A love story

A love story like no other

Alimah Aston smiled at herself as she looked in the mirror combing her wavy brown hair. She puckered her lips then frowned at herself, she really hated her lips, she thought it was too big and round; she bit her bottom lips and signed. She heard her mom calling her for the fifth time.

“Am coming,” She screamed as she rolled her eyes. She went down the stairs as slowly as possible.
“I’ve been calling you for hours, are you deaf?”
“I didn’t hear you, God!” Alimah rolled her eyes as her mother signed.
“Your brother is coming”
“ Okay?” Alimah wondered what was so special about her brother coming home, it really wouldn’t be the first time since he decided to go away to college…
“With his fiancée”
“Oh!”, Alimah blinked, she didn’t even know he had a girlfriend!
“Tomorrow”
“When did he tell you this?”
“A couple weeks ago” just like her mom to keep something so serious a secret, Alimah sometimes got so frustrated with her mom, the only person who knew how to deal with her was her husband.
“Mom, a couple of week ago? And you decided to only tell me the day before he actually gets here?”
“Oh sweetie am sorry, I knew you’d want to know, but am getting old…”
“Mom, you‘re 46” Alimah rolled her dark slanted eyes as she flopped into the sofa. “I can’t believe you” she said
“Well, he only told me on Thursday that he was also coming with his fiancée”
“It’s Saturday mom, you still had time to tell me that my twin brother was coming and that he had a fiancée!”
“I know and am sorry, now can you buy some groceries? I forget all about food”
“Aagrr”


Alimah saw her friend Tiara, her brother’s ex.
“Hey Alimah! How you doing? I saw your sister yesterday” Alimah’s 18 years old sister Tahirah, known as Hirah, went out as much as she could, especially after turning 18.
“Am guessing at a club?” she frowned
“Yeah” Tiara laughed, “that little girl…” she shacked her golden blond locks. Alimah gnawed on her bottom lips, she wondered what her brother’s fiancée was going to look like. Maybe prettier than Tiara, her brother loved pretty girls and Tiara was definitely pretty. Her big almond shaped crystal Alice blue eyes, with spiked thick dark lashes, her eyes were always merry and shinning. Her nose was thin and tiny with a little tilt, then she had that crimson red Charlize Theron lips with a body like Paris Hilton minus the big feet.
“What?” Tiara raised her elegant high arched brows, “I don’t like the way you’re looking” her and Tiara ha known each other for so long, not they had been friends, but they had known each other.
“Ameer’s coming home tomorrow” she looked at her friend, Tiara had been so in love with Ameer, she wasn’t sure though if she still was, Alimah hoped she wasn’t. Her brother really hadn’t led Tiara on, she knew what she had gotten herself into and when Ameer decided to go to college, well he didn’t tell her they broke up a least Alimah didn’t think he had. Ameer probably hadn’t even thought he needed to tell her they were over and suddenly he had a fiancée?
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s coming with his fiancée” she said meekly, Tiara looked so shocked that Alimah felt sorry for her.
“He has a fiancée?” her voice came out shocked and Alimah could barely hear her.
“Yeah, Tiara…”
“Um, well…” Tiara tried to compose herself as she smiled shakily, then she took a deep breath and smiled, “That’s great!” she said, “I might even pass by and say hi” Tiara looked down, so Ameer hadn’t told her what had happened, no wonder Alimah was still friends with her.


Hirah angrily sat down on the kitchen table, her wavy dark, dark hair with it’s olive highlight, and dark khaki tied in a ponytail, her light yellow-khaki eyes made such a contrast against her dark lashes, while Ameer and her had ended up with their dad’s dark eyes, Hirah had ended up with their mom’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Alimah asked
“Guess what mom did, just guess” she said
“I give up?” Alimah said as she put the groceries in the fridge.
“She called me! Told me I had to come home, that I had to help with the cooking” Hirah said as she stood up, started tapping her feet with her hands on her hips/
“Cook?”
“Yeah cook!” she snapped
“Ya’ll two doing the cooking?” ‘better be only the two of you’ Alimah thought
“No, we’re doing the cooking” Their mom appeared out of nowhere
“What?” Alimah asked, “mom…”
“There is no food in the house, you want your brother’s fiancée to come and see us with no food, like we’re poor or something?” she said calmly as she walked to the fridge and started taking everything that Alimah had stored out of the fridge.
“Fiancée” hira gasped
“Yeah, it seems Ameer got himself engaged, and I just found out about it, while mom here had known for a ‘couple of weeks’”
“Does dad know too?” Hirah asked looking wide eyed at her mom
“Of course your father knows” the two sisters looked at each other in exasperation.
“Oh he called”
“Who?’ Alimah asked
“Ameer, who else?” Mrs. Aston looked at her.
“What did he say?” Hirah asked
“He’s coming with a friend, it seem they decided to spend the whole summer here”
“The whole summer, with two strangers we don’t know?” Alimah asked, this was just like Ameer, springing people on them. Just like their mother!
“I know, and don’t he want to meet the girl’s family?” Hirah asked
“It seems he already did”
“Well what about you guys meeting the girl’s family?” Alimah asked
“They are going to come over, sometime”


Alimah didn’t know when her dad came home, all she knew was, when she woke up they were eating breakfast. She was always the last to wake up anyway, Hirah was a morning person, she was always a night person, okay it really didn’t matter to Hirah what time of day it was.
She took a shower, brushed her mouth, ran a comb through her hair and got dressed.
“Morning” she said as she came down, she gave her dad a kiss, her mom, and took a seat. “Where’s Hirah?” it was unusual for Hirah not to be at the breakfast table, especially since she didn’t have to make breakfast.
“She went to get her nails done” her dad answered
“That explains it, dad, how come you guys decided not to tell us about Ameer coming with a fiancée?”
“Didn’t your mom tell you? Dina?” he turned to his wife with a questioning look
“I forgot, you know how my mind is”
“Are you going to work sweetie?” he looked at Alimah , her parents were such a funny couple, her mom was forgetful but always talking, while her dad was the quiet but jovial man.
“Of course she’s not, her brother is coming with his fiancée”
“Um mom, yes I am, I couldn’t cancel, sorry, look how forgetful I have become” she said as she got up
“Where are you going?”
“Mom, it’s too late to cancel, and I forgot to cancel yesterday” she really wasn’t sorry, “And I have to pass by Tiara’s house before I go to work, so bye” she really didn’t have to go to work, but she didn’t want to spend the whole day home and have to hear her mom’s constant can you do this for me?

When she went to Tiara’s house, she found Hirah there.
“What are you doing here, hey Tiara”
“The same thing you’re doing here” Hirah answered
“So are you coming over Tiara?” Alimah asked
“How is she…” Hirah began
“What time is he coming?” Tiara asked ignoring Hirah
“At 3, you sure you want to come?”
“Of course, just because we broke up doesn’t mean we can’t be friends”
“That’s the spirit, although if a guy dumped me, well I don’t even want to think about it” Hirah said, Alimah rolled her eyes
“Mom said you went to get your nails done”
“Nope, had to get away from the house” Hirah answered
“What are you guys wearing?” Tiara asked
“I don’t know, I don’t want to be too dressy but I don’t want to look too…you know” Alimah said
“Exactly, maybe we should dress sophisticated…” Hirah said
“I don’t have anything sophisticated…”
“Well, I’ll let you wear some of my clothes” Tiara said, “What do you want to wear?”
“A skirt” Alimah said
“What about you Hirah?”
“Do you have anything that can get pass my hypo hips?”
“Your hips are not that big…”
“Uhm sure, am cool, I can find something, cause I got style, unlike some people” she looked at her older sister who rolled her eyes at her
“Any ways..”




Name meanings

Alimah - Skilled in music or dance
Tahirah - Pure, chaste
Amir, Ameer - Prince