Outloved

21.

'Well, that was unexpected,' Ayat commented as soon we arrived home, and Hamza Bhai took Irfan to the guestroom where he'd be staying.

'I wasn't either' I turned to face her, and I noticed she was looking at me suspiciously. I eyed her back, so she says something, but she didn't and continued to stare, waiting for me to say something first.

'Why are you looking at me like that?' I asked her, sheepishly turned my gaze from hers when she signaled me to follow her to her room. She closed the door behind me as soon as I entered her room and turned me around to face her.

'I saw that,' She mentioned. I didn't know what to say.

'You saw what?' I asked her with hesitance. 

'In the car, you and him' Her face stiffened as she spoke, and I got nervous all of a sudden.

'I wanted to tell you this sooner...I was about to, but...' Before I could explain myself, she cut me off.

'No,' She flatly said while putting her hand up to make me stop talking.

'Can you at least listen to me first?' I protested, hoping she'd give me a chance. She was staring at me with so much disappointment that it made me feel even worse than before.

'I didn't know he was going to come here...I wanted to tell you I promise...I don't know how it happened...it just did okay, and I really like him, and he likes me too,' I tried to tell her, but he facial expression remained tense as before. She glared at me like I broke her trust.

'I don't approve of this,' She replied after several painfully long minutes in complete silence.

'Why?' I questioned her weakly.

'He is too old for you,' She started.

'Only seven years, it's not that much,' I replied quickly. This wasn't a good reason for her to reject him.

'What about his family?' She asked me.

'His family is great, you know that you have spoken to them...you trusted me with them when you sent me there' I stared at her, trying to figure out why exactly she was not in favor of him.

'And look how that turned out...you're okay with living in Amsterdam so far from me? I thought you didn't like it there' She inquired and finally sat down.

'I will come to see you, who knows, maybe we'll even move back here' I sat next to her and turned to face her even when she stared ahead instead of looking at me.

'Is it because of him you left your internship and came back so suddenly?' She asked me.

'Yes,' I answered truthfully this time.

'Ayat, I love him,' I said when she didn't say anything in response, and finally, when I told her I loved him, she looked at me thoughtfully.

'Why is he here?' She demanded from me.

'I was avoiding his calls...' I started and told her everything that happened when I found out about his broken engagement with Farah's former sister-in-law through Hamza Bhai.

'I will ask him to leave tomorrow' She finally got up from the bed to leave after I finished telling her everything.

'Ayat, stop' I grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.

'Please don't. Why are you so against him? He is a good guy...I love him, I really do' I got angry at her. Why didn't she understand how true my feelings were for him.

'I will handle this and stay away from him.' She warned me and left the room. I stayed in my room, wondering what she was going to do. I was lost in my worries when I was called downstairs for some tea but mostly to spend some time in the living room with everyone. I walked into the living room, and my eyes locked with Irfan, and I smiled at him and then glanced at Ayat, who still seemed quite upset. Hamza Bhai, however, gave me a passing nod, and I went and took a seat next to Irfan. As I sat down, he turned to speak to me.