Dare You To Love Me

«35» rekindling old friendships

Perhaps, that ship had sailed, and she wasn’t sure whether Nadia’s absence was worse than her presence.

“Come in,” she managed to choke out, her voice barely above a whisper, as she stepped aside to invite them into her haven.

“What happened to your face?” Layla asked, like it was the first time she was noticing the visible bruises on Yaseerah’s face, which were stark against her otherwise flawless complexion.

A surge of self-consciousness hit Yaseerah in that moment, as the others turned towards her, their eyes wide with shock, likely noticing the bruises too.

She tried to brush off the uneasy feeling, reminding herself that these were her friends, they would understand. But she knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“What did he do to you?” Zarah’s voice was accusatory, her eyes flashing with both anger and concern, as she turned towards the spot Fou’ad had just been standing at. “Is he a danger to you?”

Yaseerah would have found the newfound overprotectiveness endearing, if they’d been on good terms for a long while, but before she could utter a word, Layla and Amira started bombarding her with questions and exclamations, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of noise that made her feel overwhelmed, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.

“That’s enough.”

Though she hadn’t shouted, there was a strong intensity to her tone that had them all quiet down, as they turned to her with varying degrees of emotions.

Yaseerah took a deep breath, gathering her courage, feeling exposed, and vulnerable, as she met the gaze of each of them, unsure of how they would react. “It’s not what you think,” she began, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “And I do not wish to speak about it, either now or ever. I hope you understand.”

Zarah’s expression softened, her anger giving way to empathy, even though she still appeared like she wanted to argue. “Of course,” she murmured, stepping forward to embrace her friend. “I’m sorry if we overstepped. We were just–”

“Fou’ad would never hurt me,” she stated firmly, cutting Zarah off. “I know that, I trust him which is more than I can say for either one of you three.”

It was a low blow, Yaseerah knew it but she couldn’t deny the truth of it either.

“Yaseerah,” Amina began, speaking for the first time Yaseerah had seen them. “They’re just–”

“You’re right,” Zarah conceded, cutting Amina off, as she tipped her head forward in submission. “And once again, I apologize for each of our behaviors. I know it’s nothing to write home about, but believe me when I say this, we truly are sorry. We can leave if you don’t–”

“Water under the bridge?” Yaseerah cut in.

“Toast,” they chimed in unison, and Yaseerah’s smile grew, as she stepped away to welcome them into her bedroom.

“Group hug?” Amina called out, making Yaseerah scrunch her nose in distaste.

“I don’t–” Yaseerah began to protest, but Amina was not having it.

“Oh, get over yourself,” Amina rolled her eyes, as she grabbed Yaseerah and pulled her into their group embrace.

“Now,” Layla pulled back, wiping a wayward tear from her eyes, as her lips split into a grin. “Let’s get this party going. We sound like a heartbreak song on repeat, and that will not do.”

Her words earned a lot of laughter from the girls, and Yaseerah watched them with a fond smile, an odd sense of nostalgia washing over her, as they began to arrange her bedroom to their preferences.