Noor's POV:
I was walking to my room when my sister Azra suddenly appeared out of nowhere, batting her eyelashes at me. I know this means she wants something, and I hope it's not chicken because I'm not in the mood to give in today.
"What is it, chicken?" I ask, turning away so I don't fall for her charms.
"It's not about chicken, Noor, I promise. I just need your help," she says, grinning at me.
"Help with what?" I ask impatiently.
"Could you escort me to the mall? I don't have any other female friends who are free to go with me," she says, making a cute face.
"No, I can't go with you, chicken. I have somewhere important to be and I'm not your boyfriend, so stop making those weird faces that make you look like a chicken. And seriously, shopping? You have to find a female friend to go with you," I say, trying to leave.
"Ouch, Noor. You can't even do a single thing for your sister. Are you for real? You always have something important to do and you never liked me, I know," she says, pouting.
"Okay, enough. I can't go with you today and that's final. Find a friend to go with or wait until I have some free time," I say firmly. I'm not sure why I'm saying no to her today.
"Fine, bye bye," she says, annoyed, and storms off.
I shake my head as I watch her go. That girl will never grow up. As I reach for my phone, I see that I have a missed call and a message from Leenah. I try calling her back, but her line is busy. I try again a few minutes later, but it's still busy.
I start to feel a sense of anxiety as I wonder who she could be on the phone with for so long. Who is she talking to? I keep asking myself these questions, knowing that she'll call me back as soon as she is done
Leenah's POV
""I need your help," Azra says to me.
"Help with what?" I ask, curious.
"I want you to go shopping with me. My brother doesn't want to go with me," she says, and I can't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
"Your brother? What guy would want to go shopping with you, Azra? You're unbelievable... and I'm sorry, but I can't make it. I have somewhere important to be," I say, trying to sound apologetic.
"Oh, your words are always the same. It's fine, but you guys all have to make it up to me," she says, looking disappointed.
I can't imagine hanging out with the brother of a girl who is three years younger than me and going shopping, of all things. It just feels wrong.
As I'm thinking about this, I keep seeing Noor's call coming in, but I can't just hang up on my friend.
"Okay, fine. I promise. Take care, okay? I have to go now," I say quickly.
"Okay, bye Leenah. Thanks!" she says, and hangs up.
I call Noor back and he answers on the second ring.
"Hi, Leenah. Been trying to call you," he says as soon as he picks up.
"Hi, sorry I was on a phone call," I say.
"Who was that?" he asks abruptly.
"What? Why... uh, so are we going out or not?" I say, trying to change the topic.
"Oh, of course. Text me your address and I'll come pick you up," he says.
"Okay," I say, and end the call.
I text him my address and go to give my face a final touch. I apply some powder and a little bit of lip gloss before adjusting my veil. I grab my bag, put my things in it, and sit down to wait.
A few minutes later, my phone grabs my attention and I see that it's a call from Noor.
"Hi, I'm here," he says.
"I'll be right out," I say, and hang up.
I take one last look at myself in the mirror before dashing out of the house. I bid my mom goodbye and head out.
I don't know why, but the butterflies in my stomach are not staying calm.
"Hi," I mutter as I get into the car, but Noor seems to be in another world. He's looking at me, but it feels like he's not really seeing me.
"Hey," I exclaim, clapping my hands to get his attention.
"Uh, what? Hi, Leenah. You look gorgeous," he says, finally looking at me and complimenting me. I blush at the compliment.
"Thank you. And you don't look bad yourself," I say, winking at him.
"Don't do that," he says, smiling.
We chat throughout the drive. We always have something to talk about, which is why we get along so well.
We arrive at an Italian restaurant, and I can't help but be impressed by how fancy it is.
"This place is so beautiful," I say as we enter.
"Yeah, and it's a new place. Glad you like it," he says, flashing me a smile. Noor doesn't smile very often, but when he does, it sends shivers down my spine.
. Hi, my name is Lora and I'll be your waitress," the woman says, smiling sweetly at us.
We then grabbed the menu and I ordered the ragù alla bolognese with ragiano cheese, while Noor ordered the spaghetti aglio e olio.
As the waitress was about to leave, Noor grabbed her attention again. "Can we also have a lasagne alla bolognese and some mocktails, please?" he asked, in a more blunt manner.
"Sure," Lora replied with a smile, before leaving to place our orders.
"Let's get to know each other more," Noor suggested.
"Okay, let's go," I replied, smiling.
"Age?" Noor asked.
"I'm 21. Favorite color?" I asked, smiling in return.
"Wow, I don't really have one. Just black," Noor answered. "How about you? Do you have a crush?"
"I don't have one either. And black? You can't be serious right now," I replied, laughing.
"Of course I am. Now tell me yours," Noor pressed.
"Purple," I replied. "You can tell from my dress."
"Yeah, I can see that. Do you have a girlfriend? You never mentioned one," I asked, a little curious.
"No, I'm not ready for that kind of drama. I can't handle it," Noor said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh," I responded, feeling a little awkward.
Just then, Lora returned with our orders and we ate quietly, not saying much to each other.
.
