Baba Or Babe?

Pancakes and Marrige.

I woke up surprisingly early. I checked my phone to see 8:37am flash back at me. I lay down again, tried to get comfortable and closed my eyes. It's a weekend, and I don't have to pick Rocco up until three.

After half an hour of my helpless efforts to fall asleep again, I walked into the kitchen. I saw flour, and some eggs and milk and butter. Nathan's pan was just sitting on the drying rack, begging me to make pancakes, so that's what I did. I made American pancakes, the fluffy ones. I found some syrup, and made him a coffee the way he liked it: a shit ton of sugar and a shit ton of milk.

I sat down at the end of his bed, and waited a moment. I think I've crossed the line between Youssef weird and plain weird. Well, what's done is done. I don't like pancakes, and someone will have to eat them before they get cold.

"Nathan." I spoke, squeezing his arm for a few seconds.

He whined at me, then opened his eyes. He squinted, then felt for his glasses.

"I uh- I made pancakes. Sorry if that's weird."

Nathan chuckled as he found his glasses and stared at me, then the plate of pancakes.

"Say something, please."

"You're so sweet."

Nathan made me sit next to him, and insisted that what I had done was cute. I didn't really talk, but Nathan didn't seem to mind.

"Youssef."

"Nathan."

"You're adorable."

"Puppies are adorable. I'm twenty six."

"My friends agree with me, overruled, dork."

"That...I won't argue with. Your friends?"

"Yeah. I just told them about the pancakes. If a guy named Emory comes up to you, don't worry, huh? That's his plan."

I laughed a little.

"What else are they saying? Boost my ego a little."

Nathan had sent them a picture of the pancakes, captioned with "Guy I'm seeing made these, do I marry him now?"

Emory was the only one who disagreed, but only so he could marry me, so I'll take that as Nathan's friends like me, without knowing who I am. Whatever. People like me.

Nathan finished his pancakes and then we spoke for a while. Not about anything, just friends and stuff.

"Do your friends know?" Nathan asked as he sipped his coffee.

"Most of them. Some are family friends and they would tell my Baba and my siblings. I don't think they'd do anything, but it's best they don't know unless there is a good reason."

"Are they homophobic?"

"I don't know. They're muslim, so...maybe. We never really spoke about that sort of thing, maybe why it took me 24 years to figure it out. My Baba is so sweet but he's very by the book and his favourite book of all time says that being gay is haram, apparently. I read the whole thing cover to cover and I didn't see it."

"Hm. My mum is very Christian, so was my dad and they were both okay with it. I know it's not the same, but there's a massive stigma that all religious people are homophobic and they're not. My mum sighed a little, and it took her some time to get used to it but she's my biggest ally now."

"I hope my dad can see it like that. That I'm not different, he just knows more."

"You said siblings, how many?"

"Four. Zara, older sister, Ahmed and Kairo, my brothers and Aaliyah, little sister."

"Wow, cute names. Are your brothers older or younger?"

"Kairo and I are twins, fraternal but I reckon we look more alike than any of them. Ahmed is older, only two years though. There's nearly six between me and Zara."

"You're a twin? Sick."

"Yeah, he's the polar opposite of me though. He's warm and welcoming, and hates science."

Nathan laughed a little.

"Surely they'd be okay with it." Nathan shrugged.

"Kairo, yes, he is. Ahmed, maybe. His wife is really Muslim and I think he's practicing more because of her. No complaining, obviously, he has as much right to practice as I do to not."

I spoke about Kairo and I for a while, and then came the obvious question.

"Can you read his mind?"

"No. If twin telepathy was a thing, he would've passed science with flying colours and I might've had a hope of passing English." I chuckled as I remembered retaking English twice. It's not my fault English is a dumb language, and my third.

Nathan laughed with me.

"I'd love to stay, I would, but I've got to go shopping and get Rocco, and make his tea and give him a bath before school tomorrow. Do you mind?" I stared at my phone and watched the time shift from 12:34 to 12:35.

"No, of course not! I get it, go look after your baby. Do you want me to drop you at yours?"

"No, don't be stupid, you're comfortable."

"Alright. Hopefully I'll see you again soon?"

"Definitely going out, don't ask me when. I'll text you when I know, thank you for everything, I'll see you soon." I called as I got dressed and grabbed my phone.

"See you soon Sef." Nathan spoke in a calmer tone than me as he hooked his finger round the belt loop on my jeans.
"Can I kiss you?" He asked, nodding for me to come closer.

I bent down and gave him a kiss. He let me leave after that and I got the bus back to my flat.