Jannah. [SEQUEL TO DAWUD]

Chapter 18 - Three Days

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

If the time of prayer has been called and you haven't prayed before reading this, please do so.

Its exam season you guys! Pray for me please D:

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Dawud's P.O.V

My alarm went off and I reached out my hand to silence it. I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep for hours. It was Fajr time and I went to the masjid after making my wudhu and brushing my teeth. I made sure to wear my Adidas track-pants under my thobe to preserve warmth. The autumn season this year was ruthless. I grabbed my black beanie, my jacket, and boots and headed for the door. The fatigue wore off slightly as I parked my car in the parking lot of the mosque. I prayed two Sunnah rak'at and hurried to reach the front lines of the congregation. Alhamdullilah, I made it just in time for the iqama (call to prayer). The men stood up, some alert and others sluggish, to pray. After salah, the old man on my right began to weep in his duah. His already frail shoulders shook with despair as he raised his hands and called out to Allāh silently. I rose to my feet and headed back to my car. Putting the key in the ignition, I waited a bit to warm it up. My tongue spoke before my mind knew what it was doing. I faced my body in the direction of the qiblah and praised Allah first, calling Him by His beautiful names, and then I sent blessings upon the Prophet. It was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat, 1/220 (classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every du'aa' is kept back until you send blessings upon the Prophet (saw)." I supplicated for those closest to me and for the ummah at large. And then I asked for guidance. I begged Allah to help me with the trial I was going through. I was aching for His forgiveness and I was desperate for His help. My windows began to fog up, letting me know that I could drive now. I pulled out of the lot as I said my Adhkar and proceeded to go home.

I attempted to go back to sleep, forcefully shutting my eyes, but the last bit of Jannah's letter scared me.

Don't worry about where I am. If asked by others, tell them I'm staying with your mother, Qamara. By Allāh, I'm doing okay. Just wait three days before finding me.

Three days? Why three days? Were those three days for me or for her? Either way, the distance gave me a sense of direction in my affairs. It was hard to admit but the separation helped me be honest with myself. My thoughts grew clouded, and then I was off to sleep.

Jannah's P.OV

I now regretted making the decision to sit directly next to the window. It was freezing. Two days on a train was bad enough but the temperature? Absolute torture. It was late October but the further the train moved west, the colder it became. The windows were covered in a blanket of thin, crystallized ice. I looked down at my hands and imagined Dawud's pale fingers entwined with my own. If he was here with me, he'd come close, giving me the incentive to lean against his shoulders and sleep. Knowing I get cold fast, he'd ask one of the staff on this train for a blanket and would wrap it around me. I was startled to see a few tears fall onto my hands and slide down my fingers. I hadn't even realized I was crying.

Muna's P.O.V

I laced my boots up and took a deep breath. 'Yo, fashionista, we have things to do!' I called out. Akhlaaq appeared seconds later, marching out of the bedroom with a grin. 'Ajeeb (strange).' I laughed.

Akhlaaq kissed my temple before grabbing his coat. 'Today is going to be a pretty crazy day.' He spoke. 'Unless everything is fine and we're just overthinking.'

I opened the front door and stepped out. 'Nah, this whole situation doesn't sit well with me. Jannah is sending me some crazy best-friend-signals.' I explained. He locked the apartment door and threw an arm around me.

'Muna, of all the silly things you've said, that has to be the silliest.' I groaned and pressed the elevator button. It opened with a whoosh. 'Insha'Allah Khair. Let's just hope for the best.'

Our first pitstop of the day was to grab some hot coffee. We ordered three drinks instead of four and carried the tray to our second destination. Akhlaaq knocked on the door and looked at me nervously. There was some noise and shuffling on the opposite side, and then it swung open.

Dawud's green eyes grew wide with surprise as a shy smile crept on his face. 'Salamu'Alaykum guys. What are you doing here?' He asked us, stepping aside to let us in. I stepped in first, allowing the boys to hug and greet one another. As I took off my shoes I took note of the way Jannah's coat and sneakers were gone. My heart sank. I didn't understand the severity of their argument but it had to be bad if Jannah would leave like this. 'Come in and sit. I'll grab you guys something to eat.'

Akhlaaq shook his head politely and gestured towards the tray of coffee in my hands. 'We brought you some coffee, Akhi. We were just in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by.' I gave him a cup and Dawud thanked us, before sipping on the hot liquid.

'Is Jannah home? I have to ask her something...' I trailed off, looking back at the absence of her things by the entrance.

Dawud shook his head. 'No, she went to stay with my mom and won't be back for a bit.' He told me politely. His words seemed rehearsed. The way his eyes gleamed with the remnants of tears spoke louder than anything he could say. I nodded.

'It was nice seeing you. But hey, you know that UFC fight that was going on last night?' Akhlaaq asked him, in hopes of relieving the tension.

'Nope. What happened?' The boys began to converse, giving me the excuse to wait outside the apartment. I said my salam and slipped my boots back on, standing outside of the door.

None of this felt right! I didn't know what else to do. If Dawud, the man who loved her more than anyone and anything on this planet-even more than her mother at some points-was fine and getting by, then there was nothing wrong about this.

It was completely normal.

Jannah just needed space.

Oh, who am I kidding? I couldn't even convince myself.

Akhlaaq stepped out and said his final goodbyes. We both walked to the elevator in silence. 'See Muna? Everything is fine!' He said cheerfully. I took a moment to stare at him.

'You and Dawud... you men are so gullible. I'm going to get to the bottom of this.' And then the mouth of the elevator opened, swallowing Akhlaaq and me.