Laila's POV...
My eyes were fixated on the laptop screen but my mind wasn't. Today would make it the fourth day that I'd been staying with Layan. I wonder what Kareem thought of me coming here. Was he okay with it? Or did he just agree because of me. If that's the case, then I'm wondering what he must be doing now?
I noticed the characters in the movie change, at this point I probably didn't even know what the plot of the movie was. I felt Layan move beside me and diverted my attention towards her.
"Where are you going?" I asked as I watched her get up from the bed.
"I'm going to go get some popcorn, do you want some?" She said, and as I was about to reply, when suddenly, her phone vibrated.
She picked up the phone and a small smile began to form on her lips as she stared at the screen.
"Who was it?" I asked as I sat up on the bed.
"No one, just Imran", She said before placing her phone back on the bed. "Do you still want the popcorn?" She asked, when her phone vibrated again.
"He doesn't look like a no one to me". I said as she picked up the phone.
"I'm supposed to meet with him, that's probably it". She said as she began typing something on her phone.
"Really", I said as I glanced at the clock. "Going to meet him by 8:30 in the morning?" I asked as I walked towards her, trying to get a little peek of her phone.
She switched off her phone and immediately turned to face me once she realised what I was doing.
" Why didn't you tell me?" I said as I held both her shoulders.
"Tell you what?" She asked as she walked towards the wardrobe and opened the doors.
"That you like him". I said as I grabbed her arm and made her face me.
"What?" She said with a somewhat confused expression. " What made you think that?"
I snatched the phone from her hand and began walking towards the bed.
"Hey!". She called out as she walked towards me.
" Hmm, ' I'll be there soon', ' why are you being so impatient?' wow, I didn't think you'd hide this much from me". I said as I read their texts.
"You're so nosey ". She said as she snatched the phone from my hand.
"Oh really? You're chatting with my husband's friend and I shouldn't know about it?"
" We're just really good friends, that's all".
" He asked you to meet him at a café, didn't he?" I said, as I sat down on the bed.
"Yeah, and so?" She said as she approached the wardrobe and began looking through the clothes.
"I can't believe I was preventing my sister from meeting the love of her life", I said as I got up from the bed and walked towards the wardrobe. " You should look perfect! When he sees you, he shouldn't be able to take his eyes off you!". I said as she rolled her eyes.
"You're so dramatic, has anyone ever told you that?" She said as she picked a dress and lay it on the bed.
"But you do like him don't you? " I said, walking behind her as she grabbed her towel and began heading towards the bathroom.
"You're really making me late, and besides, that's none of your business". She said as threw her phone on the bed and closed the bathroom door once she'd gotten in.
I smiled to myself at the thought of her actually liking Imran. Pestering her was the only way to get her to reveal it. "Don't forget to tell me every detail once you get back!" I said loud enough for her to hear with the shower on.
"Shut up!" She screamed back and I giggled to myself as I lay on the bed. She most definitely likes him.
...
Layan's POV...
I sipped on the last bit of tea in my teacup as I watched the city view from the window. It's been a couple hours since I left home, I wonder what Laila was doing alone at home, maybe coming up with more reasons to prove that I liked Imran?
"Layan?", I heard Imran ask, his voice bringing me out of my thoughts. I diverted my attention to him, the sunlight hitting his face perfectly, bringing out his features. Was it me or did he look better in that suit? Anyways, who was I to notice these small things. "You've been staring out the window for quite some time now, is there anything in particular that's on your mind?"
You can't forget his observant nature, but wait, what was really on my mind? Him, or Laila? Or was it Laila's voice in my head? Was I really trying to deny the fact? Or was I just not able to accept it? The fact that I did like him...
"No, uhm, I was actually thinking of going home, we've been here for quite some time, so...". I said as I got up, he also got up, placing the teacup back on the table. Would it be a wrong decision to go home? Can't I stay here for a while longer? There were so many things I wanted us to talk, so many things I wanted to say, but couldn't. I began making my way out when he stopped me.
"Wait", he said, I stopped. He walked up to me. "There's something I want to tell you". He said, my heart beat faster in my chest, what did he want to say? What was so important ? That was if it was important.
"What is it?" I said, finally looking up to see him, he seemed a bit anxious , what could it be?
"I don't want our friendship to be ruined by this, but I know that I have to tell you. The thing is, I admire you, not just admire, I really like you. For a long time now, I've wanted to tell you, be you seemed distant. Maybe I'm making the wrong decision by telling you this in this way, at this point in time, maybe you don't even feel the same way, but, all I wanted to do was get this off my chest, so..." He said, staring down at his hands. Was he waiting for my reply? I could feel my heart beat faster and a few beads of sweat rolling down my neck. He had feelings for me, the same way I had feelings for him. Was he pulling my leg?
"I, I would think about it". I said softly as I walked out of the café, avoiding his gaze. Did I do the right thing? Or should I have told him about my feelings for him? Everything would surely change once I go back to work. I lost a really close friend, and broke his heart.
I chose to take the longer route when coming back home. I felt terrible for how I flatly rejected someone who cared so much for me, and who I cared for just as much. I turned a corner which would lead me straight to home, when I felt someone's shoulder roughly brush past mine. I turned back to look at the person and say that all their things had fallen to the ground. I knelt down on the floor to pick up all the fallen items to put in the person's purse when I came across a pregnancy test? I put everything in the purse and stood up to give the person back their purse.
The woman quickly snatched her purse from me before whispering a thank you and rushing away, how strange. As much as I tried not to think of the pregnancy test, it was all that I could think of while I opened the door to the house.
It's been two weeks since the incident had happened, none of us thought of this earlier, but what if Laila had gotten pregnant.
I rushed into the living room and shut the door behind me, I pulled off my sweater and threw my purse on the couch as I called out to Laila.
"Laila! Laila!" I yelled as I made my way to the kitchen.
"Yes! What is it?!" She yelled back as she walked into the kitchen. I turned to face her and dragged her into the living room." Why do you seem so anxious?" She said as she sat down with a worried expression written all over her face.
I sat down next to her and held both her shoulders. "Have you used a pregnancy test?" I said looking straight into her eyes.
"What?"
"It's been two weeks right? Have you used a pregnancy test?" I asked again.
She looked away. "Well, no".
"And you haven't told Kareem either". I said softly to myself.
"But I can't be pregnant, right?" She said as she looked up at me, fear written all over her face.
"Listen to me. You're going home tomorrow so, you'd just use the pregnancy test there. If you aren't pregnant, then you can just simply tell him what happend, but if you are, then ..." I trailed offas I held both her hands.
"Then what?" She asked softly.
"Then we don't know his he'd react".