Mom and Dad were sitting in the big living room of their house with their children, a girl and a boy—Meenal and her brother Zuhair. Dad was sitting at the edge of the 3-seater sofa in the large living room, while Mom was lying on the same 3-seater, resting her head on his thigh. His hand was resting on her long hair, playing with it, half of his attention on the American movie he was watching, while the other half was focused on his wife. They were talking occasionally about the film. On the other side, Meenal was sitting on the floor while her brother was sitting, looking at an assignment he had been given at school. They were doing it together, and when they finished, she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She said, "Yaa Maheer, it's only 8:00 pm. Please, let’s go shopping now."
He looked at her with concern and said, “Meenal, I came home at 7 from school, and honestly, I'm tired. Tomorrow, by 4, I’ll be done with lectures, and I’ll come pick you up. I know by then, you’ll be done with your lessons. Since tomorrow is Thursday, we’ll go shopping then.”
She pouted, as if about to cry, then withdrew her head from his shoulder while softly murmuring. "I really wanted to go today. If we don’t go today, I’ll just forget about it." After saying this, she stood up and left the living room. Her parents watched her leave, then returned their focus to Zuhair, who was still watching the movie. Dad said, “ZM, go do what she wants, or she will start complaining all night. Didn't you promise her you’d take her shopping?”
Zuhair sighed and replied, “Alright, Dad. I’ll go calm her down and tell her to get ready so we can go.”
He went to her room, where he found her lying in bed, crying as usual. She was a bit dramatic and always needed something small to complain about, even though she was 13, almost 14 years old, but she still acted as if she were a child. He sat on her bed and gently turned her face towards him, saying, "So, what’s with all this crying? Please, stop now. Let’s go, I’ll take you wherever you want."
She pouted again and said, “Why do you always tell me 'no,' when I ask for something? Why is that?”
He smiled and replied, “Anything you want, you know I’ll get it for you, little sis. Now, get up and let’s go.”
She quickly got up in front of him, took off her shirt, leaving just her fitted shorts and a half-vest top, wearing panties underneath because of her figure. Her shorts hugged her body tightly, and when her thighs rubbed together, she could feel the fabric move. She found a pair of jeans and a top with leaves on it, then put on a cap and styled her hair. After spraying herself with perfume, she came to him, wearing heels. "Sweetest bro, I’m ready," she said.
He looked her up and down, then said, “You look beautiful.”
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “Thanks.”
They left the house, and as they were leaving, Dad smiled at them and, watching Zuhair, said, "I’ve sent you 300k for shopping. If that’s not enough, call me."
Zuhair smiled and replied, “Thanks, Dad.”
They left, exchanging side hugs and kisses with their parents before heading out. They went to a large supermarket, and Meenal began picking out clothes. After she was done, she went to the section with perfumes. Zuhair stayed close to her, smiling because he knew that sometimes, she only picked a few items, but today, she was buying a lot. She turned to the chocolate section and grabbed many types, including various teddies, and then bought some perfumes. They also bought some grilled chicken before heading back home.
Once home, she went straight to give her parents the chicken in the living room. Afterward, she headed to their bedroom, knowing they were probably in there. She paused when she overheard voices, “Assshhh, wahhh, shhhh, I like it that way, harder Dr....”
She frowned and turned to leave, almost bumping into Zuhair on the balcony. He lifted her chin and asked, “How’s everything? Did they settle down?”
She made a face and said, “I heard them—mommy and daddy—shouting like that. What’s going on? What are they saying? Why do they make those sounds every night?”
He paused, unsure of how to respond. Though he was 18 at the time and in his first year of university, he understood what was happening, but it bothered him that his younger sister kept noticing it.
Interrupting his thoughts, she asked, “Yaya, are you listening?”
He looked at her with a stern expression before replying, “Why are you asking about what grown-ups do? It’s none of your business. Since you noticed it, just forget about it. From now on, if Mom and Dad go to their room, and I catch you trying to eavesdrop from the balcony again, I’ll make sure you don’t find out anything more.”
She stayed silent for a moment before nodding and saying, “Okay, I won’t ask again. I was just curious about those sounds.”
They ate their food in silence. After finishing, Zuhair told her to take the mini kitchen plate and go prepare some tea or instant noodles or anything they wanted to do.
Later, when they were back in his room, and he had already settled on his bed, she said, "You know, since it’s getting late, I can’t sleep alone. That’s why I decided to spend the night here."
He didn’t respond, but as she knew, this was becoming a regular thing where she would bother him for a couple of weeks if there was any disagreement.
