yawned. "I better take this cup of strong black coffee before I fall asleep."

Amina laughed at him as he walked away.

"Poor guy, it must be hard being insomniac." Aliyah said.

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"Took you long to follow me here." Haytham said as Bayden joined him at his favourite place in New York, the Central park.

"Whatever!" She rolled her eyes. "If you called me here to listen to your insults then I am gone."

"Stay away from my mother." He said slowly. Bayden started walking away.

"I mean it Bayden. If you have self respect then you will do as I say."

I am never gonna leave you alone, Haytham Ali. Not for a sky full of stars not for an ocean of pearls. She smirked at him and bit her lip.

Asalaam Alaykum people. I am so sorry. I know this chapter is lame. I will make it better In Sha Allah.