Scarred For Life

Chapter 48

*
"Can I ask you something?" Sa'ada said, a sweet look in her eyes.

"Sure," Afrah replied, staring down at the time on her phone. Soon, her mother would be calling her upstairs to get ready for the dinner. She had been sitting out here with Sa'ada for a long time now, and soon they'll have to leave. But there was something about the woman that kept her in her seat. It was a strange twinkle in her eye, almost as if she knew something Afrah didn't.

"Do you love Adnan?" she asked. Her voice was light; playful, even. But somewhere in her eyes, one could tell that she was eager to find out the answer.

"I..." Afrah stared down at her hands, deciding to answer the question truthfully. "I don't know. I guess I'm supposed to, but it's a process. Surely I'll get there one day."

Somehow, she missed the way Afrah gripped her bottle tighter, and the way her eyes flashed maliciously before she regained her composure, frowning slightly.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Don't you love him?"

"Not yet," Afrah said.

"But why?" Sa'ada asked sweetly. "Adnan is so..."

"I know," she sighed. "I know he's as close to perfect as one can hope for. But love is a strange emotion, and I don't know how to explain it, but we're just not there yet as a couple."

She had no idea why she felt the need to be truthful with this woman, or why the woman seemed to hang on her every word. Truth be told, she seemed to be more invested in the conversation than even Afrah was. She supposed that was just the thrill of talking to a new person.

"You know," Sa'ada said, a distant look in her eyes, "if I was the one married to Adnan, I would treasure him above every other person. I would love him, far more than I would love even myself. Adnan is a man unlike any other. There is just something about him that pulls people towards him, like the glow of the sunlight. Maybe that's why the earth doesn't seem as bright when he isn't around. He's simply astonishing, and it would break my heart to see him with a woman who didn't deserve him."

Afrah didn't know what to say. A part of her felt a hot, prickling sensation of jealousy at the way the woman spoke about him, but then she reminded herself that she was just making an assumption.

"You haven't taken that," Sa'ada pointed to the drink. "And I recall you saying that you were parched."

"Don't mind me," Afrah said. "I seem to have lost track of time."

"Drink up then," she said, pushing the bottle closer to Afrah, though she recoiled immediately from the brief contact with her skin.

"There you are," Amina suddenly materialized before them. "What do you think you're doing just sitting here and doing nothing?"

"I wasn't doing nothing," Afrah said defensively. "I was just..."

"It doesn't matter," Amina waved dismissively. "Come on. Your gown is already upstairs. And Umma said she needs to speak with you."

"I'll be right there," Afrah said as she raised the bottle to her lips once again.

"Like hell you will," Amina swore as she snatched the bottle from her. "You're coming with me right now."

"Fine," Afrah groaned as she stood up slowly, turning towards Sa'ada. "It's been fun talking to you," she said. "Perhaps we can do this again sometime."

"Sure," Sa'ada said, watching the bottle with a ghostly expression in her eyes.

"Sorry for interrupting whatever it is you two were doing here," Amina said unapologetically before yanking her sister in the direction of the house. "Maybe next time."