The Not-So Perfect Muslim Twins [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Two: Pressure

"Sure I was surprised and confused when I heard of her condition, but mostly... I was disappointed." He said. From the look on his face, he didn't seem to even be wanting this conversation. 

"It's understandable. I don't think Yadirah understands how hard it is for you. By putting down that condition, even I was surprised. To be honest... it sort of came as a burden to me. I mean, you can't just chose a random girl and allow her to become a part of your life without fully getting to know her, her interests, or anything."

"My parents did the same to me too. They had a feeling I was in need of a wife to keep me away from temptations... and my past.  And I thought it was way too soon. I mean, I didn't even have a job, or an education. But when I saw your sister, I guess I knew she was the right one. Obviously I didn't know whether she was exactly going to accept the proposal or not. But it was a start..." He said a lot, but the only thing that made it to my brain was the mention of his past. 

"Your past?" I asked, slowly. He gave me a nervous smile before saying anything. 

"Not a very good one." He replied. He didn't seem to want to even touch the subject, so I let it go. 

"It's alright. Every one's got one." I said. 

"I guess the change came unexpectedly." 

"The change?" I said, pressing for more. 

"Well, yeah. I wasn't always like this." He said, slowly. "I was stubborn a few years back... or I still might be. Well a lot of things were different after my mother died. I guess I had a hard time accepting it. My dad did too, I guess. But he moved on a lot quicker than I did. It was only after high school that I realized, I couldn't stay the same." For some reason, I never for once thought that Saifullah's mother's death would be the cause of his rebellion. 

"So I'm guessing you had quite the temper before?" I asked. He stared down, and shook his head. 

"My temper was never my problem." He replied. He didn't want to bring up his past whatsoever. Not even a single thought about it. Maybe it was a good thing. He did say he changed. When I went home that night, while Yadirah was taking a shower, I went through her phone for Laiba's number. It felt wrong. But I couldn't let Yadirah figure it out. 

"Hello?" I heard Laiba's voice over the line once I dialed her number. I didn't know what I was doing. Whether what I was doing was right or wrong, I didn't know. "Hello?" She said, again. 

"Assalamu Alaikum..." I said, over the phone quietly. 

"Wa Alaikumasalaam." She said in an unsure tone of voice. "Who is this?" She asked. I sighed. 

"It's me." I replied. "Binyamin." 

"Oh. Um, what can I help you with?" She asked awkwardly. 

"That offer... is it still up?" I asked her. My heart was ready to pounce out of my chest. This was crazy. What am I even thinking?

"You mean... the whole marriage set up?" She asked. "It is. Are you agreeing to it?" 

"On one condition." I said. 

"Go on." She said. 

"To you this might be a joke, but I plan on taking this seriously." She started laughing. 

"Are you suggesting we might fall for each other?" She asked. 

"I need this, Laiba. This is the only option I have left thanks to Yadirah putting that condition up for her fiance. And I never wanted to accept this type of proposal in the first place, knowing that our relationship would be a lie. For you, it might be a joke. But for me, it's as serious as it gets. What I'm saying is, you can get away from your parent's nagging, and I can get away from my sister's unreasonable condition without having extra pressure on me to get married. So, the question is, will you accept?" I asked her. She stayed quiet for a moment before sighing.