Converting the Bad Boy ✔

Chapter 28

Salamu alaykum my beautiful readers! I apologize for the spaced apart updates, but I honestly didn't have time to write during the week. The joys of homework 😒

^Pic of Mariam's outfit. Gotta love hijabi fashion.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this Chapter. It's more of a filler chapter but oh well, a chapter nonetheless. 😉😃😜

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"Yes, baby, the camera loves you! Now move your head a little to the left and smile like it's Christmas morning."

Denise had been saying all sorts of ludicrous things as she took our pictures, because that's apparently what "real photographers" did. She even had a black beret perched on her ginger curls and she wore a white t-shirt and black pants with red suspenders. All in all, she was really getting into the photographer vibe, though she looked more like a French cartoon.

"We don't celebrate Christmas," Yasmine reminded Denise as she leaned against the tree, arms crossed. She was wearing a denim blouse rolled up at the sleeves and a long caramel brown skirt and a leopard print hijab. We were in Denise's backyard which provided a beautiful backdrop for the photos.

"Oh, yeah, that's right, my bad," Denise smiled sheepishly.

"You know what does get us smiling?" I said, a grin already spreading across my face. I turned to Yasmine, and she had that same smile, and we both exclaimed, "EID!"

Denise laughed, "That's right, you guys have Eid, I totally forgot!" she lifted her black Nikon camera back, obscuring most of her face and saying, "Smile like it's Eid morning!"

And so we did, shoulder to shoulder, our outfits complimenting each other (I was wearing a coral hijab, aqua blue tight top, a brown leather belt around my waist and a long coral skirt), and as soon as we were done taking the photos for Denise's media assignment, we retired inside her house for a bit. On the way in Denise's cat Skittles rubbed its speckled fur against my leg as it slipped into the backyard. I was glad none of my friends owned dogs, otherwise going to their house would've been a problem. Theo used to have a dog when he was a kid but it died when he was ten, so since then the only pet he had was a cockatoo that ended up flying away after three years of being caged.

"Skittles is so cute," Yasmine cooed as she watched it lick its paw on the lawn outside the screen door.
Denise chuckled. "She used to be, but now she can get annoying," she said as she opened the fridge. We both joined her at the kitchen bench as Denise poured us some lemonade Denise's mum had made the day before, so it was still fresh, and it tasted amazing.

"How can a cat get annoying?" I asked as I exhaled, setting my glass down on the marble bench.

"She's shedding her fur everywhere and she cries every morning," Denise explained with a roll of her eyes, removing the beret from her head and running a hand through her hair. "The only reason we keep her is because Amanda loves her so much."

At the mention of Denise's younger sister, the girl herself skipped in, a mini version of Denise with her pale skin and red hair, bright blue eyes sparkling as she greeted us again. Amanda loved saying hello, even if she only saw you five minutes before.

"Can I have some lemonade too?" Amanda asked sweetly to her sister.

"Fine," Denise sighed and got out an extra glass for her. Amanda was nine years old and though Denise complained about her sometimes, I knew she had a special place in her heart for her younger sister, just like I had a place for Zeinab, and even Nasr.

"Are you finished taking photos?" Amanda asked as she sipped from her glass with both hands. She was quite short, her head only just popping up from over the benchtop, and Denise leaned her elbows on the benchtop, regarding her sister with amusement.