"What!" Layan said once she heard my explanation. "And you didn't bother to tell me about any of the until now?" She said as she abruptly got up from the sofa and started pacing around the room.
...
After work that day, I decided on asking Layan to come see me, and when she did, I explained everything to her.
And now, here we are...
"Well I didn't think about that, I was too busy thinking about grandma". Upon hearing that, she stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. Unlike me, Layan is a bit taller, a bit fairer and her hair is a bit shorter than mine, and we both had our own mode of dressing, but other than that, everything was similar
I'm pretty sure she was pissed but tried her hardest not to show it.
"Well now look what you've done. Do you really think grandma would be happy when she finds out that you got married to some random guy just to pay for her surgery!?" She yelled at me before she continued pacing around the room.
Well maybe there was one thing I was forgetting, we both have different personalities. I stood up from the sofa before approaching her. " First of all, it's not a real marriage, it's bound by a contract". She rolled her eyes before she continued pacing the room, but then I walked Infront of her and stopped her, "and second of all, he's not some random guy. He's the heir to a multimillion dollar company! " I said with a wide grin on my face but my sister just dragged me to the sofa and made me sit down before sitting down on the table infront of me.
"Laila, you know I care about you, I'll do anything for you, so please, try and understand the fact that marriage isn't a joke and I don't want you spending a year with someone you know nothing about". She said sweetly as she held my hands firmly. I could see how much she meant her words and it really meant a lot to me.
I smiled before I hugged her tightly. "Don't worry Layan, I know what I'm doing and I know why I'm doing this". I said as softly as I dug my nose into her neck before pulling away. She gave me a look.
"Don't worry about me, the only person you should be worrying about right now is grandma". I said as I stood up from where I sat and started making my way to the kitchen. I heard Layan groan as she followed me to the kitchen.
I was about to get a glass from one of the cabinets when Layan grabs me by the arm and pulls me towards her.
"Don't you get it, you're sacrificing a whole year of your life for the money? If this really was to return the favour of you saving him, then he could have just payed for the surgery instead". Layan said trying to reason. I could get her point and she was right, but at the same time wrong. If only she had said that sooner.
"It's not just because of the fact that I saved him. He said it was his mother's last wish, to see her son get married and now his father is respecting her wishes and is forcing him to get married. He never said he wanted to do this". Layan grabbed a chair from the small dining table near the kitchen and sat down before looking up to see me.
"Tell me what I should do to get you to be fully convinced that this isn't the best solution. Come on, tell me". She said as she crossed her legs. I glared at her silly antics before grabbing a chair next to her and sitting down. Her eyes were still fixated on whatever was Infront of her even though I was seated right next to her.
"Layan", I started as I softly patted her shoulder. I watched as she pushed my hand off of her and rested her chin on her palm. Her eyes still fixated on the cabinet. "Please listen", I patted her shoulder once more but she just pushed it away again. I could tell she was angry at me, and why won't she be? Her twin sister chooses to marry a random guy just for the money? Any sister would be pissed at the thought of it, but I needed to show her that this wasn't what she was thinking and that this marriage was just as fake as my chances of ever loving him.
"Layan". I whined as I hugged her tightly. "Look at me". I said as I forced her to face me. "Remember once in middle school when I told you about a boy that I liked. I told you that if I ever got a chance to confess my feelings to him then I would do it without wasting a second. And then one random day, he walked up to you and told you that he liked you and then you got so angry that you told him that he'd never find anyone like me in the entire world", I watched as a small smile began to form on her face as she avoided my eyes. "And just like that, I know that if Kareem ever tries to mess with me, you'd come like a knight in shining armour and protect me". I said as I flung my arms up in the air and wrapped them around her for dramatic effect.
"Okay, okay, but-"
I cut her short by putting my finger on her lips. "No if's or but's, okay?"
She pushed my finger away, "but, what about grandma?" She asked now staring deep into my eyes.
"What about her? He's the one paying for her-"
"How would we tell her about the marriage?" She said, cutting me short in the process. "You suddenly getting married to some handsome rich guy, right after the doctor tells us we need a huge sum of money to pay for her surgery is kinda suspicious ". She said as she got up from where she sat and approached the kitchen counter.
I just sat there in shock, trying to figure out a way to convince grandma that we're happily married without letting her know our true intentions.
"You know, the two of you could just come visit sometime and then announce your marriage to grandma and make it look like the two of you have known each other for a long while ". She said as she grabbed an applle out of a bowl of fruits on the dining table and began cutting it with a knife.
"You're right ". I said as I also grabbed an apple.
"Wanna go to your room or something?" Layan asked after a while, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, you can stay over if you want?" I asked. It's been a while since the two of us spent a good 24 hours together without being interrupted by something and I kind of missed her.
"I was planning on doing that". She said as the two of us chuckled while making our way to my room.