Endless Summer🌞

38: Things we do for love

10th May, 2017.
Ubud, Bali.
Janan lay on the bed, listening to John Legend's all of me while Muhammad's image popped out in her head every now and then and she couldn't help getting hooked up to his last statement "not all second meetings are coincidental, sometimes one person looks for the other" There was just something about that utterance that made her giddy. Did Muhammad perhaps traveled to Bali to meet her? But how is that even possible?

The message beep on her phone brought her out of her reverie. She picked the phone from her side of the bed and unlocked it to an anon's message.

If you're not doing anything, can we talk?
I will be waiting by the pool.
                                Muhammad.

Her heartbeat skyrocketed at the sight of his name. She dropped her feet on the floor in a jiffy and advanced towards the full length mirror. She wasn't thinking straight, she forgot about her promise to keep a 100km distance from Muhammad, all she was aiming at that very moment was getting her appearance intact and zooming out to the pool to see the sender of the message.

She applied some powder, some pink gloss, some perf before getting her hijab and jacket on and proceeding to her destination. Muhammad was silently watching the reflection of the glistening stars in the blue water when she arrived. He was slaying a black polo shirt with denim pants, a jacket and a pair of white sneakers. She salaamed and took the lounge chair next to his, his oud-y scent whizzing into her nostrils.

The dude had a thing for perfumes. She thought.

They exchanged pleasantries before Muhammad passed over a package to her. "Fish cakes, you love fish, don't you?"

Janan slowly collected the pack of hot fish cakes, the aroma was so tantalizing and she couldn't wait for a bite but she had to ask the dude how he knew she loved fish.

"How did you know that?"

He grinned, entwining his fingers. "I kind of stalked your Instagram account last night after I got your number from Hanifa. Most of your posts are food, fish to be precise."

She gasped. "You asked Ya Hanifa for my number. Oh my Allah..."

"Calm down." He cut her halfway, a smirk adorning his lips. "I told you her left your bracelet behind last night. No strings attached, remember." He cocked his brows.

Janan chuckled. She was getting super worried over nothing. "No strings attached." She smiled, peeping into the package. "Thanks for these darlings." She uttered and Muhammad nodded.

Silence took over the convo as he watched her took some bites of the fish cakes until she took the initiative.

"Do you want some?" She stretched her hand to offer the snack but Muhammad refused.

"By the way, you said you wanted to talk." She added brushing her palms together.

He smiled. "There is really nothing to talk about. No strings attached, I just wanted to see you."

She folded her hands in her lap, batting her lashes as a flush crept up her face. Her eyes gleamed as she stared at him skeptically.

His mouth twisted. "No strings attached." He repeated with a lopsided grin.

Janan beamed, adjusting her position on the lounge chair. Those strings he was talking about, she had already mentally attached them.

"So since we don't really have anything to talk about, maybe you should tell me about yourself." Muhammad orated.

"Well, nothing much to say about me. I am Janan Shafiq as you already know. Clocking 20 next month and a final year English student at Rayville. 3 adorable siblings, father is late but mother is alive Alhamdulillah. I'm a bibliophile and a sucker for any recipe of fish." She ended her statement with a giggle. "Yeah, that's me."