Chapter 27: The Grand Reveal

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11th March 2021

Thank you for the kindness you bestowed in the comment section of the last chapter! May Allah, the Most Merciful, reward all of you who read my works while trying to find a path that takes you to Him, and may He ease for you your tasks. Here's another update, hope you enjoy it in sha Allah :)

"Worship none but Allah; be kind to parents, relatives, orphans and the needy; speak kindly to people."

[Surah Baqarah]

Chapter 27:

The Grand Reveal

Ahmed's eyes darted to his bedroom door, and he was just about to respond to the knock when an infuriated Afreen, not awaiting a reply, barged in.

"Ever heard of manners?" Ahmed questioned, eyeing his twin.

"Nope," she shrugged innocently. "Never saw it in my twin brother, so never imbibed it," she bickered.

"What do you want, Afreen?" He questioned, not in the mood to quarrel.

"What is this that I'm hearing?" She demanded.

"How will I know what you've been hearing? Sometimes one can tend to hear voices that don't even exist, so how am I supposed to know the sounds reaching your ears?" Ahmed riled her up further.

Taking in an angry breath, Afreen held on to the last string of patience left in her. "I was speaking to Tam on the phone a while back and she asked me about my opinion on the proposal no one bothered to tell me about. Why did this reach me through an international call when the one who announced this lives under the same roof as me?"

Ahmed looked at Afreen, amused, and said, "Nice, I see you've become smarter with your words."

"Ahmed," she screamed, and grinning, her brother held his hands in surrender.

"Aaf," he stated, "The only reason I didn't tell you about this is that I thought mum would eventually let you know."

Still mad at him, she informed, "I asked mum the same thing and she said she thought you must have already spoken to me about it."

Ahmed shrugged, asking her to let it go. "It's a misunderstanding, then. But the fact of the matter is the news has reached you. So what's your take on this?"

Glaring at him, she replied, "I refuse to share my view with you because you weren't polite enough to come and deliver it to me."

Suddenly, there was a shift in Ahmed's mood, and while he was being jovial a moment ago, his expressions turned solemn now. "It doesn't matter, Afreen. Because let's admit it, whether one of us likes a proposal or not holds little importance in this house unless it also agrees with Mamma's taste. So I think, although it was unintentional, it's good that you found out about Hilal after I discussed it with Mamma and she agreed to speak to Abbu about it. If she wasn't willing to go ahead, then asking for your opinion on this would anyway be pointless."

Afreen, who had felt anxious when she first found out about the proposal, felt herself go numb with what her twin just said.

"Ahmed," she started, in a softer tone this time as she walked ahead to occupy the rocking chair by the window. "This is your toxic trait. You don't address matters that need to, pile it all within yourself, and then burst out at the most random of moments."

Ahmed looked away, clenching his jaw.

"You're becoming bitter towards Mamma, and sooner or later, it will begin to show in your words and actions."

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