FATE INSPIRED

Chapter 4

Layla

The sun of ending January was causing the sensation of heat and my friends were not helping the mood.

"How expensive did his suit look?" Rahilatu asked with hopeful eyes.

Lulwa didn't keep her mouth shut. Adda Malika and her never stopped talking about the weird eye-coloured guy, Asad. It was so annoying cause all they kept talking about was the three or four facts and information they knew about him.

"Oh, it will cost good grands, not less. Ah, I don't know clothes." Lulwa answered her with her palms folded into each other and placed under her chin. With her eyes closed, she looked up as if making a solicitation.

"What did he say to her when they talked?" Rahina asked for the first time, her eyes widening with curiosity as she leaned forward, eager for details.

"This better be good. I can already see that look on your face, Lulwa. Spill it!" Rahilatu added, her voice filled with playful anticipation.

"I have no idea, that's the thing. And she refused to tell us. She said she embarrassed herself in front of him the first they met though." Lulwa replied glaring at me.

"We didn't talk about anything. We just started talking when she arrived, and she said she'd kill me, so I headed for the hills." I said giving Lulwa a half-hearted glare. I tried downplaying the situation even though I knew they wouldn't have let it go that easily.

"Started talking? Talking about what? Was he hitting on you? Did he ask you out?" Rahilatu asked with moony eyes.

"Ask me out? No, he didn't. We were talking about something completely different."

"Oh, look, she's admitting they really talked about something. I won't be able to sleep today if I don't hear it." Lulwa begged to make puppy eyes.

"You can't just bump into a gorgeous guy in a black suit and not expect us to talk about it." Rahilatu replied to her, whining. "Okay, so picture this: our girl here is all caught up in graduation madness, and then, bam! She literally collides with the most handsome guy at the event." She teased; her voice full of excitement as she leaned in closer.

"Leave the poor girl alone. We've got a class to attend now. You two, go home since you're done." Rahina said for the first time and started dragging me. She'd been smiling all through the convo.

We've offered the same courses every year since we started. Lulwa studied business management while Rahilatu, Rahina's twin, studied medicine.

"Just so you know, Layla. I'm taking this one, you can now have Professor Fahad to yourself." Lulwa said loud enough for me to hear as we headed to Prof. Fahad's class.

Professor Fahad was a writer, a lawyer, and a professor at the same time. He wrote extended fictional work in prose and two Law comprehensive case books, he's a private law practitioner and came in every Wednesday for a class in our faculty. He's only around 37 from what he wrote in his autobiography, had a good physical appearance and style when it came to dressing, which everyone can attest to. The girls surmised that he liked me mainly because he asked me at least three questions in every class he'd had till now, it slowly became a routine and since he started taking us this session, a lot of the girls tried getting his attention by either asking his number or if he'd a girlfriend.

But he asked me those two questions. If I had a boyfriend and for my number.

"They're not objects, you pudden-head." Rahina is the most mature among us most of the time. "Y'all just annoying folks." She said under her breath but enough for me to hear.

And the meanest among us.

I had three classes today till 6 pm and I was knackered, to say the least.

Stepping out of the car, I stopped abruptly, my eyes widening as I recognized the man stepping out of the door adjacent to where the car was parked.

"Oh... it's you." I blurted out before I could stop myself, the surprise evident in my voice. I hadn't expected to see him again ever, at least so soon, and especially not at my home.

He turned towards me, his expression calm but his eyes revealed a flicker of something I couldn't quite catch. "Hi." He said softly, his voice almost hesitant.

"What are you doing here? In my house?"

"Your brother invited me." He said pointing behind him.

"To do what? Have another meeting?"

Her eyes drifted away for a second. What man wears colored eye lenses? Huff.

"Yes." Oh, I was just being sarcastic. "I came by to drop off some documents for your brother. We've been working on a project together." His voice was steady, but there was a quiet intensity in the way he looked at me as if he was carefully choosing his every word. I squirmed a little, I almost didn't notice I did.

I recalled our first encounter and how I didn't notice how he articulated his words, but then again, he didn't really speak that day. "Oh, right. That makes sense." No, it didn't. Why did he have to drop it by himself, I thought. "Um, about the other day... at Ya Malik's office. I wanted to say I'm sorry when we met at the graduation. I didn't realize you were there." My words tumbled out more rushed than I intended.

He gave me a slight, almost shy smile, shaking his head. "It's okay. No need to apologize." His voice was soft but deep, almost as if he was unsure whether he should say more. "It was actually kind of... nice, in a way." He finished.

Surprised by his response, I let out a small, nervous laugh, knowing fully well why a man would say that to a lady. He wanted to lighten the situation. "Nice? I was so embarrassed. I thought I made a fool of myself."

"You didn't. I didn't mind at all. Things like that don't happen, and... well, it was kind of refreshing."

There's something in the way he said that. Something almost vulnerable, but again, with him, I couldn't quite put a finger on it. Regardless, I felt a bit more at ease with what he said so I decided to change the subject or walk in and rest. But I chose to change the subject instead, in order not to be rude.

"So, how's the project going? The one you are working on with my brother." I asked, genuinely curious but also trying to steer the conversation into a safer territory.

"It's going well. Your brother's been great to work with. We've made a lot of progress." His expression brightened just lightly, though he still spoke in that quiet, measured way. He paused as if considering whether to say more before he added, "He talked about you recently. He's proud of you."

His words surprised me, "Really? I'm glad he is. He is always focused on work." I chuckled softly, trying to imagine my serious, business-minded brother apologizing for her embarrassing moment. "Thanks for telling me." I offered him a genuine smile.

"You are welcome." He glanced at me, and for a moment, there was something unspoken in his gaze, something almost tender. "And it's nice to see you." He said his voice quiet but sincere, a bit more relaxed, his smile becoming more evident, though still reserved.

"Yeah, it's nice seeing you too." I smiled back, still surprised by his warm tone.

"I should probably go now. I don't want to keep you." He took a small step back as if reluctantly pulling himself away.

"Sure, of course," I said as I walked towards the house entrance.

"Asad, I'm sorry I kept you waiting." Ya Malik said out from the door with a prayer mat in his hand. He flashed me a smile as he hurried towards where Asad stood. It was time for Maghrib prayer so I figured they were probably heading to the Masjid to pray.

Asad seemed to have paused at his car's door then he glanced at me with an unreadable expression. "Layla." My name rolled off his tongue with an accent that felt foreign yet oddly familiar. It was as if he was saying it in a way it was meant to be spoken, with a possible Arabic lilt that gave it depth. I shook my head silently to wear off the thought.

"Take care." He added with a smile.