Jab Aleena Met Faris ✓

Chapter ♡III

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          I often imagine that your
          mind wanders through the
          same forest as mine.
        ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━   

RUBBING her eyes lazily while a yawn escaped her lips, Aleena's frame rose as she sat inside the tent.

The birds were peeping outside and daylight was slightly streaming through the thick canopy of the tent.

What time was it? Aleena reached to her cellphone. 10 AM.

Aleena put her hand on her mouth to suppress another yawn. She was still sleepy but decided to get up nevertheless.

Wrapping her chestnut brown mane into a messy bun, she glanced at Saliha, who was in a deep slumber and Farwa wasn't present inside.

Of course, Farwa was the early bird of their squad.

Grabbing her cellphone and donning a black jacket, she dragged herself out of the tent.

The cold pale daylight stroked her face, making her eyes squint a little. She looked up at the morning sky adorned with fuzzy clouds―tinted with sooty grey―concealing the source of warmth.  Shoving her hands into the pockets of her cozy jacket, she strolled around until she spotted Farwa sitting on a chair with a tea cup in her hand. 

"Morning, early bird." Aleena dragged an empty chair and placing it beside Farwa's, she plopped down. 

"Good morning, Leenu," Farwa chirped and Aleena flinched slightly at the term of endearment.

She only called her by that when she was in an extremely good mood or when she had something spicy to share. Now, what was the case today?

"I didn't expect you to wake up this early. Did you sleep well?" Farwa asked, lifting the cup and taking a sip, a waggish glint in her eyes. 

Aleena hoisted a brow, "Yeah, I.. I did sleep well, why do you ask?"

"Oh, that's because you went out of the tent last night and came back a little late."

Aleena almost choked on her saliva upon hearing that.

Farwa saw her? How!? Wasn't she fast asleep when she creeped out?

Clearing her throat, she rejoined. "Uh, yeah... I felt a little suffocated so I went out to get some air."

"Get some air with Faris?" Farwa's copper green irises twinkled devilishly.

Aleena sucked in a sharp breath. That sneaky girl! She even saw them together?

"He was already there!" Aleena exclaimed, her cheeks turning red. 

"Sure sure, Aleena. I hope you enjoyed," Farwa winked, earning a flustered groan from her. 

Before Farwa could grill her more, Usman joined the duo. "Strong black coffee for Aleena!" He announced, handing over a disposable cup filled with her favorite beverage to her. 

"Oh, Usman! You're the best. Thank you." Aleena squealed, taking the cup.

She was thankful, not only for the coffee but also for Usman's presence. For the first time, he had appeared at the right time, saving her from Farwa's pulling-her-leg session. 

"No need to state the obvious, I know I'm the best." Usman said, folding his hands over his chest smugly. 

The trio continued chatting under the cloudy morning sky, sipping on their caffeine.