Better Late Than Never

0.5 (Prologue)

October, 2021

United Kingdom

The red Range Rover Sport came to a stop in front of the arrival terminal at the East Mainlands Airport and it was all that stopped Ayman Hakeem Bello from throwing his cousin out of the car.

Adil Bello parked perfectly in an empty spot, killed the engine, and grinned like a spoilt brat. "You know you love me."

Ayman unbuckled his seatbelt, the urge to throw his cousin out of the vehicle still strong. "Be very grateful that I do."

"Don't worry, Ayman. I love you too."

Ayman shouldn't have smiled but it was what he ended up doing and the urge to throw the other man out crumbled to dust. He sighed. "I really should stop falling for your confessions."

Adil's grin simply got wider. "You know you love me too and you know I'm your favourite person whether you like it or not."

Ayman, not wanting to admit to such, wound down the glass on his side and looked out, towards the terminal where people stepped in and out. Each person was warmly dressed, shielding out the cold. "You should text Ibtihaj to know if she's here yet."

Adil was already on his phone. "Way ahead of you, bro."

Ayman opened the car door. "I need coffee."

Adil looked up, clearly surprised. "You had one less than an hour and half ago!"

"Riding with you and purchasing fabrics has drained my energy. If I'm going to survive yet another trip with you and with our guests, I need my coffee and I need it extra sweet."

Adil's eyes narrowed slightly. "You've taken a lot of sugar today, Ayman."

Ayman glared but it held no much heat; a usual occurrence between them. He put one leg out of the car, his customised croc showcased in all its glory. "And whose fault is that?"

Adil smiled cheekily. "You know I'm one of the best people in your life and you know riding with me today was the best option. It was either with me or with Aneesa and Amar, and we all know who you were going to pick."

Ayman's eyes narrowed and a moment passed before he rolled them and got out of the car, slamming the door shut. As he ensured his wallet and phone were in the pockets of his black coat, he asked "Do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good. Unlike someone I know, I still have my cranberry juice from this morning. I don't understand how a man named Hakeem drank his in less than ten minutes."

Ayman's left eye twitched. "Adil, wallah –"

Adil laughed. "I love you too. Hurry up. Ibty said they've landed."

Ayman nodded, sobering. "Sure. I'll be quick."

Adil nodded, turning back to his phone. "Stay safe."

Ayman turned around, rolling his eyes as he said "Yes, mum."

"Ayman, I swear to God –"

Smiling satisfactorily, Ayman walked on. The terminal was busier inside than it was outside and it was a natural habit for his expression to morph into a neutral one. He kept his hands in his pockets and walked towards his destination, the path overly familiar with the number of times he and his family had patronised the airport's services.

The café was a gem and it had to be his favourite place when he was passing through. He stepped in via the open door and found a sense of peace in the scent of grounded coffee beans, the aroma of freshly baked pastries, and the whirling of the machines. Like always, the café was sparsely filled and he walked over to the counter, glad there were two free baristas while the last one attended to a female Muslim Ayman knew he wouldn't recognise if he stole a glance.