...
Life can truly suck sometimes, you know that? What is that you said the other day? There's goodness in everything.

I discreetly rolled my eyes at you then, but I would kill for a dose of that optimism now.
...

Malika quickly sat up, phone tightly clutched in hand, heart beating with excitement. She scrambled to swipe to receive the call.

"Salman!" she cried out with joy.

"Hey, kid," he said from the other end.

"How are you? Where have you been?" Malika widened her eyes at a realization. "How are you calling me from your local number?"

"Surprise, kid," he responded. "I'm in town. Alive and kicking."

"What?!" she screeched. "How? When?" She bombarded him with questions.

"Slow down." He chuckled. "I'll tell you everything when we see each other." There was a pause on his end, she heard some scrapings in his background. "Actually, I can see you now. Could you come to that riverside cafe by the airport?"

"Yes, of course," she responded without letting a beat pass.

"Alright. See you soon, kid."

Malika hung up and sprung to her feet, excitement budding in her chest. She had a million questions, but the happiness of seeing her brother overshadowed them all. She was padding to her bedroom to change into decent clothes when it dawned on her she actually had no idea how she was going to get to the destination. Their family car was with her mom and it wasn't safe for her to travel by public transport at this hour.

However, Malika wasn't going to let that hinder her. The adrenaline pumping through her veins refused to let her hopes down. She tried to rack her brain as she put on a pair of strappy sandals. The first person she thought of to call for help was Farrah - only to realize the next moment that was no longer an option.

Another name popped up in her head. Before she had second thoughts, Malika pulled out her phone and sent a text to Dahlia Ahmad.

Is there any way you could pick me up from my home and then take me to the restaurant close to the airport? Like, right now? I know it's a lot to ask but it's kind of an emergency.

Her reply came almost immediately.

Wait while I see if I can make arrangements?

Malika tapped her feet in anticipation.

I can be there in about thirty minutes. Is that alright?

Her heart soared.

Of course. Thank you so much.

Malika finished getting dressed as she waited for Dahlia to arrive. Her heart was pounding with giddiness, all her pain and worries momentarily swept under the rug. She knew, she just knew that talking to Salman would make everything alright. He always knew what to do.

Dahlia Ahmad arrived within her promised hour. Malika locked the empty apartment after her and soon found herself on the street in front of her house.

Malika halted in her tracks as she saw Ibrahim Ahmad on the driver's seat, one hand casually slumped over the steering wheel, eyes glued to the road. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Hey," Dahlia greeted.

Malika quickly darted her eyes, noticing the hijabi for the first time.

"Get in." She waved enthusiastically.

After checking both sides of the street for any stray rickshaw or bicycle that might be breaking the law, Malika quickly crossed the pavement and got in the back door. The air conditioned interior of the car engulfed her. Dahlia turned to face her from the passenger seat.

"So, what's the emergency?"

While at the same time, Ibrahim looked over his shoulder and mumbled, "hi."

Malika stilled once more. She looked at the back of his head with surprise as Ibrahim greeted her voluntarily.

"Oh, yeah," Dahlia said, swatting a hand in her brother's direction, following her stunned gaze. "He's the only one who was available to drive me here."

Ibrahim cast his sister a look, which even Malika could decipher from her end, was filled with annoyance.

"I'm sorry," Malika spoke before the hijabi could. "I wouldn't have asked for the favor if I knew it would be an inconvenience."

She cursed herself the next moment. Who was this saint and why was she speaking through her lips? Malika Bashir certainly wasn't sorry. She'd done what she had to do.

But what was said could not be taken back.

This time, Ibrahim looked at her through the rearview mirror. The vexation melted from his eyes immediately. "Oh no, it's not an inconvenience at all," he said sincerely.

Dahlia rolled her eyes as she added, "he's just mad I woke him up from him precious nap." Ibrahim threw her that look again as the hijabi smiled at him cheekily.

"Glad to be of service, regardless," he addressed her again.

As the cousins put on their seatbelts, Malika recalled the news she had heard earlier that day. She wondered for a moment if she should bring it up but then pushing aside her hesitations she said, "I heard you got kicked off the football team. I'm really sorry," she muttered.

Once realizing she was speaking to him, Ibrahim looked over his shoulder. "No worries," he said. "It was worth it."

The look in his eyes put her at ease. Pushing aside her thoughts and focusing on the prospect of seeing her brother, they started for their destination.

Not many words were exchanged during the ride except when Malika filled in the cousins about Salman. The commute to the restaurant was delayed by heavy traffic, as usual. She texted Salman as soon as they started, to let him know she was on her way.

Malika watched the city lights zoom by her, the people on the road looking ever-so busy as they went about their way. Her heart felt lighter than it had in weeks. There weren't many people in her life that she could trust and rely on endlessly. Salman was perhaps the only one, now that Farrah was no longer in the picture.

They arrived at the restaurant after a long drive. Situated at the outskirts of the city, bearing its name in neon fonts, Roasted Aromas was one of the only few places that proudly displayed a gigantic courtyard in front. The little squares of the window panes showed a handful of people inside, considering it was only visited by individuals leaving or entering the country.

As Ibrahim parked and muted down the headlights, Malika saw Salman standing a couple feet away from them. She wasted no time in opening the gate and stepping down from the car.

"Salman!" she called with the biggest smile on her face.

He turned around.

"That's your brother?" Dahlia gasped from her seat, quickly flitting her gaze elsewhere.

If people thought Malika turned heads when they were in public, they had never been accompanied by Salman Bashir.

The siblings looked quite different – since Malika went mostly after her mother and he after his father. Despite that, anyone with eyes could tell they were related.

Whereas Malika had a delicate face with sharp features, Salman bore the opposite. With large eyes framed with thick lashes that he had inherited from his father, high cheekbones that he had gotten from his mother and a slightly hooked which he didn't receive from either parents – Salman was a sight to behold.

Salman's eyes twinkled as they landed on his sister. "Hey, kid," he said, lips turning into a mischievous smile. "Miss me?"

Malika closed the door behind her and sprinted. Closing the gap between them, she shot right into his arms.

Makika squealed in delight as he embraced her as well. "I can't believe you're actually here!"

Salman chuckled into her hair. They let go of each other and he held her by the shoulders at arms' length. "You wished for it, so here I am." He winked at her.

Malika beamed. "When did you get here?!"

"I landed only a couple hours ago," Salman replied. "Breezed through customs and baggage claim and then Fardin picked me up."

At the mention of the name, Malika noticed the bunch of boys a couple feet away. She immediately recognized them as his high school friends – Fardin, their cousin Raad, and a few other guys.

Her smile subsided. She darted her gaze back at her brother, confusion in her eyes. "What are they doing here?" she asked. "How come you didn't call either Mom or me to pick you up?"

"It was kind of a last minute decision, so I didn't want to bother you guys."

"Oh." She tried not to show how much it bothered her. As the initial joy elicited by surprise was ebbing away, the reality of the situation was sinking in. Malika tried to understand the circumstances that led her brother here, and suddenly, she couldn't piece any of his actions together.

"Actually, I should be asking what are you doing here? At this time of the year?" she prompted.

"You know, it's Fardin's birthday tomorrow. We were talking on the phone a couple days ago and he jokingly said all he wanted for his present was my presence." He laughed leisurely. "So I hopped on a plane the next day and decided to show up in person as a prank."

Malika's lips were parted as words failed her. An unpleasant feeling was rising to her chest. How many emails had she sent him in just the last month? Or how many times had she tried to catch him on the phone? She didn't know, because she had lost count. Yet, here he was, on a day's notice to play a practical joke on his friends.

He let out a yawn. Malika could tell he was pretty tired. In fact, after traveling for nearly fourteen hours, it was a miracle he was standing. Part of her suddenly felt guilty for keeping him, the other part felt the need to demand some answers.

A sharp jeer interrupted them, she looked over to where his friends were standing. They were laughing at someone. Before she could dismiss it, she noticed the individual was a girl. Malika quickly realized they weren't laughing, the boys were following her movements with their eyes, passing comments.

Dread rose to her chest. "What are your friends doing?"

Salman chuckled again, oblivious to the change in her tone. "Nothing you need to know about," he quipped, flicking her nose playfully.

The dread in her chest had turned to lead, her heart dropped to her stomach. Malika flitted her eyes back to her brother. "Ask them to stop."

Salman finally turned to look at her again. Seeing the look on her face, he smiled. "They're just having a little fun, kid."

The sentence was said casually but it felt like a bitter slap across her face. Malika stared at him with disbelief. "What they're doing is not funny," she said.

"It's just Fardin being Fardin." He batted a hand in the air dismissively. "You know how he is."

Malika took a moment to study him, as if seeing him for the first time.

"How would you have felt if it were me instead of that girl? Would you have reacted the same way?" Her voice came out dull.

The humor dropped from Salman's face in an instant. His eyes hardened. "My friends know better than to treat my baby sister that way. They would never dare to."

Tears were beading her eyes. Malika didn't want to cry in public but she had little control over the sobs forming in her chest. "That girl could be someone's sister too."

Salman scanned his sister's face, for the first time realizing how much the situation was affecting her. He furrowed his brows. "What's going on, Lia?" he asked. "I don't understand why you're getting so upset over this. Do you know her or something?"

She was already turning on her feet and heading back into the direction of the Ahmad cousins – who were both watching the scene in front with stunned silence. Malika couldn't hold back her tears, she started crying.

"Lia!"

Dahlia wrapped an arm around her shoulders in order to console her. Malika could still feel Salman's dumbfounded eyes boring into her back. "Take me home, please."

Salman watched them with confusion, noticing the new kids for the first time. Ibrahim Ahmad glanced at Malika once, then he lifted his eyes to meet his, the displeasure clear in them.

With one last look, Salman standing in cluelessness, the party got into their respective seats and got out of the parking lot.