After that, I went to finish the remaining tasks after preparing his Pimm’s juice.

I carried the things from the kitchen to his section, but even as I was almost done delivering them, I didn’t see him.

That really pleased me. I went back to the kitchen intending to take the juice I had prepared for him. As I was coming out toward his section, I ran into Khulud. She was also coming out, holding a system in her hand and looking through it while walking, as if she was checking something very important.

“Leeya, you’ve finished the work already?”

“No, not yet. Only the juice is left for me to take to him, then I’m done. After that I’ll go take a bath and perform the Asr prayer.”

“Okay. Please, when you finish everything you’re doing, come and help me with my assignment because I saw that you’re very good at mathematics when we were at Busy Brain.”

“Okay, no problem. Just wait for me a bit, I’ll finish soon,” I said while moving away without listening to whatever else she wanted to say.

I picked up the jug of juice I had prepared and returned to his section. Just as I expected, I didn’t find him in his parlor, which made me very happy. I turned to leave but almost bumped into him. Quickly I stepped back and covered my mouth tightly so that I wouldn’t start crying and cause another problem.

“Hey! By God, do I smell so bad that you’re covering your mouth and nose?”

I started shaking my head as the tears I had been holding back escaped.

“Please, Ya-Turab, forgive me. I swear it’s not your smell. I’m just afraid that I might start crying and offend you again, that’s why I covered my mouth. I swear I didn’t mean anything.”

“What would make you cry? Did someone beat you when you came in here that you started crying immediately? Stop looking at me with those cursed eyes of yours, or lower them right now. You devil-looking girl. Get out of here before I break you, I swear!”

Quickly I tried to pass him. Suddenly he knocked my head hard—it felt like he hit me with a stone.

“Ahh! Please forgive me, I swear I will never look at you again,” I said while crying intensely.

“Get out of here, I said!”

I quickly left his section, wiping the tears that kept falling. Then I felt someone touch my shoulder from behind. I didn’t panic because I knew it was Mum. I turned slowly to look at her, but she quickly stepped back in shock.

“Khulud, what’s wrong? Why did you step back as if you saw something frightening?” I said softly, like someone who had just been crying, while staring at her.

“Leeya, what happened? Why are you crying? Was it Ya-Turab?”

I nodded immediately and burst into tears.

Feeling pity for me, Khulud said:

“Please be patient, okay? Honestly, Turab’s matter is just him. As for me, I’m hardly even at home—I’m always at school. And when I return in the evening, I rarely see him except at dinner time. In the morning, even when I’m having breakfast he hasn’t come out yet. When I leave, I don’t return until evening. So we hardly meet.”

“Khulud, please what do you want me to do for you?”

Khulud smiled slightly because she understood what I meant.

“What did you think, Leeya? Just because I spoke to you? Honestly, it was my ignorance about life that made me treat you that way before. Now that I’ve grown, I realize I made a huge mistake in the past. That’s why I’m asking for your forgiveness.”

She said this sincerely, joining both hands together in a pleading gesture.

“Leeya, honestly, I have fallen in love with someone… someone I know will be very difficult for me to have because of his friend.”

“His friend?” I asked in surprise. “Will his friend stop you from having him?”

“Yes. His friend will stop me because he trusts people easily—especially his friend. That friend is the only close friend he has in our whole school. Whatever that friend tells him to do, he will do it. If he forbids him, he won’t do it. And the same way, if he asks him to do something—even if he doesn’t want to—he will do it just to please him.”

Tears began to roll down Khulud’s face. She continued:

“You’ll hear the full story later, Insha’Allah. Just come to my room whenever you’re free so we can talk.”

I felt very sorry for her seeing how she was crying over a man.

“Please be patient. Insha’Allah we’ll find a solution, and I’ll pray for you. If it’s good for you, may Allah make it happen. I’ll also call my friend Zohal; she might have an idea.”

“Thank you very much. Please forgive me completely. Honestly, I even feel shy around you,” Khulud said.

“Oh Khulud, Allah is my witness—I never held anything against you from the beginning. Everything has passed.”

“Thank you. When you come out, I’ll be waiting for you in the parlor.”

“Okay,” Leeya said and left.

Khulud was truly frightened when she saw Leeya today. Since Leeya came to live with them, she had never looked directly into her eyes before. Now she realized they were pure blue.

When their eyes met, she was startled and stepped back quickly, but she pretended it was nothing so Leeya wouldn’t notice.