A/N : This is for my bestie Dancer9816 !! I hope you like it girl! Sorry it's kind of short!
The cold silver of the fork rests against my skin as I sluggishly twist it about in the dish below my eyes. Green leaves are spread throughout the white bowl and the balsamic dressing is beginning to fade in taste. A warm hand on my thigh brings me back to reality, and I glance over at the boy beside me. He shoots me a comforting smile, showing off his pearly white teeth and dimpled cheeks. I let my hand fall to his and grab it shakily. He squeezes it tight, and proceeds to talk.
"Did you watch me play the other day?" Adnan uses his free hand to wipe his mouth.
"Of course!" His mother speaks from across the table. Her eyes are bright with enthusiasm as she stares at her son, but as she turns to me the look fades to annoyance. "Were you at the game, Hannah?"
I shake my head, biting my lip in the process. "Unfortunately, no. I had to work that night."
Adnan pushes his bowl aside and leans forward with a jubilant glow. "Hannah's a sports journalist! How cool is that!? She gets to interview all these amazing athletes. It's awesome!"
"Hm." His father finally acknowledges the conversation. He has his arms crossed over his chest, and a slight snarl on his lips. "That seems like more of a boys job to me."
I feel my body stiffen. Adnan freezes beside me, and he lets go of my hand to make a fist under the table. He awkwardly gulps and glances at the grumpy man. "Dad, don't be like that. We aren't living in the 1950's."
The light above us is bright on his father's face. He furrows his eyebrows and stares at me directly.
"Does it pay well?"
"Dad!" Adnan protests.
A loud timer goes off which thankfully defuses some of the tension.
"Ganimete, the vegetables are ready. Can you grab them?" His father waves his wife off.
She scurries into the kitchen and opens the oven to whisk out the tray of vegetables. I let out a tiny sigh and look over at Adnan. He looks handsome in his grey suit- very professional looking. I look down at my red dress and smooth it out awkwardly. Please, let this dinner be over soon!
"Here we are!" Ganimete sets the hot tray onto the wooden cutting board in the middle of the table. Adnan's father tries to grab a piece of broccoli first but Ganimete slaps his hand away. "Abedin! It's the main course now! We must bless the food!"
"Okay, okay." Abedin puts his hands up in defense.
I hesitantly look at Ganimete and then to Adnan who looks like he's going to throw the table over. "Mom, don't you remember? Hannah's Jewish. She has a different blessing for the food."
She flicks her eyes my way and stares at the necklace around my neck. It's a thin gold chain that holds The Star of David. It rests above my dress on my chest. Abedin clicks his tongue before speaking.
"Well, we don't follow Judaism. What should we do son?"
"Bless it twice!" He furrows his eyebrows. "A blessing for the Islam religion and a blessing for the Jewish religion! Maybe the food will even taste better with more blessings."
Ganimete whacks her son with her oven mitten. "Adnan, we can't bless the food for Hannah's religion. It was made in this household, a muslim household, and the blessing will be of Islam."
Adnan rubs his temples.
"It's fine." I speak up. "I can bless my own food, silently."
Adnan looks at me with worried eyes. I mouth to him that it's okay. He nods and kisses my cheek swiftly. Abedin blesses the food then Ganimete hands out our vegetables. I silently bless my own food and open my eyes when I'm done. I start to chow down on my carrots.
"So how long have you two been dating now?" Ganimete asks.
"A year and a half." I answer her with a sweet smile.
She nods. "Ah."
"I met her at Sunderland." Adnan grabs my hand again. "She was there for her job and we just instantly clicked."
"Mhm. I bet you did. Must've been her fashion sense huh son."
I nearly drop the broccoli I was setting on my tongue. Adnan's jaw drops a little at the horrendously rude comment that just came out of his father's mouth. I glance down at my dress again that fits me snuggly but shows off my body. I bite the inside of my cheek trying not to yell at Abedin's face about how much of a sexist pig he is. I put my napkin on the table and scoot away.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom."
Adnan lets go of my hand and I rush to the restroom down the hall. I close the door quickly and press my back against it. The tears start to run down my skin. Why can't they like me? I just want to go home!
"Are you two seriously kidding me right now!?" I faintly hear Adnan yell. "Why are you treating Hannah like this?"
"Son, she's not a good girl for you. She's not even a Muslim. She's Jewish. You'll be expected to convert and that's not right!"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP ABOUT HER BEING JEWISH!" Adnan screams and a bang erupts. I guess he slammed his hand on the table. "I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HER! IF SHE WANTED ME TO CONVERT TO JUDIASM, I WOULD. WHY CAN'T YOU SEE I LOVE HER!?"
"Adnan-"
"Dad- if you say one more fucking comment about Hannah that's negative or sexist, I will punch you right in the damn nose."
"Adnan, that's no way to talk to your father!"
"I don't care what you guys think of me! I cared about you liking Hannah because I like Hannah, but now I see that your opinions don't matter. I love Hannah so much, and that's all that matters. Screw your old thinking. We're out of here!"
"Adnan!" His mom calls.
I hear him get out of his char. Footsteps bang against the floor as he walks towards the bathroom. I quickly wipe away my tears. A loud knock erupts on the door.
"Hannah?" His voice is louder than usual, but still sweet. "Hannah sweetie? Let's go home, okay?"
I open the door and he looks at my eyes. He tears up a bit knowing I was crying. He takes my hand and we jog to the backdoor and run outside. The night is cold but it's refreshing after being in that hot house. Adnan walks us around the house and to his car. We don't say anything on the ride home. We just hold hands, and it speaks for itself.
Once we get back to our shared apartment, I kick off my heels and help Adnan with his tie. I look up into his eyes as we stand in the living room. He looks down at me with a loving expression that makes my heart warm. Our mouths open to speak and we say the same thing at the same time.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
I giggle a little. "It's okay. It's not your fault, babe."
"You don't have anything to be sorry about, okay babygirl?"
"Okay." I blush.
"And yes it is my fault. They're my parents."
"And you are you." I grab his hands after taking off his tie. I kiss them softly. "I heard you standing up for me and it made me fall in love with you all over again. You're so caring, Adnan. I love you so much."
"I love you too." He leans down and kisses me lovingly on the lips. He cups my face in his hands while I tug on the sides of his shirt to keep me balanced. We pull away smiling.
"I say we change into some more comfortable clothes and watch some Netflix while eating the delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream I bought." Adnan suggests, adding a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Yes!" I squeal. "I'd love that!"
"Then let's go." Adnan takes my hand happily. We walk to the bedroom to change and get comfortable.
Meeting the parents didn't go so great, but that doesn't define how our love will be. I'll always love Adnan and he'll always love me. That's all that matters to me.
