•••

•••

S H A H R O Z

The sunlight entered his room through the clear glass of his windows which made him toss and turn in bed until he finally decided to wake up with a groan.

His blanket-covered leg dangled out of the bed, his mouth releasing a yawn as he ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face before getting up and adjusting his eyes to the bright light.

He had wanted to stay in bed all day and do absolutely nothing, but the smell of boiled egg and something sweet had the power to force himself to his bathroom and start his day.

He was done and made his way downstairs, the smell getting stronger with every step he took. Some noises were also heard from the lounge but he ignored that and entered the threshold to the kitchen.

Shahroz had always wished to have breakfast with everyone as a family, but now he knew all too well that would just stay in his dreams. When he looked at the kitchen table, he was right.

There were leftover egg sandwiches with a mug of hot chocolate sitting on the table waiting to be eaten and drunk by him. There was no one in sight.

The Afshari family didn't have breakfast together anymore like they used to when the twins were in their preschool years, so when Shahroz sits alone to devour his morning meal, he gets to think about anything and everything.

His first thought was about the girl who showed him the ray of light behind the dark.

Marina.

A smile made its way to his lips as he swallowed.

He couldn't deny the fact that he felt an uncontrollable attraction towards her. Maybe it was her inner beauty, or maybe it was her outer one.

Or maybe it was both.

He was well aware of how fast his heart beats when she's nearby, and how his mind goes haywire when she looks at him when she's saying something.

Or when she smiles.

He was too busy thinking about her that he didn't realise he was trying to bite on the empty mug in order to eat it.

He turned around to make sure no one saw that, his heart relieving due to the kitchen being empty.

He got up and left the plates and mug in the sink and left the kitchen and saw Shaheer lying on the sofa. He walked closer to the lounge.

"Shaheer?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are ammi and abba?" He asked the question which he knew the answer to but asked anyway.

"They're out shopping." He said in between his munching of nachos.

"Of course", Shahroz mumbled as he turned around, "It'll always be shopping whenever we come home."

His eyes landed on the family photos on the wall and he walked closer to the collage of pictures he'd seen too many times to count.

The first one was of him and Shaheer right next to each other when they were born. They were both placed in a crib and the picture was taken from above, their dark eyes big. Shaheer was facing the camera but Shahroz wasn't.

His small body was tilted slightly to the right as he gazed at his big brother by five minutes. The picture struck a sensitive chord in his heart.

Shahroz's eyes landed on a picture filled with more colour.

In this one, him and his brother were all dressed up for their first day in school. A blue bottle was dangling around his own neck while his brother had his backpack on his back. Both of their smiles were wide in this one.

He skimmed the rest of the photos and realised him and Shaheer stopped taking pictures together as time passed. They never stood together for a photo.

They never stood together in anything.

He looked back and saw his brother still munching on his snacks and a question hit him.

What made his brother despise him?

He shook his head. He didn't want to disrupt his calm day with how dysfunctional his family was.

He decided to shut everything down and go upstairs to sleep again.

He didn't want to evoke feelings which he had suppressed for too long.

•••

He had slept for a good four hours and was checking the school website at the moment. His results were out and he didn't know if he was sweating because of the excitement or anxiousness.

He closed his eyes once he pressed the results section and waited till the page had loaded. He could feel the blood pumping through his ears.

His anticipation was a little too much so he opened his eyes. His thumb scrolled down the page and he gasped once he saw the number pop up.

78%

He was so shocked that he reloaded the page to check if his eyes were playing tricks him.

They weren't.

He let out a scream and jumped out of bed. He had to tell his -

Oh.

He realised there was no one to really tell his grade to. His parents weren't at home and probably wouldn't care. His brother was out of the question.

But there was still Marina.

He excitedly dialled her number and waited till she picked up, a smile on his face the whole time.

And then he heard her sweet voice from the other end which did funny things to his heart.

"Hello?"

"Maria, hey", he voiced quickly before taking a deep breath and continuing, "did you check your grade on the website?"

"Shahroz", she chuckled, "slow down." Her laugh hit his ears and some sensitive spots in his heart too.

"Okay okay, yeah", he rolled his eyes, "but did you check your grade?"

She paused, "No.."

"Okay, forget about that then." He sat down on his bed and screamed the next words so loudly she had to pull her phone away from her to prevent ear damage.

"I GOT A SEVENTY-EIGHT PERCENT BABY!" He shouted over the phone and there was an awkward silence for a moment before she spoke.

"Really?", she asked with disbelief and excitement coating her words, "that's so good Shahroz! Congrats! I knew you could do it!"

Her last sentence made his heart do a somersault as he smiled excitedly like a kid who got candy.

"No Maria", he started, "it was all because of you. If you wouldn't have tutored me then I would've never got this grade. Thank you." He whispered the last two words with gratitude.

"I may have guided you here and there, but in the end it was your hard work. You deserve it." He could sense her smile from the other end before she continued.

"Shahroz?", he hummed for her to continue, "can you please do something right now?" She asked.

"Anything."

"Can you please say alhamdulillah?" She asked and he could sense her pleading tone.

"Alhamdulillah." He said, his heart and soul feeling a tinge of peace and they shared a hearty chuckle before Shahroz told her he had to go. He heard noises downstairs indicating his parents were home.

He put his phone aside and adjusted himself on his bed. His blanket was draped over him till his waist and his hands were behind his neck as he stared at his ceiling with a smile on his face. A knock on his door disrupted his thoughts.

He yelled a loud 'come in' to which his mother appeared at the door and he internally scowled.

She said her salam and entered to which he replied before she seated herself on his bed, her hand going straight to his hair to remove it from his face. He felt slightly uncomfortable.

"I wanted to come check up on you, beta", she said with a hint of guilt in her voice, "Shaheer told me you were in your room the whole day, why?"

"Nothing special to do." He replied curtly to which his mother sensed his discomfort. She decided to change the topic.

"I heard the results are out. What's yours?" She placed her hand on his and it was getting harder for him to prevent himself from screaming in frustration.

He crossed his arms and looked the other way before replying.

"Seventy-eight." He said and the number felt bitter in his mouth all of a sudden.

"A seventy-eight?! Oh my Allah Shahroz that is so good!" She hugged him and he stiffened under her hold. He was afraid something bad might happen to him like always after something good does.

A tear fell from his eye when his mother pulled away and she noticed. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What's wrong, beta?" She asked in a tone only a mother has for her child. He shook his head.

"Why are you d-doing this, ma?" He hiccuped and she wiped his tears away with her hands.

"What am I doing?" She asked and he wanted to pull his hair out at the moment.

"Why are you being n-nice to m-me?" He asked as he fisted the blanket in his hands and held them together, his cheeks turning crimson.

"Beta", she started and he looked down, "I am your mother, and you are my son. How can I not be nice to you and love you, Shahroz?" She asked rhetorically with a worried look.

"Then why d-didn't you l-love me all these years? Why now?" He looked up and she held his face in her hands.

"I have always loved you, Shahroz. I was just blinded by everything all these years. You are still my son and I could never hate you. Ever. You are still my flesh and blood, and you are still my little boy", she stopped to take a deep breath, "And I'm sorry for letting you down and leaving you in the dark for all this time. I didn't mean to hurt you. I swear. I never knew I had this love for you that I feel for you now, but it was always there my little boy, it was always there. I just never knew." She wiped the tear which slipped from her right eye before placing her hand on his cheek again, this time caressing it.

"Do you forgive me?" She asked and his heart broke at how remorseful his mother looked in front of him.

He hesitated before replying.

"I don't know.. " He trailed off, his tears long gone as his mother nodded understandingly.

"It's okay", she smiled before continuing, "I'll give you time and I'll wait. I'll always wait for you my little boy." She kissed his forehead tenderly and closed his lamp before whispering a 'good night' and leaving his room, closing the door in the process.

He sighed as soon as she left. It felt different to have his mother give him attention and show him love when it was always Shaheer in the spotlight. It felt new to him all of a sudden and he couldn't take it anymore.

He didn't know what just happened.

But he hoped it would never happen again.

•••

Hey there peeps! I was almost about to cry while writing the end part of this chapter (no seriously) but it's all good now. I hope y'all liked this one though. Anyways, keep praying and InshAllah He'll shower His blessings on you abundantly.

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