She hadn't even known he was sitting on the counter of the basin when she stepped out of the shower; her hands subconsciously wrapping themselves a little tighter around her towel.

"Ilhaam just told me what happened." He wasn't even looking at her as he spoke. He faced the ceiling yet his eyes were shut. "You didn't wait," he said as he opened his eyes to look at her.

She just shook her head. "I was tired and you were taking long. Besides I didn't need to wash my hair."

He just nodded his head as he hopped off the counter, taking her hand in his in order to help her into the room. He didn't feel like waiting for her to dawdle along behind him with her walker.

"About Aunty Safeenah..."

"Uhm hmm," Her clothes were already laid on the bed but he hadn't taken the hint to turn around in order to give her her privacy. "Could you please turn around?"

He turned around, making his way towards his cupboard.

"She's just a nasty bitch who thinks the world owes her something." He said as he rifled through his draw for his towel. They were sleeping in his old room for the night and he was sure his mother hadn't bothered cleaning his cupboards just yet.

"Oh?" She didn't know what else to say as she slipped her t-shirt over her head.

"So... Ignore what she said." He said before he turned around, walking towards the bathroom.

That was his advice?

The woman practically called her a money-grabbing whore and that's all he was going to say?

"Okay." Definitely easier said than done.""Uhm..."

"Ya?" He turned around, looking at her  as he waited for her to figure out what to say.

"How's your Mum?" She had never in her life thought she would encounter something like that. Her dad only had one brother and her mum was an only child. She only ever knew what it was like living with a small, barely there family. So to come across a family like her mother-in-law's still had her feeling more than just a little shell shocked. She had never thought sisters to go at each other like that. And she actually did feel just a little sorry for her mother-in-law- having all her dirty laundry aired so openly before all of them.

"She'll be fine. They've had worse fights before." He said flippantly before he walked away.

He figured she would feel sorry for his mother.

He didn't know why though. It was her own fault and everything she did to secure her marriage was by her own volition. No one ever forced her to do it- she did it because she was sick of being poor and she found the easiest ticket to achieving what she wanted.

She figured they would get married and play happy-family. And she thought that Nazeer would love her and she could live her happily-ever-after away. She would be away from her 2 bedroom flat that she shared with 8 other people and away from 6 squabbling sisters who just didn't give a shit about her or anyone else besides themselves.

But all her planning and her scheming got flushed down the drain when she had a miscarriage. Mikaeel never actually realised that the baby was conceived before marriage but still... she stayed and she expected his father to love her even though she knew it would never happen.

He didn't feel sorry for her. How could he feel sorry for someone who would so openly throw away her happiness for money?  Because at the end of the day she only ever stayed for the money and the name and the respect. How could she ever divorce him and have her poor sisters throw it back in her face?

That was who his mother was and she always would be but it never excused the fact that she-

He shook his head. It wasn't worth thinking about it any further. She would never, ever change and eventually, he just learnt to deal with it.

...

"Hello." His hushed whisper had woken her up.

"What the fuck man?" He was angry as he got out of bed and shuffled through their bag for his clothes. "This is the second time this week." She turned around, barely able to see through the muted light of his cellphone against his cheek.

He was already fitting his belt through the loops on his jeans before he reached back into the bag for his shirt.

"No I'm at my parent's house." He fisted the t-shirt in his hands, crumpling it up near the collar as he kept listening to the whoever it was on the other end. "What the fuck are you doing in Hillbrow!"

He sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his hands through his hair as he continued to listen. "Listen..." He was interrupted once again. "Shut the fuck up. You take Dahlia back inside and you wait for me to get there." He hung up his phone, dropping it angrily onto the bed before he walked into the bathroom to wash his face.

"What's wrong?" He jolted, hearing Hoori's soft echo throughout the darkness.

"Nothing." He bit out, still seething over Ihsaan and his bullshit. "Go back to sleep." He muttered before he grabbed his car keys and his phone, sliding his t-shirt roughly over his head as he walked out the door.

...

She woke up to the feeling of an arm around her stomach.

Neither she nor Mikaeel were prone to holding each other in bed so the feeling of this warm arm around her was just little too strange.

She almost jumped right out of bed when she felt something kick incessantly at her back."Move Aunty Hooriya!" She heard a squeaky voice sound right behind her head.

Was that Imaad?

She turned her head slightly, blinking her eyes at the sight of his light brown curls before she shifted over slightly- still entirely confused about what was happening exactly.

She felt him jostle about behind her before he snuggled deeper into her back.

"What the f-"

She slapped a hand blindly over Mikaeel's mouth as soon as she heard his surprised gasp.

"You were going to say a bad word!" Imaad sat up in their bed, sounding outraged at his uncle's cursing.

"I wouldn't have said a bad word if you didn't just kick me in the stomach." He pushed Hoori's hand away before he placed his hand gingerly over the side of his stomach. Shit! The little shit and his heavy fucking feet! "When did you even get here?"

She turned around, surprised to find Mikaeel wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants as he sat up to look down at Imaad.

No wonder he told her to pack pyjama pants and a top.

He was clearly not as surprised and confused as she was to see him wrapped up happily in their sheets. "I came just now." Imaad replied, sleep clouding his voice before he snuggled up against Hooriya once again and closed his eyes.

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

"Just go back to sleep, Hoori." Mikaeel said as he turned around, lifting the duvet to cover himself once again. "He's not moving anytime soon."

Okay.

She could hear Mikaeel's breathing deepen almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. She didn't know what time he had come back the night before or where he had gone to in the first place. She was sure it was Ihsaan on the phone and she was sure it wasn't the first time he had phoned Mikaeel to pick him up from wherever it was that he called from. But she just couldn't for the life of her understand why it was that Mikaeel kept going.

Thinking of Ihsaan was not exactly going to help her fall back to sleep.

She looked around the room, certain it was barely even 6 in the morning as the sun had hardly even peeked into their room yet. She looked around, shifting a little as she felt Imaad begin to move against her once again, surprised to note how much the room just reminded her of Mikaeel.

Everything in the room was either black, white or navy and for some reason she could just picture a moody teenager sulking in the room whenever she thought of him. She was surprised to see all the medals and trophies and certificates that surrounded his room.

She knew he was smart but...

Judging by the size of those trophies he was definitely one of the smartest in his class for many, many years and he must have been an A student for most of his schooling career. She felt just a little insufficient as she considered her own marks in school. She was more of a 70's student and the only award she ever received was a full attendance merit. She didn't even have a noteworthy degree. What the hell do you even do with a degree in English Literature?

She shook her head of her morose thoughts. Thinking of her academics would only allow her to think of her sister and her parents and she didn't want to think of her parents just yet.

She looked down, noting the way Imaad was now sprawled between the two of them as if he had all the space in the world to stretch out before he rolled over and barrelled straight into Mikaeel's back.She swore she could hear him grumble a few select words before Imaad wrapped his tiny arm over Mikaeel's broad back, holding him in place as if he were a giant teddybear.

"For fuck sakes," Mikaeel sounded exasperated as he turned around and rolled Imaad so that he lay on his back before he wrapped his arm over both of Imaad's, holding him in place. "Fidgety little shit..." He grumbled before he dropped his head back onto his pillow and fell asleep.

Hoori could only stare down amused at the spectacle before her.

She could picture this happening a million times before as both seemed too comfortable sleeping as they were as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She turned back onto her side, falling asleep to the sound of the birds waking up to a long, busy day ahead of them.

...

"Hey Mum." Mikaeel walked into the kitchen with Hoori in tow, both fully dressed already.

"Where did you go to last night?" She asked, crossing her arms before her as she glared up at him from the table.

It was too early in the morning for this shit.

"Shuayb was stuck by the garage off Harrison Avenue. He asked me to fetch him."

Hoori looked at him, almost impressed at the way the lie practically fell out of his mouth.

"Shuayb? Uncle Ali's boy?" His mother asked, quirking her eyebrow in thought.

"Ya, same one." Mikaeel said as he sat down on the table across from his mother, motioning for Hoori to sit beside him.

"So why did he call you?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"He knew I was here so I was the closest."

"Oh..." She looked at him, considering whether or not to even believe him before she shook her head and looked back down at her breakfast.

"Morning Mum." Imtiyaaz shuffled into the room followed by Ilhaam and Shaheen.

"Is Imaad still in your room?" Ilhaam asked as she sat down beside her mother.

"Ya. Still doesn't know shit about knocking, does he?"

Ilhaam sent him a scathing look, refusing to acknowledge his comment further. "How are you today, Hoori?"

"Good thanks." She smiled slightly at her before she poured her cereal into her bowl.

"Survived the aunties, hey?" Shaheen teased before Ilhaam elbowed him in his side, glancing pointedly at her mother. Her stupid husband just had to bring up her stupid aunties after what had happened the night before. He should have known better...

The kitchen exploded into an awkward tension as soon as the aunties were mentioned.

No one dare look at Saadia, as her spoon scraped loudly against the bottom of her teacup. "Don't talk about my sisters that way, Shaheen." Her countenance was stony as she stood up and left the table.

"Sorry," Shaheen turned a bright red as he muttered his apology.

"It's fine. She's pissed at them, not you." Ilhaam sighed before she reached for her toast. "Where's dad anyway?" She asked Imtiyaaz.

"I don't know. Uncle Yahya called him about something this morning."

Ilhaam scoffed, "He must have ran out as fast as he could."

"Must have..." Imtiyaaz mumbled before he stirred his sugar into his tea.

Hoori almost sighed as she considered their stilted conversation.

Their breakfast was almost the same as hers with her parents.

She tried to ignore the heavy silence as she poured the milk into her cereal, wishing desperately that she was back home to enjoy her breakfast in peace.