From Aliya to Hafiz

Thirty-six.

Aliya.

I woke up to good news, mashaAllah.

Jasra and Ya Unais are coming for a visit!

She sent me a message earlier this morning to inform me of their arrival. We haven't spoken much since that day almost two weeks ago though we chatted dryly on and off.

I was excited to see them, the last time I saw them was when Auntie took us to Hajj last year. We went to their house to visit Aunty Summaiyah. I needed the presence of others apart from Hafiz.

No matter how hopeful I felt, getting along like this with him still made me feel like something was off. I got relaxed, then chided myself for being so laid back and put up my guard, only to relax again.

It was a frustrating feeling.

They would be arriving at 8 PM since they took off around 1 AM, Meccan time. They were travelling back in time and I just knew they were going to be exhausted. I asked Jasra what they wanted for dinner before she boarded the plane and she said to surprise them.

I was planning on making Fattoush Salad with fried rice, air-fried chicken, and a Blue Lagoon Mocktail, non-alcoholic of course.
Lindsay was a great help, and though she wasn't much of a talker and just quietly did her work as instructed. Thanks to her, the rice and chicken were already waiting in a cooler on the dining table, and the mocktail chilling in the freezer.

I added the lays chips to the salad, wiped away some of the spilt oil concoction from the edge of the bowl and sealed it with a cling film. I jammed with Hafiz just as I left the kitchen and his eyes went from the bowl I was holding to my arm. He just came back from work so his hair was slicked back and he wore white dress pants and a maroon button-down. The pants, though loose, stopped right at his ankle, showcasing his dress shoes and slender ankles.

His incessant staring made me survey my loose t-shirt and jean skirt, wondering if something was out of place.

"What are you doing?" He took the bowl from my hands and headed to the dining room. "You should be resting."

"Are you a broken record? I'm not that injured," I followed after him, he knew the wound was healing well but that never stopped him from nagging my ears off.

It was annoyingly endearing.

"You were stabbed," he turned around and leaned against the table after settling the bowl down. "With a scalpel."

"I recall," I surveyed the table to make sure everything was in order, nodding in satisfaction when everything checked out.

"Why are you cooking? Is there a problem with Lindsay?" He glared in the direction of the kitchen.

"Lindsay is an amazing help," I said. "I just wanted to cook because it's been a while."

He looked like he didn't buy it.

Jasra asked me to keep their visit a secret because she wanted to surprise Hafiz. I thought his reaction when he found out I knew his cousins would be funny so I agreed. I didn't set up the table so he wouldn't be suspicious of why there were four sets of plates and cutleries.

Although he seemed to disapprove, he let it go. "Father wanted to speak with you, I checked your room but you weren't there."

"Is everything okay? Are Mom and Auntie okay?" I asked, worried.

I knew I said the wrong thing when the open expression he had shown me over the last thirteen days faded away into something stony and detached. It was in the way his eyes darkened and a tick appeared in his jaw as his lips thinned.