Jannah. [SEQUEL TO DAWUD]

Chapter 26 - False Hope

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.

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Warsans's P.O.V

I slipped my boots off before the girls and hung my jacket on the coat rack. They mimicked my actions with ease, knowing my house just as well as I did. Today was a Monday. Both Muna and I managed to avoid taking up a shift up at the hospital and Jannah was too exhausted to go to class. We were going to unwind. Exam season was just around the corner and so we wanted to relax our minds before cramming our study sessions for the next few weeks.

My younger brother Hamza sprinted towards the entrance with a big grin on his face. His eyes were hopeful. It was hard to deny the obvious fact at hand: he had a crush on Jannah. The girls and I had been questioning it for some time now but watching him now, it was almost incontestable. He stood up straight, fixing his posture and opened his mouth to speak.

'Please don't say anything you'll regret.' I teased him, receiving a shove from Jannah. She smiled at him and urged him to carry on.

'A-assalamu'Alay-k-kum.' He stuttered, kicking at his feet shyly. 

'Wa alaykum Salam, Hamza.' She responded happily.

Muna returned the greeting as well before smiling. 'Sorry little bro, was that Salam solely meant for Jannah?' She teased. The kid was getting red in the face.

'You guys are so mean!' Jannah scolded us. 'Listen, Hamza. If I wasn't married to my husband, and you were ten years older-'

I raised my hand in the air. 'Don't get his hopes up, sis.'

Hamza grinned uncontrollably, shy and timid, before dashing into the living room.

'It's gotten worse.' Muna whispered as we trudged up the staircase. 'I thought it was just a crush!' She continued.

'What do you mean? It is! He's like.. what.. eleven? Twelve? I think it's cute.' Jannah defended.

I opened the door to my bedroom and walked in, tossing myself onto one of the two bean bag chairs. Jannah leaped onto my bed and Muna dragged the other bean bag next to me. 'So Akhawaat (Sisters), what's new?' I asked them.

They looked at one another, almost as if they were speaking with their eyes. 'The CBSAs! The bookstore won.' Muna told me excitedly.

'Oh! Not only that but Dawud told me last night that he and Laith organized an educational basketball program for little boys starting today! They'd be learning about the deen all while throwing three-pointers.' Jannah spoke. The admiration in her eyes was unmissable. Every time she spoke of Dawud, it was in a respectful and glorified manner.

'Akhlaaq is joining in on that too!' Muna told her. She leaned over and whispered something in Jannah's ear before turning her head towards me. 'Uthman as well.' She said mischievously.

Jannah studied my reaction carefully. Her hijab was now loosely wrapped around her head, one side tucked behind her ear. Away from my parents and my brothers, we were all allowed to talk and act freely. 'Warsan, be honest. What is he to you? Do you like him? Or do you just think about him?'

I bit my lip, not sure what to say. 'I don't know.'

'Well, I do.' Jannah returned. 'He's a crush. Nothing more, nothing less. You like how he looks and you like how Muslim he is too! He's just your type. The only problem is that you're finding it difficult to be honest and say how you truly feel.'

I tried to blurt out a comeback, something to counter her argument, but nothing came out. Instead, I covered my face with my hands. My friends knew me too well.

'Okay, I like him. I said it.'

Muna jumped in the air, arms flailing. Jannah joined in too, kicking the bean bag chair below me excitedly. 'This is so exciting!' Muna shouted. 'When was the last time Warsan liked someone? I can't even remember!' We all laughed until our tummies ached.

Once the girls settled down, Jannah kneeled over to sit at my feet. 'So what now Warsan? Do you want us to help you out?' She asked me.

Muna joined her, clutching my arm. 'We can get things rolling and ask him if he's interested. Dawud and Akhlaaq are his good friends, remember?'

I shook my head. They didn't even know if he liked me back! More importantly, I didn't know if he liked me back. 'No, you guys. That's not how I want to get married. No offense to girls who are confident and can propose to guys themselves but I would want to be approached, not the other way around.' Muna and Jannah reflected for a moment. 'You guys were proposed to. Of course, you had to have shown initial interest to have them approach you, but they still made that big move. I want that too.'

'I guess you're right.' Jannah said quietly.

'That's no fun.' Muna groaned.

I stood up and stretched my arms. 'My love-life isn't a game you guys.' I warned before walking towards the door. 'Anyways, who wants drinks?'

Dawud's P.O.V

I walked into the gym with a pep in my step. I was buzzing. It felt amazing being back in my basketball shoes and being able to move around the court freely. I made sure to put my inhaler in my pocket, just like Jannah had reminded me to. I was ready to ball, but before we played, we made sure to pray Asr Salah.

Laith was on the other side of the court, organizing the boys in two straight lines. 'Make sure your elbows are touching as well as your feet, ya Ikhwaan (Oh Brothers)!' He encouraged the boys. They giggled, before straightening their posture with their eyes glued to the floor. Laith smiled at me, gesturing for me to step ahead and lead the prayer.

I did exactly that, making sure to perfect my pronunciation and recitation. After the prayer, we sat for a bit longer, making sure to teach the boys proper adhkaar (remembrance) to say after each salah before heading back to the court. Once I blew my whistle, it was game time.