RIDDLE OF THE CHAPTER: You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, But the future can never taint me. What am I?
He was right. It wasn't enough. I take 3 more trips back to the table before I'm actually satisfied. When we've eaten our fill of delicious food, Hanzala snaps his fingers and the table is filled with desert. I'm serious. He literally snaps his fingers and where, 5 seconds ago, there was more food than humanly possible, there's now more dessert than humanly possible.
There's at least 15 different flavours of ice-cream, double thick creamy milkshakes, malva pudding, fresh cream cake, tiramisu, lemon meringue pie, cheesecake and the list goes on and on. There's so much creamy goodness that I'm almost convinced that it's too much, almost.
2 hours (and too many delicatessens to count) later...
We're lying on the checked mat, thoroughly content. Any semblance of formality disappeared halfway through the first dessert hour.
"So," Hanzala says propping himself up on on elbow, "did I do good for the first time?"
"Mhm," I mumble sleepily, "almost too good. How are you gonna top this one?"
"I love you."
I'm jerked awake. "What?!" I cry jumping up. I turn to Hanzala in shock. It's only when I see the sparkle in his eye and the slight smile tugging at his lips that I let out a sigh of relief. "Woah Romeo! For a second I thought you were serious!"
"One day I will be," he says with a laugh.
"Yeah, one day, like in quite distant future. Let's first walk before we start running. I mean, we haven't even had our first kiss! And no, the peck on the cheek earlier did not count."
"You don't believe in love at first sight?" he asks in mock disbelief.
"Pshht, as if. If that's a phenomenon that actually exists, I have yet to experience it."
"You're telling me you didn't fall for all of this," he gestures to himself, "at first glance?!"
"No love, unfortunately not. Maybe if you put in a few more hours at the gym and took some growing pills and maybe tuned your voice a little then met me again, maybe you might have a chance."
His eyes widen and he feigns despair. "Oh, my poor, weak heart! How you have wounded me!" He covers his eyes with his arm and fake cries. "I will never rise from the ashes of my failure!"
Soon we're in fits of laughter and a generally happy mood. I'm laying on Hanzala's stomach peacefully, as he strokes my hair, and am just about to doze off when I realize that I have no idea what time it is. It was night when I left Kim's house but now the sun is shining brightly down on me. It's like the hours pass but there's no real sense of change. It could be 12 o clock midnight and you'd feel like it was time to visit the hairdresser.
"Oh hey, by the way, I got you a gift," Hanzala says, getting up. "I thought that it might help with the time. At least one thing should make sense for you."
"Urr," I have no idea how to respond to his bout of mind reading. "Jazakallah?"
"First look at the watch then thank me," he says with a laugh. He rummages in his pocket and takes out a small silver watch. It's plain and simple except for one tiny, beautiful detail. There's a tiny etching on the side of the face, 'I look forward to spending forever with you.'
I can feel my heart lurch, I definitely don't believe in love at first sight and it's impossible to fall in love in a day right? But looking down at this sweet, beautiful sentiment in my hand, I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, it might not be very far off.
He clasps the watch onto my hand and looks at me. Our eyes meet and my heart flutters. The magnetic attraction that pulls us closer feels almost mechanical, in my inability to stop it from happening. He tips my chin to face him.
"Does this count?" he asks. I barely have time to respond before his lips meet mine. I forget everything I was going to say. I forget who I am. I forget all that's happened. It's just me and him, a glorious meeting of two souls that had been searching for each other but didn't know it until right now. It feels like it goes on for eternity yet it ends way too soon.
When we pull away, we've both got smiles plastered on our faces. It's a start, a beautiful one of things making sense. That is until, I look at the watch and realize it's 2 a.m.
ANSWER: history
