pagesbyher
***
He parked the car in front of Ya Teema's house. We'd just gotten back from a small evening outing at a restaurant. But according to Mu'azzam, it was a date.
We'd only been married for two days but I haven't been brought to his house, not yet.
Honestly, I'd done my part, I'd left the house and I'd spent hours with him.
I gathered my handbag and phone and reached for the door handle when his voice stopped me.
"Aali." I turned to look at him.
"Yeah?" I'm pretty sure he could hear the impatience in my voice, but he chose to ignore it.
"I would like you to come back with me and spend the night." His tone was serious, but beneath it I caught the slightest hint of nervousness.
"Wait... you're serious?" I asked incredulously.
I placed my phone back in the cupholder to face him fully.
"I am." He replied calmly.
"Mu'azzam, we've only been married for two days fah and they haven't brought me to your house until nan da eight days." I reasoned.
"I know." He replied with a tiny smirk.
"I'm not following you." I declared as I crossed my arms and turned my face away.
"Oh, don't worry."
The confidence in his voice immediately made me suspicious.
"You will."
I turned fully to face him.
It was the look on his face that worried me.
Mu'azzam Sadiq Zahrani only sounded that confident when he already had a plan.
***
There's Aaliyah.
She carries more than ambition. She carries questions, beliefs, responsibilities, and a heart that loves deeply.
And then there's Mu'azzam Sadiq Zahrani.
Steady where she is emotional.
Certain where she is still figuring things out.
What begins as simple awareness slowly becomes something harder to ignore.
A glance.
A conversation.
A presence that starts to feel familiar.
Between law school, family expectations, friendship, faith, and the uncertainty of growing up, they will have to learn how to want each other without losing themselves.
Some stories aren't loud.
They're inevitable.