Chapter 04

With her mouth wide agape, she kept staring at him unable to blink even a single hair of her eyes. She looked stunned, heartbroken, betrayed and very stupid. How could she have ignored the wink Hussain sent to Hajia when he entered just so she couldn't point out his name to her? How could she have ignored the fact he wasn't comfortable and didn't look himself. If it was Hassan, he would have taken her to the walk instead of those monumental places, not that she didn't enjoy it. They might be dangerously identical, but some things about them surely differed.

She didn't know when he stood up and wrapped his hands around her waist, sniffling her scent from her neck. That jerked her back into consciousness, and she shrugged him off and walked out of the room; furiously.

On her way to Hajia's chamber, she saw Hussain and stood still. She wanted to vent out her anger at him, ask him why he lured her thinking he was Hassan while clearly he was Hussain. But even now, she wasn't sure who was who, despite the fact that she left her supposed husband in her room. Her tears fell, and she quickly averted her gaze from his face and walked away. She wanted this to end, it's getting too much. Too intense.

Before Hussain could make a move, Hassan appeared with a small smile om his lips. "Where is she going to?" He asked, patting his shoulder.

"I think she's reporting you to Hajia, you shouldn't have asked me to do that. She looks betrayed." Hussain lamented, he really felt bad about what he did. How could he have acted as her husband while he knew he wasn't? What if she asked him to do something for her or she did something to him? How could he handle himself?

Hassan chuckled and smacked his chest, "Not only me, us. Let's go and defend ourselves." He dragged him by his arm and together, they walked into Hajia's chamber while chatting laconically.

They met Nadia seated beside Hajia on a cushion while tears were rushing down her cheeks, she looked betrayed, Hassan thought and rushed towards her. He didn't know she could feel this way, he only wanted her to feel happy.

He rushed towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, but how she acted and shrugged off his hand made him realised that there was truly a fire on the mountain. Hajia had her face frowned too, strictly looking at them that they both got a chill in their spines.

"Don't touch me, who are you to start with?" She barked away and uttered her words, even though with a soft tone, but she did.

"Look Singleton, I'm really sorry. I didn't think that will piss you off, really. C'mon, it's your Twin, won't you talk to me?" He knelt beside her and tried holding her hands but she shrugged him away. Hussain had already found a sofa opposite them and sat down.

"How sure am I that it's not you but him right now trying to touch me again? He calls me Singleton too, remember." She folded her hands over chest and kept crying to her satisfaction, she had only one way of easing her anger, which is through her tears. Then ice cream. And considering what happened, she would gladly take the ice creams in her room rather than go out with any of them.

"Subhanallah, Singleton. Really, it's me. Hassan, your Twin. Hajia confirm it to her yourself, please." He looked at Hajia apologetically and that reminded her of their late father. She closed her eyes and opened them back again. If she couldn't block out the love she had for Hassan and Hussain, they would keep on hurting the innocent Nadia. And that way, she would be a bad mother in law.

"Hassan, what you did is so uncalled for. How could you send your Twin brother to your wife and ask him to take her out on a date. Her feelings aside, do you think it's islamically halal? Apart from that, she's hurting, she wants no one and nothing but her husband, but you're mixing it up for her. Spoiling her own feelings with your ugly two faces." She looked at Nadia and patted her shoulder lovingly, assuring her that everything would be fine.

They both groaned at the same time and held their chests, "Hajia we aren't ugly for God sake, that daughter of yours; Sohila, is the ugly one. Hajia, we're sorry and you know that. We're sorry, Singleton, that shouldn't be repeated." The way they sounded, how the words rolled off their tongues simultaneously, how cute they looked with both their hands holding their ears and their lips pursed into a pout-Nadia nearly screamed.

She burst into more tears, that's her only weapon. "Hajia Allah I can't do this anymore, look at them now, how can I differentiate who is who? I'm really tired of all this punishment wallahi, my heart is never at ease." She cried even more, flashing both of them a disgusted and anger filled look. One of them smiled, the one kneeling beside her, the other one didn't. He frowned his face and looked away. Very good, Nadia. First difference, Hassan is vibrant, Hussain is grumpy. Noted. She almost squealed.

"Enough is enough, Twins. It's either you all stop this attitude or by Allah I'm telling her your biggest secret, the one she can recognize you with just a single look. Be mindful." Hajia warned and walked out of the living room, if not because of the promise she made to them since when they were kids, nothing would have stopped her from telling Nadia that single clue she could use to differentiate them.

"I'm sorry, Singleton. You know I hate your tears more than my own death. And if it takes for me to die so you could stop crying, I would gladly hug the broad chest of death. Please stop it." Hassan cajoled and hugged her, her knees dropped south until she was in the same position he is. She fell into his chest, snuggled her face into his chest and broke into more tears.

She punched his chest softly and spoke on between her tears, "Twin, what makes you think of that? It's really making me feel stupid and dumb. Please don't do it again. And who told you you're ever going to die before we all turn 70, with our grey hair and wrinkled skin, our children and grandchildren roaming around us and I'll make sure I tell them about the first day we met, and about..."

He cut her off with a chuckle, "About your favourite peach modanisa abaya embroidered with Swarovski. And I too would tell them how my Twin and I make a mess of your cheeks whenever you feel so dumb because you can't differentiate between your husband and your Husband's Twin." This time, she punched him hard that he yelped and planted a smooch on both his cheeks.

Looking into his eyes, she uttered; with a smile and tears on her cheeks. "I love you, Twin, so much that it hurts me here sometimes." Before he could answer her, they heard the sound Hussain's shoes made before he walked out of the living room, and Nadia freaked out.

"Oh my god, he was here and I was shamelessly clutching onto his Twin bro. Now what would he think of me? Oh my god!" She's the most dramatic drama queen Hassan had ever seen, not that he had seen many.

He laughed out so loud and stood them up, wrapping his hands around her waist he spoke, "C'mon, Singleton. He's my Twin, your Husband's Twin, and soon you'll bear us a child. Why are you shy then? You aren't even sure wether it's me or him standing right beside you, with my hand snaked around your waist and your smooch still lingering on my both cheeks. I might be Hassan or Hussain. Be careful, lady."

She punched his chest and placed her head on his arm, "You can't be him, you're you, the man I fell in love with. And he's too grumpy to be smiling like you're doing now. He lacks sense of humour, too bad for my husband's twin." Before she could close her mouth, Hussain made an appearance in the living room, he was there to call Hassan so they could walk to the masjid for Isha sallah, whenever they're in town together, they were inseparable.

"Hassan!" She shrieked and hide herself behind him, clutching his shirt tightly. Hussain had heard what she said, oh god.

"Second H, my wife is sorry for pointing out the fact that's crystal clear, forgive us." Hassan laughed so hard when Hussain made an internal sound, he knew him, and he knew he was annoyed. Whenever someone pointed out the fact he lacked sense of humour which only Hassan knew he didn't, he got mad. Right now, Nadia was lucky because she was his sister in law. His First H's wife.

"Let's get going, or is she going to curl you back into her womb and give birth to you for the second time so I'll become the First H, and you the second?" Hussain groaned and made way for the door when he heard as Nadia hushed some words into her Twin's ears.

"Twin, what do you think of finding him a wife? This way he's acting as if he's depressed might be because he wants someone close to him, I know he has you, but someone like a spouse. If he wants, my bestfriend has a sister named Majidah, she's a sweet girl..."

"I heard that, Singleton, but I'm not interested. She might be the perfect second wife for your hopeless romantic husband, though." And off he was out of the chamber, and Nadia had never been embarrassed like she was today.

"Let's move, he can't go without me, I shouldn't make him wait." Hassan was trying all his might not to laugh out loud, the expression on her face was priceless. He wished he had his phone with him.

"Tell him to stop calling me that, it"s only for you." He grumbled and they walked out of the chamber together. They saw him waiting patiently, and she dodged the chance to make an eye contact with him, directly; she walked towards their chamber.

•

It was dinner time, and Nadia had helped Hajia with all the things she used to do. Hajia had been giving her pep talks about being attentive when it comes to the matter of the twins, they looked alike and had same characters, but some of their habits differed. She should know her husband so much to differ him from her Husband's Twin.

The door creaked ajar, and when the men walked in hand in hand, watching something in a phone, Nadia's jaw almost dropped to the ground. They looked as if one was the real and the other his clone, or worse; a mirror placed beside him. Completely, unadulterated, and raw-they looked identical.

Hassan saw the look in her eyes and knew she was utterly confused. To save more tears from pouring from her eyes, because he had still not forgiven himself for the tears she shed in the evening. He waved at her with his free hand and said "I'm here, Singleton."

Nadia heaved a sigh out of relief and walked towards them, she hugged him lightly and whispered, "Thank you, Twin. If only you will be this transparent, I would've loved you even more."

She broke their hug and signalled at Hussain with her eyes, "Is he showing you the woman he loves? I really want him to get a life and stop taking you away from me." She mouthed, unfortunately for her, Hussain answered first before Hassan could.

"No, but I'm showing him a beautiful girl that knows how to gossip well, the one he would've made a perfect match with." He said it casually and freed his hand from their entwine.

"First H, tell your Singleton to free my life, I'm not her co-wife, unless she wants me to find one for you." He shouted from his seat on the dining table and Nadia placed her head on Hassan's chest, too embarrassed to look up to anyone of them.