Dare You To Love Me

«15» late night bonding

A soft affectionate smile graced Fou’ad’s face as he scrolled through his gallery, his smile deepening with each swipe, reaching its peak when he stumbled upon his absolute favorite picture.

Muttering an alhamdulillah, like he always did whenever thoughts of his fiancée plagued his mind, or when he saw her pictures, he returned his gaze to his screen, making a split second decision to make the picture his phone’s wallpaper.

He knew that his siblings were going to endlessly tease him about it later, but he didn’t care. Every single person in his family knew how head-over-heels he was for his bride-to-be so, there was no use pretending otherwise.

Lost in thoughts, he didn’t hear anyone come in, until he felt his bed dip besides him, and he turned his head to the side, wondering which of his siblings had come to disturb him this late in the night.

His brows creased with worry when he saw Hayat in her pajamas, hair piled high atop her hair, a steaming mug of coffee held between her palms.

“You’re sleeping here?” he queried, shifting to recline against the headboard, mirroring her position.

“Geez! What a warm welcome,” Hayat retorted, rolling her eyes. She took a slow sip of her coffee and offered it to him, which he declined with a subtle shake of his head, despite his body yearning for the bittersweet beverage.

Cocking an eyebrow at his refusal, Hayat looked at her feet which were unadorned except for a gold toe ring on her right foot, choosing to not comment on his refusal to take the offered beverage.

“Do you think I should go for the red or black henna design? My feet are so plain, they look like a male’s.”

“Hmm,” he made a non-committal sound, his brows furrowing, as he took in her shadowed expression. “Is there something you wish to tell me, Hayat?”

“Do I look like I have something I wish to tell you?”

“Hayat.”

“Fou’ad.”

“Why are you here, really?”

“Maybe I just missed you guys and wanted to have a slumber party?” she teased, taking a long sip of her coffee, hiding shifty eyes behind her mug.

Concerned by her mannerisms, he raised an eyebrow, not taking his gaze off of her. “Come on, spill it. Twinsparency, remember?”

“Khalifa traveled to Katsina today, and I didn’t want to be alone,” she responded with an eye roll, trying not to dwell on the real reason why she was at home. “Now, if you’re done interrogating me, can we focus on the real matter at hand?”

“Which is?”

“My henna debacle. Red or black?”

“How about both?”

“Hmm,” she nodded distractedly, as she gulped the rest of her coffee. “I think I’ll just get the red done tomorrow since it’ll wash away sooner. Then I’ll do both for the wedding along with Yaseerah.”

Fou’ad rolled his eyes, though there was no heat behind his actions. “Why’d you ask for my opinion when you already knew what you wanted?”

“Speaking of the wedding,” she turned her attention back on him. “Have you spoken with her yet?”

Fou’ad’s cheeks turned rosy as he scratched his head, looking at anywhere but his twin, who had a giant yet sympathetic smile on her face.

“Sometimes, I really wonder what goes on in your head,” Hayat shook her head in disapproval.