The Essence of Noah (Muslim story)

Talks

We sat in Abu Tamer's kebab hut twenty minutes later, usual orders in front of us and an ever looming awkward tension. Saleem was as cheerful as ever, but even his contagious enthusiasm and bright cultural spirit was not enough to take my mind off the near kiss. I'm not too sure how to feel about it, but I think confused is a pretty good start.

"Are you okay?" Noah breaks through thoughts as he tears the last falafel and places half by my yiros.

"Fine."

"Who's lying now?" I stare blankly at his attempt at a mood lightening joke, and watch as Noah's small smile falters.

"Can we just get this over with?" I realise I sound rude and blatantly so, but I don't want this to turn into another verbal combat.

"Okay, can I start?" I nod. "Why are you ignoring me?" He leans back in the plastic seat and cross his arms, with his sleeves rolled back. I sigh.

"Why did you lie?"

"You're going to think I'm an idiot." Noah rubs the back of his neck as I notice the skin there become slightly tinged.

"Try me." I purse my lips, waiting for a reply, but for some reason I'm anxious to find out. If there is a reason for his lies, that was enough to make him think it was worth it, than it must be a pretty good reason- or a very stupid one.

"Well, I-"

"Well?"

"I didn't want to lose your interest." He sighs almost is designation as he comes clean and slowly drums his fingers against the table.

I wasn't expecting that. I don't know what I was expecting, but that definitely wasn't it. Maybe a joke, a dare, anything that could justify my pent up anger at him, but not something so simple, so harmless, that if anything makes me fall a little harder.

My cheeks are flamed from his confession and my heart is working faster than it has been for a while, but my mind is at a blank for a response.

"Hana?" Noah asks, leaning forward on his forearms and speaking calmly.

"I wasn't expecting that." It's the first thing that comes to mind and so I make do, feeling slightly relieved that he can't see the full redness of my neck and ears beneath my scarf.

"Yeah." Is all he replies with before biting his bottom lip and then pressing his lips together.

"Why though?" I clear my throat and push myself further into the plastic seat until I feel the cut out digging into my back. "I mean-" I pause, "You didn't want to lose my interest?"

"I tried talking to you, at Tip-Top and then in front of our apartments, but you never seemed to care. You struck down all my conversations." I laughs lightly to himself as he presses the tab of his index finger against a crumb.

"I didn't mean to." I frown, trying to think back to the times we spoke and how I may have acted slightly passive.

"I know you didn't. I just wanted to get to know you, I thought you were cool." I can't help but blush and bite the inside of my cheek to prevent the traitorous smile from appearing. "And when I saw your friend Ewan?"

"Evan."

"I was just so confused." He runs his hands over his hair and then across the stubble on his cheeks. "I didn't lie when I said I was reading up on Islam- I knew a fair bit from what I read, and you confused me." I nod my head, recalling the number of times he mentioned how I didn't seem religious, and how many times I got offended. "That night on the balcony, it just slipped, and I was going to take it back, but suddenly you were interested for a change, we started hanging out, and I loved meeting up with you and talking about things that Ed and Mads wouldn't understand, because you wouldn't judge me."

"Look I'm sorry for bringing your parents into this. But, I never lied to you about anything else. I like you Hana, I like you a lot. And me being Christian or Muslim doesn't change that."

"You could've just said 'hey I know this kebab place, maybe we can hang and talk.'" I suggest lamely, shrugging my shoulders as Noah gives me a skewed grin.

"You would've never spoken to me again." I don't bother arguing because I know he's right.

"Do you plan on converting then?" I ask, toying with the possibility of us in my mind. It's a stretch, I know it is. We were so wrong in the first place, that I know even if I accept us, maybe not everyone will.

"Yeah, I am. I just need sometime to talk to my parents" He pauses, "And Ed." He adds as an after thought. I just nod my head, feeling a lot better from the turn out of this conversation.

I offer Noah a smile, a genuine one, that colours my cheeks and displays the crows feet by my eyes. And when Noah returns it, laugh lines and all, my heart skips a beat. With my hand rested on the table, Noah reaches for it, his long pale fingers resting on top of my tanned ones in the briefest of touches that leaves me wondering if it was him or the air.

"So are we cool then?"

"Yeah, we're cool."

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And... that's a wrap! TEON is finally over after almost an entire year of writing. I can't believe it, and I'm so excited to have a book written by me completely. Not to make this cheesy, but I'd like to thank everyone who gave my story a chance and decided to stick with it and my terrible updating schedule. You're the best.

I know a lot of you won't like this ending, BUT there will be a sequel. I haven't started writing that yet, because I have another story on my profile that I will be focusing on and plus I need a break from writing about the same characters for a while.

Also if anybody has any questions about the book, or anything in general, feel free to inbox me and I might add an extra part answering them.