I never had it easy.
From watching my parents succumb to the horrors of a car accident to craving the healing presence of the man I love-my entire life-I had navigated through this messy maze I call my life with a shard of hope in my heart.
Every da...
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The sun had just peeked out from under the clouds, the birds had just started to chirp, and Mubaraka's birthday had already gone off to a very amusing start.
"My love, meri jaan, ya qalbi," Mubaraka exclaimed, wiping the corners of her eyes, her cheeks hurting from all the laughing. "In this sacred bond between us, you're supposed to be the one with a functional brain. Yet, I will never ever understand how you, of all people decided to pretend you didn't know him."
Saboor leaned forward on the kitchen counter, yawning. "I thought it would work."
"How come you had been so paranoid about crossing paths with him, yet when he came before you, you decided to play oblivious. I was clearly mistaken for believing you were smarter than that," Mubaraka snorted.
"My heart stopped beating." Saboor looked up, glaring at her. "I didn't understand what else I was supposed to do under those circumstances."
"Obviously you didn't think it through," Mubaraka scoffed. "Because he recognized you the second he saw you, and he knew you recognized him too!"
"It seemed like the best option at the time." Saboor grumbled under her breath.
Mubaraka shook her head, smiling. "You made a fool of yourself before him. Again."
Saboor put her arms on the counter and ducked her head, despite Mubaraka poking her for answers. When Saboor, after one long agonizing minute raised her head to answer her friend's questions, surprise flickered through Mubaraka at the sight of Saboor's...
Glassy eyes?
"You don't know how much he changed, Mubaraka."
"Go on."
"College Naail never gave me an ounce of respect."
Mubaraka, despite herself, put a comforting hand on Saboor's arm.
"But the Naail I saw two days ago? He smiled at me, Mubaraka. An action that would have been so unlike college Naail. But he isn't college Naail anymore."
"Do you really think he changed that much?"
"He made me believe so."
"Did he bring up what happened between the two of you?"
Saboor shook her head. "Not even once."
"That's... surprising."
"He's full of surprises."
"So basically, he was... nice to you? Didn't bother you?"
"Yes. He actually talked to me. In a civil way. Sure, he was rude-I wouldn't expect him to not pass his snarky remarks-but... he amazed me."
