Unedited.
Istanbul, Türkiye.
March, 2019.
•ASLAM
I've known Amna for almost four months now, and it's undeniable—that I'm in love with her. It's the kind of love that sneaks up on you, where one day you just realize your life has been subtly and irrevocably altered. Ever since she came into my life, everything seems to have a deeper meaning. It feels like I finally have a purpose that goes beyond just existing or pursuing goals. Just looking at her makes me smile, and thinking about her stops my world. It's a crazy feeling, one I can't fully explain and have never experienced before.
Over these months, we've spent a considerable amount of time together, getting to know each other better. We've become a part of each other's routines. I find myself constantly checking in on her, especially with the progress of her thesis, I proofread her work whenever she needed it. After New Year, school resumed. I knew Wednesdays were her busiest days, so I stopped by her university twice.
The first time, I showed up with tea, coffee, croissants, and painkillers. I asked around for her class venue, which I knew because I had an e-copy of her timetable. She didn't have breakfast when we spoke because she woke up late and had to rush to class when she barely got enough sleep the night before because of cramps. I waited outside her classroom for almost ten minutes, and at exactly 10:00 a.m., the door opened, and six people walked out before her.
The look of surprise on her face when she saw me was priceless.
"What are you doing hereee?" she asked.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Fancy some breakfast? I hope the coffee isn't cold already," I said with a wink.
I walked her and her coursemate, Audrey, to their next class. The second time I visited, I brought takeout sushi from Nobu, her favorite.
Last month, we went horse riding together—And just recently, I took her as my plus-one to the Istanbul Design Summit. I gave a keynote speech focusing on creating a national design policy to enhance creativity in cities, foster innovation, support local design stakeholders, and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. The policy aimed to provide technological resources and showcase young designers and architects in collaboration with UNESCO.
Amna sat in the second row, every time our eyes met, she flashed me a bright smile that reached her eyes, nodding along attentively and supportively. During the Q&A session, she even asked a brilliant question. These past months have been an adventure.
Her birthday is on the 14th, and I think it's the perfect opportunity to take a step forward, to move our relationship to the next level. She mentioned she has a spa date and some shopping plans with Khalthum during the day, so I've planned a dinner date for the evening. I even told her to bring Khalthum along since Khalifa will be joining too.
Khalifa is my childhood friend and family friend, he arrived in Istanbul two days ago. He's staying for two weeks, and last night, over a casual discussion about life—expectations, careers, settling down, I confessed to him that I have feelings for Amna. It was a conversation I had been avoiding, even with myself, but saying it out loud made it real. Khalifa pushed me to think about what I wanted moving forward. Talking to her without clear intentions, he thought, was pointless. After some reasonable back and forth, I agreed. After all, we both knew that clarity was needed. Continuing like this without defining what we are would be unfair to both of us.
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Aslam picked up Khalifa from the Four Seasons Hotel, and they headed to Emaar Square Mall to find the perfect gift for Amna.
