The wind in her hair and the smile on her face really had a transformative effect on Sarah Ghani. She felt like a different person wild and tipsy after the adrenaline rush with a company of even wilder people. They stopped at Sobeys, losing the guards not long after Yahya severed onto the highway and parking the truck grabbed a metal trolley going in laughing like hyenas at everything and anything.
Junaid jumped inside the cart whining about the pain in his legs from the running, and they dropped the items in his lap, purposely hitting his knees. The salesman was so tired he couldn’t even muster the energy to tell them to behave.
And all through the stupidities, Nabiha flirting with the cashier and Yahya and Umair trying to stick a barcode on to Junaid to scan him and Zynah pushing them all out to the exit and walking straight into the glass doors herself, Sarah didn’t even feel a tiny bit embarrassed or uneasy.
Totally different person indeed.
***
She laughed at something Zynah said and he turned his head towards her, smiling as he sipped the drink in his hands.
The night was cold but they were drinking flavoured malts instead of something warm because after the stunt they pulled and the fun they had their bodies had created enough heat to make them sweat under the thick layers.
She had pocketed her gloves and her slender fingers were wrapped around the neck of the glass bottle held between her knees, her legs dangling down from the back of the truck where she was seated. He didn’t know how she got up there, the girl who could hardly get into the passenger seat without help, was sitting like a pro looking like she came straight out of those YA movies, her jacket unzipped slipping off the shoulders and her scarf wrapped around her wrist, hair sitting on one side, the beanie pulled down to cover her ears. Her eyes looked so bright and animated as she conversed with his friends listening to them narrate to her how they all met.
Yahya couldn't blink or look away.
Damn.
Sarah Ghani was one of those ‘I am gorgeous even when I’m not trying’ kind, and he was having a hard time reminding himself to quit staring like a creep and stay in the friend-zone limits.
Nabiha was telling her about their childhood together because Umair and Nabiha were from the same neighbourhood as Yahya’s, and being the only Pakistani family in that particular area besides the Ghani’s, they all quickly got to know each other and became close. Their families celebrated Ramzan and Eids and all other festivities together and the kids also went to the same school so the bonding was inevitable. Nabiha, Umair and Yahya acted more like siblings than friends. Junaid became their friend in primary school, being a shy introverted kid of colour he had trouble making friends and adjusting with the other students and so when Yahya’s gang adopted him as their own, he didn’t protest much.
Eventually the group came together to the same University and that was where Umair fell head over heels in love with Zynah, and here they all were.
“—And you will not find two more disgusting people. I swear!” Nabiha said making Umair flick the little metal cap towards her, aiming for her head.
Sarah smiled as they began arguing amongst themselves. She had already taken note of the scrunchie in Umair’s hand, that looked nothing like something a 26 year old, straight male would want to go around wearing, and the cap on Zynah’s head (that obviously didn’t fit being too big, nor complimented her head shape). They were cute wearing each other’s stuff like that, but old Sarah wouldn’t have thought so.
Old Sarah would have been a b*tch about it.. she would have kept thinking about how Zynah was being stupid giggling at Umair’s not at all funny jokes, encouraging him to keep coming up with something new when she should just tell him the truth that they were terrible and he had no sense of humour.
