Naasar

I watched from a distance as she mumbled words, probability talking to herself while sitting or rather, hiding beside the old swing set at the back of the house.

She looked beautiful, with few locks of her braided hair fell on her shoulders. I tried to look away, but she was as attractive as light to the fireflies.

I've know her for only three year. The Asad Ahmed family lived abroad until they decided to come back to  Nigeria. I could remember the first day I saw her, it was at school, the first day of our senior class year.

Flashback

It was December 11th, 2015. A hot harmattan morning, when I saw her. She walked into our chemistry class looking very nervous 

I could clearly remember she was wearing a cream colored abaya with matching scarf.

"Who are you" Mrs Jane, the teacher glared at her.

"Umm...My name is Hanina Ahmad..I..I'm new here" she stuttered. Every eye in the class looked at her, analyzing her. Her face was Nigerian, but every bit of her voice was British. If your eyes were closed, you'd say a British lady just spoke.

"Says every student that arrives at my class late, I'm not buying your excuse miss, and drop the fake accent" Mrs Jane said, clearly frustrated. "Go stand at the back of the class for the rest of today's lesson"

I watched as she shivered, and her eyes started to water. She slowly started to walk towards the back when miss Jane stopped her.

"Pick whatever you need for the class and keep your bag over there, I don't allow bags in my class" she pointed towards the corner, where bags were tossed to a heap.

She kept her bag and stood at the back holding  her book to her chest.

The lesson continued while I watched the new students every move. The way she watched every single person in the class, probably surveying who to befriend.

Miss Jane asked a question, but my whole mind was on the new student.

"What separation technique is most suitable for a mixture of Graphite and Ammonium chloride?"

"Sublimation technique" she spoke while every eye in the class room watched her. "Ammonium chloride sublimes, it changes from the solid state to the gaseous.

Miss Jane smiled at her as she tells her to take a seat.

We were paired lab partners on the second day. I shamelessly ogled at her as she expertly did the experiment.

"I'm Naasar Tahir" I blurted out, holding my breath as she looked up from the Bunsen burner. She nodded, and continued writing what the teacher dictated.

I could hear the students murmuring.

"She's half-caste"

" I heard she has a twin sister that is in Art class"

"They are identical"

The rumors continued while she wrote on her book, a cursive writing I might never forget.

It was after a week of meeting her, when the Asad Ahmad family came to our house.

All five off them. Uncle Asad and his wife, Hanina, Ameenah, and their elder brother.

I could remember the way my heart broke when My mother introduced her as my 'sister'.

But then my father and hers are step brothers, which makes us step-cousins, which, islamically makes it very possible, very very possible for us to get married.

We got along pretty well. She was very shy and timid, but also funny and can be sarcastic at times.

Hanina is pretty much unpredictable. No matter how much close we were for the past three years, I still don't know her quite well. She likes keeping things to herself, sometimes she write down her thoughts on a book, and sometimes she speaks it out to no one in particular.

Just as she was doing now, and I was slyly listening.
She looks so lost in her thoughts, so beautiful, so mesmerizing features, from her forehead to her long black lashes, her eyes twinkling even in her sadness, her nose so cute I feel like pinching it, her cheeks, her lips. Maa sha Allah. I'm falling for this wonderful creature. And I can't help it.

Things are just getting different now, getting complicated. Because the more I'm getting attached to this feminine angelic form the more she's moving further away from me.

I walked quietly towards her, the winds stand still for it has recognized my hesitant, my steps slowly, conscious with my footsteps. Didn't want this moment of sneakily staring at her to come to an end, but it has to.

Because we need to talk.

And now is the best time to talk.

So I cleared my voice as I got closer to her and she gently looked up, her eyes miles away from mine. She look sad but she's trying to cover it with a smile.
I sat down beside her.
And.
I knew how I would cheer her up...

****
Assalama Alaikum
Hello guys. It's been a while. I have no excuses on not updating, but school has been hectic and your votes and comments aren't helpful either. Anyways, I decided to post because of this amazing fan who has been eagerly waiting for an update. So this bonus chapter is for her.

Khamy