WHEN HEARTS TOUCH

★★★★★

As Zayn's steps got near, her heartbeat quickened, running against time. He stopped, his scent announcing his proximity from a short distance.

"Ya Hanamy," The baritone of his voice, despite deep, was quite serene. Hannan unwillingly turned to Zayn, surprised at the endearment he used."Yā yane (How are you?)" He inquired.

Hannan looked up at him, and when their eyes met, she searched his, trying to read them and wondering what they saw in her that made him choose her. They weren't as empty as she remembered them to be. At least, she saw herself in those enchanting eyes of his.

She struggled to compose herself before him and summoned a little courage to speak. "I'm fine, Alhamdulillah." She managed to reply and found herself asking, "How about you, how have you been?"

"Alhamdulillah, I'm very well," Zayn answered, briefly. Once they had exchanged greetings, Hannan dropped her eyes, hating herself for being so unfortunate. She didn't like the dress she wore, thinking it was not fancy enough. But Zayn thought otherwise. To him, it was decent enough and that was all that mattered.

And she also frowned at the place fate had chosen for them to meet. She wasn't pleased with the state he had found her. Since when did she care about how she presented herself before him? She stared at the floor, not knowing what to say at the same time, surprised at herself for being so narrow-minded. She didn't like the effect his presence had on her.

"I know you are surprised to see me here today." He made an effort to lengthen the conversation and make the atmosphere less awkward.

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting to see you." She confessed, still trying to avoid Zayn whose gaze was glued on her. "You said you would come on Friday." 

"Yeah, I changed my mind," He lied, stepping closer to face her painting. "I couldn't wait to see you, so I decided to come today." He looked to see her reaction to that. Hannan's heart flushed a little. Her nervous reaction was almost frustrating and Zayn wasn't making it easy for her. "I'm sorry for my unannounced visit, I hope it didn't cause you any inconvenience?" 

Hannan didn't know what to say so she kept quiet. He was expecting her to reply with a shake of head like every normal shy girl who had found herself in such a position would do but she didn't. There he noticed she couldn't easily tell lies. If she were a liar, she would have excused his behaviour, just to look polite.

"I wanted to thank you for the gift." Zayn decided to change the topic in the absence of her response. It took Hannan a few seconds to recall what he was talking about."Thank you, Hannan. I appreciate your kind gesture." He offered his sincere gratitude, plastering a smile on his face. Hannan looked down, embarrassed. She wondered if that was what had drawn him to her.

"You are welcome." She said in a small voice, smiling at the ground. She was glad he liked it. There was a small pause, during which Hannan realized that she hadn't offered her guest a chair. He had been standing since his arrival.

"Please, can you excuse me? Let me get you a chair to sit on." She said, shyly, making Zayn peered closely at her. The version of Hannan that was standing before him was very different from the one he had seen before. On the other hand, Hannan herself wondered what she was doing. It was not as if she was trying to impress him.  She was just unsettled and wanted to be on her best behaviour.

"No, I don't mind standing. Perhaps I'd sit on the bench." He insisted and Hannan wasn't the one to push when it came to situations like this. So she just let him do whatever he wanted, but she wasn't comfortable with the condition of the wooden bench. It was old and kind of rough, however Zayn didn't mind. He sat facing her painting.

"Won't you join me?" He requested with an elegant hand gesture. Hannan hesitated for a moment before she moved and sat on the other end of the bench. She also noticed a friendly side to Zayn that she never knew.

"You painted this?" He asked, studying the image. It was that of a white horse, standing on its hind legs with the forelegs off the ground.

 Hannan nodded in response. "What do you think?" She surprised him by asking. There was a small hesitation which was followed by one of his thoughtful acknowledgments.

"They say a good picture tells a story, one which has an entire story captured in it." Zayn articulated and watched as she fiddled with the hem of her sleeves. "But after looking at this, I see many stories." He confessed and waited for her opinion but she had none.

"Well, I didn't have any story in mind while painting. It's just a horse, rearing up."She whispered in an amazing voice, that even she hadn't heard before. Her gaze was focused on the ground. Zayn himself was confused, judging from what he saw of her that evening, she appeared to be timid and well-behaved, not as sassy and deviant as he once perceived her to be.

"You can say that. But I will put it to you very candidly. Art is most times an expression of emotions that we aren't aware of."He explained in a low tone and Hannan didn't seem to notice that she secretly admired how he talked and made gestures with his hands." For instance, wild stallions rear up when they fight. With that, we can say you were angry when painting it. Correct me if I'm wrong."Hannan said nothing. Zayn saw her bite her lips to subdue a grin which gave him the confidence that he might be right after all. But he had a second theory.

"Domestic horses do it when scared, upset, or in pain."Zayn had a hunch that she might have felt all these emotions as a result of his marriage proposal.

 Hannan didn't let him finish. "Stop, you're embarrassing me." He saw her smiling at her hands on her lap. She couldn't stand that he was figuring her out. He was very observant and intelligent too, she noticed. And it was hard not to feel intimidated in his presence.

"So, am I the reason for all these feelings?" Zayn smirked. Something in the way he said it made Hannan blush, a deep one. She was shamelessly thinking fondly of him and he was enjoying it.

She ignored his question when she realized what he was doing. "For some, it's a demonstration of strength." She was referring to herself for she needed that strength to tread this emotionally draining turn her life had taken."Trained horses show off by rearing politely." She added, staring him straight in the eyes."Does that answer your question?" Zayn gave a slight nod. Of course, she was the only one allowed to define her art. But somewhere in his mind, he believed his thesis was right.

Zayn took his intimidating eyes of hers."Consider adding a hue to the background and a touch of blue to the clouds." He suggested to her, examining the painting closely. She stood up and picked up the small paintbrush from where it had fallen next to the bench when he showed up. 

"May I?" Zayn held out his right hand, wanting her to give him the brush.

"Sure," She nodded, handing it over. At that very moment, she saw a black mark that resembled a crescent on his right hand. Zayn saw her staring at it.

"It's nothing, it's not a tattoo."He answered her thoughts and watched her return to her position. "Those were just our early desires. I couldn't have one, even if I wanted to," he added, recalling that when he was younger, he wanted a tattoo so bad. It wasn't until he learned that it was haram to have one that he gave up his liking for it.

"Why not apply Henna, instead of having a tattoo." Hannan thought out loud, making Zayn chuckle. She looked at him, abashed at her utterance. She sincerely didn't mean to voice that and Zayn seemed to understand, seeing her expression.

 "It's nothing but vanity." He replied as she held out the paint for him."Now look at how they say that gold and diamond are so expensive. Remember they are not treatment for any ailment. It's just their beauty and where they come from, nothing much from them and you can live for years with or without them." 

He stained the brush with some bluish paint and started to give her work the perfect finishing that it desired. Hannan saw him doing it incorrectly and held back a smile."You don't know how to paint?"

He could almost hear her laughing."forgive me if I ruin your work. I just wanted to try. I do more sketching than painting."He admitted. It was a long time ago since he last sketched something. She inspired the artist in him today, he thought. 

"Haven't you ever painted before?" She asked, out of curiosity.

"I have, but I'm not as talented as you are."He said and meant every word.

"Please, don't flatter me."She brushed it off. Then silence lapsed in the air with none of them even trying to attempt to break it. Hannan had many questions for him, yet she didn't know what to begin with or how to even start it. As for Zayn, he knew just what to say and it wasn't hard to put her where he wanted. He was still painting when she kept her gaze down.

"Forgive me, I know I'm doing a terrible job." He uttered quietly, wanting her to look at him so she'd see the sincerity in his next words, "You will teach me when we get married." He said when her eyes bored into his, making a shiver run down her spine. Hannan couldn't process the effect such ordinary words had on her. She looked away, her heart quaking. 

"Yes, about that," She was looking down at her hands now. She figured this was the right moment to raise a question about Aylin. But she didn't dare to voice it out. Why couldn't she ask her burning questions? Maybe because he was older than her and she didn't want to sound rude. His last statement sounded very honest. She doubted that if Zayn and Aylin had anything serious going on, then he wouldn't be there, talking to her. He didn't appear to be that kind of man. She believed now that he was truly interested in her.

Zayn stared at her, waiting for her to complete the sentence. He was itching to hear what she had to say. Hannan didn't know what to say and she didn't know how to shove it off now that his attention was fully on her. In just that moment, her brother-in-law came to the rescue.

"Take it easy on her, man," Ahmad grinned widely, looking from Zayn to Hannan as he emerged from the same corner, where his friend had made his appearance."I think you're going to learn how to lower your gaze when it comes to my sister." Hannan looked up at him, giving him the warmest smile she could summon.

"Don't you think you are ruining an intimate conversation?" Zayn pretended to tell a joke, stealing a glance at her.

Ahmad raised his hands in surrender, smiling wickedly." I didn't mean to intrude. I have only come here to do my job as her chaperone." Zayn turned to Hannan, feigning a smile.

"Does my soon-to-be wife need a chaperone?"It wasn't a question and she said nothing. Zayn could hear Ahmad snickering at his Oscar-worthy performance.  Meanwhile, Hannan coloured with embarrassment. His possessive side was doing strange things to her heart. 

She heard Ahmad say something really funny that made both men laugh. Ahmad laughed the hardest but all she could hear was the sound of Zayn's laughter. She wanted him to go on, laughing but he stopped. She turned to the other side, pretending not to listen to them, whereas deep down, every inch of her skin was very much aware of the man sitting at the other end of the bench. When Zayn and Ahmad were done talking and making fun of each other, Ahmad took a few steps away from them, giving them space to resume talking.

"Did you want to say something?" Zayn returned his attention to her minutes later, likewise, she assumed her former position, shaking her head in response to his question. He was done fixing her painting.

"I'm sure you are wondering why I proposed to you." She noticed the formal tone he used as he put the paintbrush away, where it belonged. She sensed that the conversation was about to get serious and prepared her mind for it. Thank God Ahmad was nearby, making the atmosphere less tense than it was before.

Zayn continued, "I know you have a lot of questions you'd like to ask me. I assure you, I'm going to answer all of them. There is still plenty of time to do that."She was impressed and astonished that he was considerate enough to share that with her. 

"Yes, thank you." She simply said, short of words to express herself.

"I noticed you haven't given your response yet, regarding my proposal." He inquired, using this opportunity to observe her. This time, Hannan gathered some courage to speak up.

"I'm sorry for the delay," She waited, not knowing how to tell him that she was avoiding the embarrassment and what Imran would think of her if she said yes to him. She also didn't know how to tell him that she was not ready for marriage. She had been thinking about it for three days and also she had made her decision. "I know, this is going to sound kind of rude, coming from me, but I was thinking, "her voice broke, considering her next words," you were already with someone else." She completed, wishing to vanish from there.

Silent, he was and with a little boost of confidence, she looked at him, searching to see his reaction, perhaps to catch a glimpse of something that would give him away. But his eyes were still very much empty. Zayn was good at concealing his emotions.

"Have I been married before?" His question took her off guard, making her shake her head in response.

"Then why did you think I was with someone else?" Zayn too was surprised she'd ask a question like that, even though he didn't show it. She couldn't possibly be thinking of his relationship with Aylin if that was what she meant.

"Well, I was thinking you were dating someone?" She couldn't mention her name, thinking why didn't the earth split up and swallow her for voicing it in the first place. Zayn's silence was excruciating. It was her turn to wait for a reply. 

"You do know that if a man is not married, he's single, right?"His answer came after a while. It was ample time for her to notice that Zayn lost his cool the moment she mentioned something related to Aylin. She was the only woman who had such an effect on him.

"Likewise a woman who's not married." She nodded, encouraging him, which she thought was absolutely stupid because she was indirectly defending him. They may not be dating at the moment, but what if he liked her? She had seen the way he shook her hand and smiled at her during the party. Could she be the only woman he shook, just the way she didn't shake other guys, except for Imran? Could it be the same with Zayn and Aylin? This side of the story was concerning.

"Let's cut the long story short, why did you think I was dating someone?" Zayn wanted her to say it even though he already knew where she was headed with the conversation. Despite being caught by surprise, her brain was still very active and she was not afraid to face him head-on, now that she had drawn the battle line herself. It was either she won or he lost. She had nothing to lose.

"Because I saw you shake her hand." She admitted.

"Who?" Zayn's eyebrows shifted slightly

"Aylin,"

If he said her words didn't affect him, then he'd be lying. And she didn't stop there.

"Do you also shake other women, or is it unique to her...alone?" She almost trailed off and it wasn't lost on Hannan that Zayn was staring right into her soul, awakening grave emotions that were embedded within her. She had a feeling his stare could raise the dead.

Zayn was thinking of a good reply, luckily for him, Ahmad wasn't listening to any of these because he was too busy, minding his own business. He was concerned about what his friend would think if he heard their dialogue.

"What does any of these mean to you?" He replied with the same friendly tone that she had used to ask the question, although it didn't mean that he wasn't offended. Of course, she wasn't the first person to question him about Aylin, but she was the first person to question his interaction with her. And until that very moment, he had not realized that what he was doing was wrong—shaking a non-mahram. Perhaps he knew but just didn't care.

"I noticed you never answered any of my questions. Did you know what I meant to say?" She replied with a question that matched his and when he didn't respond, she kindly said, "I cannot give my heart to a man who doesn't like me." Zayn wondered where her sudden courage came from. He smiled because she was testing him.

He didn't even ask for her heart. It was her hand he asked in marriage. There were many ways he could be cruel to her with his wicked comebacks, but he chose to be less bitter and settled for a less agonizing reply, "I also noticed that you've avoided my questions too. Well, if you must know? The handshake thing is unique to her." 

Hannan felt her heart ache with envy. Why did his words hurt her so much? "But she's not my girlfriend? I'm not the dating type." He later added, taking his eyes off her. It annoyed him that she would even think in that direction.

It was a relief for Hannan to hear his last sentence. It took a moment to restart her fractured heart."I'm sorry if I've offended you." she said hushly. 

Zayn shook his head. She didn't need to feel sorry. He had promised to answer all of her pressing questions."It's alright, is there anything else you want to ask me?" He inquired, surprising her. At least he cared about her opinion.

"No," she didn't want to ask any more questions for her own sake. If they were going to start anything, they both needed to compromise.

Zayn had agreed to her conditions. It was time for her to accept his own conditions. He had wanted to know if she still had that flash drive in her possession. His eyes fell on the painting, diverting his attention.

"It's lovely," he commended and once again, she was fascinated by his kind words.

"The painting," he added, knowing that this was the moment to ask her about the flash drive if he wanted to investigate anything, but the fact that this was her family home and that Ahmad was somewhere nearby made him hesitate.

She thanked him for the compliment. He responded and when he looked closely at her, he realized that it was time for him to leave. He stood up and called out to Ahmad. As he sauntered their way, Hannan stood up as well, making Zayn turn to face her.

"I should take my leave now," he said and she bobbed her head.

After saying his farewell to her, he took a few steps forward and as he walked away, Ahmad caught up with him, walking slowly behind him. Zayn smiled, upon seeing his friend appear next to him.

"It was nice talking to her today," He said and Ahmad smirked teasingly, looking back at Hannan.

"Likewise she too," He gave her a cheerful smile which she didn't return. She didn't seem to notice that because her gaze was on the ground.

"Of course," Zayn looked back at her to see her packing her stuff."I'm curious about her," He didn't know why he said that. So far, everything had worked according to plan, except that he didn't know that he wasn't acting anymore. At least, he now had a glimpse of the kind of woman he'd be getting married to. She was not a child.

Hannan felt like she had seen the different shades of Zayn in those few minutes she was with him. She had seen him smiling which was contagious, and his laughter which was filled with warmth.

Despite her conviction that he had come with good intentions, Hannan still held the belief that it takes more than one sitting with someone to know them. Like her mother always said, you never truly know someone until you start to live under the same roof with them. Hannan wondered if she'd ever truly known this man.

*****

HANNAN

When I got to my room, I was supposed to walk up to my bed and curl up there, but an unfamiliar feeling pulled me toward my window. My sick heart yearned to catch a glimpse of him. I didn't know why I was doing this. I didn't know how I didn't have control over my feelings anymore. I was confused, scared, and annoyed at myself for seeing clearly now, what I couldn't see before. I had never felt this way before and it was strange because I had started seeing him differently now.

Fortunately, when I got closer to the window, the person I hoped to see was in front of me. My heart skipped at the sight of him, standing with his father, and my uncles. They were talking about us, I guessed. I had the opportunity to speak to his father and he was kind to me just like every other member of his family.

I recalled his father, telling Uncle Sulaiman that as long as he was alive, he'd never let me and my sister suffer any hardship. He also said that if I needed anything that I should tell him, he'd provide it. He had also talked about my fears, saying that even if I wasn't married to his son, I'd be given the best education and that his son would take care of my responsibilities.

I leaned against the wall, thinking about my life. Now, as I closely looked at Zayn, I realized there were so many reasons I should consider him. I couldn't help it, I was doing it again, comparing him to his younger brother. I watched him speak to my uncle, a light smile playing on his lips. I wanted to know what ran through his mind then. What could they be talking about that would put him in such a good mood? Was it me? I also wanted to pause time, stop, and watch him smile. He had one of the most adorable smiles I had ever seen.

I knew I was slowly starting to admire him in a way I never thought possible. When I spoke to him earlier, he wasn't as cold as I had always perceived him to be. He had assured me that there was nothing between him and Aylin, but a part of me still felt a little jealous that their friendship was that intimate. To be honest, I didn't know the source of these feelings. Sometimes, we amaze our own selves.

Standing there, I heard my door unlocked and the sound of muffled footsteps reached my ear.   I sensed it was Teslim coming close to me.

"What?" My sister asked me when she saw me gazing at them from the window.

"Nothing," I shook my head. She came beside me, staring at the same sight I had been looking at. Zayn was standing alone now. He had moved away from the group. In less than a few seconds, my sister's husband showed up, accompanied by my mother. They went to meet the father. Ahmad strode to join Zayn. I saw them immediately get engaged in a warm discussion as they sauntered to join the father who was addressing my mother.

"I think you might be right about him," I said, casting my sister a sidelong glance. She grinned at me, studying my face.

"Is that a yes, I hear?" She asked, making me hate myself for speaking up. 

"No," I replied sharply, feigning annoyance when deep down, I didn't know how to express the fact that I was beginning to grow fond of him. 

"Zayn is really a good man," She assured me, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear."You will be very happy with him, I assure you that, Hannan. I have known him to be a very responsible guy ever since we were young and I couldn't wish for a better life partner for you than him." She cupped my face in her palms, making me turn to face her completely.

"Or are you in love with someone else?" She questioned me and I wasn't able to reply so I pulled away a little. My sister placed her hands on my shoulder making me look at her.

We stared into each other's eyes. She seemed concerned. "Are you?" She repeated her question and Imran came to mind. I escaped her eyes and shook my head in reply which helped her inhale and breathe again.

"Then what's stopping you?" She asked, searching my eyes. 

"I need some time to think." I manage to whisper. A tear escaped from my eyes. I was at war with myself. My heart and brain refused to work together this time. I had never been this confused in my life before.

"It's alright, take your time." She nodded and pulled me into a hug such that I was facing the window. From there, I saw Zayn walking my mother to the entrance door. He was telling her something but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I only saw him making hand gestures and my mother seemed intrigued with what he was saying. She was smiling, a smile that touched my heart. Her affection for him shone through her expression. I knew she would not prefer any other man for me other than him. 

My poor heart couldn't bear the sight in front of me so pulled the curtain down, cutting my view from them. Subsequently, Teslim released me. She urged me to go and pray. It was time for Maghrib Sallah. We prayed together, which was something we had not done in a while. I noticed this marriage proposal seemed to have brought me and my sister even closer.

*****

Later that night, I was sitting with my mother and Teslim in her room. The guests were gone and the kids were sleeping in Teslim's room. Mother sat me on her lap and advised me. 

"Listen, child, I want you to know that nobody can dance your dance, nobody can sing your song. But I'm your mother, I know what is best for you. I'm saying this because I know you're mature enough to make reasonable decisions." She said in a motherly tone. I recognized that unlike before, she wasn't trying to pressure me. "I have chosen Zayn for you, Ya kamata kin san shi(I suppose, you know him already). There is nothing I will tell you about him now that you don't already know. I want you to listen to the call from inside. Happiness is simple and within our reach. If you feel he's okay for you, then you know what to do. Kin jin (do you understand?)"

After that, Mother talked about my father, wishing that he was with us. She rarely talked about him with us and anytime she did, she would cry. We had already started crying when we heard a masculine voice from the door. Ahmad cleared his throat and said, "Assalaam Alaikum."We quickly cleaned our faces before answering his greeting. He came and noticed the dull moment in the room. He asked what was going on, upon seeing us pretending like nothing happened. 

Teslim sent him a fake smile to clear his doubt. He shook his head at us, not to be easily fooled and in doing so I noticed him coming closer, passing his phone to me.

"Someone wants to talk to you," He informed me, one hand stretched toward me and the other one stuffed in his pocket. I wondered who was on the phone.

"Who is it?" I asked. Was it who I thought it was? 

"Yes, he wants to talk to you about something," Ahmad replied as if reading my thoughts. I was a little hesitant to collect the phone at first. 

I didn't know why, even though I talked to him openly earlier, I was a little shy to take his call.

"Go dear, talk to him and see what he wants." My mother encouraged me, seeing my uncertainty. I got up slowly with the phone in my hand. Everyone, including my sister, knew he was the one on the line. I felt a little abashed, knowing that they knew.

"Hello," I said quietly when I stepped outside. He said nothing, making me look over at Ahmad who followed me to our living room. I was fidgeting, waiting for his reply.

"Salaam 'Alaikum."Said that familiar voice. I was frozen, unable to form words. I was too dumbstruck to even think.

"Wa alaikum salaam." I finally said, after finding my voice. I took some shaky steps forward and sat on our couch. I noticed Ahmad had turned his gaze away from me.

"How are you?"Zayn said, calmly. It felt like my tongue had been tied, realizing I had to speak again.

"Alhamdulillah, I'm fine," I whispered, hoping that I truly sounded fine, but my voice betrayed me.

"It's Zayn," He informed me. I knew that already. Hearing his name from his mouth made my lips twitch into a small smile.

 "Yeah, I know,"I said, thinking of what to say next. "How are you?" Was the only reasonable thing I could think of.

"I'm good. It seems you don't want to talk to me." He said, flatly. Unlike me, he sounded very collected. " I hope I didn't disturb you."

"No, not at all."I paused. " I was..."I trailed off. I didn't want to tell him that I was with my mother. 

"Are you alone?" He asked when I didn't finish my sentence.

"Yes," I replied, glancing back to see Ahmad was talking with his wife in the dining area. They both seemed to be carried away with their discussion, which meant I was alone after all.

"I had called you earlier, but you didn't pick up. I hope you don't mind that I called?"

"It's okay," I pursed my lips, curious about his inquiry. Something didn't seem right. This was the second time I was talking to him on the phone that day. "I'm sorry, I didn't pick up your call, my phone was out of my reach." This was true because I left my phone in my room.

"It's alright," his reply came shortly after, and I was relieved to know that he was not offended. "I wanted to ask you something if that's okay with you?"

I nodded silently before I said, "Oh Okay..." Dragging the last syllable.

"The reason I called you is to ask you about your father. I learned he gave you a flash drive before his passing." He explained. My ears couldn't believe it. He knew about the only thing my father entrusted me with. I had never told anyone about it, so there I was, left wondering how he knew. 

"Do you still have it?" He asked, bringing me out of my state of shock. It took a moment for me to reconnect with reality.

"Yes, it was a gift from my father." I was sixteen when he gave it to me as a birthday present. Although I didn't know what to use it for so I put it away. It had been three years now, since that time and I didn't know if I could still recall where I kept it. I wanted to tell him that. But why would I tell him something so important?

"I'm sure you are wondering why I asked?"

"Yes, I was thinking..." I trailed off again. His actions had taken me by surprise. An alarm went off in my head when I remembered something from the past. It was the night my father passed away. In his last words to me, he said I should give the flash drive to the man who was going to marry me.

"Well, it's because my father said it belonged to someone very important and I wanted us to return it as soon as possible." I noticed he said 'us', as in, we'd do it together. It took me back to what my father said. Could it be what I was thinking? "This isn't something we'd discuss over the phone and we don't have much time. I want us to meet on Friday if you are okay with it?"

I was still contemplating his request when I heard him say,"I've already arranged for the meeting at the Sheraton hotel,"I needed to talk to my mother and Ahmad first before I agreed to this.

And as if he was reading my mind, he said, "Before telling you, I haven't spoken to Ahmad. You don't have to worry, he'll be there with you." I was speechless, amazed at his foresight. 

"Alright, I have no problem at all." I finally said. I found myself willingly accepting his invitation, not just out of curiosity, but there was another reason I couldn't quite explain. I longed to see him up close again. This wasn't me!

"Thank you." I heard him say. He surprised me with his polite tone. "Wanna amane sakina na da kai (This should be a secret between us)" 

"Okay, no problem," I whispered, still dazed and unable to comprehend any of this. I was having an erring feeling concerning the secret part and on top of that, I was worried sick about the excruciating twist my life had taken. Am I supposed to trust this man who had brought me so much unease?

"That's good to hear." I noticed his accent when he spoke our native language. It was different. Everything about him was different."Kar ki damu not to worry, I'll tell you everything you need to know when the right time comes." I nodded at that, still dazed at our unusual conversation. There was a long pause between us with me not knowing what to say. My heart beat fast when I heard Ahmad's footsteps slow down behind me. 

It was not his presence that had that effect on me, it was what Zayn said."It was good to see you today."

I smiled at my nails, thinking of a good reply but my brain refused to do its job.

"Me too," I replied, quietly, wishing Ahmad didn't hear me.

"I know," He said, making me feel a little embarrassed. There was a bit of humor to Zayn's voice, followed by a considerate question, "Is there anything you need?" 

"No," my reply was brief.

"Okay then, Let me know if you need anything." He offered, surprising me. "I'll see you on Friday."

"Na'am, In sha Allah," I uttered, knowing that Ahmad was in front of me now, making it difficult for me to breathe properly.

"You are free to call me, anytime."

"Alright, Take care."

"Yes, you too."

He cut the call and everything he told me on the phone was true, except that he didn't tell me that we were having our engagement on Friday. How we got there so fast, how I accepted his proposal, and how I moved into his home, till this very day, everything still felt unreal.

I tried to avoid my sister's curious stare when I returned her husband's phone to him. In doing so, I saw them exchange a knowing smile at my expense. I knew what they were thinking and there was nothing romantic in our conversation. Almost rolling my eyes at them, I spun on my heels and made for the stairs before they asked me any weird questions.

★★★★★

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