Double fire🔥

//35//: Unleashing the Dragon

He nodded yawing his gaze at her. "Khadijah Sayhaan, I'm in love with you."

"Why? Since when Arif?" Her voice came out in a whisper.

He swallowed a huge lump as he suddenly felt so tiny in her presence. How could a shy girl be making him feel so small? This love thing na wahala.

"Remember that day in LA, when you came over to our house after your parent left for Hajj. You were just nine years old. Sabrina, the twins and I were going to a restaurant. On our way there, you kept on chanting 'Cheps restaurant.' repeatedly that Sabrina kept telling you to keep quiet else she'll throw you out of the car."

"I remember the day."

"The rest went off to wander around the area while you chose to stay with me. I'm sure you can't remember but we were holding hands. Swinging it even. It was dusk and it was almost time for us to depart but we furthered our strolling. Right from that moment, I fell in love. I thought it was just a crush but when it didn't go away even after twelve years, I knew it was more than a crush."

"Twelve years and you didn't stop loving me? Despite me being with Saif, who was also your friend." She started tearing up. He saw that coming seeing as her waterworks were frequent.

"Not even for a moment."

"I'm sorry for not noticing it earlier."

"Even if you had, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. You loved Saif, a lot." He smiled sadly remembering how to the loved each other. They had the best love story.

"Did he know?"

"He was my closest friend, of course he knew. You know what he told me?"

She shook her head negatively. "He said 'I love her and she loves me. I can't live without her, she also can't leave without me. But If there comes a day that we are both separated from one another, then you may be with her. Keep her happy when that happens and rip her away from tears of sadness and anger, then replace them with tears of joy. All I wish for my Kubra is nothing but happiness." As he quoted what his late friend had uttered, a lone tear slipped down his cheeks.

He missed him. If there was anyone he trusted more than anything then it was Saif. He always rooted for him no matter where they were.

Kubra's lips moved upwards into a wide smile as uncontrollable tears began rolling down. "He was too good for this dunya." She knew for a fact he wasn't lying about it.

"Please stop crying, it makes me feel like I'm breaking my friend's promise. Don't be saddened by my words."

She shook her head, her smile didn't waver one bit. "These are not tears of sadness but tears of joy, Arif. Saif chose you. He didn't leave me all alone, he left me in your care."

He rose to his feet as his eyes widened slightly. "You mean...."

"Please marry me, Arif. I want to make your dream come true. Please."

He was lot of words and did the one thing Aliza taught him to do while he was happy—despite him being her older brother—-he put his knees down and placed his head down for sujood. He thanked Allah for answering his prayers, he prayed for Baba Kaka for raising their father's together, to his parents for being  making them all one, he prayed for his deceased friend and he also prayed for the future ahead of them.

The one verse from the Quran that was in his head at the moment was "Indeed with hardship comes ease." Only Allah knows what he had gone through alone over these past years. He has sinned to the extent that he thought Allah was never going to forgive him. But, "He found you lost and guided you."