Asad

I wasn't usually one to act on impulse. Every decision I made, especially one as significant as this, was always carefully considered. But when it came to Layla, something in me shifted. The moment I decided to send that proposal, it was as if everything else faded into the background, and the only thing that mattered was the possibility of a future with her. A future I never bothered about.

I couldn't ignore the gnawing anxiety that was brewing inside me while waiting for an answer. I knew the proposal had been abrupt and I wouldn't have been too surprised if she turned it down. We barely knew each other, and our interactions had been limited but despite that, I was certain. In the few times we had met, I felt something powerful, something I had never felt before. My feelings for her were unlike anything I had experienced, and they had taken me by surprise. I wasn't one to fall easily for someone but with Layla, it had been different. It wasn't just her beauty, because she was undoubtedly beautiful, it was something deeper. There was a warmth about her, a sincerity that drew me in. Maybe it was her undeniably carefree and bubbly nature.

I knew my heart was happy, something it rarely felt, exuding a quiet confidence that she was the one for me. But I also understood she might not feel the same way, she might have doubts, and if she did, I wouldn't blame her. I was willing to fight for that as this wasn't just a passing fancy. But she didn't turn me down. I counted this as luck on my side.

I had barely slept these past few days, my thoughts consumed by what her answer might be. Last night, the call came in. It was Malik. His voice was calm on the other end, but the words he spoke sent a rush of emotions through me.

"She accepted," Malik had said simply, as if those two words didn't hold the power to completely alter my night. My heart had been swelling with an overwhelming sense of joy and relief ever since. I had hoped, I had prayed but now it was real.

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. 

It was the next morning after I had gotten Layla's answer, a smile broke across my face, and I couldn't help but laugh softly, a sound full of disbelief and pure elation, as I thought back at my conversation with Malik last night.

"Hey, man." I greeted him when I walked into Usman's office.

The tension that had been lingering between us for the past few days was something I was eager to shake off. Usman had been giving me the cold shoulder ever since our last conversation after Huda's proposal, and I couldn't blame him. I knew how he felt about Huda.

"Hello," Usman said when he looked up at me, a cup of coffee on the table in front of him while hunched over some papers. His office was quiet, so my footsteps echoed slightly as I approached the desk.

"Good morning." I greeted him as I sat beside him on the lounge.

He didn't reply to the messages I sent him and didn't go to the field during the weekends, which was all I needed to figure out he was staying clear from me.

"The oil company has been doing great. The oil and petrochemical production and supply are now in upstream operations. Both the subsidiaries and outlets combined... that's a billion handcuffs." He updated me without answering my greeting before handing me a black folder that was sitting on the center table. He didn't seem one bit interested in the fact that I was personally visiting his office early morning or noticed my supposed happy face. It's so unlike Usman to talk about serious matters in such a serious way or without joking first. Even with what was going on between us though, with his cold shoulders, he kept professional throughout.

"Are you silently whining?" I asked with a small smile.

"That's a weird question to ask a man and the smile is creepy. Stop it." He said while picking up his cup.

"You're whining."

"That's unlike you, stop it."

"What's so unlike me?" Well, at least he's not warding me off anymore.

"Caring. It's not your thing. Don't do it."

"Why is it not my thing?"

The conversation was not our normal conversation. Ours usually kicked off on a good foot, go down the hill, and then back on our feet before the end of it. But this did not seem like it was starting on foot.

He walked towards his desk then he stopped; "Muhammad Asad Abdulmajid Nyako, this right here is your problem. You don't notice when things are wrong. When things are contrary to ethical logic. As long as it's not business, then you don't know what it is. Don't you see that's why you didn't notice her feelings?" He turned. "I feel partially at fault for how you turned out to be. Maybe if I didn't just tell you things are wrong but made you realize instead, things will be better." Anger seeped through his voice.

I threw my head back on the couch rest, closed my eyes, and pinched my nose. Only Usman would ever speak to me like that, and that included my family members. I often thought myself and heard that I was unapproachable and intimidating but Usman was the closest non-family member to me. I knew he was still mad and didn't have any idea about the proposal I sent to Layla. He would have known if he had replied to my messages, answered my calls, or if Huda had heard I had rejected her proposal yet. His reaction confirmed my theory.

I stood and walked over to him, pulled a chair, and sat down across from him. "I've got some news." I decided to ignore his outburst and just go straight to the point.

"Yeah?" His eyes flickered with interest, but he kept his tone flat. "What news?"

I didn't respond immediately. Instead, I let the moment hang, watching as a flicker of impatience crossed Usman's face. I knew he wasn't dying to know what was going on, but I still decided to drag it a little.

"I came to tell you I've decided I'm getting married." I finally said.

His face fell immediately and he was silent for a while. "Good." He uttered and then moved all his attention to the screen before him.

"Are you not going to ask whom I'm getting married to?" From his reply and reaction, I was sure he thought I was talking about marrying Huda. And sure enough, that got back his attention. He stared at me.

"I'm not getting married to Huda. I'm getting married to someone different." My voice was steady but filled with the joy I couldn't contain.

For a moment, there was silence. Usman seemed to be processing the news, his face shifting through different emotions. Relief and then, surprise. I could see the tension in Usman's shoulders slowly easing, the coldness that had been there melting away. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he realized what that meant. I was officially out of the running, leaving the path completely clear for him with Huda.

"Wait!" He said, his face full of unbelief. "Are you serious?" He asked carefully as if afraid I didn't mean what he was slowly realizing.

I nodded.

"I guess that means I'm out of your way now," I said while leaning in the chair. "You can finally stop giving me the cold shoulder, Manu."

Usman shook his head, a big smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You really thought I was giving you the cold shoulder?"

"Manu, you were practically freezing me out," I said lightly, though there was truth in my words. "But I get it. I know how you feel about her."

Usman exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "It's not like I could help it." He admitted, his voice more honest. "But I'm really happy now and you..." His voice trailed and eyebrows furrowed in question. "Wait..." He started slowly. "Did you say you're getting married?" He finished, his eyes rounded in a circle.

It took him long enough to realize what I had said as he was more fixated on the part that I wasn't marrying the woman he was in love with. I nodded carefully before standing up and heading for the door.

"Okay, let me get this straight. Two weeks ago, after that meeting, you met Malik at his company, then saw his sister, and then at Sabiha's graduation ceremony, and then the next day, when you went to pick documents from Malik's place because you were in the area." Usman asked with his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He'd come to my office a minute after I stepped in, and I told him what conspired. I had just narrated the whirlwind events of the past weeks with Layla and he was now reciting them back to me as if he was trying to believe his own words over mine.

I nodded, under his scrutiny.

"And you think all of that makes sense? You think that's all just a series of coincidences?" His gaze bore into me, searching for cracks in my explanation.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" I replied, sitting down on my chair.

"She just happened to show up at her brother's office while you were there. Can't be a coincidence. You don't even go to my office to have meetings or any other person's. You attended a graduation ceremony, which she also happened to attend. This sounds close to truth because it's Sabiha's and you'll do that for her but why'd she...?" He asked himself. "You think it makes sense to me that you went to Malik's house? You don't just come to my house because you happened to be around that area." He took a deep breath, clearly struggling to wrap his head around it. "Look Asad, I know more than anyone that you don't know how to lie so you don't have to go to this extent. Tell me if something else happened. All these... no... not possible." He finished with a face that said 'as-a-matter of fact', he didn't believe me.

"I'm telling you the truth. That's what happened. She did go to her brother's office and attended the graduation ceremony. It would have taken time if I had waited for him to pick up the documents he forgot at home and have them dropped, and I was already minutes away, so I went to the address and I saw her. What's so hard there not to believe?"

"Everything? Okay, maybe everything happened but... Look Asad, marriage doesn't work that way anymore. You can't just send a proposal to a girl you barely know. You've only met her three times and you've already sent a proposal? In this age?"

"Yes?" I voiced out, not sure what he was expecting.

"For a smart and sharp person, you are clueless also. See, I already feel like a father who's failed to teach his son social ethics, but Asad girls are harder-headed than you think. This is messed up." He bent over on the headrest of the chair he was sitting on, looking every bit the concerned father figure. "Let me put it this way. You see, it's like coming across a product, respectfully, and then just deciding, without making inquiries about the product or the company that produced the product, that that will be a great partner to work within the business. Does that analogy make sense?" He asked with a hampered face.

"Layla said yes." I finally said, my voice steady but internally, filled with the joy he couldn't fully contain.

Usman's reaction was immediate. His eyes widened, and he sat up straighter, his earlier concerns forgotten. "What? She did?"

I nodded. "Yead, she did. Last night."

"I'm happy for you, man. I really am." He said with a relaxed expression. "But I'm also proud that you did that without consulting me. Feels strikingly odd but surprisingly, I don't feel bad, man." He said using his hand to gesture between us.

I couldn't blame my best friend. Usman had seen me through every phase of my life since my teenage, from the awkward teenage years to the driven, business-focused man I had become. Usman knew me better than anyone, which made his concerns hit even harder.

"Now, you sound like a girl. Have you been talking to Huda a lot these days?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah, well. You're changing the topic. Now, what do you plan to do next?" He said while leaning on the table between us.

"Marry her? I thought that was what was supposed to happen.

"Not that. God. I know Ammi and Abu are really strict on being religious and don't support the idea of dating but how do you plan to get to know each other?"

That was a good question I hadn't thought of the answer to.

"I'll leave it up to you to figure it out for me, Manu. Do your job right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have got a meeting to attend." I stood up and started heading for the door.

Usman laughed a genuine one. "Just make sure you treat her right or I'll be the first one to come after you."

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in days before looking back at him. "You won't have to worry about that. I plan on doing everything I can to make that happen."

I walked out of the office leaving Usman helpless with his mouth hung open. The tension between us was gone, replaced by the easy camaraderie we had always shared. I felt a rush of gratitude for my friend.

-------------------------------------------

The house was nothing short of grand. The expansive grounds were meticulously maintained, with lush greenery framing a wide driveway that seemed to catch on endlessly. The entrance of the house was equally imposing, with a large, intricately designed door. Stepping inside, the living room was a testament to Malik's expertise, a perfect blend of modern and functional design. The space was expansive yet felt intimate, with soft, neutral tones dominating the color palette. The floor was a sleek, polished marble, cool underfoot, with a subtle pattern. It was clear every detail of the space had been carefully considered, nothing short of what I expected of Malik's caliber.

Sitting in the Zayeds' living room was nothing like I expected though, I felt a jittery sense of anticipation. That was only my second visit to their home, but it felt as though it was the first time I truly felt the weight of what was happening. My fingers were clamped together, with my palms growing sweaty. 

Malik returned after a short a while, and then Layla appeared.