Chapter 4

"Big bro I saw your picture on one of these northern pages on Instagram, a friend tagged me and did you see what was I saw?"

She didn't wait for her brother to answer "a girl pleaded with the owner of the page to please post your picture maybe someone knows you and maybe she could get your number, that she's so madly in love with you." Khairiyya burst into a series of laughs and Sabir joined her

"So what's funny there and making you two  laugh."

"Of course it's funny, the girl was so head over heels for your looks, but did you see how people were insulting her in the comments section, I really pitied the girl." She feigned pity before laughing again.

"That's what she deserves and even more, I'll do more than that if I was there, and that's the reason I don't like these social media pages, full of gold diggers looking for rich guys to pounce on." He said in all seriousness.

"Come on bro , it doesn't have anything to do with rich guys or anything and that's even the reason I sent your number to the girl, you mean no one has called you?"

Sadeeq couldn't believe his ears "Khair you what?" He started matching dangerously towards her and Khairiyya who very well knew what that meant got on her heels to run away, before she turned around.

"I know you'll tickle me until I cry, so save yourself the stress, I'm just joking."

"Thank God you're joking if not you know the rest." Sadeeq shot her a threatening glare and she stuck out her tongue at him before running towards the staircase but the ringing of her phone made her turn back.

Sabir peeped at the phone to see the caller before Khairiyya reached there. "It's Suhaila."

"I almost forget she said she would come." She stated softly then pick the call.

"Babe how far?"

"Don't babe me, I'm outside so come and get me, and you know that I hate waiting."

Suhaila stated from the other side before ending the call. Khairiyya rolled her eyes, Suhaila will always and forever be a pain in the neck.

Suhaila was Khairiyya's best friend and the only true friend Khairiyya had, they had known each other since kindergarten and had been friends since then. Their amazing friendship had since developed into sisterhood.

Khairiyya opened the door to go out and was startled to see a fuming Suhaila standing there.

"Ah ah! Suu, why didn't you come inside instead of standing here?"

She asked looking at how beautiful she was dressed, Suhaila was a beautiful lady with a vibrant smile, big brown eyes and a slim well shaped body that made heads turn. She was dressed in a beautiful patterned pink and ash Atampa gown, she tied her head tie in the popular style which exposed her silky oiled hair from the back, the pink chiffon veil which was on her shoulder matched with her Versace flat and bag. Khairiyya stood admiring her from head to toe.

Suhaila eyed her "Make way for me please."

"Do come in." Khairiyya said making way for Suhaila to pass, she proceeded into the sitting room, and greeted Sadeeq before sitting down beside Sabir who was playing a game. They began talking in hushed tones and Khairiyya stood watching them. Suhaila really got along with Khairiyya's brothers and they liked her a lot. She was pretending as if Khairiyya wasn't there and it made Khairiyya laugh. She sat next to her and hugged her

"Hello best friend, I missed you a lot." Suhaila refused to return the hug. That made Sadeeq and Sabir laugh.

"Missed you more." She stated sarcastically  getting up, she grabbed her bag and began ascending the stairs, Khairiyya followed behind her as opened the door to Hajiya Maryam's sitting room. The heavenly scent of incense sticks, and strawberry scented perfumes welcomed her into the exquisite sitting room that was furnished with royal furnitures, everything inside screamed the royalty Khairiyya's mother was. They met Hajiya Maryam reading a newspaper. She raised up her head on seeing them.

"Ah ah! Suhaila you're welcome, you're welcome my dear."

"Thank you mummy, good afternoon?" Suhaila smiled for the first time since she came, she squatted in front of her.

"How are you and how's your mother?"

"Everything is good and mummy is also fine, she sends her warm regards.

Hajiya Maryam smiled at her before patting the space beside her for Suhaila to sit but she refused politely, she felt it was very wrong to sit shoulder to shoulder with an elder, and no matter how stubborn she was she respected her elders. It was one of the reasons why Khairiyya's mum liked her a lot.

Hajiya Maryam looked up to see her daughter still standing. " Khairiyya why are you still standing there, you should sit." She smiled before sitting beside her friend.

"So how are Isma'il and Sumayya faring, hope they are fine?"

Suhaila smiled "they are fine and doing good, although they are still paranoid." Isma'il and Sumayya were her siblings.

"I'll go and see them, these kidnappings are getting really rampant these days."

"Yes mummy" Khairiyya and Suhaila said in chorus.

"Baby your father said I should tell you to call him later, he has being calling you and it's not going through."

"Alright mummy I'll call him." She really missed her father a lot, he was a busy man so he wasn't always at home. Khairiyya cherished the little time he spent with them. She knew all his hard work and all was for them, for their happiness and success. One of the maids appeared with a tray of goodies for Suhaila, she was about keeping it on the table when Khairiyya stopped her.

"Take it to my room please." The maid nodded politely and made her way to Khairiyya's room that was in the sitting room.

"Let's go inside so we can gist and catch up, I really missed you." She held Suhaila's hand who eyed her before getting up, she followed Khairiyya and after they were in the room Khairiyya closed the door.

"Suu what have I done that is making you give me this attitude? It's making me feel bad, you have been behaving like this since you came."

Suhaila didn't answer her, instead she sat on the couch before removing her head tie exposing her beautifully oiled ponytails that rested below her shoulders. She flinged the head tie aside and began picking some of the snacks on the tray and placing them on a plate ignoring her best friend.

Khairiyya sat next to her and pulled her ponytail making Suhaila look at her. She pulled her head away taking a bite from a filled doughnut

"Why won't I give you this attitude when you have turned into something I don't know, Khair you've really changed." Khairiyya looked at her flummoxed thinking of what she had done, she knew how Suhaila could exaggerate small things into bigger ones.

"It's alright I'm really sorry baby, sorry my darling."

"It's alright, but what you did wasn't fair, you know I hate it when we don't talk or see for days, for God's sake Khair when was the last time we talked on the phone? Since on Friday if I'm not mistaken." She concluded pouting her lips making Khairiyya laugh.

"Come on chéri(darling) stop being a baby, I was very busy since then and even forgot to return your calls after seeing countless missed calls."

"Khair I know you like the back of hands. Your 'been busy' means Abdulmaleek came right?"

Khairiyya grinned devilishly "why is it that you know everything about me, from the littlest to the mightiest."

"I've known you since we wore diapers so I'd be a dumbo not to notice this, it being happening for quite some time, you would forget about me whenever Abdulmaleek visits you, you won't pick my calls nor reply my messages." Suhaila stated carefully sipping juice. She was now calm.

"Oh come on dear, I'm sorry, very sorry but you know I'd never do that to hurt you or make you feel bad? It just that I try to give Ab all my time when he comes."

"Yes I'm not feeling bad, I know it's love, and I know how it feels so it's absolutely okay, it's just that Abdulmaleek is trying to steal my best friend from me and it makes me feel so jealous." Suhaila stated troubled.

"How's that even possible, Ab can never steal me away from from you, he met me with you so we'd forever remain like this right?"

Suhaila nodded her head and Khairiyya hugged her making her smile.

"But Abdulmaleek is trying really hard to have you all to himself without thinking of people like us with fragile hearts who can't live without you." She continued bickering and occasionally throwing peanuts into her mouth.

Khairiyya was getting fed up with her friends complains. So she just sat there watching her and eating some of the goodies.

"I wonder how it would be when you two get married, maybe Abdulmaleek would never let me see you again which is really selfish and I won't take that. There's no way he would even think of doing that because I'll make sure I punch him really hard on the face and make it very clear to him that you're my best friend and I won't tolerate sharing you with him if he's being selfish over you."

"Yes I know." Khairiyya said uninterested, that was more of the Suhaila she knew always ranting and feisty, she never got tired of complaining and bickering.

Khairiyya and Suhaila were the complete opposite sides of a coin, while Khairiyya was quiet, reserved, simple and patient, Suhaila was feisty, stubborn, troublesome, presumptuous and a terrible spoilt brat. Suhaila never behaved like a 23 years old instead acts like a 15 years old at times. But no matter how she was Khairiyya loved her a lot because she had a pure and kind heart full of love and understanding.

"So why were you angry when you called me and after you came in, I know it's not only about me ignoring you for two days, there's something bothering you right?" Khairiyya asked concerned placing her hand on her friend's lap.

Suhaila shook her head "why won't I be angry when I now have bodyguards following me around, Khair can you believe I can no longer drive myself or go to places alone, without having those people like statues driving and following me around, they brought me here and that was why I was angry over the phone so I'm sorry."

Khairiyya couldn't hold her laughter, she sat on the floor laughing hard clutching her stomach. Suhaila was really funny at times so all this while this was the reason she was busy fuming.

"You're very silly what's funny here?" Suhaila asked annoyed.

"For God's sake dear there's nothing to get angry at, just because you've a bodyguard and a driver? I see nothing wrong there, it's a privilege and moreover it's for your own safety."

"Which privilege is that when I don't have privacy again, just because you're lucky you don't have one? It's not easy, you know how I love going about without anyone following behind me like a tail, it's not easy at all." Her voice was laced with worry.

"I'm really sorry dear, it's alright and it would be, as I said it's for your safety." Khairiyya said trying to console Suhaila.

"Yes it's for my safety but God is all the security I need, He's sufficient for me at all times. Can you imagine I threw a tantrum and told daddy I don't need a bodyguard nor a driver but he wouldn't hear of that? He went ahead and made the idiots follow me around. Just because Isma'il and Summy were kidnapped doesn't mean I'll also get kidnapped."

There was a glint of pain in her eyes after she said that. She remembered the incident that happened 3 months back, how her two siblings were kidnapped. The main reason being their father a top government official, they were held for almost a week until the huge ransom was paid. Since then her parents became security conscious and got bodyguards for the kids.

"You know why ummi and daddy did this? It's for Isma'il and Summy, and your safety also. So please be patient and may Allah protect us from the evil of his creation."

"Ameen." Suhaila said smiling, a great part of her worries were gone, having a comforting shoulder to lean on was really a blessing. Khairiyya smiled back at her.

"So how about your engagement with Abdulmaleek, you didn't tell me anything regarding that issue again since we last talked."

She noticed how Khairiyya's mood changed, her beautiful smile falling off her face immediately. Suhaila noticed that instantly and moved closer to her friend.

"Khairiyya what's wrong, is there a problem?"

"Yes Suhaila, there a problem." Khairiyya said as tears filled her eyes.