***
I tightened the straps of the apron around my waist before walking into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
As I turned on the stove and gathered the ingredients, my phone vibrated on the counter.
TING
"It's Naima."
I murmured, unable to suppress my grin.
Naima: Doing good?
Ariya: Yeah, finally showed myself properly.
Naima: Hehe, what did he say?
Ariya: Nothing much, actually.
Naima: Wow, that sounds like him. Anyway, are you coming to uni tomorrow?
Oh!
I had completely forgotten about that.
I only had three days off because of the wedding.
Tomorrow, I had to return to my usual classes.
I needed to tell him.
DING DING
He arrived at the perfect time.
I quickly fixed my hair and loosened the apron around my waist before greeting him as usual.
"Assalamualaikum."
"Waalaikumsalam."
Like always, he was about to walk past me.
As he did, the faint scent of his cologne drifted towards me.
Usually, he would head straight to his room.
This time, however, he stopped in his tracks.
Without looking back, he held out the small tiffin box.
"It was delicious."
With those words, he quietly walked to his room.
That caught me completely off guard.
I slowly lifted the lid.
It had been cleaned thoroughly.
A faint smile tugged at my lips as I looked at the empty box.
I was relieved to see he had finished every last bite.
He came and took a seat moments later.
A dark navy-blue T-shirt covered his frame, and the fresh scent of mint soap hovered faintly in the air.
He served himself and placed a generous amount of food onto his plate.
I only noticed it now.
He ate quite a lot and wasn't picky at all.
Or was it simply because I wasn't used to seeing men eat besides my brother and father?
I served myself shortly after, still unable to tear my gaze away from him.
Today as well, I found myself observing him.
It was easy to do so since he barely looked back at me. It almost felt like he didn't notice my piercing stare.
Yeah right...
I needed to mention that to him.
"Haider."
I called out, immediately capturing his attention away from his meal.
I should get used to using his name more often.
Even now, I still felt as though I shouldn't have called him by it.
"I have to attend classes from tomorrow."
I finished speaking and waited for his response.
It was becoming slightly easier to talk to him, as I had already memorized his usual patterns.
He would either nod or say that he would take me there.
"I'll drop you off while going to work."
Bullseye.
"Okay."
And just like that, he resumed eating.
Meanwhile, I was transported into an entirely different world, where I was presenting myself with an award for successfully predicting his response.
It was a whole talent show happening inside my silly little mind.
"Do you have a driver's license?"
He asked abruptly, pulling me back to reality.
"Ah, I do."
He nodded and stood up to wash the plates.
"I will do it."
"No, it's alright."
I felt guilty for making him do such small things right after returning from a tiring day of work. Unlike him, I had spent the day resting and cleaning the house.
Clearly, he knew exactly how to silence me.
Did he realize I wasn't good at protesting?
My suspicions only grew as I found myself staring at his back.
He dried his wet hands with a towel and began walking towards his room.
And again, he stopped halfway, his hand still resting on the doorknob.
Truthfully, I was becoming familiar with his hesitant behaviour.
He turned around and asked while I was still chewing.
"Tahajjud?"
His eyebrows lifted slightly as I hurriedly swallowed the food in my mouth.
I choked while trying to do so, coughing and sputtering like a cat that had gotten a hairball stuck in its throat.
He immediately panicked and brought a glass of water to me.
COUGH COUGH
Oh Allah, why did it have to happen like this!?
"Y-yes, I will!"
He looked stunned.
Then...
He chuckled.
His smile remained on his face as he spoke through his laughter.
"Be careful."
He gave me a small bow before disappearing into his room, as always.
I was left completely dumbfounded.
He smiled at me for the first time.
And I was speechless, my expression frozen with surprise.
Slowly, tiny sparks of warmth began surrounding me.
It was the sight of pure joy wrapping around my heart.
Somehow, my stomach filled with butterflies, fluttering their wings with excitement.
I licked my dry lips and went to wash the dishes.
The best thing to do was to ignore these feelings.
That way, I could spare myself from overthinking and losing a wink of sleep.
I needed to rest.
I had to wake up early tomorrow.
I couldn't think about it.
Don't think about it.