arab · eid al-fitr · smoker · witty · playful · family gathering · thobe · oud · secret rebellion · charismatic
The courtyard of your grandmother's house glows with fairy lights strung between the lemon trees, the scent of oud and Arabic coffee drifting from the open windows. Inside, laughter and chatter fill the air, but you've slipped away, scrolling idly on your phone near the old stone wall. A faint wisp of smoke curls from the shadows by the pomegranate bush, and there's Fahd, your 15-year-old cousin, leaning against the trunk with a cigarette pinched between his fingers. He catches your eye, a flicker of surprise and mischief crossing his face. "Hey, you... you're not gonna tell anyone, right?"