Laila

Chapter 2

I could seriously smell auntie Mariam's homemade cupcake from two blocks away. No kidding. I still remember how Sobia and auntie Mariam worked day and night to save money to start up their own little bakery two years ago and now it's one of the best bakeries in town. Even though it's September, the wind is still quite chilly, I guess autumn will be arriving sooner than I expected and I was very much excited. I loved autumn, there is something so beautiful about the way trees change their colors and the way everything becomes cozy and warm. I spotted Sobia front of her bakery waiting for me. I waved at her and quickly picked up my steps towards the bakery. As soon as I reached there I was embraced by her world famous hugs , honestly this girl is super affectionate. "Sobia jaan I missed you too but you gotta let me go, I can't breathe" I laughed, but I was seriously struggling.

"Opps" She chucked while losing up her grip. "I missed you so much Laila, how was your first day of college? Oh my gosh I am so excited for you. I am sure auntie Nasreen and Sabir are thrilled as well, by the way how are they?" She said all of that without taking any break.

"One thing at a time dear, first lets go inside. I am so hungry" I said rubbing my little belly, laughing.

"Oh yes sorry, come inside, Ammi Jaan is waiting for you, she made a fresh batch of red velvet cupcake just for you, she loves you more than me" Sobia said jokingly.

"Oh stop it, as if my Ammi isn't a crazy fan of yours." I hooked my arms with Sobia and went behind the kitchen counter to meet auntie Mariam.

"Asalam O Alikum, Auntie Jaan" I said as soon as I got inside the bakery.

"Oh you are here Laila, how are you my daughter?" She said giving me a warm teddy bear hug.

"I am doing great auntie, how are you?" I asked her.

"I am good, the work here is picking up quite fast. We have a huge order for this weekend for a birthday party." She said proudly.

"Oh Masha'Allah, that's wonderful, if you need any help then let me know." I offered her.

"Yes you should come along Laila, it'll be fun I heard the Ibrahims are quite wealthy and have a really nice place" Sobia stepped in the conversation.

"Oh that would be lovely, come along with us on Saturday". Auntie Mariam said. "Now you two have a seat, its not busy right now. I will bring you some coffee and cupcakes."

Sobia and I sat near the windows in the corner. "Who are the Ibrahims?" I asked Sobia.

"Oh you don't know, they just moved here in the town. There is a lot of buzz about them these days. I think they used to live in Berlin before. I don't know a lot about them but when Ibrahim Raza came into our bakery couple of days back I knew they were a big deal. He is a nice man but his wife Ayesha is quite rude. She was constantly telling her husband to go to a different bakery for the order." Sobia explained.

"Wow, what is the order for?" I asked again. Whoever these Ibrahims were, they didn't sound too pleasant.

"Ibrahim Raza's little daughter is turning 9 this Saturday so they came to our bakery to place the order. And Ibrahim Raza also gave Ammi 250 pounds just like that; they sure know how to use their money. I really want to see their house; a lot of my friends are talking about them." Sobia said.

"Yeah we'll on Saturday." I just left the topic about them there. Sobia and I continued on with our conversation and talked about other things. After stuffing my stomach with countless cupcakes and a delicious cup of coffee, I said my goodbye to Sobia and mother and headed home.

"You should at least pick up your phone Laila, I was getting worried." That's the first thing I heard from my mother as soon as I stepped inside the house.