Converting the Bad Boy ✔

Chapter 33

Happy Monday! Sucks to be all of you who had to go to school today haha! Anyway, instead of school, I cooked up this delicious chapter for you guys, so enjoy! Dedicated to Jchy003 for being the only supporter of Zariam! Even if their ship is like the titanic lol

^Pic of Mariam (middle) and her cousins

(Edited)

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I had barely finished fastening my hijab around my head when the doorbell rang.

"They're here!" I heard Zeinab squeal just before a succession of heavy footsteps padding down the hallway towards the front door.

Five seconds later, there was a burst of greetings and gushing voices filling our house, and I took one last look in the mirror before facing my family.

"Mariama! Ishti'tilak ya habibti!(I missed you darling)" I was immediately smothered in my Auntie Ola's arms, and as soon as we finished swapping three kisses, another auntie came and we did the same. Immi was at the door catching up in rapid Lebanese with her sisters and sister-in-laws, as some of my aunties were from my father's side too, and Baba was busy slapping the backs of my uncles as they arrived, exchanging salams.

"Mimi!" As soon as I saw my cousin Huda, I squealed.

"Hud-hud!" We squeezed each other to death, jumping up and down. Huda was only one year younger than me, and we were closer than ever.

When we broke apart, I was met with Huda's younger brother Haydar, who beamed at me through his long curly hair that fell into his sparkling hazel eyes.

"Mariam!" Haydar absolutely adored me, and every time I saw him I'd attack him with a million kisses, because he had the cutest cheeks.

"Oh, Haydar, habibi, ishti'tilak ikteer!" I exclaimed between kisses. I laughed when Haydar began wiping them off. "Too old for my kisses, huh?" I tickled his sides, and Haydar giggled.

"Yeah!" he cried, so I kept tickling him until more of my cousins poured into the house. I had so many, and I greeted them all with just as much enthusiasm as my two favourites who were Ola's kids. There were the twins who were a year younger than Zeinab, Layla and Lina, and I complimented them on how beautiful they had grown, since we hadn't seen them since two years ago, when they left for Lebanon. They only returned the end of last year, and their long shiny black hair had grown past their waists, yet I was still able to tell them apart.

"You've become just as beautiful, Mariam," Layla praised me, viewing me at arm's length.

"Oh, stop it, Layla," I flushed with flattery.

Layla frowned. "I'm not Layla, I'm Lina."

My eyes widened, and I looked between the twins, certain that I was right. It had to be Layla, because Lina had a rounder face, however, I sighed with relief when the two identical twins broke into mischievous grins. "Tricked you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Twins," I muttered.

It didn't take long for the whole house to swirl with chatter and tantalizing aromas of food that all my aunties and Immi were preparing while the uncles sat outside and smoked. Meanwhile, I was in the living room with all my girl cousins catching up on life and what we had been up to.

The twins were in the middle of telling a funny story about a goat that chased them down the street in Lebanon when Nasr, who had been hiding in his room this whole time, decided to make an appearance.

"Has winter ended already? We didn't expect to see you out of your cave until spring," I quipped, and Nasr rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny, Mims," he said as everyone laughed at my joke. "I just came out because I smelled –"