Heaven From Here

thirty nine

Hanna frowned as she looked at her phone again, it was buzzing incessantly. She had an inkling as to who was flooding her inbox, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out for sure. She looked up from her seat on the couch to find Saif already looking at her questioningly. She smiled sheepishly and picked up her phone that was next to her and made a show of unlocking the screen pretending like she was answering messages, wherein reality she just turned it to silent and left it as is.

Absently, Hanna touched her lips as her eyes flicked up to see Saif again. He was now back to paying attention to the football game on the tele. She wondered quietly, what would he do if she sat in front of him and demanded that he give her his undivided attention. That he look at her with the same passion that he was watching football with. She watched him flit through a myriad of emotions from happy to angst in a span of seconds due to this game. But she; she was still stuck in yearning. Yearning to feel him again. She wanted to feel his warm skin under the pads of her fingertips. To feel the stubble scratch at the sensitive column of her neck. To watch as his eyes glaze over with desire for her. She wanted to be unashamed with her attraction to him, but she wasn't brave enough.

It has been two weeks since they kissed and not even once did Saif make any move of getting closer to her. Yes, they did talk but that was all they did; talk. Hanna wanted more. It was like she got this little piece of him and now she was craving more. The revelation of what he did for the girl who basically destroyed his reputation endeared him all the more to her.

The doorbell ringing made her jump with a start and again she found Saif looking at her perplexed. "I'll get it," he said as he slowly made to get off the couch, all the while watching her with cautious eyes. A small mew from the corner of the sofa caught her attention.

"Come here, Bunty," Hanna called as she stretched her hand towards the little black kitten and watched it patiently as it decided what to do. She squealed with joy internally as she watched the kitten take tentative steps towards her as it jumped up on the sofa.

She didn't know what it was, or how Saif made the decision but she was ecstatic when he asked her if they should keep both the kittens. She had jumped in happiness and given him a hug but she could feel him stiffening in her arms. Moving away quickly, she didn't let that dampen the fact that they would be adopting the two kittens that she had gotten rather attached to. Today was the first day after almost two weeks of their adoption that Bunty was coming to her of its own accord.

"Hanna, Awad Sahab is here," Saif called from the door.

"In here Baba," Hanna called in even tones. Not wanting to jostle the cat now that he had settled next to her with his forehead pressed to her thigh.

"Hanna, my child! MashaAllah! I am so happy," Awad Sahab said as he burst into the living room.

"Shh, Baba you're scaring the cat!" Hanna hushed him as she felt Bunty shift next to her.

"Read this my darling," he said as he shoved an envelope packet into Hanna's hands. Hanna looked up at her father with wide eyes.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked in an almost whisper.

"Open it and see," he answered with glee dripping off his every word.

With trembling fingers Hanna slipped open the envelope, she paused and looked up; her eyes searching for Saif who stood bracing his weight against the door frame. She looked at him for beat swallowing at the confusion that was all over his face as she tried to draw some strength from him before she continued pulling out the documents. Her eyes scanned the words on the letter over and over again, growing into the size of saucers.