Under That Niqab

6. Not My Problem

With the call now ended, Haya was more than happy and couldn't contain her excitement, "Finally...!" She breathed out.

A gentle knock sounded at the door, and her ears immediately perked up. "Who's it?" she inquired, hoping it wasn't her father's wife again. She didn't want to let anyone dampen her jubilant mood.

"It's me," the voice belonged to Rabel her step-sister. According to her observation, this girl was the only sensible in the house, even though their interactions weren't that frequent.

When she unlocked the door, Rabi came into the room, her gaze sweeping over its contents before she settled on Haya's bed.

"Is something the matter?" Haya asked looking at her spying conduct.

"Mhm," she shook her head, "What got you so excited?"

Haya shrugged her shoulders, trying to downplay her excitement. "Nothing much, but I think I'll be shifting my place."

Rabi's eyes dilated in surprise, and she seemed almost incredulous. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, let's hope this time it works out."

A thoughtful expression crossed Rabi's face as she looked away for a moment. She then turned her attention back to Haya and inquired, "What about me then?"

Haya raised an eyebrow in response, eager to know what Rabi was thinking. "What about you?"

"Nothing" After a moment of hesitation, Rabi continued, "There's this guy... who says he likes me and wants to take me out of here. I can't decide anything on my own, and I know Dad and Mom will never agree if I tell them about him. So... I thought you might give me some sort of advice?"

Amused by Rabi's predicament, Haya raised her brow, "so it's the matter of a boy"

Rabi met her gaze with a mix of comfort and apprehension. "You won't scold me or anything like that?"

"You're a mature girl now studying law, and I see no point in scolding. On the other hand, who's this guy? Is he from your class or university?"Haya's response was understanding and favorable.

With a nod, Rabi confirmed, "Umm, yeah, he's my senior."

"If he is genuine towards you, you'll see that in his eyes." She said taking a seat herself, even if matters of the heart were not her expertise she had to give what Rabi came to her for.

"Would you mind.. would you mind talking to him once. He asked me to actually and I had no one from my family I could let speak to him.. then I was reminded of you, you are my sister too after all" Haya felt ugly feeling pooling in her stomach, she hated how Rabi called herself her sister. She would never consider her one but didn't voice anything out.

"Sure" was all she answered.

Rabi's gratitude was evident as she replied, "I'll give him your number... Thank you," and then left her room.

As the morning sun's rays filtered through the mesh covering the window, they bathed her room in a gentle, luminous glow. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and shifted to her side, hoping to steal a few more moments of sleep.

The exhilaration and urgency that had consumed her the previous night had faded, replaced by a somber emotion that settled heavily since Rabi's visit. The absence of her mother felt palpable, and unbidden tears welled up in her eyes, tracing a path down her cheeks and dampening the pillow beneath her head, and she loathed mornings like these.

Just as she was about to fall asleep again, her stepmother's voice interrupted her. "Haya!"

Sighing, Haya got up and headed out of her room. "What now?" She asked tying her thick wavy hair into a messy bun, which immediately loosened when she moved her hands away from it.