EID MUBARAK!!❤️
After a steamy shower that practically melted away her tiredness, Jadwa snuggled into her favorite pajamas. Phone clutched in hand, she scrolled through her social media with a small smile on her lips. A notification from her cousin Adam popped up. Unlike his usual countless texts, this one was just a simple Eid message so she decided against ignoring him with a quick "thanks"
She saw a new follow request from "Lily Moriki" she viewed the profile and realized it was Anaya's friend request, she immediately followed back and went through her story.
The girl was undeniably beautiful, one photo captured Anaya and her brothers, her gaze snagged on Muhammad. "Does this guy ever smile?" she thought, scrutinizing his brooding expression.
A laugh bubbled up from her chest as she watched a video of Anaya playfully annoying him with her camera.
Intrigued, Jadwa went back to Anaya's stories again, she replied to Anaya's recent solo picture to start a conversation.
Another message from Adam buzzed in, and she rolled her eyes. Adam wasn't bad, not by any stretch, but there was no way on earth they could ever work out because of his mother and she had never seen him in that light, he was just another well meaning guy trying to stake his claim. Family ties and problems, however, couldn't be ignored. She typed out a reply, and their conversation flowed easily. He even offered to take her to the spa she told him she wanted to go to during the week but politely declined it with an excuse of going with friends.
Boredom gnawed at her. With Abdulhakeem fast asleep, she got up and peeked into her sisters' room. They were lost in a world of their own, giggling and reminiscing about the day's events. Jadwa joined them and the room filled with laughter as they recounted the event.
"I was so glad I saw Anaya and her brothers again" Hannan said, her voice filled with excitement.
"I know right, they are so nice! We should definitely hang out with her sometime" Zara chimed in.
"They just moved back, right? I bet Anaya would love that" Jadwa agreed with a nod.
"Spa date, anyone?" she offered, flopping dramatically onto her sister's bed.
"When?" Zara asked, her brow furrowed.
"This week?"
"I have plans sorry" Zara shot down the idea with a sigh.
"Hard to pass but I have to resume work Jadu" Hanan groaned.
"Guess it's just me then" Jadwa chuckled, grabbing her phone and booking a session online as she drifted off to sleep in her sister's room.
****
The next morning, she woke up with a strange urge to get her life together. Pursue a master's degree, find a job, or take a leap and start her own business? To her, a master's would please her father and dismiss the "marriage talks and threats" but none of the programs offered by the universities truly satisfied her interest.
"Maybe a business?" she murmured, a sigh escaping her lips.
Instead of dwelling on the uncertainty, Jadwa dove headfirst into research. She spent hours analyzing the interior design landscape in the country, meticulously comparing competitors and taking copious notes. With newfound determination, but dissatisfaction lingered in her mind. It wasn't something she was ready for or would be able to do on her own in this stage of her life.
Finally, she came to a decision, A master's degree.
A Master of Business Administration.
Ammi had constantly bugged her about it but she didn't give it any importance so she chose to surprise her.
Gathering her documents in a flurry of activity, she applied online at a prestigious private university in the city before meeting Ammi in the living room but ended up coming across Baba as well. "Perfect" she spoke under her breath out of excitement.
