RUWAIDA ✔️

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Zarah rolled her eyes as she descended down the stairs. She unplugged her AirPods from her ears, then paused the loud music she was listening to. And on spotting Muhammad parading the mini living room, she smiled but it was for a few seconds. The moment she sighted Ruwaida standing restlessly and leaning over the wall, she just knew something was amiss. And all the while, Muhammad did not see her walking down to him.

She was typing some few assignments and ready to send them to her friend in school to make prints for her when she decided it was time she rested and got herself a snack with which she'll pass the evening, but only to come downstairs to find her brother looking somewhat disturbed.

"Zarah! Haven't you heard me calling you," She jumped a little moving to grapple the metal parapet of the stairs, her eyes moved fuzzily as he dragged her down the few steps, and she, not understanding an ounce of what he was doing or saying. "Da ke nake! (I'm taking you)," He shook her angrily, she, forced to look at him. The anger which she saw burning in his eyes that always held love for her, burnt her heart to ashes. And she felt the same pain she'd experienced  years ago when he was wallowing in hurt over the death of their father and sister; she at that time, could not actually understand what it meant to loose someone, but still lost it all because of him. "Won't you talk,"

She furrowed her brows, her face emanating sheer worry. "I'm sorry Ya Turaad, I did not here you," She ensued, still wondering why he looked so infuriated, and that at her. "My arm, you're hurting me," He looked down at her hand, then back at her. Turaad released a shocked laughter before finally releasing her arm from his grasp. The way she was acting all innocent was pushing his buttons even more and he felt like giving her a tight slap until she got back her common sense; which he presumes she'd lost.

"What happened Ya Turaad? Is something wrong? Sister In law...what happened," She made to move towards Ruwaida but Muhammad was fast to drag her back to stand in front of him. He hated treating her as such, but her ludicrous actions left him with no choice.

"Give me your phone," Her worry turned into full blown confusion and she released a nervous laugh.

"Er- why my phone?," She glanced at Ruwaida who stood watching as tho she were an audience in a family affair realistic show, unable to say or do something that she thought might end up making the angry bed even more enraged. So she decided to just stand across the room, at least, she knows Muhammad would never hurt his sister. And somewhere deep in her mind, she knows that Turaad had a reasonable explanation for how he was acting.

"Give me the phone! Don't make me repeat my words," Zarah would have given him the phone without second thoughts, but the fact that there were a lot of things she's been hiding these days, she couldn't fathom the courage to do as he asked, and her nervous movements did not escape his watchful eyes. "Bani nace!" She flinched in fright, and soon, she was placing her hand in her left dress pocket and giving out the phone to him.

"The password," He pressed the home button and it zapped. He took in a sharp breath as she read out the password to him, he hoped that whatever that person sent him were false. And in his defense, only her phone could prove it. He peeked at her as he opened her WhatsApp application and Zarah bit her lower lip, repeating a fold of thousand Duas.

He found out! She thought and she felt a prickle of sweat run down her back. The room was no more ventilated for her. An instant fear twisted its trendils through her belly and she suddenly felt sick. She never wanted him to find out like that. She wanted to be the one to sit him and explain things to him, in a way he sure would understand. But not like that. Not with him searching her phone. He'd never done that. He trusted her enough to have given her a phone since she turned 10.