DALIA (Book 1 in the ISWAJI series)

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Waleed's POV

Getting ready for a new workday is not exactly the most exciting thing in the world, but if it means seeing Dalia then it is so worth it.

After dressing up, I make my way downstairs to the kitchen to find my mum making breakfast for my dad.

"Good morning, Mama." I kiss her on the cheek as I grab my keys off the counter.

"Good morning, Waleed. Please don't do anything stupid today." She whispers the second sentence so dad doesn't hear anything.

I roll my eyes at her and give her a small smile.

"Good morning, baba." I nod from the other side of the table.

"Waleed." He gives me a nod in return.

My dad and I have quite a formal relationship, while my mother and I are more like best friends.

"I am off to work." I tell them, looking at the mirror next to the front door one last time.

"Waleed." My mum says walking up to me.

"Yes, Mama?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Try to come home early today. Mustafa, your brother, is coming over for dinner tonight with his wife and kids." She says with a smile.

Great. Just what I need.

Note the sarcasm.

"Sure. What time do you need me here?" I ask her twirling the keychain aground my finger while my other hand rests in my pocket.

"Before Maghrib prayer, please."

"Okay. I will be here." I give her an assuring smile for her to believe me. In the past, I might have bailed out and left them to have dinner with Mustafa and his family, without me. I was never the biggest fan of Mustafa even as a child. He was the eldest brother, he is 37 now.

"If it makes you feel better, you could bring Dalia over. That is if her mother approves. She can be...controlling."

"Definitely don't want her meeting my idiotic brother now." I chuckle, but the thought crosses my mind.

"Waleed." She threatens.

"Sorry. Got to go now. I will be here, I promise." I give her a stern look.

"You promise?" She gives me a smirk.

"Mama, you know how I feel about promises. I make them and never break them." I give her a kiss on her forehead and walk out the front door to my car.

I drive to school and the drive felt so long. Nonetheless, I arrived.

"Morning, Ms. Huda." I nod to the receptionist.

"Morning, Mr. Waleed." She gives me a small smile in return.

"As usual, tell Ms. Dalia to come into my office when she arrives." My voice comes out commanding.

"Of course." She replies pushing her black-framed glasses up her canvas face. I seriously never understood why women put such a horrendous amount of make-up on their faces.

I walk to my office and shut the door behind me. I check my schedule for today.

"Do a job interview with the new teacher, head to the exam room for invigilation for a few minutes, class observation and sign the approval to the new activity at school." I mumble to myself.

A knock on my door brings me back to my office, instead of the scenarios of what could happen during the school day.

The knock on the door sends a rush of adrenaline through my body, knowing that it would be Dalia.