A Vow across the Borders

The evening continued as the family settled into the garden, the soft breeze carrying the quiet murmur of distant conversations. Noor sat beside Numair on the stone bench, both of them laughing at a joke Numair had just cracked—one of those easy, effortless exchanges that only siblings could have after a long time apart. It felt right, almost like no time had passed between them, even though it had been over a year since they’d last seen each other.

“You’ve gotten even more insufferable since I last saw you,” Noor teased, her eyes crinkling as she smiled at her brother.

“Oh, you love me and you know it,” Numair replied, nudging her playfully. “You were the one who missed me enough to make me come here in the first place.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. There was something about Numair that was irreplaceable—the way he could make her laugh even on the darkest days. They’d always been close, even when the world was busy pulling them in different directions.

Murtasim, who had been sitting across from them, felt a stir of something uncomfortable in his chest. It wasn’t jealousy—he’d convinced himself of that—but something about seeing Noor so naturally at ease with this man, this stranger to him, didn’t sit right. His brow furrowed. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he didn’t like the way they looked at each other. Or maybe it was the way Noor seemed to light up when Numair spoke, her usual composed exterior cracking just a little.

Zain, oblivious to the tension forming between Murtasim and the others, was enjoying himself far too much. He leaned back in his chair with a grin, eyes twinkling as he aimed a cheeky remark at the group. “You know, I thought I was the most charming one here,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “But here we have Mr. I’m so amazing that I’ve been to more countries than all of you combined showing up, stealing my thunder.”

No one laughed except for Zain, who winked at Noor. She merely raised an eyebrow, hiding a smile.

“Zain, you need to stop with these dad jokes,” Noor said, shaking her head.

“You all just don’t appreciate quality humor,” Zain replied with mock indignation. “You’ll thank me when you’re old and wrinkled and can’t remember what a good punchline is.”

Zain’s words were met with several groans from around the table. It wasn’t long before he was telling another joke, this time about a doctor and a patient that was so cringe-worthy it left everyone holding their heads in their hands.

But it was clear that the laughter didn’t reach everyone.

Haya, who had been pretending to listen, was now staring intently at Numair, her gaze fixed in a way that didn’t go unnoticed by Murtasim. He wasn’t blind to it, and the knot in his stomach tightened.

Numair, for all his charm and easygoing demeanor, hadn’t missed it either. He met Haya’s eyes briefly, then turned his attention back to Noor with an effortless ease. But Haya’s discomfort was growing by the second, her pulse quickening as she caught sight of the way Noor’s eyes softened whenever Numair spoke. It wasn’t just familial affection—it was something deeper.

And that made her heart twist in an odd, uncomfortable way.

She shifted in her seat, suddenly aware of how hot her face was growing. It wasn’t just that she was feeling jealous—it was crushing.

She couldn’t stop herself from speaking, though her words came out sharper than she’d intended. “It’s been so long since you two saw each other, hasn’t it?”

Noor looked at her, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Yes. A year. And I’m glad he’s here.”

Haya could barely hold her frustration in check. Her voice came out softer, barely a whisper. “Must be nice…having such a perfect sibling bond.”