BETROTHED ✓

25°

For the first time in a long time, Larai was able to have a peaceful sleep. Her heart was finally at ease, knowing that her family was fine and that the nightmare she had was meaningless.

It was still dark at dawn when Larai's eyes opened. She stretched and yawned. Her neck then craned in the direction of the wall clock. It was 6:40 a.m and she had a lecture by 8:00 a.m. She pulled the duvet off her body and rushed to the bathroom to perform ablution for dawn prayer.

In a flash, Larai had taken a bath and was donned in a plain brown, sleeveless gown and a long, white hijab draped over her whole body, that showed her feet alone.

She walked up to her bag rack and stood there, a finger between her lips. She was confused about which bag to pick. The brown bag Yusrah had gifted her or the black bag Yusuf had picked for her at the mall. "I should take the black," She said to herself and took the bag off the rack. Her reason for picking that wasn't solely because it was Yusuf's choice, but because it went well with her dressing. She might be unsophisticated, but she still had a good sense of dressing.

On her way out of the house, the family was already having breakfast in the dining room. Mrs. Hadiza was dressed in an Ankara skirt and blouse, while Yusuf was dressed in a T-shirt and trousers—as usual. Mr. Kasim on the other hand was seated on his chair. From Larai's viewpoint, she couldn't see his face, but she could tell he was clad in a white jallabiya.

Larai wished she could walk out of the house without anyone noticing, but her bubbles were burst when Yusuf raised a hand and beckoned her to come forward. Mr. Kasim's presence would no doubts exacerbate and make her nervous and could result in her spilling the beans.

"Sorry, I have a lecture right now. I'm going to be late." She mouthed to Yusuf.
S
he had already turned to leave but realized she didn't greet Mrs. Hadiza and how rude it would be considered.
She turned back around and advanced towards them. "Good morning." Her greeting was directed to everyone present there, except for Mr. Kasim of course. His actions had made her lose the huge respect she had for him. She knew she would never be able to trust him anymore and that was why she concluded insisting to stay in the hostel instead. With Mr. Kasim under the same roof as her, she couldn't take chances. He might have more vile plans up his sleeves.

"Good morning, my dear." Mrs. Hadiza smiled. "Are you leaving for school already?"
"
Yes, ma." She responded.

"Stay and have breakfast with us." Mr. Kasim's voice was hoarse.

Larai bit her lips

"Abba is right." Yusuf chimed in. "Why don't you sit with us and have breakfast first?"

"I'm sorry, I can't." Larai shook her head. "I'm going to be late. I will eat when I return. I have just one lecture today." The instant her last sentence left her mouth, Larai face-palmed. She wished she could take it back. The last thing she wanted at the moment, was for Mr. Kasim to know of her schedule. She feared he might take advantage of the information.

"Alright then. Yusuf will drop you off." Mrs. Hadiza's neck craned to Yusuf's direction. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"Absolutely not." He grinned. "Let's go, Larai."

"Huh?" Larai's brows wrinkled. "Aren't you going to finish eating your
food?"

"And didn't you say you're running late for your lecture?" He hummed.

"Yusuf's right. Y'all should get going before that happens."

"Yes, Ammi." Yusuf withdrew a serviette from its holder and wiped his mouth.

"Make sure you return home afterward. You just returned from a journey yesterday. You need proper rest."

"I will, ammi. Come on, Larai." Yusuf pulled his chair back and stood.