Amara's POV

"Beena, could you care to explain what Amara's saying?" Zoya crosses her arms over her chest.

"Guys... it's not big deal. Turns out, I don't really have a crush on him, like I don't want to marry him one day. I just wanted him." Beena looks at us nervously.

"What does that even mean?" Dina asks.

"Everyone says that Peter is a rite of passage and I don't know... that just makes me want to crave his attention and approval." Beena shrugs her shoulders.

This is absolutely part of Beena's destructive behaviour.

"Beena, you stupid girl! You don't need the attention or approval of some man to make you feel better!" I smack the back of her head lightly.

"Ow!" She pouts.

I shake my head. "What are we going to do with you?"

Beena throws her arms around me and starts giggling. "Nothing because you love me just the way I am."

This woman can seriously finesse her way into making me forget what I was angry about.

Dina and Zoya sigh simultaneously.

"You really need to fall for someone who's stable and will love you exclusively and unconditionally." Zoya pats Beena's head.

Dina nods her head. "You deserve the world, Beena. Always remember that you do not ever have to settle for less."

Zoya and and Dina's words really settled into my heart and I can tell that Beena feels their words emotionally as well because she looks like she's about to burst into tears.

On the other hand, I think that I'm being mocked for crushing on Peter. I try not to smile at their underlying message for me.

"Same with you, Amara." Zoya's words catch me off-guard.

"But Munir seems like a great guy..." Beena says.

I look at Beena, confused at first. "I don't like Mu-- " I see Zoya and Dina looking at me with wide eyes. "Oh, I mean, it's just a crush. Besides, Beena's right. Munir's a great guy; stable and all, I think."

I wanted to tell Beena about my crush on Peter so badly but something in me keeps stopping me from going any further. I've never hid anything from these girls in my lifetime of being best friends with them. It's killing me on the inside.

You'd think that of all the times I've seen characters in shows or movies hiding certain things from their best friends, which always end in a disaster, that I couldn't possibly behave like those dumb them. But here I am, struggling to tell Beena the truth.

"So... What do you guys think about going to Daamir's party tomorrow?" Beena slips it into our conversation.

"No way! People are thinking I'm sleeping with him, Ya Allah!" I yell in frustration.

The three girls look at me in absolute shock.

"Why would people—" Zoya starts.

Beena stands up abruptly, cutting off Zoya's words. "Who the fuck do I have to beat up for these disgusting rumours?"

"No one! Sit down, Beena. It was my mistake." I wave at her to calm down. "I was reading Nama'az in one of the vacant rooms but the moment I finished, Daamir and some girl walked in all over each other, so I walked out." Then, I explain how a little bit after I left, he also left, making it look like an odd situation.

"Oh..." Zoya and Beena say in sync.

"But wouldn't you wearing a hijab just have people throw away that assumption instantly?" Beena asks.

"Just because girls wear hijabs, doesn't mean they're not sinners. Plus, I'm the hijabi at a wild-ass frat party. My reputation is slightly tainted just from showing up there." I chuckle.

What people think don't bother me as much anymore because as long as I know I'm not doing anything, who cares what they think, think?

Beena looks at me sadly. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to come with me to parties anymore. I didn't realize my stubbornness was doing damage to you. I'm so selfish."

I give Beena's hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's not your fault. I could easily choose not to go with you by being more stubborn but I do it because you need me and I know you won't stop going to these any time soon."

"I don't deserve friends like you guys. How did I end up being so lucky?" Beena starts getting emotional.

"Thank God you have us. Imagine where you'd end up if you didn't have us." Zoya teases.

All of us burst into laughter.

Moments like this make me feel so warm inside, when I feel ever-so grateful for people like them in my life. Good friends are a superior type of blessing.

• • •

"Dina, you look super cute today, Mash'Allah! Is it because it's Daamir's party?" I smirk.

"Oh la la! Look at you! Mash'Allah! If Daamir doesn't sweep your off your feet, I will." Zoya smiles.

"She's totally trying to leave an impression. If I were Daamir, I'd gobble her right up." Beena giggles.

"Guys!" Dina blushes uncontrollably, but doesn't deny any of our claims.

The three girls are dressed to impress but I just chose a casual dusty pink wide-leg, drape-y pants with a white shirt, along with white Adidas Stan Smiths.

"Let's go, children. I need to make sure we're back at a reasonable time." I say.

"Yes, mother." All three reply in sync.

"Good. Now, follow me, children." I gesture for them to follow.

It's an ongoing joke at this point. I'm the mother duckling, making sure my babies are where they're supposed to be. Sometimes, I lose them here and there but I will always make sure to gather them in one place at the end.

"Can I drive my Jeep today?" I ask Beena.

"Sure. Knock yourself out." She says.

I grab my car keys, excitedly.

Many of the times, I have to ask Beena if it's okay if I can use my car when driving her because she usually has an image to keep up having such a prestigious family name. That's why I'm always okay with driving her fancier cars.

She doesn't care, you can take her in a broken down Honda from 60s, for all she cares but her parents told us that she carries a certain family name that floats around in the news. Thus, her image is important to their business.

Sometimes, we forget that Beena holds a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. Her erratic behaviour isn't much of a surprise when you look at how much pressure she gets from literally everyone around her, whether that's her parents or literal strangers.

I break from my thoughts and open the back door for Zoya and Dina to get in. "M'ladies."

"Thank you, good sir." Dina giggles.

"You're always spoiling us. One day, our husbands won't open the door for us and we'll have a fit because you've gotten us used to it." Zoya grins.

I start laughing. "Tell her husbands to call me so I can give them a thorough lesson on how to be a gentleman."

• • •

Once we reach the location, it hits me that I told Peter I wouldn't show up at the party but here I am... This is the second time I did this to him.

The house is ginormous, it's absolutely gorgeous. I almost didn't want to go inside because I feel like I'd be ruining the smooth, marble floors with just one step.

We push through the crowd, Dina and I find our typical empty corner, which was harder this time because there's a lot more people here today. Once we settle into our corner, I let Beena and Zoya go off on their own.

I feel a tap on my shoulder. "Now I just think you say no to me on purpose but plan on showing up anyways."

- - -

A/N: sorry about the day late update! I recently got a job so I'm trying to settle into my schedule!

Next Update: in a few days, Insh'Allah! 😅

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