Jannah. [SEQUEL TO DAWUD]

Chapter 51: Mixed Feelings

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

If the time of prayer has been called and you haven't prayed before reading this, please do so.

Dawud's P.O.V

Laith took a deep breath. I knew he was trying to control his temper. I didn't know how to shut down this altercation...

'Dawud, fix today's program. Right now.' Uthman ordered. His words escaped his mouth sharply, but they contrasted against his expression. I could tell he was hurting. His eyes dodged mine.

'Akhi, we can step out and talk about things... you don't have to-'

I was cut off by the sharp click of his tongue. 'I'm leaving.' He blurted. I blinked a few times, stunned. I caught the slight sound of Laith inhaling, ready to speak.

'Uthman, c'mon. Don't act that way. It doesn't befit you.' He responded softly. He was right. This was completely out of character. Uthman was always polite, well-mannered, and mature. But the more I stared at him, the more I realized he resembled a little kid, with his eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed in protest. The behaviour strayed far from his personality.

'You're the last person I want to speak to.' Uthman snapped back.

I took a deep breath and watched as Uthman rocked back and forth, almost like he was trying to relax. 'Uthman, what is it? What's going on?' I asked him, utterly confused. My expression matched Junaid's. Surprisingly enough, Laith was very relaxed. I guess he knew, better than we did, what was going on.

'You don't know? I'm surprised he hasn't told you how he snaked me!' Uthman shouted.

Laith raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Snake is the wrong word, Uthman. Why aren't you telling the truth?' He asked.

'What?' Uthman snapped. His voice boomed against the walls around us. I was worried. I didn't want the kids to hear any of this.

Junaid and I turned our necks between the two of them, completely stunned. I guess this problem was a lot deeper than we thought it was.

Jannah's P.O.V

My arm was pulled to the left as Warsan led us into another entry. It was a heavy door but once we stepped inside, we hiked up the slim metal stairwell. 'Where are we going?' I questioned. Warsan demanded that we hurry as she raced up the stairs. We rushed onto another floor, this one much more spacious than the lobby. It was covered with boxes of storage. Was this the attic? It couldn't be, because in the centre of the floor was a set of four bordered walls, about three feet tall with the remaining length being glass. They framed our view of the lobby below. They enabled us to see and hear exactly what was going on downstairs. Before I could ask how she knew this place she raced to the window. We followed. The boys were standing in a stretched-out circle, appearing as tense as ever. My husband's eyebrows were pulled together in a confused frown. He was stressed. From the looks of it, things were going downhill.

'You knew that I was interested in her. You knew it. And then you go to her house?' Uthman pressed. We all gasped, in unison, grabbing ahold of one another here on this lofty floor. He did like Warsan. Uthman liked Warsan. It wasn't in her head...

'I asked you if you were going to pursue her for marriage. I asked you, straight up. And what did you say? It's none of my business.' Laith defended. Muna and I turned our necks between the boys and Warsan, checking her expression periodically. She was biting her lip, fighting back tears. Poor girl. She spent weeks getting over a crush she felt was one-sided, only to realize that it wasn't. But now that she was finally over him, I wondered how she felt. And after hearing this news, was she still... over him?

Junaid held his hands up, hoping to deescalate the situation. 'Uthman, Laith asked you what your intentions were and you refused to clarify. You can't blame him for pursuing Warsan the right way. He made his intention clear from the start. You didn't. No one knew whether or not you even liked my sister. You can't blame everyone else for your failure to communicate.' He said. Dawud and Laith raised their eyebrows at him, causing Muna and I to chuckle. Even Warsan let a grin pull at her lips. Junaid wasn't known for his eloquence, which made his statement more humorous than intended.

'She knew! I'm sure she knew. I just needed a bit more time... I just needed-'

'You weren't ready.' Junaid cut him off. His protectiveness was clear to spot from a mile away. 'I'm glad that I played a role in helping my sister see that you weren't ready.' My eyes widened with shock. Warsan inhaled sharply. 'You were dragging her along and wasting her time while you sent her mixed signals.'

Uthman's face twisted with anger. 'I liked your sister.' He spat. 'I was hoping-'

'But you weren't serious.' Junaid's words were sharp and accusing. 'You only started putting in more work when you saw that you had a competitor. I doubt you truly liked her.' He snapped.

Uthman was beginning to grow red. Dawud stepped in between the two of them, patting Junaid on the chest. He mouthed the words 'Take it easy.'

Laith sighed. 'Uthman, I didn't want to hurt you. But I see a lot in Warsan. I was ready to put in the work and I did. But I'm sorry if that hurt you.'

'I don't get why everyone is treating this guy like he's the victim!' Junaid shouted. 'You dangled my sister's feelings around for so long. You put her through emotional turmoil. It broke my heart to see her so crushed. And you continued to confuse the poor girl! You're the one who should be apologizing to her. No one needs to send apologies your way!' He exclaimed. His fists were clenched.

I looked at Warsan, whose lips were quivering. 'You okay, sweetie?' I asked, rubbing her arm. She nodded, wiping at her eyes.

'I didn't know Junaid was aware of how much pain I went through. He cares a lot more than what he shows.'

Muna's eyes swelled up with tears as she hugged her arm. 'I'm sorry, Warsan.'

'I'm not dealing with this disrespect.' Uthman retorted. 'I don't want your sister anymore. I hope the two of you have a happy life together.' He told Laith. 'I'm glad that I don't have to be related to you in any way.' He snapped at Junaid.

Junaid waved him off and pulled Laith's shoulder. The two of them began to walk off as Uthman rubbed his face.

'Wow.' Warsan whispered to herself. It seemed as though she had mixed feelings about what just happened. I bit my lip, stunned myself. Wow, indeed.

***

Author's Note: Ahhh!!! What do you guys think about this Uthman-Junaid-Laith beef? And whose side are you on? Is anyone still #TeamUthman? Because we'll definitely see him again... 🙊