Dare You To Love Me

«28» angels and demons

Yaseerah never would have anticipated Amina Bello would evolve into a close confidant of hers, certainly not in this lifetime or the next, despite them growing up together.

If anyone had told her that she would be calling the girl at nine o’clock in the morning after a night of restless sleep, she would have laughed in their faces.

But it seemed like ever since meeting Fou’ad, she was unraveling in ways she couldn’t fathom, and doing things she never would have thought she was capable of doing.

So, there she was, dressed in sweatpants, a hoodie, and a pashmina scarf–to ward off the cold–and without a stitch of makeup on her face, cradling a cup of hot chocolate tea, as she waited for her cousin to arrive.

Yaseerah had no idea why she thought asking Amina to come over was a good idea, but she had a feeling it had something to do with the remorse weighing heavily on her conscience.

Fou’ad’s words still echoed in her head, making her heart clench painfully. Blowing out a breath, she tried to think of anything that didn’t centre around Mamu, Bilal or Bilal, refusing to let herself dwell on those kinds of thoughts.

The oily feeling churning in her stomach and the heaviness in her heart were fast becoming a nuisance, and she needed unbiased assistance in processing her thoughts, and emotions.

Yaseerah jumped, her grip on the cup tightening momentarily, when she heard the intercom buzz, the unexpected sound reverberating through the quiet house.

Anxious steps carried her to the door, her shoulders slumping slightly, disappointment casting a shadow over her features, when her brother-in-law’s face showed on the panel.

Reluctantly, Yaseerah pressed the intercom button, concealing her disappointment by biting her lip, as she deactivated the alarm and opened the door for him.

“Expecting someone else?” he stated in lieu of greeting.

When she only blinked at him before stepping back to allow him entry, Abbad clicked his tongue as he took off his shoes by the door. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Yaseerah rolled her eyes, as she turned back to reactivate the alarm, knowing that she could no longer avoid him.

“I don’t know if your brother’s awake yet,” she stated in a polite tone, as she ushered him past the foyer. “But you can go up and check. I’ll just be on my way.”

“Nice try,” he chuckled dryly. “But I came here for you.”

His words had her tensing, before she released a long suffering sigh, eyeing him sideways. “I’m not good company right now,” she forced a smile, as she ushered him in.

“When have you ever?” he quipped, earning a strangled laugh from her, because he was right.

And it hurt, way more than she was willing to admit. “Whatever,” she sniffed, earning a snicker from him.

Abbad studied her profile for a moment, knowing there was more beneath the surface. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I have?” she questioned, sassiness dripping from her tone as she led him into the kitchen. “What gave that away?”

“I would’ve thought we were past this point, Yaseerah.”

Yaseerah only hummed at his response, making herself busy in the kitchen. “I made coffee,” she said, motioning to the French press on the marble countertop.

“I also made tea because I couldn’t decide on what I wanted, there’s also hot chocolate, if you’re more inclined to the stuff,” she added, avoiding his gaze as she turned and grabbed a mug and saucer from the cabinet, dropping them in front of him.