The difference she made!

Her effect

  If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving be me.

Khalid woke up in the morning and looked over at the clock. It was time to get up. He looked around the room, the other side of the bed was empty which meant Fajr was probably in the kitchen.

He wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but he knew if he did, they would be late for the grandfather visit and his work. He lazily crawled out of bed, took a shower and dressed.

He went to the kitchen, and found Fajr busy at the stove, her hair was pulled tightly into a bun at the back of her head. She wore a pastel dress of blue and pink. She not only had breakfast already on the table, she had been also preparing something else.

"Good morning." he greeted.

She turned to look at him and replied his greeting; "morning!"

He stepped closer and watched as she stirred a pot on the back burner. "you woke up earlier than usual."

"I didn't sleep after Morning Prayer. I had to prepare this vegetable soup for grandpa"

Khalid had a look on the pot as Fajr waved the wooden spoon in the air and told him; "Mom used to say the dishes you make with love, spread your feeling in others' hearts."

She dipped the spoon in the pot, and got it with the soup to her mouth to taste it. Khalid kept watching her. the spoon left her mouth and she smacked her lips. In a very casual way, he caught her hand with the spoon that carried the remaining liquid and moved it slowly toward his slightly-open mouth; "let me taste that."

Fajr stood still as Khalid's lips removed food from the same spoon.

He licked his upper lip and commented; "I never knew love tastes this good. Do you prepare my food with the same feelings?"

it was obvious he was in a teasing mood, she felt the flush climbing her cheeks. her eyes searched his face. Something, unknown, stirred in her heart.

What's wrong with him? No, what's wrong with her?

"You are the one who has the answer." She replied after a while, not wanting him to comprehend how his words made her feel.

He narrowed his eyes and titled his head a little; "how's that?"

"do you taste the same thing in the food I make?"

He considered that, nodded thoughtfully, then unexpectedly smiled genuinely; "clever!"

Meanwhile, Fajr got a notice of the tea boiling and rushing down the side of the tea kettle.

"Oops" she huffed as she released her hand from Khalid's grip, hurried to drop the spoon on the counter and switched off the burner.

"see, this is your fault." she complained and started wiping the spill of hot tea on the stove. he stepped aside and took a seat at the table; "you shouldn't have taken your eyes from it."

*********

On his way to the company, he dropped Fajr off to the hospital. So both got busy and engrossed in their tasks. They didn't have time to think about each other. During the work break, Khalid came to the hospital and he was surprised to find Badriya and Majed in the room, along with Fajr and their grandfather who seemed much better than the day before.

Fajr was sitting at the right side of the grandfather's bed, feeding him slowly, and all the time the old man never looked at the soup or the spoon or the hand holding it; he lay there watching her delight face as she was laughing at the joke Majed had just said. He was occupying the other bed with his mother. As soon as Khalid walked in, all turned their heads to him. He greeted and exchanged formalities with them then stood still, watched them for a while, but he couldn't keep his hands still; they kept plunging into the side pockets of his Thobe.