I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring through the quiet morning, signaling it was time for Fajr prayer. Groggily, I stretched my hand to silence the noise, and without much thought, I sat up and began to recite my prayers. There's something about the stillness of the early hours that makes everything feel right with the world. I recited a few verses from the Quran, seeking comfort in the words before I finally decided to crawl back into bed.

The warmth of my blanket pulled me back into sleep, and before I knew it, I woke up again, this time to the light of the afternoon streaming through the window. I glanced at the clock. 12:30 pm. I sighed, stretching my arms above my head. The time seemed to slip away so easily when I had nothing pressing to do.

I went downstairs to the living room, where I found Mammy, Daddy, and Nabeel talking quietly. Their faces were serious, and I could tell they were discussing something important.

"Günaydın!" I greeted them brightly, trying to lift the mood.

Daddy looked up from the conversation and smiled. "Morning, how are you?" His voice was calm, reassuring. A few days ago, we had a long conversation about everything that had been bothering me, and he had comforted me, reminding me that everything would be okay, Inshallah.

"I'm fine, Daddy," I replied, feeling a warmth in my chest at how much he cared.

I walked to the kitchen to grab my breakfast. Mammy had prepared fried yam with egg sauce, one of my favorites, and I quickly sat down to eat. Afterward, I returned to the living room, where the conversation was still going on. I sat down in the quiet room, listening to the soft hum of the television, unsure of how to insert myself into the discussion.

Finally, Daddy spoke again, breaking the silence. "Layla, Ibrahim and his relatives are coming on Saturday for the fixing of the wedding date," he said.

My heart skipped a beat. The wedding date. It was starting to feel too real.

"Okay," I said softly, my mind racing with thoughts of the upcoming days.

I finished my meal in silence, my thoughts lost in a whirlwind of emotions, then excused myself and headed back to my room. Today, I wasn't planning on leaving the house. I called Ibty to chat and see if she wanted to hang out.

🌸🌸🌸

"Hafsatu!" Ibty's voice rang out from downstairs, and I smiled.

"Sup, Rahinatu? I'm in the living room," I called back.

Ibty came upstairs a few minutes later, looking as effortlessly stylish as always, even in her casual jeans and top with a black kimono. She greeted me with a grin, and we immediately went to pray Zuhr together.

Afterward, we plopped down in front of the TV, debating what movie to watch. After some back-and-forth, we finally agreed on Beauty and the Beast — for the tenth time. There was something comforting about watching it again and again.

When the movie ended, we both pulled out our phones and got lost in the world of Snapchat and Instagram. I was scrolling through my feed, mindlessly clicking through posts when I sighed. "I'm bored," I said, letting out an exaggerated groan.

"Me too," Ibty replied, mirroring my sentiment.

Without further hesitation, we decided to bake cupcakes. Ibty was an amazing baker, and I was more than happy to be her assistant. We went to the kitchen, gathering the ingredients, and I played Bryson Tiller's "Something Tells Me" as we worked. The kitchen filled with the sweet smell of baking as the cupcakes came together.

Forty minutes later, the cupcakes were done. They smelled amazing, and we quickly packaged some up to take to Mammy, Daddy, and Nabeel. We saved some for Norah, though. If she found out we baked and didn't save any for her, she would have skinned us alive, no questions asked.

Afterward, we went back to my room to pray Maghrib. Ibty had to leave soon — her father was returning today, and Norah was already back from school. I stayed downstairs for a while with Mammy and Daddy, lost in thought.

"Daddy," I called, my voice breaking the quiet.

"Yes, Layla?"

"When am I going back to school?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"In two weeks, Inshallah. The second week of September," he replied, giving me a thoughtful look.

"Okay, Mashallah. I hope you've sorted out your accommodation and everything?" He asked, his concern clear.

I nodded. "Yes, I have," I said, feeling a wave of relief.

"Good, good. And when you finish your third year, that's when the wedding will take place, Inshallah," he added.

It was hard to believe that I was almost done with my studies. Final year already? It felt like time had flown by.

"Okay, Daddy. Thank you so much. I love you," I said, giving him a hug, feeling my heart full of gratitude.

I was excited to go back to school. As much as I loved being home with my family, I was starting to feel the weight of the long summer break.

I went to my room and called Ibty to catch up. She shared her news with me too — she had been transferred from Baze University to Nottingham Trent University, which was three hours away from Manchester by train. It was bittersweet. I was happy for her–for us.

We talked for a while longer, discussing everything and nothing at all. Finally, we said our goodbyes, and I settled into bed.

As I turned off the lights and sank into the softness of my pillows, I couldn't help but think about all the changes that were coming. The wedding, school, and everything in between. But for tonight, I let the quiet of my room settle around me, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Hey guys💃🏻 why I'm I so happy? Anyway.... how was the chapter? Hope I didn't disappoint you? Thank you for reading 💕

✨deedah ✨