His blue eyes examined the gold and silver medals that decorated the twins' room. He saw his reflection from the hundred of achievements the boys had accomplished. Nicholas was astonished.

He skimmed through each shimmering plate that wrote their names like a prized possession in the palm of their hands. The only difference was Nicholas didn't think the boys were arrogant or overbearing. He didn't even know who they really were until his fingers brushed over the surname.

Younes.

He recoiled backwards, wondering if he read the name correctly. The Younes twins were one of the most likeable students at the university. They ruled the school in a way that no one else did. Their kindness and generosity was always a hot topic on campus. Girls swooned over them more than any other guy, but the Younes twins were untouchable.

They were the forbidden fruit that women desired, the green apple that men envied. Humaid and Haroon were sworn to purity, never crossing the river of immorality.

Although Anthony was also popular in some sense, he was only an ignorant student who believed the universe rotated around him. Nothing could go wrong in Anthony's world and God forbid if anything did. He would pulverize each dark imperfection that dotted his reputation much like Nicholas's parents.

However, the Younes brothers were nothing like that.

"You done admiring the trophies, sport?" asked a familiar voice.

Nicholas jumped in surprise. "You scared me," he breathed, putting a hand to his racing heart.

Humaid smirked.

He was dressed in his casual red sweater, his black hair sticking to his forehead, water droplets rolling down the sides of his chiseled jaw. He rubbed the towel over his hair again, his muscles flexing at the movement.

Nicholas wondered if Dina was into guys with muscles like the rest of his class. He glanced down at his lengthy arms.

I could really workout a bit more, he thought.

Pushing the thought away, he turned his attention back to Humaid. "You and Haroon really won all these awards?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," chuckled Humaid. "The really academic ones like debate, essay contests, science fair, and math team awards are Haroon's. I've never been that engrossed in school like him."

"Really? But you're both really smart."

Humaid shook his head with a small smile. "Nah, Haroon's the whiz genius of the family. I took more interest in sports."

"I came to that conclusion on my own."

"Harsh, sport. Real harsh," commented Humaid in a joking manner.

Nicholas glanced back at the endless rows of awards, all stacked neatly on multiple wooden shelves, shined to imitate the radiance of their success. It blinded him. The twins' achievements together trumped Nicholas's whole life.

There was something the boys had in common though, something he never knew was a talent, something that sounded very familiar. Qur'an recitation, he read.

"Hey, Humaid?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

Nicholas pointed to the trophy. "What's that one about?" he questioned, trying to understand how both brothers were given an award for it.

Humaid squinted his dark eyes at the trophy, mumbling the words to himself, before he broke into a wide grin. "Ever heard of the holy book that Muslims read?"

Nicholas nodded.

"Well-"

"Humaid!" yelled a deep voice, barging into the room unexpectedly. He stopped and narrowed his eyes at his twin. "Can you stop boasting about your trophies?"

"I wasn't, you twit."

Haroon crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a horrible host."

Humaid tilted his head. "Why are you still wearing a beanie? The heat is on."

"My head feels cold."

Nicholas and Humaid exchanged glances at each other before erupting into laughter. Humaid clutched his stomach, his laugh echoing off the thin walls of the bedroom. A light pink tinted Haroon's cheeks as he scoffed.

"You should be like Voldemort and split your soul into horcruxes," mumbled Haroon under his breath.

The laughter ceased. The two men stared deep into the other's soul. Humaid smirked, watching Haroon push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the surface glistening in light. Nicholas gulped, hearing the cracking of knuckles. He forgot how serious these guys went with their playful banters.

"Uh oh," squeaked Nicholas, slowly backing away from the two.

"So that's the game you want to play? Well that's a game you're going to get," said Humaid in a low voice.

Haroon smiled mischievously. "Bring it on, little bro."

Humaid's muscles tensed. Nicholas closed his eyes, not ready to see blood on the clean carpets of the house. He really didn't want the brothers to fight, and internally the panic began to settle deep in his stomach, twisting and churning. He had to stop them.

Then, the brothers did the unexpected, so odd that Nicholas had to blink, once, twice, three times to remind himself that it was the same jock and nerd that befriended him.

"If Voldemort were still around, I'd tell him that you were the Chosen One," said Humaid with a smug expression.

Haroon dramatically gasped. "You're as smart as Dudley is skinny," he countered.

I'm so confused.

"You keep talking, all I hear is moaning Myrtle."

"You're the reason why Mandrakes cry," retorted Haroon.

Humaid put a hand to his heart, feigning hurt. "Just because you have the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all do!"

"No fair, you quoted the book," glared Haroon.

"There were no rules."

"They were unspoken!"

The Younes twins continued to argue while Nicholas whipped his head from speaker to speaker, brother to brother, foe to foe, trying to keep up with their list of Harry Potter insults. His brain crumpled into a bin of confusion. All this time, Nicholas genuinely believed that they would punch each other, but he was so wrong.

Dina and an elderly man popped into the bedroom. Dina's red scarf was tightly pinned against her head. Her dark almond-shaped eyes were lined with black, eyelashes fuller than normal. Her tinted red lips were pushing Nicholas closer to the edge and he quickly averted his gaze, sensing her father's eyes on him.

Shit!

"Are they arguing again?" questioned Dina, looking up at her father curiously.

Their father sighed. "I'm too old for this."

Dina stifled her laughter.

"Boys!" he yelled, grabbing their attention. "What did I say about book insults, especially in front of guests? Look at the poor boy! You're going to corrupt him," he scolded.

"No, it's okay, sir. They're just messing around," Nicholas smiled.

"Look how polite he is," commented their father before giving his sons a scolding look. "You all should take notes. Now come, we must pray Maghrib (sunset prayer). Haroon, you lead today."

Haroon mockingly saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"I feel bad for Nick. You're going to destroy his innocent mind," said Dina, offering Nicholas a smile when her father wasn't looking.

He felt his heart flutter, a feeling he was starting to crave. Little did she know that his mind was no longer as pure as hers. He was slowly burning from his desire for the one girl he could never have.

Yet.

----

Mr. Zemel is killing me with these essay readings. I just wanted to sleep, man.

How great are the Younes twins? Excuse the cringe.

Also, I got character aesthetics that you all can save and post on social medias to help me promote the book (or make it your screensaver like me depending on obsession level).

Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!