"only Allāh knows what's the best for you. never criticize his choice. there would be nothing more you'd regret -afra"

"Inaya , darling get Afra to come for breakfast ." Elsa shreiked over to catch Inaya's attention .

Inaya was in the living room , cleaning the frames and decorative items with a wet cloth .

"Sure , Mommy ." She yelled back and put her towel down on the coffee table and walked upstairs .

Inaya wondered what Afra did locked up in her room all day .

"Afra ." She knocked on the door a couple of times and twisted the knob .

Afra was lying on her stomach , reading a novel .

"Yeah ?" She looked up from the book , shut it and sat straight , her legs under her .

"Let's get breakfast ." Inaya said , toppling onto the bed and smiling wide at Afra .

"Inaya ?" She muttered under her breath , her lips twisted in an unpleasant frown .

"What's wrong Afra ?" Inaya asked , her eyes widening with shock , at her friend's sudden sulkiness .

"What happens if I die ?" Afra awkwardly questioned , her head low and her eyes flickering to Inaya's face .

Inaya's brows knit in confusion ."Why would you ? What's wrong ? Did you try hanging yourself ? Or , Oh My God , did you drink toilet cleaner ? Or d-"

Afra's eyes widened as Inaya kept on babbling .

"INAYA ! I AM FINE !" Afra yelled , rolling her eyes with a huff .

"Then why are you dying ?" Inaya questioned , her gaze lingering over Afra suspiciously .

"I read 'Fault in our Stars' ten times !" Afra shrieked , pulling out the words like they came out with wings or something .

Inaya frowned ."And how is that related to you dying ?"

"I read on Pinterest that a person who read that book ten times , died !" Afra yelled , clasping the blanket tightly ."What if I die ?" A somber look on her face .

Inaya rolled her eyes and swallowed hard ."Afra , nothing like that happens okay ? It was just a coincidence that that person died right after reading that book . You're too innocent . Besides what's the proof that that person actually died ?" She pulled Afra in her arms , lovingly patting her head .

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you ." Inaya muttered under her breath , as Afra pulled out of her embrace .

"GIRLS ! I CALLED YOU DOWN TEN TIMES ALREADY ! WHAT IS GOING ON THERE ?"

Afra and Inaya giggled together , as they got up with their arms linked .

"DON'T TELL ME YOU BOTH MADE YOUR 'PART TIME TREE HOUSE' ON THAT TREE AGAIN AND ARE RESIDING THERE . YOU'VE ALREADY BROKEN THAT WINDOW TWENTY TIMES !"

Afra burst out laughing , holding onto Inaya for support .

"We reside there every evening mom . While you're gone you know ." She wiggled her brows at Inaya who just motioned her to quiten down .

"Mommy should not know about this Afra . Just shush down ." Inaya begged her friend , who was just hopping down the staircase .

"Oh - " Afra paused at the second last step , whizzing around and mischievously smirking at Inaya .

"Ooooh , like how she shouldn't be knowing about - " She stood in the hallway , a few metres away from the kitchen . Inaya frowning at her friend suspiciously .

"Faaris !" She raised her voice at an alarming level and Inaya's eyes widened with shock as she tried hard to keep the blush crawling into her cheeks .

Afra was victoriously jumping around in circles , her hair whipping her face. Inaya was stuck at the staircase , hitting her head at the wall and muttering obscenities under her breath .

"Faaris ? What happened to him ?" Afra jumped about a foot in the air and spun wildly around on her heel at the sound of her mother's voice .

Elsa had her hair in a ponytail , a few strands falling across her forehead . She had on a pair of pajamas with a pink floral tee , an apron secured tightly across her body .

Inaya's shocked eyes passed between the both standing downstairs . A moment of hesitation passed between the girls as they 'eye' argued about how to reason this out . Afra swallowed hard , looking away from Inaya's eyes shooting daggers at her .

"Uh , mom , I don't know . Inaya was telling something about him !" She innocently blinked her eyes and along with Elsa , focused them back on a traumatized Inaya , standing with a blank expression on her face , the colour draining off from her face.

"Are.....you okay darling ?" Elsa questioned , her hazel eyes narrowing as she flickered her gaze through Inaya's shaky figure , not missing out the faint blush on her cheeks and the beads of sweat lined against her temples .

"A-ctual-ly mo-mm-y-" Inaya swallowed hard , her gaze narrowing at Afra's direction , who clearly had a silly smile plastered on her face .

"What is it ?" Elsa insisted , a hand on her hip and another holding a spatula.

"Faarisactuallyuasgonetothemosquebecausehehadabadtoothacheandhiscarbrokedown ." Inaya babbled like an idiot , a hand at her forehead .

Elsa's brows knit together in confusion ."Uh , did you speak English or some alien language ."

Inaya gulped hard , her gaze flickering at Afra , who was dancing and sticking her tongue out standing right behind Elsa.

"Uh , mommy , Afra wants to explain . I'm pretty sure she understood what I just said ." Inaya pointed a finger at Afra , who caught herself stumbling backwards .

"Uh , me ?!" Afra cut her eyes at Inaya , her lips turned in a disapproving expression and mouthed the words you're dead .

"Yeah , so mom , what happened is , Faaris had a bad tooth ache so he got into the mosque and is craving a Ferris wheel ride ." Afra sent Inaya a sharp glance . She herself couldn't believe what nonsense she had spluttered .

Elsa's eyes widened and her mouth nearly dropped to the ground . "Girls , just come eat lunch ." She shot them an awkward glance and motioned them to follow her into the kitchen and they plopped down on the chairs opposite to each other at the dining table , glaring .

"Next time I'm not gonna ask you girls what happened ." Elsa muttered under her breath , settling the plate of fried eggs and toast on the centre of table and taking a seat next to Afra .

"Get started ." Elsa glanced at the both , pouring herself a glass of orange juice .

"Why're you both glaring at each other ?" Elsa frowned with confusion lingering on her wrinkled features .

Both of them snapped out of their daze and smiled at Elsa , glared a last time at each other before helping themselves to a warm breakfast .

The first few seconds went silently as they talked about the everyday routines and catched up with what they missed .

"So , it's just a few hours before your result Afra . Nervous ?" Inaya rest her arms on the table , edging closer in her seat .

Afra shrugged nonchalantly ."Um , I'm actually excited . I've never written any of my exams as well as this one . So I have high hopes ." She took a bite of her toast .

"In Shaa Allah ." Inaya beamed at her friend .

"What will you do after you study ?" Inaya questioned .

"Of course I'm going to work where I can find a job. Probably Italy ." Afra told , like it should have been plainly obvious .

Those words had an effect on Inaya that Afra hadn't been expecting . The look that came over her face was almost akin to her slapping Inaya . Her eyes were narrowed giving her some sort of untamed look .

"Yeah , yeah . I - ," She babbled , trying to keep her lips from trembling and quickly ducked her head to keep from anyone looking at the tears in her eyes threatening to fall anytime .

"You're so cute Inaya ." Afra threw back her head and laughed .

Inaya's head snapped , water glistening in her eyes .

Elsa had already finished her breakfast and decided she better leave them alone or she'd face quite some mental issues .

"I was kidding Inaya ." Afra laughed even harder , her eyes brimming with tears from all that crazy laughing .

Inaya threw a sour face and glared at her . "Very funny ." She snorted .

Afra shifted in her seat , folding her hands together on the table in front of her . "Why do you always just get so emotional , Inaya ?"

Inaya was about to reply but her words fell short as Afra started drumming her fingers on the table in a rather bored manner . "Don't care so much about me . I'm not really comfortable with it ."

Inaya stared at her with a totally blown off look , like she was a monster with spatulas protruding out of it's head or something .

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed between the two , as they silently finished their breakfast , washed the plates in the sink and stacked them properly in their places before settling down back at the table with mugs of chamomile tea in their hands . Afra had gone upstairs to hand Elsa her cup of tea before taking her own and settling down with Inaya .

"I won't stop worrying or caring for you Afra . Just don't have any false hopes . It's my wish to care or not for you . And it's your fault you aren't comfortable with it ." Inaya's voice was gravely serious , her gaze directed towards her clasped hands on the table .

"You're crazy ." Afra muttered , gripping her cup tightly . And as serious as she sounded , there was a hint of amusement in her voice that brought a soft smile across Inaya's lips.

"That I am !" Inaya tried hiding the playful smirk on her lips as she snapped her head up to gaze at Afra .

"Can't you actually start ignoring me , Inaya ?" Afra demanded , her eyes hovering over the rim of her cup .

"Not even in your wildest dreams , sweetcheeks ." Inaya sang in a cheery voice , after she'd flung herself upon the couch and switched the TV on .

"Inaya , get the damn door !" Afra yelled over her shoulder .

"I got it the last time Afra ! It's your turn today ." Inaya fired back immediately , her gaze fixed on the TV .

"That was two weeks ago Inaya . I've opened the door to Uncle Steven , Aunt Mary and even Joseph !" Afra groaned in response , a hand at her forehead .

The doorbell rang again , this time more impatiently .

"Hey ! You're just blaming me ! I remember opening the door to Joseph just yesterday Afra . Not two weeks ago !" Inaya replied back , exasperated .

"You're frustrating the hell out of me !" Afra griped under her breath .

Inaya's stared back at her in open mouthed horror .

"What ? You're being a liar . Especially when you can't even lie !" Afra spat out , her eyes widening slightly at Inaya's body slunk down in the couch

"GIRLS !" Elsa's exclaimed in horror , running down the stairs .

"You girls are worser than enemies !" She added sternly , walking past the girls to attend to the guests .

Inaya and Afra glared at each other , snapping their heads to a side , their lips turned down in a disapproving manner .

Elsa frowned through the eye hole as if not able to discern if there were people or animals standing there . A moment later , she rushed back to the living room , ordered the girls to wear their abayas and scarves and head back down only if she called for them .

The girls being themselves , pushed their legs down and almost crawled upstairs .

Elsa barely could manage the feelings erupting in her head .

She quickly brushed a hand through her hair . A moment later she swung the door open , revealing a woman and a man .

"Valerie !" Elsa shrieked , as her sister walked into the house followed by her husband .

"Elsa , Oh God ! How good it is to see you !" She hugged her sister , pulling apart quickly as her husband came forward to greet her .

"Hi Elsa !" Victor shook his hand with Elsa who very gladly smiled back .

"What a pleasant surprise you guys ! Why didn't you let me know you'd be coming over ?" She took Valerie's hands in hers and beamed at her .

Valerie signed loudly , shooting a side glance at her husband who rolled his eyes . "Last minute plan , babe . You know Victor ." She said with a wave of her hand .

Victor's eyes narrowed . "Hey , don't blame me now when you only suggested the idea a week back !"

Elsa laughed as Valerie stuck her tongue out at him .

"Where are the kids ?" Elsa inquired , and Valeria pointed towards the open door .

"They're getting the luggage in ." She replied , heading towards the couch and plopping down on it .

"I'm so tired ." Valerie rested her head against the couch and exhaled loudly .

"I will just excuse myself . I still need to park the car and help the kids ." Victor bowed as he started to move towards the door , shutting it behind him . Elsa noticed his retreating hair line , a few very noticeable wrinkles round his under eyes and a rough stubble lining his jaw . He had a pretty good height and built as well , ignoring his slightly protruding abdomen .

Elsa quickly turned to face her sister . Her face had a few wrinkles but she still had the youth burning in her twinkling brown eyes . The bright smile was still intact as well .

"It's been so long ." Elsa murmured , pulling Valerie into another hug as she settled down beside her .

"Of course , it has been . Isn't that why I came to visit you for a few days ?" Valerie chuckled , holding her sisters hands . "Elsa , why don't you ever come to London ? It's been years . Mom and dad miss you a lot too . Besides , do you even realize that the last time our kids met it was twelve years back ?"

Elsa sighed . True that it has been very long since they got together but Alexander's work and her volunteering never really gave them much time .

"Tell me how is everything back at home ?" Elsa asked eagerly , missing her hometown and reminiscing all the memories .

"Oh it's still the same only a lot more developed . Mum opened her own bakery and it's so famous that she's always busy with it . Dad seems to be enjoying his dancing classes too ." Valerie rolled her eyes skeptically . "You remember dad always wanting to take dance classes ?"

Elsa gave a short laugh . Their father had always loved the way dancing made him feel alive and fresh . The only trouble was that he was miserable at it and couldn't get any step right . Among his responsibilities as a father and a husband , somewhere along the way , that dream dissolved into a hazy crowd of clouds .

"Of course , I do !"

They both laughed together , talking over all their childhood memories . Valerie had always gotten excited over simple things and to see that her sister didn't really seem as tired as she had claimed to be now that she had taken to narrating all their times together and laughing over the fond memories , Elsa realized how much she had missed that innocence .

Afra and Inaya climbed down the staircase , stopping to gaze at each other momentarily in confusion at the figure sat upright on the couch chatting away excitedly with Elsa .

They approached closer until Elsa saw them and instantly shot up from her seat .

"Oh and Valerie ," She circled her arms around Afra and Inaya ."These girls are my daughters ." She looked them and whispered to Hafsa . "Where is Hafsa ?"

Inaya smiled ."On her way ."

"Hello , I'm Valerie . Elsa's sister ." She regarded with a soft smile and Afra stepped forward .

"Hi Aunt Valerie . It's so nice to meet you ." Afra politely greeted , stepping aside to let Inaya meet her . "I don't remember much about you , but mom talks a lot about her family and I sort of do have an idea about everyone ."

"Ah ! Seee ?! This is why I told you to come to England atleast once !"

Valerie accused Elsa and turned to the girls with a smile .

"I'm Inaya . It's a pleasure to meet you -um , how do I address you ?" Inaya took a seat beside Afra as Valerie and Elsa plopped on a couch opposite to them .

"Oh !" Valerie smiled gently . "Please do call me aunt ."

Inaya smiled widely . "It's so nice to have an aunt ."

Valerie adjuster closer on the couch ."It's a privilege to be an aunt ."

"So , how did they become your daughters Elsa ?" Valerie turned to her sister who hummed thoughtfully .

Elsa gazed at her and shook her head in amusement ."Afra found herself a great family to be with and since she considers Inaya and her sisters as her sisters , I decided to make them my daughters too . I even am very good friends with Mariam , their mother ." Elsa exclaimed , causing Valerie to giggle loudly .

"That is seriously so adorable ." Valerie exclaimed , as Afra and Inaya giggled .

"Um , girls , why are you guys wearing those batman costumes ?" Valeria frowned , pointing a finger at them both .

Elsa glanced at her sister with pursed lips .

"I'm a Muslim now Aunt Valerie and she's a Muslim too . So we wear hijaab all the time ." Afra answered , earning a small gasp from her .

Valerie remained shocked for a moment , before she shook her head lightly and chuckled .

"It's just so unbelievable . But again , don't worry . I have no such problem like the other people who target Muslims ." Valerie winked ."I am going to be a totally cool aunt ."

They all laughed when the doorbell rang . Elsa quickly moved along to attend to her guest and moved out of the way as Victor stepped in , a huge luggage bag in his hand . He dumped the bag at a corner and almost threw himself on the couch .

He darted his eyes at the girls who were seated opposite to him as he plopped beside Valerie .

"We have batladies here !" He exclaimed , as both of them rolled their eyes and chuckled .

Valerie nudged him in the ribs and whispered something into his ear as she pointed at the both of them seperately .

Victor's mouth dropped open in astonishment as he looked back and forth between the two .

"Wow , you guys are cool ." He managed to blurt out while still staring at them in complete fascination .

"How do you guys manage though ?" He asked , propping his chin on the base of his palm .

Afra chuckled ."Well , we're very brave and strong . Women who can sport their Hijaab even during fifty five degrees outside are amazing ."

Victor definitely did look impressed , as he clapped his hands . "You guys are really adorable ."

"That we are ." They exclaimed together , holding each other's hands .

He smiled widely . "And don't you girls worry . We have no such problem with Muslims . Infact , just so you could feel more at ease , I'd tell you about this Muslim best friend I have ." He straightened his back and cleared his throat .

"There was a time I had been the victim of a bad accident - "

Valerie shook her head sadly ."Please don't remind me ."

"And because I am an A- blood type , it wasn't easy to find donors easily . It had gotten so bad that I was put into ICU . Like a miracle , a person came and donated so many bottles without any enquiries about who I was . When I recovered well , he had come to visit me . I couldn't believe that he actually stopped by with some flowers to ask me how I was doing . I love that man . Ever since then , we've been inseparable ."

Valerie rolled her eyes . "A little too inseperable . Whenever these two meet , they're like glue . They sit together for hours yet it's never enough ."

Inaya and Afra giggled while Elsa excused herself to arrange some snacks and appetizers .

"He is a very good person , Ma Shaa Allah ." Inaya commented and Afra nodded .

"Most of the Arab Muslims here are also very welcoming and friendly ." Afra said , watching Victor nod his head .

A moment of brief silence filled the room with awkwardness .

Valerie cleared her throat and rested her head against Victor's shoulder . "Ah ! We actually got a lot of gifts for Afra . Had I known she'd have sisters , I would have gotten something for Inaya and Ha......Hafsa right ?"

Inaya chuckled and nodded . "Yes , Hafsa . And no Aunt Valerie , it's been so good to meet you that it's a gift in itself . Please don't be bothered ."

"Awwwww , you are such a sweetheart Inaya ."

She held a hand to her heart but soon enough , shook a finger at Inaya .

"Alas , this aunt of yours won't let the matter slide so easily . I'm going to ask Sarah , Samantha and Gabriel to take you out to the best mall here and let you guys pick up a bunch of stuff ."

Inaya's eyes widened but as she tried speaking , Valerie put up a hand .

"It's decided darling . You cousins are going shopping ."

Gabriel Parker was having a hard time trying to persuade his sisters while Victor had taken the largest of the luggage bags and headed into the house .

If he was being honest , this trip was never even intended to happen in the first place. He didn't care if they had any aunts or uncles but that Valerie and Victor didn't understand . He had only a month off from the job . And he had his own plans to enjoy .

However , he was stuck within the hot and humid weather of the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia . They had arrived a few hours from London and it had been another drive for a few hours before they had reached this small villa .

Originally , they had lost their way and Victor had had quite some trouble with the driver who didn't understand English . Thankfully , Gabriel had used Google translate to speak up , even if that meant the driver had looked at them with confusion . Alexander had decided to speak to the driver directly and that was one good move because the driver had roared into a loud laugh . Gabriel had figured he had understood the situation and was laughing over their silliness .

"No , you're a man . Go ahead and take care of all the luggage ." Samantha ordered , tightly crossing her arms across her chest . Her ponytail dangling as she shook her head .

"Girls , we've still got two bags excluding the two large ones I have in my hands ." Gabriel rolled his eyes , seeing his sisters snicker .

"So ? You're implying that you can't carry all of them ?" Samantha asked , flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder . "What's the use of all that working out ?"

"I did develop a good body but just so you know , I didn't grow two more hands ."

Gabriel decided it was best to stop arguing with them and shooed them off . For the last few months , everything in his life was going downhill . The worst of the events being Lucy . It was all going perfectly well until that day.

"Hi Lucy !" He had pulled her into a hug , resting his head over her shoulder .

Lucy laughed lightly , patting his back . "Hi Gab ! How was the exam ?"

He pulled away , taking her hand in his and interwining their fingers as he nudged her to walk along the sidewalk .

"It was good . This time I think I'll be the topper ." He said , as she gently squeezed her hand .

"Of course I knew that . I knew you'd do it ." She smiled , wrapping her arms around his and resting her head over his shoulder .

"What about you ?" He asked .

"It was good . Mrs . Darcy told that I might even get recruited if I kept up with my grades ."

"That's awesome !" He exclaimed , lifting her up effortlessly and twirling her in the air.

She delightfully giggled as he placed her back on her feet .

"We should get some ice-cream ." He suggested , to which she shook her head .

"No Gab . I'm sorry . I just want to take care of myself for now . You know how easily I can catch a cold ." She pouted , giving him a sad smile .

Gabriel instantly pulled her into a hug , patting her head .

"We'll do something about your health soon . I promise ." He mumbled in her hair .

"I trust you and I know you will ." She had mumbled back .

Unfortunately , he hadn't . He had not kept his promise . She had trusted him with all her heart and he had not been able to live up to it .

If only things weren't as -

"Excuse me ?"

He turned around on his heel to find himself staring at a lady . She had been completely covered in Hijaab if he had remembered that word correctly . She was quite tall , lower by a couple of inches if compared to his six feet height .

"Assalaamualaikum ." She greeted , and he faintly recognised that form of greeting . Lucy had told him all about it but he had made no effort to remember it .

Her voice was friendly but had a subtle authoritativeness in it .

When he didn't answer she awkwardly cleared her throat and pointed towards the luggage on the ground .

"Let me help with those ."

Before he could even attempt to answer back , she had bent over the bags and scoped two large ones in her hands , looking over her shoulder and asking him to hurry up .

He didn't exactly fight back with her because he knew she was headed towards the small villa .

But that's not what bothered him .

How did she manage to pick up two luggage bags that easily ?

He smiled unknowingly .

The girl seemed interesting .

He tilted his head a little , watching her walk effortlessly till the door , plop down the bags , turn the handle , scoop up the bags and head inside . Before shutting the door a couple of seconds later , she looked back at him and motioned him to get in with her raised hand .