Believe Me

Zaria

We sit there in the silence. I don't know why the silence was just good mood and felt nice to have Xavier not mad. He rests his head on my lap staring up at me. I put my fingers through his hair staring back down at him. "I love you," he mumbles. "I think I heard that a few times before," I say with a smile. He laughs sitting up. "I mean it, I love you with all my heart," he says grabbing my hand.

"Well I mean you should," I joke. He smiles "You are too silly." I start laughing but immediately force myself to stop. "My mom told me the most important thing in my life which shaped who I am today... she told me to laugh through the tears. Yeah there's hard times but Allah put the hard times in our life to test us," I tell him looking down. He lifts my head to look at him. "But sometimes it's ok to cry... most people cry because they've been strong for way too long," he says staring into my eyes. "Insightful," I mumble pulling him into a hug. We sit like that for God knows how long. But I was happy to be close to Xavier it felt like the longer I hang on to him, there will be nothing to pull us apart.

Then it hit me, college. "I should get back to the dorms," I tell Xavier since classes resume the next day. "Can I drop you off?" He asks. I stare at him confused "I have my car," I tell him. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he looks at me concerned. "Inshallah I will be ok... I'll call you right when I get there," I reassure him. He nods but he didn't look like he wanted to let me go. He kisses me on the cheek as we head outside to my car.

"Stay safe," he says holding my hands in his. I stare at him and nod. I give him a hug and hit the road back to the dorms.

Right when I get to my room I am attacked with a hug from Blair. "I missed you," she says. "I missed you too," I tell her. She finally lets go of me. "I got a boyfriend now," she smiles. We sit down on my bed. "He is sweet, he has blonde hair and blue eyes," she says staring into spaces. "What's his name?" I question. "Gavin," she mumbles. I stare at her shocked, this must be a coincidence that I know a Gavin with blonde and blue eyes. "What's his last name?" I question. "Gavin O'Neal, he's a soccer player... he went to the same high school as you," he eyes lights up as she says that.

"Oh, you date Gavin..." I say, I didn't know to be happy for her but mainly I felt like gagging. I knew Gavin for the longest and I never seen him having a girlfriend. "You know him?" She questions. I nod "We are friends and he's my husband's best friend," I tell her. She stares at me "you are married?" She questions. "I've been married since we moved in," I tell her. "How did you guys meet and how did you know you love him enough to marry him?" She questions. "At first I didn't love him, until later in our marriage I realized I love that man and I didn't want to be without him," I tell her. "Tell me how you guys met?" She asks. "It's a long story," I assure her. "We have time," she says sitting cross on the bed. I also sit crisscross and hug my pillow.

I tell her from the beginning how we met at the game.