MANAL

81: Manal*

"Farida, have you seen my phone?" I asked, dipping my hand in the corner of my bed to find it.

"Manal," Farida called. "Your phone is with me."

"What?" I got down from my bed and walked over to Aisha and Radiya's bunk to retrieve the phone from Farida. "I have been looking everywhere for it. Why didn't you tell me you had it sooner?"

"I didn't know you were looking for it," she replied; nonchalance dripped off her voice. "I thought you were looking for something else."

I hummed. "Can I have it back now?"

"Yup." She handed it back to me. "I'm done using it anyways."

I was curious about what she used it for and how she managed to get my password correctly.

"I used it to call Jawaad. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course, I do." I rolled my eyes. "Why did you call him from my phone. He is your brother, you must have his number." I knew what Farida was trying to do and I wasn't about to give her a chance to succeed. No matter how hard she would try, I would never allow myself to be entangled with her brother again. His chapter had already been closed in my heart. I didn't want to reopen it.

She tsk-ed. "My phone's battery is flat."

"Yeah, right." Sarcasm dripped off my voice.

I walked back to my bed and Farida followed.

She sat beside me. "Manal, can I tell you something?"

I had a feeling it had to do with her brother. I sneered. "No, you can't."

"Come on, it's quite important."

"Wh-"

"Jawaad wants me to thank you for everything you did to help find him. He also told me he has been trying to call you, but you've not been answering his calls..."

"Yes," I admitted. "I have been ignoring his calls."

"Are you still angry with him?"

I scoffed. "What do you think?"

"I think you are." She stated. "You're still angry and that proves something."

I chuckled. "You're just being delusional. I'm not angry or whatever. And even if I am, what does it prove? That I still have feelings for him?" I laughed. "That's just in your head. My feelings for your brother ended the day I found out he has been deceiving me." I sighed. "Look, Farida, let's just forget about this. I don't want to talk about him anymore. I have forgiven him and I have moved on."

"If that's the case, why then are you rejecting his calls? You're supposed to be unbothered, aren't you?"

It irked me that Farida was making it sound like I still had feelings for her brother. She wasn't even trying to camouflage.

"I am unbothered." I deadpanned. "Very very."

"He just wants to thank you for-"

"I expected you to have told him that I didn't help because I had any sort of motive, I only helped because he is your brother. I don't need him to thank me. He shouldn't think I did it because I like him. I don't. Not anymore."

Farida grabbed my hand, softly and made me look her in the eyes. "Prove it by picking his calls."

I smiled. "I don't need to prove anything to you. You can choose to believe what you want."

"I choose to believe you still have feelings for him," Farida remarked. "It's quite obvious, you know. You are doing a terrible job trying to hide it from me."