Maha

A week before Eid UL Adha, Isahaq posted a very hilarious conversation with Zamar on his Instagram story.

ZamZam
I can't believe the prices of the cows have gone up so much ! There's not a single one below one lakh taka.

Isahaq
Ar ki dam asha korsos ? Ja 5 takar goru kine an

(what else did you expect the price to be ? Go buy one for 5 Tk)

ZamZam
Hae dokan e giye khelna goru kine Ani -_- then I'll feed you that

(yeah, I should go and buy a toy cow from the kids store then I'll feed it to you  -_-)

I reacted to his story with laughing emojis and burst out laughing after reading their text. Zamar is always in such a mood.

One week later

The Eid morning in our house started off in a typical desi fashion-  my Nanu scolding the house help for losing something , my ammu urging me to hurry up and my abbu threatening to leave us all behind if we're not downstairs in five minutes.

I sprint down the stairs as fast as I can, the skirt of my silver abaya flowing around my body as I clasp the magnets to fix my jersey hijab in place.

The Eid prayer will start in less than half an hour and knowing the traffic in the city, there was a chance we were going to be late.

Despite my parents bickering throughout the ride about who was responsible for being late, thankfully we managed to arrive at the mosque just in time.

As the driver stops the car in front of the gate, my father hurriedly scrambled out from the left.

Ammu was taking more time getting out so I turned to move out after my abbu who slammed the door in my unsuspecting face not realizing I was right behind him.

My hands immediately flew forward to stop the door colliding inches away from my face. I'm saved from being hit but my body recoils at the movement nevertheless.

" Ai- I was getting out too!" I shout at my father's retreating figure but he's long gone and doesn't pay any heed to me.

As I got out of the car I realized that the people standing outside our car had noticed the incident and my face reddened in embarrassment.

A bearded, spectacled guy wearing a white punjabi was staring at my reaction without blinking.
He seems to be just a few years older than me.

I ignored him and made a beeline towards the gate of the women's praying area.

When I reach the entrance, I turn back around only to find the guy still staring straight at me.

Gosh this is so embarrassing! And what was his problem anyway?

✨

The Imam's voice from the loudspeaker filled the room,
" As-salāmu 'alaykum wa raḥmatullah" and we turned our head first to the right and then to the  left hand side.

The prayer was over. Chatter filled the room as women in abayas and long veils started talking to each other while some stayed behind and continued with their worship.

Miniature shelves lined the walls while multiple copies of the Quran rested on their racks.

Dazzling chandeliers hung from the huge ceiling which was decorated with fascinating Arabic calligraphy depicting familiar surahs. I stared at them in awe, admiring the beautiful strokes and lines.

My soul felt at peace as I finished praying and got up.

The crowd was slowly decreasing as people made their way outside.

We followed suit and managed to navigate our way through the hundreds of people rushing out of the gates, eager to get home and spend time with their loved ones.

The courtyard in front of the mosque was buzzing with excitement. You could smell the anticipation of Eid morning in the gentle breeze blowing by.

People walked out of the men's side in punjabis and thobes of various colors and they hugged each other three times, the chorus of loud and joyful 'Eid Mubarak' cutting through the air.

I was standing with Nanu, waiting for ammu who had gone to find my father.

Familiar faces walked by and greeted us on their way.

As my gaze swept over the men's side looking for no one in particular, I saw Zamar walking out with whom I suppose was his father.

A few other men joined them and Zamar greeted them enthusiastically.

He laughed and turned to the side and our eyes locked.

Zamar's pupil widened and gleamed with excitement as a cheshire grin spread across his lips.

He started waving at me excitedly and took a few steps forward.

"Hain? Who's that guy waving at you dear? Is it your school friend?" Nanu narrowed her eyes and stared at Zamar's approaching figure.

"I- ah that's Isahaq's cousin, Zamar." I fumbled nervously, worried about her reaction.

Zamar really needed to calm down.

" Oh really?! Let me go and talk to him." Nanu walked forward and met Zamar halfway who gave her a loud Salam in greeting and they started chatting.

Just perfect.

" Bhaiya, I want ice cream." I turned towards the voice to see a little girl in a pink dress, demanding her older brother for a treat as they held hands and walked towards the street. Her brother ruffled her hair and chuckled at her order, " As you wish ma'am."

As heartwarming as the scene was, it opened up a void in my heart that I had been ignoring for a long time.

I gazed at their retreating figures forlornly as the girl skipped along the road and chuckled loudly.

A hand patted my head from behind and Raiyyan materialized to my side.

His gaze followed what I had been staring at and realization dawned on his face.

He bumped his shoulder with mine ,
"Remember when you were asked to write an essay about the best brother in 3rd grade and you wrote about me?" He grinned in triumph.

" Pfft, I did not!" I denied his claims.

" Sure did! I remember clearly."

" I wrote about you in the essay
' The most annoying person'.'"

" I think you're confusing that with the ' Myself ' essay. Because you're the most annoying person." He bickered and shoved me again.

" You two behave like kids." Amna said as she appeared to our side and shook her head.

"You're the only kid here." Raiyyan replied with a sickly sweet smile.

"Talking to the mirror?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Tch- kids nowadays are so disrespectful!"

Amna ignored Raiyyan's words as her eyes widened at something behind us.

I followed her gaze and saw a group of boys walking out the mosque's gate.

Isahaq was amongst them, clad in a crisp white thobe. He had a keffiyeh hung around his neck and a pair of sunglasses rested over his eyes.

A group of boys whom I assumed were his friends flanked his side as they laughed about something and skipped down the steps of the building.

"Isahaq is there too. Let's go greet them." Amna proposes and starts dragging me along towards them .

But she suddenly halts when one of the guys with a buzz cut walks away from the group and leaves the premises.

"On second thoughts, that would be awkward."

"Seriously Amna? Taeef ? You do know he's the biggest player right?" Raiyyan sighs and shakes Amna's shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Amna feigns ignorance but Raiyyan keeps shaking his head,
" Take my advice sis, he's not worth it. You wanted to go talk to them because Taeef was there too right ?"

Amna's face falls and her cheeks redden, " Stop speaking nonsense! I just wanted to greet Isahaq ."

"So we meet again! What's going on?" Zamar's cheerful voice wafted from behind.

He really has such great timing.

"Eid Mubarak Mahaha! And you're Amna right? And you-" He paused when he saw Raiyyan, " I don't think we've met yet."

"Raiyyan. You're?" Raiyyan extended a friendly hand towards Zamar but his eyes were swimming with suspicion towards the newcomer.

" Zamar. I have a feeling we'll be great friends." Zamar shook Raiyyan's hand before letting it go with his signature grin etched on his face.

I had a feeling Zamar would annoy the heck out of Raiyyan. But in a good way. If Zamar was fire, Raiyyan was ice. And if both of them joined hands , the combination would be something that we've never seen before.

✨

Zamar stood beside me with his hands buried deep in his pockets. He was wearing a navy blue thobe and his tousled brown curls fashionably fell over his pale forehead.

"Your Nanu is smitten by me." He leans forward and speaks softly so no one else can hear.

"She was so impressed by my charms , I was sure she'll offer me the role of her grand-son-in-law right away. But - I lost points when she got to know I wasn't a doctor." He shook his head with a sad expression.

I chuckled at his words, " That's unfortunate."

"Truly. She did say computer science is recently a good choice too but I'm sure Isahaq is still the top contender for the 'jamai' spot. If only my cousin wasn't a doctor." Zamar mused playfully, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes.

I knew he was joking but his words still caused blood to rush towards my face. " For real though, I ship you guys the most and can't wait to have your wedding food! I'll set the menu okay?"

This guy could honestly be besties with the rishte wale aunties.

"Which also reminds me- Isahaq can be a bit forgetful sometimes. For example, don't mind if he doesn't greet you first. He's just shy. Go up and talk to him, it'll be fine."

Zamar motions towards Isahaq who is standing by the corner of the street.

We watch as he brings out his wallet and bends down to  give money to a poor kid sitting by the corner of the road.

Upon receiving the gift, the child's eyes gleam like stars and a smile worth more than a billion dollars bursts across his mouth.

Coolness spreads through my heart at his actions and at that moment I know that what I feel for Isahaq isn't just a small crush anymore. I've grown to admire him more than words can explain.

Unfortunately, I don't get the chance to talk to Isahaq at the mosque as my father arrives with the car and starts honking incessantly, barking at us to get in quickly.

But just as the car is about to drive away, Isahaq looks towards my direction.

Our eyes lock and we stare at each other. I see his lips part for a second before he waves at me with a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I mirror his expression and wave back.

✨

When we arrived back at home from the mosque, a surprise greeted us.
The festive atmosphere in our house had been elevated by the arrival of my youngest khala (mom's sister) who lived in London.

A few minutes ago she had handed me the presents she had brought for me. Now my ammu, khala and nanu were locked up in her room, going through the rest of the suitcase.

I would have been there too, if I didn't have to play real life subway surfers with a certain someone.

This was the second time I was meeting my 4 year old cousin, Samir.
The British born toddler was a misfit who disguised his mischievous nature behind an angelic face which was permanently etched with a cute smile.

"Samir, no! Don't run!" I chased the shrieking toddler around the house who was busy throwing away everything in sight.

The troublemaker flung another cushion from the couch onto the floor and started towards the kitchen.

"Oh boy- not there." I groaned in exhaustion, struggling to match his stamina.

Seeing me close behind, he screamed loudly and ran away from there, chuckling like a maniac.

My heart nearly dropped out of my chest when I saw him opening the main gate of the house and escaping outside.

How did he manage to open the damn lock ?!

I did not waste a second before rushing behind him.

The misfit was now climbing the stairs towards the terrace.

Anxiety filled my nerves and I took the stairs two steps at a time to catch up.

He still managed to slip out of my grasp like a slithering fish and ran away as fast as his little legs could allow.

"Haye Allah! What is this kid made of ?!" I exclaimed and gathered the last bits of my strength, ready to tackle him once and for all.

When I reached the landing of the last floor of the building, I saw the bane of my existence standing on top of a chair, busy trying to open the locked door to the terrace.

Samir turned back and saw me. His eyes crinkled with mischief as that wide grin beamed across his little face. He then stuck out his tongue at me and did a little dance, singing his favorite sentence, " Na na na poo poo!"

"Uff not that again!" Ever since their arrival he had been chanting this weird catchphrase and teasing everyone.

But gosh his voice was so adorable!

I scrambled forward and grabbed him by his waist while he struggled to break free.

"No more running! You want your ipad ? Then keep quiet and come with me." I made eye contact with him and narrowed my eyes in challenge.

Samir smiled and giggled before putting his arms around my neck and resting his soft cheek against my shoulder. Instantly, a warmth spread through my body and I squeezed him a little.

I can't even get angry at him. He was as lovable as he was mischievous.
The kid was already a pro at evading trouble by using the cute card.

I carried him down the stairs while he kept laughing and pulling at my hair once in a while.

Just as we reached the threshold of our house, he scrambled out my arms and ran inside.

I locked the door properly, making sure to close the upper latch so Samir couldn't run away again.

As I walked inside, I failed to notice the pair of unknown sandals resting by the corner of the door.

Samir's loud shriek could be heard from inside, mixed in with Nanu's voice.

"Nanuuu, your youngest grandchild is a menace!" I said out loud, walking towards the living room.

I could see nanu sitting on a sofa and smiling at something.

As I walked inside the room, my eyes fell upon Samir scrambling around a guy clad in a grey Punjabi.

The mysterious person turned their head and our gaze clashed with surprise.

Never did I ever expect Isahaq to be sitting in our living room out of nowhere.

My heart skipped a beat and I took a startled step backwards.
At the same time ,his eyes widened for a second before he immediately turned his head away, avoiding looking in my direction.

That's when I realized I was in my grey sweats and oversized anime t-shirt. Most importantly I wasn't wearing my hijab! How was I supposed to know he would be arriving at our house ?!

Shoot-

I gasped loudly and scrambled for the nearest piece of fabric which happened to be a throw blanket lying over the couch.

Hurriedly wrapping the blanket around my head and upper body, I rushed towards my room.

Seeing me run away sent Samir into another set of loud giggles and my face heated up in embarrassment.

I am officially screwed.

Author's Note

The chapter was getting too long so I had to split the Eid events into two parts. This one was more like a general Eid day. The next part is super interesting! They're finally going to have proper conversations (kinda XD) I will publish part 2 of Eid UL Adha soon !

Sneak peek -

"Maha, can I ask you something?" Isahaq wiped his hand on a tissue paper and extended a fresh one towards me, noticing that the melted cream from my donut was spilling towards the side.

"That day at the supermarket, were you angry at me? Like were you avoiding me initially?"

My eyes widened at his words and I blinked slowly before shooting a question back at him, " I was avoiding you?"  A laugh bubbled out of my throat, getting reminded of how he was the one who didn't talk to me at that party.

Alsooo more or less every chapter of this story has scenes inspired by real life events (:

How about y'all try to guess which part it is and let me know in the comments here XD  ➡️

Press that star and let me know your thoughts (:

Mini glossary for words:

Mosque - Muslim place of worship

Imam - the man who leads prayers in a mosque

Abaya - a loose-fitting full-length robe

Thobe - An ankle-length, long-sleeved, gownlike garment worn chiefly by men of the Arabian Peninsula

Jamai- husband