MINE (EDITED)

Chapter 18

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One week had passed since that awkward Lunch with Muhammad and Salma. I had tried not to overthink it, but something felt off. His reassurance was nice, but the way he talked about her—it didn't sit right with me. I pushed the thought aside, reminding myself that he had told me she was just a family friend. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something more was at play.

This morning, I woke up feeling a little off. My stomach churned as soon as I opened my eyes, and before I could stop myself, I was scrambling to the bathroom, emptying my stomach. I wasn't sure what was going on, but this wasn't the first time I'd felt like this recently.

I took a deep breath and stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, trying to convince myself it was just a stomach bug or stress. I wasn't about to jump to conclusions, but there was something in the pit of my stomach—other than the nausea—that had me wondering if maybe, just maybe, I could be... pregnant?

No, Layla. Don't overthink it. It's probably just your body reacting to all the changes going on. I sighed, washing my face and then heading back to my room, deciding I would try to shake it off.

After checking the time on the clock, I realized it was only 9:06 a.m., and the house was eerily quiet. I wrapped myself in my cozy duvet and laid back down, letting my thoughts wander. But, of course, that didn't last long. I quickly grew restless. I dragged myself out of bed and grabbed my robe from the couch before heading to the kitchen upstairs.

The kitchen was just as empty as the rest of the house. I could already tell that no one was up yet. No one except me, of course. I quietly made myself a cup of hot chocolate and settled into the living room, flipping through channels until I ended up on Disney Junior. It was a guilty pleasure of mine—Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was oddly comforting. The bright colors, the silly songs, and the simple humor always managed to make me forget about whatever was on my mind.

But just as I was getting into it, the unmistakable sound of Norah's sleepy voice broke through my peace.

"Layloş, lütfen değiştir," she whined, still half asleep, referring to the TV channel.

I rolled my eyes, not even sparing her a glance. "Beni rahatsız etme, I was watching peacefully before you woke up," I muttered, ignoring her pleas.

For the next thirty minutes, she persisted—begging, whining, and giving me puppy eyes until I couldn't take it anymore. I handed over the remote, surrendering.

"Fine, whatever. Go back to your zombie life," I joked as I got up and walked back to my room.

I quickly showered, using the sweet scent of watermelon shower gel to try to shake off the grogginess still hanging over me. Once I was done, I headed to my closet, looking for something that felt both comfortable and presentable. A red and white atamfa skirt and blouse caught my eye. Perfect. I finished getting ready, tying my hair into a neat low bun and making sure my dankwali was secured in place.

Downstairs, the kitchen was buzzing with the usual activity. Mammy and Daddy were already having breakfast. I sat beside Mammy, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. Daddy smiled at me with his usual warmth.

"How come you're up early today, kuzum?" Daddy asked in his mix of English and Turkish, a language I was more familiar with thanks to Mammy. His voice was filled with concern, but also love.

"Stomach ache woke me up. If not, I would've still been in bed," I replied, sighing.

The usual clink of spoons against bowls filled the air as we ate. Norah and Nabeel were busy chatting away, while I had a quiet conversation with Mammy. But then Daddy cleared his throat, and I instantly knew something was coming.

"We'll be going to Katsina tomorrow, inshallah," Daddy announced, looking up from his phone.

The mention of a road trip immediately made me groan. I knew it would be a long, tiring journey, and there was no way I was looking forward to sitting in a car for hours. Norah shared my sentiment, and we both let out simultaneous groans.

"By air or by road?" Norah asked, but I already knew the answer.

"By road, inshallah," Daddy said.

"Ya Allah!" I whispered under my breath, but Norah heard me, and we both exchanged a glance of mutual misery.

"Anne'm, I'm going to Ni'imah's house. She just came back yesterday," I said, hoping for a little relief from the family chaos.

"Drivers yok," Mammy replied, shaking her head.

I turned to Nabeel, who was on a phone call. I was about to ask him, but he glanced at me first.

"Lütfen Ya Nabeel, take me to Ni'imah's house," I pleaded, giving him my best puppy-dog eyes.

He shook his head firmly. "No, no, and no."

"Nolur Ağabey," I begged, the 'please' slipping out with extra sweetness. "Please, I promise it won't take long."

After what felt like an eternity of begging, Nabeel finally agreed, telling me to go get ready. I rushed upstairs, quickly changing into a matching veil and adding a little extra lip gloss for good measure. I grabbed my phone, my handbag, and hurried back downstairs.

In the car, I couldn't help but ask, "Yakışıklı ağabeyim, since we're in Maitama, can we pick up Ibty?"

He groaned dramatically. "Sen nasıl bir kızsın?" He pretended to be exasperated, but I could see he was enjoying the little moment of being the 'handsome brother.'

We picked up Ibty, who was already waiting at the gate. She climbed into the backseat with me, and soon enough, we were headed to Yerima's mansion. We didn't even get out of the car before things started getting awkward. A girl opened the door for us and didn't even say a word, chewing gum like it was some sort of competition. Astagfirullah, I thought.

"She's strange," Ibty muttered as we walked past her.

Once we were inside, I immediately called Ni'imah, letting her know we had arrived. She sounded genuinely shocked when I told her.

"Wallah, I'm serious. We are downstairs!" I chuckled as Ni'imah squealed on the other end of the line.

A couple of minutes later, Ni'imah came rushing downstairs to greet us, and we all exchanged excited hugs.

The afternoon passed with random chatter and laughter, catching up on everything and nothing at the same time. Of course, the topic of Muhammad and our upcoming wedding came up, and I found myself laughing with my friends, trying to ignore the little discomfort in my stomach.

Later, Ni'imah filled me in on a little secret: her cousin, Juwairah, had a thing for Muhammad and wasn't exactly thrilled when she found out about our engagement. It explained her earlier coldness.

I could feel a strange tension in the air, but I pushed it down. I had no time for insecurities or jealousy. Not now. Not when I had so much more to look forward to.

Later that evening, I returned home, trying to shake off the feeling that something was off. I lay in bed, my mind spinning, my stomach uneasy once again. I prayed isha, changed into my pajamas, and climbed under the covers.

As I drifted to sleep, my phone buzzed with a notification from an unknown number. I decided to ignore it, too tired to deal with anything else. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, after all.

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