A Latte of Love

【☕】15

Sufyan Hakim's POV

I've always been the type to act before I think. As soon as I finished giving my speech, I glanced at Javed who was busy hugging his parents. I knew this wouldn't be the last I saw of him, and so before I knew it, I ran out of the wedding hall scanning for Salwa's plaid brown hijab. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a petite girl sitting on the bench of the bus stop, swinging her legs back and forth. Her hands were tucked in her jacket pockets while she snuggled her head inside her collar-line like a turtle.

I took that moment to look up at the sky. It was beginning to get dark, the sky full of red and orange hues. Then, I walked slowly, having second thoughts as to why I ran after her. I mean, I could have walked.

It's cold, I thought to myself. When I coughed, I could see my breath fade away in the shape of smoke. I glance at her slightly through the corner of my eyes while Salwa looks up at me. When I come to a halt in front of her, her eyes seem to realize who I am.

A million questions ran through my mind, mostly having to do with why she was working here in the first place. But it wasn't my business and I was just standing there for her company. To make sure she wasn't by herself.

"It's getting pretty late, I can offer you a ride," I blurted out, ignoring the fact that the only car available was Javed's. He will be riding a limo anyways. With his new wife, I muse.

Her eyebrows seemed to furrow in distrust as she replied, "That's what kidnappers say to lure innocent girls into their trucks."

My mouth nearly fell open at the sudden accusation. "Can't you take a sign of my courtesy? You're seriously paranoid."

Salwa scoffs, turning around so that I'm given the sight of the back of her head. I take the chance to sit down on the empty seat beside her. The wind starts to pick up the pace, as if giving me a warning. I could nearly feel my butt freezing in the cold. The seats were frozen and seeping through my suit pants. As I squirm restlessly, she shoots me a glare.

"What is it? Why aren't you leaving me alone?"

Simple. It was getting dark and she was sitting by herself. "I'll wait for the bus with you."

She mumbles something to herself, and I lean in slightly to catch her words. "Did you say something?"

"I already apologized..." she trails off and shakes her head, as if her words didn't matter.

"A person should apologize when they offended another person. What offense did you bring that the offender does not know about?" I crossed my arms to warm up my hands, wishing I had brought a jacket or even gloves.

"Why are you acting like you don't know?" Salwa replied. Even while sitting down together, her head barely went past my shoulders. I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"I really don't know. That's why I'm asking." I lean forward, meeting eye contact with her.

"I called you a rich obnoxious kid," she whispers, avoiding my gaze. "Why is the bus taking so long?"

I snort out a laugh, leaning against the back of the icy bench. She's worried about something so miniscule while my teeth shudder from the cold and I'm minutes from freezing. Salwa turns around to look at me, squinting. "You're barely wearing anything in this 30-degree weather!" She widened her eyes looking at me like I'm a psycho.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I just ran here thinking you left... didn't have time to grab a jacket."

Salwa slowly pulls up her dark brown muffler. Even though it covered more than half of her face, I could still see her cheeks tinted in red. "Seeing how long the bus is taking, I shouldn't be leaving any time soon. Go and get a jacket." She nudges her head towards the direction of the wedding hall, the look in her eyes softening. It seemed like I managed to stop her from avoiding me.