Better Late Than Never

21

When the shock wore off, taking with it most of the bit and pieces of all she felt, Ayra realised she was genuinely happy to see him. She smiled; still tempted to cry but not as badly as she'd done moments earlier.

She took small steps forward, putting her hands together in front of her. "Oh my God, Ibrahim."

Ibrahim's smile widened and he easily mimicked her. "Oh my God, Ayra."

She laughed and if immediate post-divorce Ayra had seen her then, she would have shed a river of tears. "It's so good to see you, Ibrahim. I mean that with every ounce of sincerity."

"That was going to be my line but you've beaten me to it." His smile shrunk but stayed. "I would say it's a surprise seeing you here but that'll be a lie because your posters are all around Aomi and I've caught one or two of your stories on Instagram while I was logged in."

Colour mildly stained both her cheeks. "Not a lot of people know I'm one of those on the posters."

"Is it bad that I do?" He asked unsurely.

Ayra looked deep within her to be sure of what she felt before she shook her head, her smile returning. "Nah, it isn't. Did you come here because of that? To see me, I mean."

Ibrahim, quite shyly, nodded slowly. "Yes and no. I heard about the opening through my personal assistant, Mayah. She's in here somewhere. She kept talking about how happy she was that Ayneese was opening in Aomi and that it'll save her a lot of delivery fees so I decided to check out the brand. Thobes aren't really my style but I got a few from their Bedfordshire branch and they were amazing so when she tried convincing me to come along for the opening, I gave in. After that, I found out you were affiliated with the brand and although it scared me to death because I had no idea how it'll be to have a conversation with you in person after everything, I told myself that I wanted to see you."

His voice then dropped. "I wanted to see you in your element and happy. I told myself that even though I wouldn't get the chance to talk to you, seeing you happy would be more than enough for me."

There was a pinch in Ayra's chest but it was nothing excruciating. She took the moment that followed to take him in. Most of him was the same but the differences she'd sighted that Jumm'ah back in December were more apparent. He appeared so much better with a humble softness she was so glad he now had. He was doing okay and she didn't know just how much she needed to see it until that very moment. It was more than enough for her and it made her heart full.

"I'm glad we're having this conversation, Ibrahim." It was nothing but the truth. "And I'm grateful to be seeing you too. I didn't realise how much it would mean to be until now."

His small smile stretched and he kept his eyes on hers. "I hope you're doing okay."

She nodded. "More than okay, Alhamdulillah. I'm still taking one day at a time but I'm happy. I'm more than content with how and where I am right now."

His smile got even wider. "That makes me the happiest person."

The pinch in her chest got replaced – little by little – with warmth as she threw his words back at him. "I hope you're doing okay too."

His shyness returned and he nodded, looking quite boyish. Colour rose to his cheeks as he told her "Still undergoing therapy because there's been so much to unlearn and relearn but yes, I am doing okay. The company's taking a lot of my attention these days and I'm deciding to focus on the mentorship programmes first before diving into software creations and updates. You were right by the way. Maybe I am cut out to mentor people. It's been the best thing."

She laughed. "I knew you could do it. I'm proud of you, Ibrahim. In Shaa Allah Cube is going to be more than all you want it to be."

"In Shaa Allah. In Shaa Allah we'll keep getting better and better too."