Twice Upon Them

Chapter 11 | Kayla | Hurt

"Yes," I reply slowly. "A lot of things did."

Zahra's tone softens once she hears that. "Okay, tell me what's up. Is it some Harun business again? What did he do this time?"

"It's not about him," I respond back immediately. I take a deep breath as I grip my phone in my hand, its edges digging into my palm. "I don't even know what it's about anymore. I just feel empty right now."

"Go eat," she says jokingly. "That should fill you up...But if you don't tell me exactly what's wrong, I don't know how to help you."

"I don't need guidance," I tell her quietly, "I need comfort."

"Comfort," she says, "seems to be beyond what you need right now. Come on Kayla, tell me what's up. You're scaring me right now." She pauses, waiting for me to respond, but I don't utter a word back to her. I hear her sigh as if she's super stressed. "Okay. You're stubbornness is really hard to get through." I roll my eyes despite myself. "Here's a thought that will give you some comfort. Hafsa's going to become gradually fat for the next few months."

"What do you mean?" I ask questioningly.

"Wow, you're slow. She's pregnant! Harun told me over the phone. It sounded like he was going to pass out."

"Well, he is going to be an uncle for the first time," I say reasonably. "And tell Hafsa I said congratulations."

"Someone's enthusiastic," she says rather sarcastically. "I thought the two of you were like sisters."

"Zahra," I warn her, "I'm not in the mood."

"I was just trying to cheer you up," she says defensively. "Since you don't want to reveal - or don't know as you claim - what's bothering you, I really can't be some stoic philosopher." She pauses again, but this time as if she's contemplating on what to say next. "Talk to your mom. Open up to her if not me."

A sigh hisses through my lips. "I'm at my dad's place. And she's most likely sleeping right now."

I can almost see Zahra roll her blue eyes with exasperation. "Let's talk about something else then...Like how you're turning the big eighteen in a few weeks. What are your plans?"

"I don't have any," I mumble. "I guess I'll just go to sleep. Night."

"Wait, Kay-" I end the call and throw my phone across the bed, which lands near my feet. I sigh as I draw the covers closer to my body and stare up at the ceiling, something that I've been doing for the past few days. I barely have a good night's sleep nowadays, especially with the incident that happened while I was at the park. What bothered me wasn't that whoever was driving almost ran me over, but the fact that Nick was right there behind me. It was as if he were anticipating it to happen...

No matter how many times I try to brush away my suspicions, they still poke around in my mind. Since the people who bothered me before are locked away in prison, I almost feel assured that I won't have any encounters with them again. Now, I have a strange feeling that I'm not completely safe - and Nick seems to be hiding that from me.

***

"I apologize for having to reschedule. Something urgent came up," I tell Maymunah as I pick up a menu from the table. I returned back home just this morning and contacted her to see if she were free for the afternoon. Luckily, Maymunah is staying here for a few more days before she has to go off for her honeymoon.

"It's fine. I understand." She gives me a small smile before perusing a menu of her own. "The Oreo milkshake sounds really good," she says to fill the brief silence between us. I silently agree in my head just as Maymunah takes a deep breath. "Kayla, Harun wants to speak with you. He's worried about you and-"