Chapter Four: Meeting Him

Chapter Four: Meeting him 

"Okay," I said again. 

"I am sorry about earlier, You are perfect for the job but the company has a no-dating policy, and I like you," Kabir said the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

"I don't understand?" I asked feeling the door Jidda and I were leaning on move as we both stepped back, 

Ruqayya opened the door, "Take some drinks to them" she whispered, trying not to interrupt my call.

"If you had gotten the job..." he said I could feel my body tense up and my hearing pause, I couldn't hear anything Kabir was saying anymore "You know, can I call you back?" I asked, hanging up the call immediately.

"Take some drinks to them", Ruqayya said again, I glanced at Jidds who had a wide smile, my heart suddenly pounding, and my hands trembling as I picked up a tray of drinks, "Let's go" I turned to Jidda who shook her head, "you go alone, make sure to look at him properly" she teased,

"I would follow you," my sister said, standing in front of me as we both walked to the living room where they sat, My hands trembled as I got into the living room, and I could feel eyes their eyes on me, unable to raise my head I looked to the ground, counting my steps 

Without a word or raising my head to see the people on the couch, I put down the drinks, rushing back into the kitchen 

"How is he?" Jidda asked, as soon as I got back into the kitchen, "I don't know I didn't"t see him, I replied, leaning nervously against the fridge.

Minutes later, Ruqayya walked back into the kitchen, "You just rushed back in here without even welcoming them" she scolded, What did she expect me to do, stay there and let them have a good look at me, hell no, I have never that awkward in my life. 

"This is not going to work," I said to Ruqayya, "I can't just meet this man and decide whether I want to spend the rest of my life with him or not" I started feeling my heart pound so hard. 

"But they are already here," Ruqayya said, looking at Jidda for some help, "Listen, Zahra, no pressure, imagine they are just Umar's visitors and we are all just sitting to eat dinner, You don't have to make any decisions now" Jidda said standing in front of me,  I nodded, "Okay!! Okay!!" taking a deep breath, 

"We are just having dinner" I echoed her words, "they are already at the table, let's go" Ruqayyah announced, this time I held onto Jidda's hand tightly, as we headed straight to the table, 

"Asallamu Alaikum," Jidda said so comfortably as I echoed, "This is my sister Fatima and her friend Jidda, my sister introduced, 

"Wa'alaikum salam" I heard a  soothing warm voice reply, making me feel a little at ease,  followed by the voice of a child, raised my head at the little girl's voice, staring in the direction of the voice to find a young girl sitting at the chair opposite the one I was standing,  I smiled at her as she grind, focusing on her, I pulled the chair opposite her sitting comfortably.

"I am Ahmad, this is my brother Ibrahim and our sister Karima," the soothing male voice said, I glanced at the other man sitting beside him, I had seen Ahamd before and had a little crush on him for a while, his brother I had never seen. 

Taking a second glance at his brother who was equally as handsome, if not even more so, he was a tall handsome man, with brown hair and a well-groomed beard, his thick beard accentuating the strong lines of his jaw and chin. 

"Our parents had an urgent arrangement and couldn't make it" Ahamd explained to Umar. 

"Ahh, it's no problem, they don't have to come anyway" Umar responded,  

"My, My, my eyes" Jidda whispered to me, It was a statement she made when she was surrounded by attractive men, I smiled, in agreement, the Mukhtar family sure had beautiful people.

"Hello Kareema" I whispered to their adorable little sister who blushed.

I watched her staring at the plates of samosas in front of me, as I pushed it towards her with a wink.

"Please, let's eat," Umar said, as I watched Ruqayya get up to dish out the meals. 

 

"What would you like to eat" I asked Kareema, she was the only person I could freely look at and talk to.

"Cake!" She whispered giving her brother Ahamdu a guilty look, "OK" I said passing her the tray of cake, "What else" I asked, "What food" I rephrased, "Just the cake" glancing at Ahmad who sat beside her. 

"You can only have one cake, you have to eat something else," Ahmad said, he spoke softly but his voice carried an authority.

I watched Kareema's smile turn to a frown and it felt so sad, "Let her have more cake, I am sure she will eat later" I said to him.

"She takes too much junk, I want her to eat real food" Ahmad explained I didn't agree, she was just a child, and I felt he should allow her to enjoy herself. 

"She is just a child" I protested, feeling Jidda nudge me in the arm, "You don't have to show yourself here" she whispered in slang, For a person with a loud voice Jidda was good at Whispering. 

I looked around the table to see Ruqayya giving me a warning look, while Umar and Ibrahim ate quietly, "Fine, you can eat more cakes but you would have to eat something too" Ahamad said to Kareema as a glowing smile was restored. 

Ibrahim seemed like the shy quiet type as he ate quietly not saying a word, our eyes occasionally meeting whenever I tried to look at him making me look away immediately. 

After we were done eating Ruqayya came close to me whispering, "Go wait in the living room" and again my heart skipped, I looked at Jidda who smiled, as I reluctantly got up and headed to the living room, I sat there for a minute or two before Ibrahim followed.

The living room had a set of 7 sitters and I was sitting on one of the sitters, I watched Ibrahim walk to the two sitters beside me, sitting down at the edge to face me.

I felt goosebumps around my arms as my body began to tense up, I watched him stare at me.