Once Upon A Muslim

Semi-Chapter 11 | Harun | The Letters: Part 1

I. Need. Sleep.

Eeek! Haruuuunnnn!!! *to all you HK shippers* ;)

P.S. Don't kill me... I'm too tired to defend myself anyways...

***

"Bye Harun! See ya soon." Irene waves at me as she gives Maymunah a knowing look before she heads off somewhere else in the airport. Meanwhile, Maymunah herself has a wistful smile gracing her lips. I raise my eyebrows, curious as to why she seems so sad.

"May, it's only going to be a few days. Just this weekend," I tell her in an attempt to comfort her. "I need to visit Kay - my family," I stutter. I bite my lip and rub the back of my neck awkwardly, hoping she didn't catch that. It's her turn to raise her eyebrows. "We'll let them know soon, okay?" I look carefully into her warm, brown eyes. I wonder why some people with brown eyes hate that physical feature about them. Brown eyes are actually beautiful. Much more beautiful when they are soft and comforting.

She barely nods. She opens her mouth to speak, and I'm surprised by what she asks. "About that... do you think we're ready? We're in college and-"

"How about if we just not focus on that right now? I don't want to stop you from pursuing your dream as a lawyer; it'd be awesome to see you in court." Her eyebrows raise again and I chuckle. "As a lawyer, you know."

"Whatever," she says, rolling her eyes as she shows off her smile. "So, you'll tell them this weekend? I will tell mine too if you're ready. Remember, we don't want to rush in on this."

"Maymunah, don't worry yourself over this, okay? I get that you don't want to get your hopes up too high, but just have faith in Allah that this'll work out," I say reassuringly. She sighs and nods again.

"Okay. Sorry about that." Her eyes drift towards her phone. "I think you should be getting on your flight now. Be safe, okay? Don't do anything idiotic or stupid or I'll regret even agreeing with you on this."

A smirk tugs at my lips. "Aww, you really care about me? How sweet of you," I mock as the intercom says, "Flight 24 is boarding now. Flight 24."

"Haha," she says with a dull tone. "Now, go! Seriously, don't get yourself in trouble, okay? And make sure you say hi to Hafsa for me. Oh, and your mom. And-"

"I get why my dad always complains about my mom. She's just too caring like you." She blushes furiously, the crimson color on her cheeks spreading rapidly. "And talkative." Then she glares at me. I swear, girls always have mood swings. It's weird.

"I'll tell Aunty you said that," she says with a stern expression while I just shrug. "Okay, go now. See you soon. Assalamu Alaykum."

"Wa Alaykum Asalaam," I return, my mood finally turning somber. As I walk away to the door where Flight 24 is boarding, she stays rooted at the same place, waving and smiling, telling me to be safe. I nod, wave back, and join the other passengers in line, my heart beating rapidly as I near the door.

I'm anxious to tell my family and Kayla. Hafsa already knows, but how will the others take the news? If they say no, then all of my hopes will be crushed miserably. I think to myself as I show the person collecting plane tickets my ticket and passport. She takes my ticket, tears it in half, and hands me back the part of the ticket with my seat number. "Have a wonderful flight," she says warmly with a smile.

As I step into the passenger boarding bridge, I look over my shoulder only to find Maymunah gone. My heart sinks a bit. Even though I'm leaving for this weekend and we've said our goodbyes, I feel like I'm leaving her forever. She's a crucial part of me which I'll forever hold on to. Her eyes, her smile, her intelligence, her dorkiness - those are the things that I adore the most about her. I've been lost before I've met her, but now I feel complete having her in my life.