Now I See You | ✓

Thirty-Four

The airport is bustling as usual, the arrivals section heaving with people eager to greet their loved ones who have travelled all this way.

A quick glance to my left reveals my roommate eagerly awaiting her loved one, head constantly peering around, trying to spot him past the swarm of other people.

I mean, neither of them has exactly told me that they're each other's loved ones, but, well, Zeb's been talking big game lately. About conversion, about marriage, about moving here if that's what she wants.

They're not even together yet and he's got it all planned out. But the big beam on Manal's face is a real indication that there's no way she'll turn him down, anyway.

I did suggest that I leave them to it, that I just let Manal pick Zeb up at the airport, particularly given that I've come nearly straight from counselling, but they both insisted that they wanted me there if I felt up for it.

From the look on Manal's face, I wonder if she doesn't trust herself without a chaperone.

Pretty laughable that I'm here then, because I'm certainly not the poster girl for chastity.

Gently, I wrap my hand around Manal's bicep and tug her in my direction, in an attempt to stop her from bouncing up and down on her toes every two seconds. "Manal, honey," I murmur, trying to placate her. "Just calm down a sec, all right?"

She worries her bottom lip. "What if I've read this all wrong?" she whispers, brows drawn together in a distressed frown. "What if he doesn't...."

Bless her for thinking that he's not here to iron everything out with her, that he's not serious, when he's flown all the way here for her.

"Manal, listen," I utter, drawing her attention back to me rather than that runaway place in her head where she's going to overthink everything. "He's here for you. He's not here to visit me and happening to see you in the process. He's here for you, all right?"

I've just managed to calm her down again, when my dear brother's mop of brown hair comes into view and she tenses up all over again.

A big grin takes over Zeb's face as he strides towards us, pulling me in for a big hug, chin resting on top of my head. "Hey, Judah," he murmurs quietly, kissing the top of my head.

Then, he surprises me. He takes a step away from me, turning to Manal, and places his hand over his heart in greeting. "Hey, Manal."

If the grin that detonates my roommate's face is anything to go by, I'd say that he's earned himself extra brownie points for choosing to greet her politely like that, rather than trying to hug her.

When we reach the car, Manal slips into the driver's seat, while I follow Zeb to the trunk, where he loads his bag in.

"What was that?" I ask, grabbing his arm, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

He winks, grinning at me as he shuts the trunk. "Researched the fuck out of how to respect a Muslim woman, didn't I?"

I've known for a while now that he cares about her, realised that he's serious about her, but this makes me feel even more assured about it. It warms my heart to know how much he genuinely wants to be with her.

"Try hard," I murmur teasingly, before pushing him in the direction of the passenger seat.

On the drive back to our apartment, Zeb chatters away to both of us, telling us a funny story about the person he was sat next to on the flight over, talking about his week, asking us questions about ours.

Part of me wondered whether hanging out with the two of them wouldn't be much fun, because maybe they'd just want to talk to each other and no one else, but thankfully, they both seem pretty keen to have me involved in the conversation.