CONNECTED HEARTS

13:Mall Mayhem "A spilled drink and a spark"

Adyan POV

As I lay in bed, my mind kept replaying the day's events like a movie reel. Kaltoom in that oversized shirt and messy bun effortlessly cute, dangerously attractive. I had to catch myself more than once from staring too long.

The way she chased her friend when she almost fell pure chaos but also kinda adorable. I reached out to help, and Kaltoom's possessiveness kicked in immediately. She swatted my hand away and dragged her friend off like she owned the rights. Feisty. Intriguing.

While I waited for Kaltoom, her brother Khalid showed up. We exchanged polite greetings, and he asked why I was there. I told him I was taking his sister out for lunch. He was about to dig deeper when Mrs. Kabir arrived, her warmth filling the room as we exchanged pleasantries. Refreshments came soon after, but I barely touched them I'd already grabbed a snack at Ostrich earlier.

Then she appeared. Kaltoom, descending the stairs with her friend beside her. My chest tightened. Stunning wasn't even the word. Beautiful felt too small. Radiant? That came closer.

Watching her eat, savoring every bite like it was the best meal on earth, was ridiculously cute. Somewhere between bites, we decided to just... be friends. And honestly? It felt good. The laughter, the banter, the way conversation flowed it was fun. Even if we didn't end up married, the friendship alone was worth it.

Ice cream shopping sealed it. Kaltoom made the whole experience a mini adventure, arguing with herself over flavors before generously picking some out for Laila too. I couldn't imagine being bored with her around. Her moods were priceless. Seeing this carefree, almost bratty-but-soft side of her was something else.

Of course, she threw a couple of tantrums. Like when I told her she'd had enough ice cream she nearly teared up. To fix it, I made up some random story about brain freeze. She laughed, rolling her eyes, and went back to licking her cone.

Then I took it a step further. Told her too much ice cream caused belly fat and obesity. The look on her face priceless. She actually believed me and dropped her chocolate cone with a sad pout.

Guilt punched me right in the chest. So I convinced her to take the package again. Watching her brighten up melted me. This girl, who usually pulled scowls out of me, was now making me grin like an idiot. Maybe people were right sometimes you just have to give someone a chance.

I was still lost in that thought when Khairiya suddenly appeared. I hadn't even noticed her standing there.

"Ya Allah, you scared me," I said, sitting up.

"I've been standing here for like sixty seconds," she teased, eyes full of mischief.

"Oh, have you?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

She laughed, eyes sparkling. "Who are you thinking of?" she asked, wiggling her brows like a goofy nerd.

I rolled my eyes. "Get out, I'm sleepy."

"Not until you tell me," she pressed, plopping down like she owned the place.

"Can't I think without being interrogated? You invade my privacy way too much, little one."

She just cackled. "Ya, stop being dramatic."

I had to shoo her off eventually Khairiya could be a pain in the neck when she wanted to. Slumping back on the bed, the exhaustion finally hit me. I realized the next five days would be just as tiring.

I didn't miss China one bit. I wished I could stay in Nigeria longer. I missed my family. And Kaltoom... I was only just starting to know her. I didn't even know if we were compatible. Wait. Where did that thought come from?