Light Upon Light

#44 The Kindness

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Hey beautiful people!

I know this chapter has been long overdue. A thousand apologies. But I really really loved this one. Hope you guys enjoy it too <3

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#44 The Kindness

'Oh my Allah! You could have given me a heart attack!' I yelled breaking free.

'Ah! I missed your over reaction! Salaam Juni Jaan,' Samir said raising his palm to his face.

'Wa alaikumasalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu Samir. You idiot elder brother,' I said poking his shoulder and moving past him to enter the dressing area.

'Aren't you being a welcoming sister.'

I rolled my eyes. He followed me and perched himself on the stool facing the mirror. Ignoring his scrutiny, I worked on pulling my sleeves up so I could take wudhu.

'When did you reach?'

'Just fifteen minutes back. I've been lying in wait in your room for a bit now.'

Giggling I faced him and said, 'Aren't you going to the Masjid? It's time for Maghrib.'

Dusting his pants he got off and smiled at me. 'I just wanted to meet you before I left.'

Aww. So sweet of him.

'Give me five minutes, we can go downstairs together.'

He nodded and went back out into my room. I hit the washroom and quickly performed the ablution. Grabbing a pair of socks and a long pink khimar, I went out and Samir came with me to the stairs.

'By the way, what's the update on Shoaib and Iqra? When are we going to the Hashim family?' He asked as we nearly reached the courtyard. I spotted Shoaib bhai with Zaid at the far end.

'Hush you silly. Zaid is here,' I hissed at Samir, raising a finger to my lips.

'Oops my bad. We'll talk later then.'

He bounded down the rest of the steps and joined bhai and Zaid. Samir greeted Zaid with a clap on his shoulder and exchanged a brief hug with him. He gave Bhai a meaningful smile and the latter flicked his head. When Samar met up with them, the four boys left Ashiana talking animatedly.

Samir's arrival was a welcome distraction from the volatile resolution we had come to up on the roof. Shoaib bhai's proposal took center stage and we could talk about it freely since Zaid was gone. After a hearty dinner, we congregated in the courtyard. The adults were given the chairs while we youngsters sat by the pillars lining the hallways.

I nestled comfortably next to Samir and listened in to the conversation, too drained to contribute anything meaningful.

'This silence is uncharacteristic of you,' Samir said just so I could hear, as everyone pitched their opinions about whether or not Bhai should carry a gift tomorrow.

Humming, I didn't deign to give him a response. He was not the only one who noticed. Both Dadi and Dad had identical stares pointed at me from time to time and I had to keep reassuring them with smiles.

'Is everything okay. That Mustafa guy troubling you again?' Samir asked, shifting his position so his arm rested around my shoulders.

'It's funny how everyone seems to think Azhar would have the courage to taunt me again,' I laughed. Samir shook with laughter as well.

'What's the mumbling going on between brother and sister?' Phuppi asked, drawing everyone's attention towards us.

'Nothing of importance,' Samir said with a smile.