MINE (EDITED)

Chapter 16

Gelin (bride)
Kız (girl)
Abla (sister)
Ağabey (elder brother)
Bacım (sister)
Canım (my dear)
Nolur/ lütfen (please)
Kuzum (my little lamb or my dear)
Aşkım (my love)
Damat (groom)
Sağol (thanks)
Teşekkürler (thank you)
Güzel (beautiful)

🌸

Ibty and I got bored, so we decided to turn on the TV. Friends was playing, so even though we'd both seen the whole series already, we still ended up watching it for the hundredth time. We were halfway through an episode when the doorbell rang. It had to be Ni'imah—no one else would show up at this hour.

I stood up, ready to open the door, expecting to see my best friend's familiar face. But when I opened it, my mouth dropped open in shock. Mona!

"Monaaaaaa!" I screamed, before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Do you want to make me deaf?" Mona laughed, hugging me back.

Mona is my cousin on my mom's side. Her mom, Ayşe Teyze, is Anne's first cousin, so Mona and I share the same Turkish heritage. Her dad, Uncle Khalifa, is from Yemen. It was always a little crazy how connected our families were. Mona has two sisters, Marwa and Ayla, and they all live in London.

"Mona, you didn't tell me you were coming!" I smacked her arm lightly.

"I even thought it was Ni'imah," Ibty said, smiling as she came out from the bathroom, surprised to see Mona.

Ibty and Mona are cousins too! Uncle Khalifa is also her uncle, since his sister, Aunty Hamida, is Ibty's mom. Isn't that crazy?

I turned to Mona, unable to hide my excitement. "Please tell me you're sleeping over!"

"Well, I don't know yet," Mona said, sitting down on the couch.

"You better stay," I said, "because Ni'imah's coming today too!"

Ibty, always adding to the drama, agreed. "Yeah, you can't leave now."

I went to the kitchen to make tea, but Mona followed me in, raising an eyebrow. "Sevgilin nasıl? How's your love?"

"Sevgilim? Hmm," I replied, rolling my eyes and feeling my cheeks warm.

"Why the hmm?" she asked, looking confused.

"They're still trying to get along, I guess," Ibty chimed in, joining us in the kitchen.

I waved my hand, signaling for us to stop. "Please, let's not talk about it," I said, leaving the kitchen before anyone could ask more questions.

Back in the living room, we started talking about everything and nothing, when we heard the doorbell ring again. This time, it was definitely Ni'imah. I couldn't wait to see her.

I stood up, eager to greet her. "Laylatu!" she squealed, hugging me tightly. Her grip was so tight I could barely breathe.

"Ke! Kin matse ni. Let go of me," I gasped, trying to get some air.

"Well, I missed you, that's why," she said, rolling her eyes at me playfully.

We walked back to the living room, where Ibty and Ni'imah did their usual weird greeting thing, claiming they missed each other. Mona just stood there, watching them with a confused expression on her face.

I introduced Mona to Ni'imah, who was immediately intrigued by her cousin.

Later, we all gathered around, snacking on popcorn as we relaxed. Ni'imah turned to me, curiosity in her eyes.

"So Layla, how do you feel now that you're going to get married?" she asked, casually munching on a handful of popcorn.

I looked up from my phone and shrugged. "Normal. Now, I guess."