HUSNA

Chapter23

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt

                                     ****

Lover boy," Faisal teased, arms crossed and a mischievous smile on his face. "Who's that girl making you go crazy, hmm? You never tell me anything about her. And from what I see, she's giving you a tough time."

Hameed ignored him, pacing the room for what felt like the hundredth time, his phone pressed against his ear. The line kept ringing, but Husna still wasn't picking up.

Faisal sighed. "I feel like I don't even know you anymore, bro. You're in love with some girl, and you didn't even tell me once? That's betrayal."

He  exhaled deeply and dropped onto the couch, staring at his phone screen. "You won't understand, Faisal. I really like this girl... but I don't know how to tell her. She's not like anyone else. She's someone special."

Faisal raised a brow. "Then just tell her you like her. Girls appreciate honesty...no mixed signals."

"Appreciate?" Hameed repeated with a dry laugh.

"You don't get it. She's been hurt before. She barely even accepted me as a friend. If I confess now, I'll ruin everything. The next thing I know, she'll slap me or throw her shoe at me."

Faisal burst out laughing. "You? Getting slapped? I'd pay to see that."

"I'm serious, Faisal," he  groaned, rubbing his temples. "Man, I met her in Kaduna. I've never met anyone like her before..."

He started narrating everything...how they met, their first conversation, her stubbornness, her laughter, her silence.

When he finished, Faisal's mouth hung open. "Ah! This girl has raised the flag, captain . She's the one. You should just go to Nigeria, wallahi. That's the best advice I can give."

"I can't go back without seeing my mom first," Hameed said, shaking his head. "It's been five months. And if I go to Kaduna directly, someone might tell her."

Faisal frowned. "Okay, then at least tell me what you did to her that made her this mad?"

Hameed leaned back, rubbing his eyes. "It's been two days now, Faisal. She's not picking my calls. And guess what? It's because of food."

"Food?" Faisal repeated, trying not to laugh.

"Yes!" Hameed said irritably. "She told me to eat on time, and I didn't. That's all."

That did it...Faisal doubled over, laughing until tears came out.

"Man, stop laughing!" Hameed grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it at him. "You're supposed to help me, not mock me!"

"Ouch! Okay, okay!" Faisal wiped his eyes, grinning.
"Let's fix this. Type her number here." He handed Hameed his phone.

Faisal dialed the number. It rang once. Twice. Three times. No answer.

"Maybe she's busy," Faisal said.

"She's not," Hameed muttered under his breath.
Faisal redialed. This time, after the third ring, Husna picked up.

"Assalamu alaikum."

"Wa alaikumus salam," Faisal replied quickly, trying to sound polite. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Alhamdulillah. But sorry..you called the wrong number."

"No, no, please wait," Faisal said quickly. "I didn't call the wrong number. Isn't this Asma?"