under the covers [hs au]

chapter ten.

kinda boring, i apologize!

BUT there will be a double update this week, chapter 11 will be published on Wednesday :)

thank you x

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Samira had no explanation as to why dark bags sagged below her eyes.

"Come on, what is it?" Pestered Mahnoor.

Samira wasn't ready to tell Mahnoor what had done this to her: The thought of Harry had kept her up all night.

The two walked through the mall, a cluster of buildings surrounding a plaza, as it rained. Samira wore a braid, which had been messed up by the wind, and her olive raincoat; Mahnoor had a pink chiffon scarf covering her hair, cozy in a white sweater. Though Samira was always endeared by Mahnoor's petite size, Mahnoor kind of hated it.

They sat together in the food court, sipping their bubble tea. Samira found herself zoning out, distracted by thoughts about a certain someone, though she tried her best to comprehend Mahnoor's story.

As Samira kept glancing at her phone, she felt Mahnoor's eyes on her.

"Ma'am," Mahnoor said, shaking her head. "Why do you keep checking your messages?"

"No reason," Samira mumbled.

Before Samira could put her phone away, Mahnoor snatched it from her hands. Samira immediately reached out for it, but Mahnoor rose from her seat. At that moment, Samira regretted giving her the passcode.

"Mano!" Samira exclaimed. "Give it back."

"Oooh." Mahnoor raised her eyebrows. "Someone's been getting close to Harry."

Samira hid her blushing face with the palm of her hand. "Can I have it back now?"

Mahnoor giggled, returning the phone to Samira. "Is this why you haven't been sleeping?"

Samira's face turned a deeper crimson. "No . . ."

Mahnoor sat back down, staring at Samira with wide, curious eyes. "You have to tell me everything."

"Chill," Samira groaned, rolling her eyes. "There isn't much."

"I don't care, I wanna hear everything," Mahnoor retorted.

"Alright." Samira sighed. "Well, recently, I started to notice that he had . . . feelings. And I decided to confront him about it."

Mahnoor leaned in excitedly: "And then you?"

"Shut it down."

Mahnoor narrowed her eyes, giving her a look of hostility. "This isn't New Girl, Mimi," she said.

"Hold on, I'm not finished. He kinda lied and said that he didn't have feelings, and I was pissed. Then uh . . . I ghosted him for a week."

"You're really good at that," Mahnoor snorted.

"Shut up." Samira slapped her arm. "But then, you know when the . . . the incident happened at that masjid. I had no one, and somehow, he just showed up to make sure I was okay."

Mahnoor's eyes softened. "After you were a bitch?"

"Easy," Samira countered. She sighed. "It was weird. And he handled it so differently than I thought. Like, he didn't do or say anything stupid like a white friend would. He simply wanted to make sure I was okay."

Mahnoor snorted. "Reverse coconut?"

"Stop it." Samira paused, laughing. "Well . . . maybe."

"So, you like him now?"