"it's exhausting to fight a war in your head every single day - sulaymaan."
Sulaaymaan had been assigned to show Afra to her room yet he did not seem to have the heart to do it. Firstly because he would hardly be able to control himself and focus on her eyes rather than on her demands. Secondly, he felt nervous now that she had such a strong impact on him. Apart from that, if she thought he was a creepy Halloween monster who could not get his mind off of her, then he would absolutely stand no chance in being able to impress her.
"Sulaaymaan, Habibi, show Afra to her room ." Queen Basmah yelled from the kitchen, as she started to make some preparations for a dinner feast.
He contemplated on whether to step back and beg Basmah to handle the situation. But then he remembered how he had already gone through some punishment. This time he was desperate. Very unwillingly, he stepped inside the kitchen, seeing his mother give him a small smile before going back to cleaning the chicken.
"Hi, sweetheart . Did you show Afra to her room yet ?" She asked, her eyes focused on her task.
He sighed and sunk down into a seat at the island, his face in his palms.
"No ." He groaned, feeling his mother shoot him a baffled look.
"Why not? I told you earlier to show her to the guest room that is on the first floor on the left side of the chandelier. Yours is the closest one on the right side and she could come to you if there would be anything she would need ." The Queen briefed all the points again, making Sulaaymaan groan louder.
"Mama, no! I remember all that ." He sighed, running a hand through his silky hair that fell across his forehead. "I just can't talk to her ."
The Queen stopped what she was doing and rested her arms on the kitchen platform. "What is wrong ?"
"Mama, I....." He trailed off, suddenly feeling too nervous to tell her that he liked Afra and he always found himself lost in her eyes. That would come out as the weirdest problem ."I.....she bites !" He exclaimed, making Basmah slap a hand on her chest.
"Ya Allah! Habibti, Afra isn't a madwoman! What even makes you refer to a guest in such manner ?!" She paused, watching him sternly. "You only just were grounded! Young man, for calling a beautiful woman a biter, another one month would be fine ."
Sulaaymaan's eyes snapped open. He proved it. He was hopeless. Another month in the house meant he would still have to face Afra at some point of the day, no matter how hard he tried to stay away from her.
"Please mama, not an - "
She hardly looked at him but answered very calmly . "Two months ."
Sulaaymaan's mouth dropped open . "Mama , what a - "
"Three months ."
Sulaaymaan frowned . "Okay , okay . Fine . I surrender." He whispered some words under his breath and took off through the exit without a single word .
He only wanted to not come closer to Afra at any cost . It was bad for both his and her health .
Climbing the steps heavily , he spotted Afra waiting by the railing , gazing at the top of the chandelier . He did not want to disturb her since she looked very carefree and comfortable .
"Um , Miss Afra ?"
The moment those words slipped off barely as a whisper , Afra turned around with a swift move , panic laced in her widened eyes .
"Oh you ?" She relaxed and sucked in air . "You scared me . Why were you acting like a ghost ?"
He blinked , realising his mistake . "Sorry , it just came off like that ." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck .
Afra eyed him wearily while looking at him sternly . "Can we move along please ?"
He opened his mouth to answer her back but she walked past him . As soon as he made it out that she did not care about his answer , he immediately took to his heels and motioned her to follow him with a slight bow and an arm .
As they walked all the way round the first floor pavement , she was taken to a room with rose gold double doors that were laced with light coating of glitter . He stopped and gave her a tight lipped smile .
"You can go along from here ." He held one of the doors open for her and ushered her to go in . "You should hurry up and pray . I'd be in the room across ." He pointed out a set of dark double doors on the other end . "Feel comfortable to ask me for assistance if I could be of help ."
He could make her out already getting into her room and shutting the door behind her . Before she could bang the doors on her face , he quickly stepped aside and watched as the door swung shut.
A part of his hopeful heart shattered to utter bits that felt like would never get back to the way it was . Just so he would not be seen as a bad Muslim or pervert , he had even decided to avoid her presence all over . She was going to have to stay long in that mansion and he was trying to make her feel comfortable around him . Which was ironic , since he was not very sure of that . He accepted the fact that once his gaze locked with hers , he'd be unconsciously pulled into doing what his heart desired without his control .
Her eyes were his intoxication .
His shoulders slumped disappointingly and his eyes drooped . Irritated with his ingenious behaviour . What was he expecting ? He was conscious of the fact that he was being stupid by pushing his hopes aside and deciding not to indulge himself in a new world of fantasy he had created .
At the same time , it was only a few hours since Afra had stepped into his house . Aside from that , none of his first impressions were impactful enough . Personally he did not count on those but Afra did most precisely .
Settling his thoughts , he finally resolved his mind into staying cool and firm around her . Without making it seem like he was swooning over her . Which was going to be worser than being grounded for months together .
But for her , he'd do anything .
As he walked into his room , holding his doors , he looked at Afra's room , hoping to catch a quick glance of her . A glance that would give him assurance that she was still there living in the same house as him . No wonder she avoided him .
He was going crazy .
Afra had been very lost within the large room that stood off like that of a princess's room to her .
But without wasting another moment she had dashed to the washroom , performed her ablution and come back outside . After putting on her Hijaab , she laid out a golden prayer mat from her beside table and laid it out . She focused her concentration on praying her salaah and once done she sat down reciting surahs , doing tasbeeh and making duaa .
Once she was done , she folded the mat and couldn't help but actually take notice of a sweet smell coming off of it . She took her Hijaab off and let her hair loose across her back as she clicked some photos of the room . Golden wallpaper decorated the walls and she noticed a small chandelier hanging down from the ceiling of her room . A large sliding door covered the balcony floor . Another window by the side of the balcony was covered in large and embroidered purple curtains . There were two large cupboards that stood against the other end of the room , just a little beside the door .
The large queen sized bed was stacked up with pink sheets and white pillows and a large ombre coloured comforter . Opposite to the bed lay a table with a laptop and some stationary items . Finally beside the table was a small dressing table situated that was a deep pink in colour with a large oval mirror and several drawers .
She settled herself on the bouncy bed and decided to lay down for a minute or so .
As she recalled the events of the day , she specifically remembered how she had to take like almost a two hour drive to get to the mansion . Which honestly made her feel very exhausted and hungry . And she was impatiently looking forward to dinner .
She sat upright , pinned her scarf and tied her niqaab to go on and spend some time with the Queen and offer some help . Of course , she was not the best of the cooks out there . Yet she could manage to help out very well .
After all , she was curious as to how many maids would be accompanying her Highness . She was picturing a scene from some movie where maids were lined up at the doorstep .
As she swung the door shut behind her , she found the prince shut the door on the other end , alarming her a little . She found he had changed his clothes and his gelled back hair had been left to fall freely across his forehead .
He had on a pair of track pants and a shirt . Her gaze fell to the floor and she quickly turned over towards the direction of the stairs . After practically running down them , she hesitated a moment on which direction she had to take to head for the kitchen .
As she stepped into the right hallways , she heard someone's faint footsteps thumping behind her . With one hand clenched , she turned over on her heels and found Sulaaymaan look back at her with widened eyes .
"Why are you following me ?" She crossed her arms across her chest , looking at him with a stern gaze .
Sulaaymaan looked confused ."Um , no , I am not following you ." His fingers brushed through his fringes and pushed them back . What he was fascinated by were Afra's eyes had travelled to his hand as he kept pushing his hair back . "I am heading to the kitchen to help mama out ."
Her eyes moved back to his face , with the same suspicions lingering her gaze .
Without another word , she turned around and stomped her way into the kitchen .
The sight that met her wasn't what she had expected . Basmah was working all alone and a lot of things were spread out on the island , ready to be either served or proceeded to the next level of cooking .
"Hi , dear !" Basmah shot Afra a quick smile before getting back to what she was chopping .
"Hi !" She cheerfully greeted back . That was until Sulaaymaan brushed past her and stood by the queen's side , indulging himself in some light conversations with Basmah .
Afra felt a little awkward staying by their side while they were clearly enjoying their time together . She had just decided to turn around when Basmah stopped her .
"So , Afra dear , tell us something about yourself ." She asked , smiling brightly at her once she had put in all the chopped tomatoes in the large mixing bowl .
"Um ," Afra rested her elbows against the island pouting under her niqaab,"I have always been ambitious . My dream is to work as an Aeronautical Engineer and - "
The Queen's face lit up sweetly . "Ma shaa Allah ! That's amazing . I've never met someone with strong aspirations like you . All girls of your age I've met till now dream of some stupid fantasy tale ." The Queen added , still smiling widely .
Afra nodded happily ,"Yes , I have always loved doing something for myself . I absolutely have no interest in marriage . Not my kinda thing ." Her face scrunched up . The Queen had laughed lightly shaking her head in amusement when they both got alarmed as something fell against the floor , creating a loud clinking sound .
"Sorry , my bad ." Sulaaymaan quickly apologized and bent down to pick the spoon back up .
"That's alright habibi . I just was taken aback . Leave that in the dishwasher and pick another one for yourself ."
"Sure mama ." His voice was barely heard and Afra frowned at how she had made out the slight quivering and disappointment in his whisper .
She frowned but quickly looked back at Basmah . "That's a very unique thing to hear ! Tell me something more about you ." She insisted and Afra hummed thoughtfully .
"I love painting and drawing . I love animals , specifically cats . I have a weird habit of combing my hair anytime it's let down open . And I reverted to Islam a year ago ." She clapped her hands together , feeling satisfied that she had mentioned everything about her pretty proudly . She had always hated herself .
The Queen seemed astounded as her mouth dropped open . "You're a revert ?"
Afra blinked blankly ."Well I thought you would have figured it out since I clearly mentioned , that my dad's name is Alexander Varghese ."
The Queen spun around on her feet to face Sulaaymaan . After a few seconds , she turned back around , washed her hands and hugged the life out of Afra from over the island .
When they parted , Afra could see that she was crying .
"Oh Allah ! Are you alright ?" She gasped , watching the Queen brush off the situation with a wave of her hand .
"I'm just so overwhelmed ." She dabbed at her eyes ,"Oh and I still need to hug you more which I'll do later ."
Afra chuckled . "Of course ."
They finished doing the dinner over light conversations , trying to get to know each other more . It felt a little out of the ordinary that Sulaaymaan had avoided most of the questions and got away with one word replies for some questions .
After which he was sent off to get the triplets down for dinner while Afra helped Basmah arrange the large table with a huge platter of lemon chicken , some grape leaves , basbousa , khabsa and a huge container of chocolate pudding .
"Sulaaymaan seemed very off earlier . He's normally not like that . Even though he doesn't talk much , he is not rude to ignore and give one word answers ." Basmah thought aloud .
Afra pursed her lips , not sure to whether to reply back or not . She did not know what or how to answer that anyway . The best she decided was to ignore it since she was thinking out aloud anyway .
Three girls , each holding a comb in their hands , jumped across the hallway into the kitchen followed by Sulaaymaan . They did not notice Afra standing there but once their eyes fell on her , they circled around her and danced and sung .
"Okay , okay , girls ," Basmah's voice shouted over the loud singing and giggling ."Afra is very hungry now and dinner is getting cold . So comeon now !"
Basmah and Sulaaymaan each had to buckle up the triplets in their seats , even as they tried to reason them out into sitting with Afra . While she didn't mind it , the only one thing she was concerned about was that would they let her dine peacefully ?
"Everyone read your prayers ." Basmah ordered and very obediently , the triplets raised their hands in a bowl like shape and murmured their prayers .
"Now , Sulaaymaan and I will serve everyone . Nobody move girls" Basmah stopped to shoot one of the kids a stern glance . "Kat , I am warning you ." Kat immediately ducked lower in her seat , pulling her hand back in her lap from the salad bowl .
As she swiftly moved along , serving everyone around her , Afra could feel Sulaaymaan's gaze lingering over her for some reason . And it made her feel very jumpy and uncomfortable . The triplets were a pretty handful bunch since Basmah took almost forever while serving them their desired dishes , including golden olives picked up from the salad bowl separately , a piece of chicken without the black pepper powder that was sprinkled over it and a basbousa without the cream that it was traditionally coated with . Afra chucked thinking that the girls ate a piece of their dessert alternatively between their main course .
"Sulaaymaan , hand me your plate ." Basmah called out , her hands skillfully cutting up the chicken .
"Actually , mama , I am feeling nauseous for some reason . I'm sorry . I don't want to have any dinner right now ."
Queen Basmah looked at him furtively . "Just a moment ago , you were talking about eating an elephant ."
Afra stared at him , finding him somehow steal glances at her while diverting his gaze and not meeting anyone's eyes . "I suddenly feel unwell ."
"It'll all get cold and nothing would taste as good ." Queen Basmah argued , watching him intently over the table .
"I am sorry mama . I rather eat it cold than eat it now when I'm nauseous ." Stating that almost firmly , he pushed the seat back , jumping to his feet . His sleeves rolled up till his elbows .
Faintly , Afra noticed a long mark running along the inner side of his elbow and she squinted her eyes to look at it more closely . But to her disappointment , he dashed out of the hall leaving them staring at each other quizzically .
"He's behaving very weird today ." Queen Basmah shot an apologetic smile in her direction .
"That is alright . Perhaps he really isn't feeling well . It's best he takes rest ." She answered , picking dismally at the food in her plate .
"Now Afra , be comfortable , and eat your fill . Oh and you can take your niqaab off now that he isn't here ." She smiled and Afra looked a little flustered .
She was concerned that he could pop up at any minute and she'd have to struggle with hiding her face . Then again , she didn't think he'd return since he was going to bed for sometime . Besides , Queen Basmah could just shout alert and she could dunk lower in her seat and tie her niqaab quickly .
After going through her backup plan in her head , she pulled the niqaab from her face and set it on her lap .
"Ukhti !" Kat gasped from the other side . "Anti Jameelah !"
As soon as the words left her mouth , Jazz and Dandelion looked up from their plates to face her and yelled together . "You're beautiful Ukhti !"
Queen Basmah shook her head in amusement as the triplets kept staring at Afra without even blinking their eyes .
"Okay , okay , that is enough !" Basmah ordered , softly slapping the back of the heads of all the three girls , earning a small glare from them .
"Stop staring at her and eat . It's bad manners !" She fired and the girls huffed , shooting a last glance at Afra who smiled softly .
"Silk would think she's beautiful too right , mama ?"