HER CRUSH

Chapter56

Zarah...
Stop there, Ummi, warn him!"Ummi turned to him and said, "Abdullah, Did you do anything to hurt her?"I increased my wailing, trying to appear more pitiful.

Ummi me..he started

"Get out of here, Abdullah!" Ummi commanded.

He picked up his phone and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. "

Whatever suits you," I muttered.

Ummi turned to me and asked, "Habibty, what happened between you two?"

I started stuttering, trying to come up with a convincing excuse. "Ummi, h-he... I didn't do anything wrong to him, I swear!" I said, despite my obvious guilt.

Ummi stared at me for a while before wiping away my tears. "You haven't finished eating your food," she reminded me.

"I'm okay, Ummi, but can I have ice cream, please?" I whined.

She smiled, just like our parents used to, and said, "Let's just pray to Allah to make things right."and let's pray he'll go.

"Ameen, Ummi," I whispered, nestling into her lap as she called him on the phone and requested his presence.

Upon his arrival, the piercing glare he directed at me is met with an equally fierce stare from me, unnoticed by Ummi. I am aware that I have thoroughly irritated him, but I didn't care.

In a playful taunt, I sang loudly, "Back to sender, back to sender! If you glare at me, back to sender, back to sender!"

He muttered under his breath, stroking his beard, "Ummi, inform her that I'm not her peer, and I don't engage in childish games."

Ummi intervened, "Go and do exactly as I instructed. She's capable of driving, Ummi, and can purchase it herself."

I protested, "Ummi, I'm not skilled enough to drive!"

He refused to comply, so Ummi contacted Sufyan and requested that he purchase the ice cream instead. Consequently, I ended up spending the night at Ummi's residence. When I awoke around 6:00, I find myself in the living room.

As I stood up to head towards the stairs, someone grasped my hand. "Abdul, I'm done for today; I'll just stay here, I swear,

Aunty zarah," I heard a sweet, melodious voice. "Oh, thank you, Allah! My beautiful pumpkin is here!" "

Aunty Zarah, I miss you so much!" Ihsan exclaimed, in her babyish tone.Ihsan exclaimed,

I miss you too, darling," I replied, "You're back early from Islamiya today, aren't you?"

"Yes, Uncle A picked me up, and you won't believe what happened! He almost hit me today, and I didn't even do anything to him!" she said, her voice full of surprise. "

Ooh ooh, that's very bad of him! Why would he touch my princess?" I scolded, my voice full of concern.

"Aunty zarah, and he refused to buy me chocolates! But Uncle Suf bought them for me. Aunty zarah, Uncle A is bad!" she exclaimed.

"No, no, no, princess! He's good, remember? Maybe someone has spoiled his mood, but what can we do?

We should make him happy!" Ihsan said cheerfully as we entered the room.

"Good idea, but let's leave it till tomorrow, shall we? It's almost time for prayer, so let's prepare for ablution.

Yes, my aunty, you're the best! Let's go, Remember, no talking while performing ablution. Say Bismillah and continue."

After completing the ablution, she asked , "aunty zarah, I'm done. Can I talk now?"

"Yes!

Anty Zarah, please let's bake a cake," she requested.

"Okay, darling, I promise we'll do it tomorrow," i replied. "By the way, where's your mommy?"

"Mommy is already here," she said

"Okay, let's go and meet her," i suggested.

As we entered Ummi's room, I was surprised to see everyone already there. Abdul is standing near the vanity, Sufyan was sitting beside his mom, and his sister and Anty Rukky were sitting on the sofa. Ummi is sitting on the bed, and I wondered when they have all arrived. It seemed like they were in the middle of a serious discussion, and they haven't even noticed my presence.

I greeted them with a soft "Sallama alaikum" as I walked in. They all turned their heads towards me, acknowledging my presence for the first time.

"Come sit here," Sufyan said, standing up and offering me a seat. I smiled politely and murmured a thank you as I settled in, with Ihsan sitting beside me.

As I listened, I realized they were discussing the upcoming wedding and the issue of Ummi's living arrangements. Abdul was suggesting that Abba should find a new house for Ummi, as she wouldn't stay in the current one. Some family members were disagreeing, while others thought he has a valid point. I remained silent, not wanting to get involved in the family dynamics.

After Magrib prayers, I was told to get ready for dinner. I changed into a black abaya, applied some powder, and we headed out. As we walked to the car, I quickly got in beside Ummi, trying to avoid interacting with Abdul. Throughout dinner, I stayed by Ummi's side, and Abdul didn't say a single word to me. I didn't mind; in fact, I was relieved.

Whenever our eyes met, I would smile and wink at him, and he would respond with a glare. Despite this, the dinner went smoothly, Alhamdulillah. I feel grateful to have the best in-laws ever!

After dinner, Sufyan's sister, Anty Rukky, and Ihsan left together, while Abdul drove Sufyan's mother, and Ummi and I ride with Sufyan. He kept teasing me in the car, and I pretended to look for trouble, trying to escape his playful jabs. Ummi had to intervene, telling him to stop, as both Abdul and Sufyan share a similar mischievous character, I swear! They certainly know how to get under people's skin.

*******

The next day, I woke up and started getting ready for school. Interestingly, Ummi has told me to sleep over at their place the night before, so I didn't have to worry about running into him. I checked the time and saw its  already 10:00 AM, and my lectures is scheduled to start at 10:30 AM. I know my lecturer is  quite strict, so I quickly took a shower and got dressed.

After greeting Ummi and Mommy, Ummi instructed me to wait for Abdul outside. I waited patiently for about 20 minutes, keeping an eye on the time, and was just about to call him when I heard his footsteps. As I looked up, our eyes met, and I mumbled a soft "Good morning" while looking down.

Morning, how's your night, and how's the baby?" he asked, walking towards me as I took a step back.

He chuckled, "Wallah, you know what? Better stop running; I'm the one who will drive you right." And with a playful emphasis, he added, "Wallahi, wallahi, you heard me swear twice, right? Now, tell me, what did I do to you yesterday?"

I replied, "You've done nothing, I swear, baby, and I'm running late."

But he didn't care. Closing the distance between us, he spoke again, and I closed my eyes tightly, my heart racing. And then, I crashed my lips onto his...