The Other Side of Our Hearts

You're Familiar yet Foreign, All at Once

THREE MONTHS LATER

Kaveh was still no closer to figuring out the glass jar or any clue pertaining to his predicament of being stuck in the past, including talking to Madam Faruzan. It was frustrating, no question about it. But he also resigned himself to not cause more stress as much as possible. He was where he was and all he could do is go on, day by day and week by week, in the hopes he would eventually find his answers. There wasn't too much specific information that he would openly divulge, knowing how crazy it would all seem to an outsider. 

He also found it unusual how things felt so different and yet all the same as time marched on.

Many of the interactions he experienced the first time played out the same, mainly with his clients and many of those he would encounter in his day to day work and life in the Akademiya and outside. He was still devoted to ensuring those relationships remained unchanged as they were not ultimately required to undergo any changes of the sort. They were not to be casualties for his predicament. 

Navigating things when it came to Alhaitham however, were much foggier in his mind. Ironically, it was due to their interactions being more amicable than they were to his experience. Soon after they had their talk the night of the encounter with the Emerite, they would say hi to each other in passing through the House of Daena or sit together when completing their own research or projects. Debates still came up when discussing different topics that they had various views on, but it felt there was less bite to the exchange of words and ideas. It felt strange not getting heated like the arguments that they used to, but he didn't want to push for it when he knew the Alhaitham he saw wouldn't have been aware of such.  Little was said about their conversation months ago up in the trees, where Kaveh told his half truths about his situation. There were teasing jabs occasionally but nothing otherwise. It led to him thinking that Alhaitham more than likely didn't believe the parts that would have come across as farfetched. 

It felt like a friendship properly mending.

As the months passed, they began taking lunch breaks together to discuss topics not related to work as a good breather from their days. Alhaitham was still not too talkative, that he was used to at the very least. But the scribe still managed to hold his own in their conversations. It mostly persisted of their work, but sometimes strayed to research and other mundane happenings. Kaveh found himself unexpectedly enjoying those lunch breaks. But he knew he couldn't fully allow himself to join him, not knowing how things could wrap up once he figures out his predicament. But he wouldn't deny that the worry of it wasn't on his mind from time to time, which was more or less most of the time. 

One day, Kaveh found himself eating alone during lunch but he was okay with it. He figured Alhaitham got caught in a meeting or some kind of request from one of the sages that pushed his schedule back. He could imagine the scribe grumbling under his breath and it only helped to make the architect laugh to himself. Images of furrowed brows and his telltale curl of his mouth downward in protest did little to dissuade his amusement.  It amused himself immensely. But he couldn't help but feel a little lonely after what became established as their daily routine. 

Once he finished his shawarma wrap, Kaveh knew it was time to head back and work on his projects for the afternoon. He made his way to his office, but upon entering his pace stopped abruptly and his eyes blinked rapidly from confusion. He saw on the couch, on top of a sheet of paper, a small bouquet of Padisarahs. They looked very fresh as he approached and picked them up, inhaling the sweet and fragrant scent of the petals before looking around the room. There was no card, no note; nothing to indicate the purpose of the flowers or whom they were from. 

How would someone know what Kaveh's favorite flowers were? Not only that, who would even leave them for him? He couldn't even recall the last time he got flowers aside from friends at his graduation. Even when he was single and going on dates no one ever gifted him flowers, or anything gift related really. It felt like a light sting in his heart when he thought back to when he and Alhaitham got together and he never gifted him anything. Or affirmed any feeling vocally or through any small gesture. He couldn't help but sniffle as he wondered what really changed when they agreed to become a couple.