How To Hate You

chapter 10

"Do I make you nervous, Aeesh?"

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May,
2015

Sameera thinks of it as a sign. Maybe it was a sign Ikram befriended her. Maybe it was a sign she showed her a picture of her boyfriend. Maybe it was a sign her mom came back from work that day. Maybe it was a sign she wore the green dress. Maybe, just maybe, it was a sign that after the ice cream outing, she texted Nabeel, 'It's Sameera, Ikram's best friend.' and he replied exactly ten minutes later.

Nabeel: Hello bestie. How do you do?

Sameera couldn't believe her eyes. He replied. Nabeel actually replied. So she mustered the courage to type back as coolly as she could. But inside she's screaming, Oh my God. Oh. My. God!

Sameera: I am good. And you?

Nabeel: Superb.

This was it. Sameera had prepared for this moment for months. She had written a list of questions she would ask Nabeel. It was in the new black journal with flowers and the words 'GO GIRL!' scribbled across in fancy curvy handwriting on the cover. The first three pages were mostly casual questions like his favorite nickname, favorite month, favorite horse colour, and favourite day of the week among others. In the later pages, from four to six were deeper questions. Best childhood memory, least favorite person, something that always makes you laugh, do you believe in soulmates? Actually, that was number ninety-eight.

But there was one thing Sameera was more curious about.

Sameera: So... You saw my text but didn't reply?

Nabeel: Umm... Yes, I guess. But in my defence, you didn't say you were you.

Sameera: Didn't know it took Ikram for you to reply me.

Nabeel: Well... now that you said it, it sounded a bit harsh. But I'm sure you have some unanswered Dm's in your inbox too.

Well, he did have a point.

Sameera: Touché.

A minute later, the tiny letters appeared at the bottom of the screen indicating Nabeel had read her message. Sameera knew he wasn't going to say anything else. It was a fleeting moment of haste to keep the conversation going and Sameera typed the first thing that came to her mind.

Sameera: Do you believe in soulmates?

Nabeel: No. I do not. But I do believe in timing and precision.

Sameera glanced at the cover of her dark notepad. The inscription glared at her with full intensity. Maybe the wind hadn't blown out the candle yet. Perhaps it still flickers to stay alive.

Sameera: So you don't think of Ikram as your soulmate?

Nabeel: I think of Ikram as so much more. A tectonic part of me that is crucial to my ability to live. A gift that appeared when I needed it the most. And that is all that matters, the right person at the right time.

There it was, the final straw. Sameera felt like the biggest nutcase reading Nabeel's words off her laptop. Yet the biggest shocker was that even after knowing how invested he was in her friend, it did nothing to resize the burning passion she had for him.

Sameera: Why do you love Ikram?

Sameera has a sudden realization. What if she became another Ikram for Nabeel? What if she made it harder for him to settle with good when he can have the best? It was the craziest of all thoughts. But when has she ever been sane since she met Nabeel?