A couple weeks passed. The grey clouds cleared space for a clear blue sky. The cool, restless breezes were once again replaced by warm wind.

It was late into the night when Layla posted into the WhatsApp group of the girls that her mother went into labor. Malika was still in her floral pajamas when Salman drove her to the hospital.

They found Layla in the waiting room outside of the Labor and Delivery unit. Malika hadn't seen her since Layla confessed about the letters. A knot formed in her stomach at her sight. Still in her house attire and her wispy curls running wild, the girl looked up from her phone.

"Thank God," Layla let out a cry.

She stepped towards her, and Malika could see the hesitation in her feet. But as soon as the two friends embraced, Malika could see the visible relief descend on her face. The months of conflict between them became a small mishap in the bigger scale of things.

"Mom went into labor and Dad's out of town. I was freaking out."

For the first few hours, the girls were in the room with Yasmine Fayyad as she went through the early stages of labor. As time passed, the mother's pain worsened. Salman tried to offer the ladies chips and coffee as comfort before being thrown out into the halls.

As the nurses prepared Yasmine for delivery, the father made it just in time. It was almost dawn when baby Azar Fayyad was welcomed into the world. By then, Dahlia and Ibrahim had also arrived along with a few of the Fayyad's relatives.

Layla was in full scrubs when she walked out into the waiting room - filled with people eagerly waiting to meet the newest member of the family - holding out the newborn for everyone to see. Salman was FaceTiming someone as Layla showed the baby on the screen.

"Who's that?" Dahlia asked under her breath, gesturing to the man on the screen.

"Kaveh, Layla's brother," Malika responded. "He lives in London."

The baby was a tiny, red-faced thing. Dahlia thought she barely looked human, but Malika could swear she saw Layla's charm in her swollen face.

It was almost morning when the Bashirs and the Ahmads were ready to leave. Layla was yawning as she walked her friends out. Malika could feel the exhaustion from the lack of sleep seeping into her own bones.

"God, I can't imagine having a baby in the house," Layla said. "I was always the baby of our house. I don't know how to be a big sister."

"None of us do, actually," Malika said.

"It's okay, we'll figure it out together," Dahlia added.

Malika squinted her eyes as she stepped into the parking lot. The sun seemed to shine too bright after spending the night in the windowless waiting room. Just as they were about to part ways, Ibrahim called her out.

"Malika."

She turned around.

"Can I get a minute with her?" Ibrahim asked the other two girls. "I'll be fast," he promised his sister.

Before Malika could even react, Dahlia and Layla stepped away without a word. She kept throwing daggers at her friend's backs as she avoided looking directly at him. Then she realized she was still in her floral pajamas from last night. Malika mentally kicked herself for not changing before leaving the house. She tried to steady her breathing as she saw him approach.

Dahlia and Layla halt a few feet away from them, Ibrahim stood near her.

"I wanted to talk about the other day."

Malika looked at him. "Ibrahim-"

"Just hear me out, please," he interjected.

Malika shuffled her feet, the familiar restlessness of her heart returning. "Fine."

"I had no idea Ryan would be there. I haven't spoken to him or any of his friends in all these years. I was barely familiar with them in high school. It's crazy if any part of you thinks I wanted, or even asked, him to be there."

"I know," she sighed. "I never thought that for a second."

"Good," he responded. "As for everything else you said, I chose to be seen with you in public. I would have no hesitations in admitting to Ryan, or anyone from high school for that matter, that we're still acquainted. I'm not really concerned with how anyone else feels about that."

Malika swallowed the nerves in her throat. He barely said anything, yet, she could already feel the years worth of longing knocking on her chest aggressively. Ibrahim could come across as quite or shy, but in that moment, she realized he didn't really beat around the bush with his feelings. In this aspect, he could be just as blunt as his sisters.

"You don't understand, Ibrahim," Malika spat out, her words coming out harsher than she intended to. "Which, I guess, is my fault," she softened her stance. "I wasn't exactly clear with my words. What I was trying to say is that I'm not going to ask you to get involved in the mess of my past. If anyone who's aware of my past catches us together they'd find a way to tangle you in it. Trust me." She added after a heavy pause, "My issues are mine alone to deal with."

"You didn't ask me to do any of that," he argued.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," she shook her head stubbornly. "It's better if we leave things as is."

"Look, I reached out to you because I wanted to," he said firmly. "I'm an adult and I know what I want. So let me decide what I should or shouldn't do."

Malika clamped her lips shut. She didn't know what else to say after that. She could see her friends subtly looking over their shoulders in the distance. With a small goodbye, Ibrahim walked towards his sister.

Weeks went by, the rainy season passed, Zakariya Azad returned to New York city, and soon the last year of their University was upon them. The semesters were packed with quizzes, assignments and presentations. Malika barely saw Dahlia and Layla, and Farrah's appearances become as rare as the Eid moon.

Malika and Ibrahim couldn't get to reschedule their meeting amidst all the chaos.

So during a dinner party at the Ahmad's, Malika decided to approach Ibrahim herself. The moment Malika was able to get a hold of Ibrahim by himself, she requested her friends to keep a look out and faced him.

They were standing in the Ahmad's living room, with the television faintly playing in the background, and Dahlia and Layla acting as chaperones by the door. Malika decided it was time she took control of the situation instead of becoming stiff with awkwardness every time they ran into each other, or stay in anticipation of when they might.

So she sat Ibrahim down and explained what she had to. She told him why she wrote the letters, she admitted to having feelings for him once - there was no way around it at that point - and conveniently left out the part that she still felt the same way about him. She also mentioned that she never intended for him to find them and that Layla was the one who left them on his table.

To her surprise, he looked slightly disappointed at that revelation.

"So you didn't want me to read the letters?" Ibrahim asked as he kept gently brushing his left thumb over his right knuckles, eyes glued to his hands.

"No," she admitted.

There was silence between them. For a while, all there could be heard was the television and the Ahmad sisters in the next room.

"I didn't realize."

There wasn't much that was said after that.

On the eve of a weekend, Dahlia, Malika and Layla made plans to catch up. It was a pleasant day in the city that dwelled near the mountains. The sky was almost a clear blue and the warm weather welcomed a cool breeze once in a while.

They sat on the patio of the restaurant, the weather finally comfortable enough to permit them to sit outdoors without getting drenched in sweat, enjoying their coffees and croissants. Their conversations ranged from the new clothes they purchased to their careers and the future.

Layla these days kept chanting, "I have no idea what I want to do with my life." Farrah, on the other hand had her entire year after graduation planned out. Dahlia was starting to look agitated when the future was brought up. Malika tried not to bother, she was starting to learn that things always had a way of working out themselves.

"Wait, so where were you again?" Layla asked Dahlia as Malika just finished giving them the details of everything that happened the day she and Ibrahim were supposed to meet up, finally managing the time to discuss the event face to face.

Since Ibrahim caught up to her at the hospital, her friends' curiosity couldn't be kept at bay, and Malika realized she no longer had the privilege to keep her feelings a secret.

"I thought you were supposed to chaperone," Layla reiterated, eyes on the hijabi.

"Well, they sell the best waffles in town just next door," Dahlia responded. "I had to try them."

"Wait, you disregarded your duty, left these two alone, and also missed out on the whole drama just for waffles?!"

"They're really good waffles."

"Nice, Dels. At least you have your priorities straight," Layla said with a chuckle.

"So what's going on between you two now?" Dahlia asked, ignoring Layla and shifting the focus back on Malika.

She let out a deep breath. "Nothing," she said, shrugging. "There was never anything to begin with."

"But he wanted to meet you," Layla said. "Ibrahim just doesn't set up meetings with girls."

"He only wanted to clear things out about the letters," Malika replied. "That's all. Since we did that, it's become water under bridge," she said, trying to maintain nonchalance. "We have nothing else to discuss."

"Can I ask you something? Do you still like him?"

Dahlia's question threw her off guard. The usually opinionated girl strictly maintained a neutral stance throughout the entire ordeal, which Malika was grateful for. But Dahlia was staring straight into her honey-colored eyes, curiosity simmering in her dark brown ones.

Malika hesitated. She dreaded the idea of discussing her feelings for Ibrahim with his sister, which was one of the reasons why she hid her feelings in the first place.

But Malika's heart was growing tired of all the secrets and uncertainty.

"I do," she simply confessed. She had for so long, Malika wasn't sure if not liking him was even a possibility for her at this point.

"Then I don't think you should let it go," Dahlia said. "It's rare these days to have the kind of strong and persistent feelings you clearly hold for him. You can't just let go of something like this."

"True, love is something that is always worth fighting for," Layla pipes in.

"Guys, it's not that simple." Malika shakes her head.

"I know, but don't you at least want to find out if he feels the same way?" the hijabi asked. "I mean, if I were in your shoes I know I would. I know I would regret it if I never even gave it a try."

Malika lets out a sigh. "He's never explicitly implied that he has any interest in me," she said. "I'm only going to end up embarrassing myself again." She rolls her eyes.

"I disagree, and I would say I know him well enough to safely make that assumption." Dahlia added, a smile lifting up a corner of her lips. "Malika, all I ask of you is to keep an open mind in this situation. I think you are so used to keeping your walls up - sometimes justifiably so - that you can often fail to see beyond your defenses."

The words hit home. Malika tried to swallow the nerves rising to her throat. "Really, Dels, why are we even having this conversation? Are you trying to set me up with your brother now?" She attempted to redirect and lighten the seriousness of the conversation.

Dahlia said with sincerity, "Why not? I think you two would be a good match."

Malika tried to brush it off with a casual laugh, though a sudden pleasant feeling overwhelmed her. The girls spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and chatting their hearts out.

...
I think Dahlia is all of us in this chapter lol. She's done with the slow burn romance and decided to take matters into her own hand.

Don't think I have witnessed a delivery process closely since my mummy was in labor with me lol. Excuse the vague details of the birth since my knowledge is a little rusty in this department.

Also, one more chapter and then the epilogue, you guys. The book's coming to an end.