HER CRUSH

Chapter38

Abdullah..
"You won't believe who I ran into today!" I said, beaming with excitement.

"Who else would it be besides Asma?" Sufyan replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Why are you always so mean, bro? You're killing me!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He said, holding up his hands in mock defense. "I'm all ears. Who did you meet today?"

"Guess who I saw..." I trailed off, grinning mischievously.

Is Zarah pregnant or something?!"he questioned

"You're crazy, bro!"Zarah can't be pregnant already! We just got married recently."

"I've seen people have kids soon after marriage, it's not a crime!" he protested.

"Where on earth do you come up with this stuff, bro?" Your brain is always spinning wild tales.

Please spare my eardrums today and tell me who you actually met."

"I met Abubakar, my long-lost friend, with his adorable baby and beautiful wife – the perfect family!" I revealed, finally spilling the beans.

"I know you're crazy, Abdul, so no need to prove it here," you're calling someone's wife beautiful? What if he heard you?!

Way to spoil my mood. What do you want me to say? That his wife is ugly or what?"

Where did you meet him?"he questioned

"Cold Stone, yesterday. I went to buy ice cream for Zarah," I replied.

"That's very nice," he said, his tone unenthusiastic.

You aren't happy, right?

You want me to be jumping up and down? You must be fucking crazy. I thought you were going to tell me you met someone important Anyway, I want to tell you that Ya Sadeeq visited Ummi yesterday," he said, changing the subject.

My expression turned serious. "You mean he came? Ya Allah, Sufyan, I don't like what Ya Sadeeq is planning at all! I massage my beard, la'urid lileawda hadha alrajul manzil (I don't want Ummi to go back to that man's house). Ya Sadeeq won't understand."

"Hey, hold up, you're still calling your father 'that man' after saying you forgive him? Abdul, come on, make up your mind! You're contradicting yourself - one minute you act like you've moved on, and the next, you're still holding grudges. He's acknowledged his mistakes, after all.If Ummi wants to go back to his house, why are you standing in her way, bro?

It seems like you're siding with Ya Sadeeq now. What's going on?"I'm just being honest, bro. I'm sharing my concerns. I don't want Ummi to get hurt again. She's been through so much already; it's better for her to keep her distance. What if she goes back and that woman plots something cruel against her, trapping her with no escape?"

"Mr. Abdul, you're not the one who gets to decide what's best for Ummi. She knows what's right and wrong for herself, and if she wants to go back to your father's house, you can't stop her, can you?"

I  started to respond, "I know but—"

He cut me off, "But what, Abdul?