Chapter 02

She looked puzzled. Her Twin winked, but how sure was she? How sure was she the man that winked was her husband not her husband's twin? She needed clarification.

"Come on, Nadia. My men are hungry, bring your husband to the table." Hajia chuckled and pointed at the men, they smiled at the same time.

She looked at them and with a faint 'bismillah' on her lips, she moved towards them and slipped her hands into her Twin's hand, smiling triumphantly as if she had won a lottery. Because she felt the sparks, the butterflies and the emotions she felt whenever she touched her Twin.

"Hajia, this is my Twin, right?!" She asked excitedly and dragged him to the table without even waiting for Hajia or any of them to utter a word.

Nadia bended close to his left ear after she made him sat down and whispered, "Twin, I can recognize you wherever you are," seductively with a voice that she was sure would stir up his emotions, and before she was able to recover from the voice she made, she heard a voice, as soothing as her Twin would ever be, uttered.

"Singleton, serve us the food, I'm starving!" And it didn't came from the one she was standing beside, rather; the man that was seated on the next chair. She looked at them then Hajia that was mischievously smiling at her.

"That's Hussain, Nadia. This is your husband!" They all burst into a series of laughter and she couldn't help but felt tears stinging her eyes.

"This isn't right, Hajia. I prayed for one of them to wink and Hussain winked wallahi. I thought he was the one, I'm never playing this game again. Twin, what do you want?" She made a sad face and walked back to her husband, not glancing at Hussain, because she can imagine the deadly glare he would send her way just like he did when she hugged him in the evening.

'You're so dumb, Nadia! Be a brainy for once please!' She scolded herself and began serving them their dinner. She put hers on her plate and sat beside Hassan, after making sure she looked at their faces and saw the grim line on Hussain's face. Yes, her twin was always the chivalrous type.

"Hajia you know what? Hassan cheated me wallahi, I didn't know that they wear the same clothing and look like the mirror image of each other. The only time I've ever seen him was so briefly..." Hassan cut her off before she could even finish what she intended to say. He knew he would get tired of this complain for the rest of their lives, because if Nadia choose to nag about something, Innalillahi. She still nagged about her ice cream he dumped on her favorite abaya the first day they met in an ice cream parlor. That favorite abaya was the first time she wore it and she wanted to snap hundreds of pictures with it. And that flavour was the first time she chose it and before she could taste it the ground had already sucked it up. The nagging went on and on until Hassan could hear no more.

"Singleton, table manners please. Hajia don't reply her please." He pleaded, but he knew Hajia would never snub Nadia, because she took her just like she took Sohila, and whenever that girl was back; Hajia's mouth hardly seal off from talking. That's why sometimes they take the girl out so Hajia could have a rest of mind.

"Nadia I'm feeling your pain, really. They can be tricky and mischievous a-times, I think I should tell you the tips on how to differentiate them, right? Sohila sometimes comes for the tips too, on days they feel undifferentiated." Hajia chuckled and smirked at their bulged eyes, they were pleading through their eyes, and everything about them was identical. She would forever thank Allah for the gift he bestowed upon her. Having Hassan and Hussain was a priceless gift she had ever gotten in her life.

"Hajia! No please!" They spoke at the same time, and that confused Nadia more. She kept looking between their faces and everything there was the same, even the lines on their foreheads.

"Twin, you too don't want me to know the tips on differentiating you? How betraying this is!" She exclaimed and her eyes hadn't left their faces, she felt like they've swerved their seats when she wasn't looking. Ugh!

"That's not it, Singleton. We're twins, I'm him and he's me. What's the fun if everyone can differentiate between us? No fun!" They spoke again, and Nadia was forced to stand up and she moved to where Hajia was seated, laughing at how freaked out she looked.

"Hajia I want to go to bed, point my husband for me please. Wallahi they're scaring me!" She was petrified, looking at them with eyes bulged out like a saucers. She didn't know that some twins can be as identical as this.

"Let's go, Singleton. I'm full too, Hajia goodnight. Hussain, knock on my door and check wether I'm asleep or not, if not we shall play that game then." Hassan stood up and walked towards Nadia but she took steps back.

"How sure am I you're the one? Hajia, is he the one? Because even the one sitting on the chair is smiling exactly like my Twin." She still hadn't entwined her hand with his outstretched palm, afraid she might make another mistake of holding her husband's twin.

"Hussain stop all this drama, you guys are incorrigible. Nadia he's your husband, goodnight. I'll tell you even a single tip tomorrow insha Allah." Hajia patted her shoulder and that's when Nadia entwined her hands with Hassan's and he pulled her into a side hug. She relished his warmth and savored the taste of his cologne, this was really her husband. It felt so good and halal.

"No tips, Hajia!" They spoke at the same time and Hassan's next words were made guttural when Nadia's nudge hit his stomach and he yelped silently.

They entered their part and Nadia waited for him to say he was Hussain, because she was still not convinced about him being Hassan. She watched as he guided them to their room and she heaved a sigh when she felt them on their bed, it felt so right.

They were laying flat on the bed with faces looking up and she had her head on his outstretched arm, and their eyes staring at each other. "I love you, Nadia, so much more than you could ever imagine. You're so beautiful when you're freaked out!" He chuckled, that deep husky chuckle that always unnerve Nadia, and she smacked his chest playfully.

"That was frightening, Twin, you shouldn't have done that. And now, tell me a single tip that'll make me recognize you with a single glance, please." Her eyes were looking directly into his, and her warmth was seething into his soul uncovered, unadulterated and raw; and all this felt so real and passionate. Halal love never felt this beautiful.

"Why do you want to know? Even if I tell you now; Hussain will know about it and it'll confuse you more. Why don't you leave it as it is? Less confusing." He pinched her long nose and chuckled at how she pouted her lips, planting a smooch on the pursed lips.

"You're my husband, and for Allah's sake I should be able to be recognizing you everywhere. Just tell me and it should be between us." Half her body was now on top his, she was doing all she could to lure him into telling her a single tip that'll make her recognize him.

"Here it is then," he said and started playing with the strands of her hair that had fallen from her headgear. She looked more beautiful than Hassan had ever imagined her to look, this was something priceless, this very moment was something to remember for eternity.

"Stop ogling and tell me, Hassan!" She whined and closed both his eyelids with a smooch, and his chest reverberated with a deep chuckle and he merged their lips into one. He saw no reason in telling her when it was as rigid as a writeup on a stone that Hussain must hear whatever it is he told her about them. That's how they are, and he can't break that rule for the whole world.

•

The next morning Nadia woke up and she felt the space beside her as empty as a saharan dessert, that irked her. Hassan was taking his bath again without her! She sat upright on the bed and groaned, she will surely deal with him today, just because she had forgiven him didn't mean he should keep repeating what he did.

She silently walked down from the bed and went directly into the bathroom but he wasn't there, and there wasn't signs of him taking bathe because she touched the sponge to have enough evidence while punishing him.

She changed from her night dress and put on her black abaya and wrapped her head into her veil. She walked to their living room to get water for herself when she heard a voice from the backyard of the house. She had never been there, and she thought what could've possibly taken them there. Their voices sounded alike, but she was sure it wasn't only Hassan or Hussain there, they're together.

She braced herself, muttered her silent supplications before she took two bottles of water and drinks with two cups and she walked out of the apartment, directly towards the backyard. As the view came to her sight, Nadia gushed, it was a beautiful garden with a small pool attached to it, and at the far end of the yard was a medium sized football field, Nadia was in love with the place.

They were playing the ball with so much expertise, Hassan had never told her about him being an expert in football, but even before she asked him; she knew he only played with his twin. She moved towards them and called for their attention with a clap of her hands.

"Over here men! For how long have you been here?" She called out to them, and they smiled at each other before they walked towards her, in all their grace. Their faces were like a shooting arrow to her heart, and it made her heart bleed, because she wasn't able to figure out who her husband was.

She had placed down tray on the table beside the field, it was roofed and there were two more of it with four chair encircled. She stood up when they got there and turned her back to leave. "I know even if I try recognizing my Twin, I can't. So here's a drink for my husband and my husband's twin, you all should enjoy." She turned to leave without waiting for them to reply, knowing so well it will puzzle her more.

"Thank you, Singleton!" They said in unison, she knew it wasn't one person that talked, but she turned back nonetheless; and smiled warmly at the one she thought was her twin from the first glance she did at the men.

"You're welcome, Twin. I'll wait for you in our room, don't keep me waiting." She turned back to leave when a single voice answered her back before she heard their deep husky chuckle.

"I'm Hussain, not your twin." He was the one she looked at and said those words to, ugh! Being a dummy was never stressful until she found herself in this situation. She couldn't look back, it was so embarrassing, so she kept moving until she was finally into the confines of their room and she let out a grunt; as deeply as a lions'!

"You must give me a tip today, Hassan. I'm tired of this game, it's stressing!"