AFRA

CHAPTER 41

It was some few minutes before Fajr...The Kashim mansion was quiet.

That deep kind of quiet that only existed before Fajr, when even the walls seemed to be asleep.

Tas-alla groaned softly as she turned on her bed. Her eyes remained shut, but her body already knew what was wrong.

She was hungry.

Very hungry.

She stretched both arms above her head, arching her back like a lazy cat. Her oversized pyjama top rode up a little, revealing the hem of her shorts. She yawned so wide it felt like she could swallow the whole estate.

“Ya Allah…” she muttered sleepily.

She rubbed her eyes, blinked twice, then dragged herself out of bed. Her slippers slapped lightly against the floor as she walked out of her room.

Her headset on, with soft music playing.
Brain still half asleep.

She padded into the dim kitchen, the lights barely on. Without thinking, she opened the fridge and grabbed a can of milk. She popped it open and drank straight from it.

One gulp.....Two.

Then.....Her face twisted😵‍💫😵‍💫

Her brain finally caught up.

This is wrong.

Her eyes widened.

The taste hit her tongue fully now...sour, sharp, unmistakably bad.

“BLEGH!”

She spat it out immediately.

Unfortunately… not on the floor....Not in the sink.

But straight onto the person standing beside her.

RUSOOL.

Who had just walked into the kitchen seconds earlier.... on her phone.

Time froze.

Tas-alla gasped, yanked off her headset, horror written all over her face.

“Oh my God! Rusool! I’m so sorry".

Rusool stood there, shocked, milk splattered on her veil and sleeve.

Tas-alla panicked.

“I swear I didn’t know! The milk---it’s expired--I...”

She rushed to the sink, poured water into a cup, and handed it to her.

“Please, rinse, I’ll clean it, I’m so sorry...”

Rusool raised a hand.

“Calm down, Tas-alla.”

“I didn’t mean to! I was half asleep---”

“I said calm down.”

Tas-alla immediately shut her mouth, nodding quickly, eyes filled with guilt.

“Sorry…” she mouthed.

Rusool sighed, wiping herself.
“It’s fine. Okay?”

Tas-alla nodded again.

Then Rusool noticed something.

She frowned slightly.
“Your hand… what happened?”

Tas-alla glanced down at the faint burn mark on her skin, which she had gotten yesterday.

“It’s almost Fajr,” she said instead.

She turned away quickly.

Walked out.