. . .
❝Once upon a time, a girl fell in love with her husband and made the stars realise that they'd gotten her soulmate wrong.❞
. . .
It's a daunting thing, your first love. It's new, making you unsure and doubt whether it's love or just a mere...
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"AMOO!"
Riyad hopped up on the seat next to mine and pressed his tiny nose against the window, staring at the sky in awe. "Look! You can see the moon!"
I chuckled, pulling him down from the window by the arm. "What's so special about seeing the moon?"
He turned to me in shock. "Amoo! How do you not know?" His face shadowed and he looked utterly disappointed. "Mamani said that if we could see the moon when it was still light outside, it meant mâmân and bâbâ were there watching over me. How they were with me in both the dark and the light. They're there now! Look, Amoo!"
I grimaced at my forgetfulness and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I'm sorry, Riyad."
He shrugged and turned back to staring up at the sky — at the moon. A reminder of his mother and father. I wondered what my friend would think about the way I parented his son and hoped he'd be happy. Riyad was the only person left in this world who was a part of Rafiq, except for Riyad's paternal grandmother, of course, and I tried my best to give Riyad the best and most normal childhood possible. The one that Rafiq and I could've gotten, but was stolen from us because of the actions of certain people.
"This is where bâbâ went to school, right?" Riyad turned back to me curiously.
"Yes, Riyad. This is where bâbâ and I went to school. Oxford University — the place we went to school — is actually quite close to where we are right now. That's where he met your mâmân."
Shock and excitement were clear on his face. "Really? Can we go there?"
I smiled. "Of course."
My mother had been spamming me with messages and calls all morning. She was normally protective and kept in contact often — a complete mama bear with wanting to know her kids' whereabouts all the time even after we all grew up, but this was excessive even for her. Something was going on. That much was obvious.
My phone began buzzing again, and Riyad picked it up for me. "Nafasat Joon!"
An identical level of excitement came from the other end of the phone. "Riyad asalam, how are you? How was the flight? How's England so far?"
"I'm good but it's so cold." His nose scrunched up. "I want to go back to Tehran. But the flight ride was so long."
My mother chuckled. "It's freezing, isn't it? But you'll get used to it, asalam." She paused. "Zayaan, where are you guys now?"
