HIJABI ✔️

Chapter 28

Ruqayyah's POV

I wake up and stretch myself before looking at the time to find that it was already midday. I was supposed to be happy for getting to sleep up to this time after so long, but I wasn't. I remember sleeping only after I prayed Fajr. I was all night thinking if I should go meet Alex or not, but I decided against it. If it's for us to end up arguing one more time then I'm good where I am.

I get up towards the bathroom to shower and then I put my clothes on before praying Dhuhr salah.

"Assalamu Aleykum," I say once I arrived in the living room to find my mum sitting on the couch with Khadija and asking her about her drawing.
My parents pay a lot of attention to her and her drawings.

"Wa Aleykumu Salam. You must be feeling refreshed, look at the time." My mum gives me a smile and I give one in return, although that's not completely true.

I sit down on the sofa to join them and my dad arrives a couple of minutes later from the mosque. I love these moments when we are all together. It was only me and my family for the rest of the afternoon. And when it was around 6pm, my mum asked me to go buy cake ingredients. I noticed she was acting strange, both her and my dad. But strange in a positive way. They were extra nice today.

I didn't complain anyway. I just grabbed my purse and the money and my mum told me to take Khadija with me. I thought it was strange, but once again, I didn't complain. I walked with Khadija all the way to the shop and bought everything listed in the shopping list. When we were done, I had in my mind, heading straight home, but Khadija had other plans.

"Can I play in the park just for a little bit, pleaseeee!" Khadija stretches her lips as she knows I can't negotiate with that.

"You know we can't do that. It's too late."

"Just for 3 0 minutes," She pronounces the numbers separately.

"Thirty minutes?" I smile and she nods.

I look up and it wasn't as dark, but in thirty minutes, it would surely be. But I can't help it. She is standing in front of me stretching her lips and giving me the puppy eyes, softens my heart, more than it already is.

"Okay thirty minutes then," I couldn't almost finish my sentence before she ran away into the park.

I went and sat on one of the benches inside the park and looked at every step of Khadija's. I know that when she starts playing, she forgets everything and everybody.

I love how little kids are so quick at making friends. She was already laughing and playing with two more girls.

"Is this seat taken?" I hear a voice next to me and I look up to find Alex, to my very own surprise.

"Alex!?"

He sits down next to me before I could answer.

"I didn't think you would come." He says. Well, I didn't think I would come either. "Can we talk now?"

"I don't think right now is the moment. I came with my sister." He looks up to find my sister on the swings with her new friends and giggling about something. She sees me and waves at me, but her eyes land on Alex and she does a curious expression.

"What's her name?" Alex asks me.

"Khadija,"

"Well, if you won't talk to me, I will talk to her instead." He tells me and I watch him get up from the bench towards the swing.

I look at Khadija as Alex lowers down to her level to speak to her. She nods as she giggles and the next thing I see is the two of them getting along as if they've known each other for years. So is this what it takes? I really need to speak to Khadija about talking to strangers.