Part Sixteen

I had already snuggled up in bed, ready for a short nap when Atiyyah and Naeem barged into the room. “You!” Atiyyah pointed an accusing finger at me. “You made us look like idiots downstairs! The waiters couldn’t stop laughing.”
“Yeah well nobody asked the two of you to act like dimwits. And besides look at it this way, I’m your best friend who bailed you out so technically speaking, you won.”
“Hey that’s not fair!” Naeem grumbled.
“Aww i’m sorry.. Tell you what, when your next paycheck is due i’ll tell Daddy to deduct the amount okay?”
Naeem narrowed his eyes, then threw his hands up in the air. “Fine! The two of you win.”
“You don’t look too happy about it. What? You haven’t lost to two eighteen year olds before?”
“As a matter of fact, no, I haven’t.”
“Oh you poor thing. Is your ego bruised?”
Realising that I was making fun of him, he threw a pillow at me. Grabbing it, I laughed at him. “Real mature.” I bashed his head with the pillow, then attacked Atiyyah. “This is for acting like dimwits downstairs.”
Atiyyah squealed and hit back with her own pillow. We paused midway and looked at each other, then at Naeem. Widening his eyes, he stepped back, putting his hands up. “No no its okay, the two of you carry on.”
“But you started it!”
Atiyyah shouted, “Attack!”
We both ran forward and started hitting him. He grabbed a pillow from the bed and retaliated and a fully fledged pillow fight ensued. We ran around the room laughing and shrieking, jumping on the beds and circling the table just like how they show it in movies. Well, minus the feathers flying everywhere. It carried on for another fifteen minutes until there was a knock on the door. We all froze. Naeem cleared his throat and went to open it.
The porter stood outside. “Good day Mr…” He checked his clipboard. “Mr Vawda. Sir, the phone lines connected to the room are down and there’s a phone call for.. Zara. Would you like to take the call at reception?”
“Err.. Zahraa?” Naem called.
“Yup i’m here. It’s probably my parents. Please tell them i’ll call back later.”
The porter nodded and left.
For a while no one said anything. Naeem looked a little stunned. Then we all just burst out laughing. Atiyyah was literally rolling around the floor and I had tears running down my cheeks. “I’m willing to bet my life that that is the first time you ever did something like that,” I said to Naeem.
“It is! I feel like a four year old all over again.. A happier four year old, that is.”
Atiyyah got off the floor. “I thought they were coming to tell us that we were making too much of noise.”
“Me too,” I giggled. “Now.. We have the rest of the afternoon and evening. What should we do? I’m not tired anymore.”
“I’ve got some work to do just now. Let’s take a walk later tonight. We can go out for supper,” Naeem suggested.
“Sounds like a plan. In the meantime, lemme call my parents.”
Naeem left and I called my father. After chatting to him and my mother, I joined Atiyyah in the balcony.
“So… Seems like our cold, moody accountant-slash-chauffeur-slash-bodyguard is warming up hey,” Atiyyah lifted an eyebrow.
“Seems like it. Let’s pray it stays this way until the holiday is over.”