A Pride & Prejudice and Little Women retelling
Farrah Hussain spent a lifetime hating Salman Bashir. At least that's what she liked to believe. When one fateful summer Salman changes his bad boy ways and comes back a new man, Farrah can't stop the l...
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Farrah Hussain roamed her eyes around the Ahmads' joint backyard.
More people had started accumulating in the lawn. The moon was casting a faint glow over the well-groomed garden. The smell of sugar, citrus and grilled chicken wafted in the air.
The Ahmad family was hosting their annual pre-Ramadan dinner party. She pried her eyes away from the crowd and landed them on her friends again.
Layla, Dahlia and Malika were all engrossed in a casual conversation. The excitement and smiles amongst them matching perfectly with the vibe of the rest of the community.
Dahlia momentarily glanced towards the gate and the color seemed to drain from her face.
"What is Kaveh Fayyad doing here?"
Dahlia's sharp voice drew Farrah's attention towards the crowd again. Her eyes darted reflexively over the people until they landed on the duo that had just entered the backyard through Ibrahim's back door.
Her eyes glazed over Kaveh, even though his name was the one that had her turning her head, and they locked in on the person that was walking with him. Salman was following his friend, his hands inside his pockets.
"Heard Ibrahim invited him," Layla informed them, her eyes on her phone, and a finger twirling a strand of her curly hair.
"Oh," Dahlia answered, suddenly looking embarrassed about her outburst in front of his very own sister.
But Farrah barely paid any attention to their conversation. Her eyes were following her childhood nemesis, any sensible thoughts leaving her mind.
He was wearing this plain black t-shirt and jeans, his hair looking like it had been freshly cut and his beard neater than usual. Farrah didn't usually think guys looked good immediately after a haircut, but Salman somehow looked good in everything.
The darkness of his clothes was blending into the background, and the shadows of the evening settling onto the contours of his face. His sharp cheekbones stood out and his eyes appeared brighter.
She realized she shouldn't be gawking at him. She averted her gaze, reprimanding herself for getting distracted so easily.
Another sharp shriek pierced the air. Dahlia's mother neared the girls. "Why aren't you girls eating yet? Dinner is getting cold!" she cried.
The girls were ushered towards the buffet table. Farrah proceeded to pile on food into her plate. Her friends made a queue behind her, the casual conversation returning. The rest of the Ahmad sisters joined them one by one.
