Khadijah ✔️

• 19 •

• Double update! I had such a huge writer's block on what to write in the previous chapter. Right after I finished it, it became way easier to write this one.  Happy reading! •

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After finishing the homework for the night, Khadijah sat herself on her bed, legs crossed and shamelessly rereading the iconic classic by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice.

Her phone was on the nightstand, when she heard it ring. She put the bookmark in between the pages and gently put the book beside her. She picked the phone and froze in front of the caller ID.

Luke was calling her.

She hesitated for a few seconds before finally picking up right before the call was about to end.

"Hello?"

"Uh.. Khadijah?"

"Yeah, erm... it's me, Luke. Is everything okay?"

He sighed through the phone. "Not really, no."

Khadijah frowned. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

There was silence.

"Yes, I do. But... not through the phone."

Khadijah bit the inside of her cheek, dreading his next reply.

"Can you meet me at the quad tomorrow? Before school starts?"

She hesitated, before replying. "Yeah, of course. See you then."

"Yeah, see you. Um Khadijah?"

She put the phone back on her ear. "Yeah?"

"Thank you." She smiled.

"You're welcome."

• • •

Walking to school the next day, the butterflies in Khadijah's stomach never seemed to get tired. That morning, Luke texted her to meet him by the shaded area.

As soon as she walked into the school, she headed straight to the shaded area and sat down at one of the picnic tables.

Not minutes away from when Khadijah arrived, Luke sat himself down across from her.

She smiled, softly. "Good morning."

He smiled back, only wearily. "Hey."

"So what's going on?" She asked him.

Luke sighed, staring down at his entwined hands. "But you have to promise, you won't tell anyone."

She nodded. He then told her everything. From how his parents met in college, fell madly in love, to getting married, having Luke and shortly after, Louisa. And how his mom suddenly became religious, and the argument between him and his parents the night before.

After Luke finished, Khadijah was speechless. Not that there wasn't anything to say, it was the opposite, there was plenty to say. All she could come out with was, "I'm sorry."

He looked at her and smiled. "It's not your fault."

Khadijah sighed. "But Luke, you can't blame her, for being religious right now. She realized that what she had done is gonna affect something, in some way." She looked him in the eye. "She's scared, Luke."

"Scared? Of what?" He asked, confused.

"She's scared that what she had done, is so big that God won't forgive her for it."

"But isn't what is said the opposite of that? That God is forgiving?" Khadijah nodded.

"Yes. God is forgiving. That's why two of his names are The Merciful and The Great Forgiver," Khadijah smiled. She always found comfort in talking about God.

"But also, some of his other names are The Retaliator and The Omnipotent One. We always look at the points that God is kind and merciful. But when we do something wrong, we look at what God is capable of doing."

She paused for a second. "Even thinking about it is frightening, Luke."

He nodded. He couldn't lie, he was intrigued. He heard her talking about her religion, her God, what He is capable of doing. It was the chill that went through his spine that pushed him into his next question.

"Is there a book or something I could read all about this from?"