Falling For Haneef

14.

Well Haneef is a spec so I don't blame them for sending glares my way. It's annoying that I'm getting glares for just being his friend, what if he finally brings his wife home?. Girls would use their eyes to scan even the blood vessels in her system just to look for an error.

" Assalamu Alaykum everyone" Haneef greets with a very big smile as we approach the canopy where Haneef's mother and probably some of her friends and sisters sat under. " Haneef how are you?" One of them asks and he responds positively as I stand behind him shyly. " Mom, Zakiyah's here"

" Really?" She literally screamed that out of joy and Haneef moved from my front, making my tiny figure visible to every single one of them. Saleem's mother's present here too. " I told you she's a fine girl" She says to Haneef's arabian mother happily. " Good afternoon" I greet shyly, facing everyone present and acknowledging them. " please have a seat Zakiyah, how're you my dear?" She asks and with a warm smile, I respond. " I'm fine Alhamdulillah. You look great by the way, your Henna is very beautiful ma" I say politely as I stare at the Henna on her fair hands. The Henna artist is still working on her feet. " Thank you my daughter. She'll work on you when I'm done" She's beaming with a beautiful smile.

" I'm glad you're finally moving on after my son Zakiyah, Saleem would be contented seeing you with his bestfriend" Saleem's mom says and I swallow a lump. " We're just friends fa, that's all nothing more"

" Well I didn't say you were more than friends, did I?" She says, winking at Haneef's mother. Oh my goodness. " There's nothing wrong if you two decide to be more than friends you know. He's always talking about you when he's with me, every single time I see him he always tells me about you, how beautiful and nice and funny you are. I'm sure he doesn't even talk like that about me with other people" she says and pulls his cheek as we sat side by side in front of her. Haneef's indeed lucky to have her, even after his mother left him, he was lucky enough to find an amazing mother figure.

I miss my mother every single day honestly, I know there's no one in the world that can give me the irreplaceable love and care she gave to me but, I always crave to have that motherly concern around me. I'm thankful my father is with me, and I have my friends mother's but it's just not the same as having someone to genuinely call mom.

As I got my Henna done, Haneef's mom and Saleem's mom told me stories about when the two boys were kids, all the embarrassing things they did and the cute stuff. It is obvious in Saleem's mother's voice how she missed him so much, we didn't get a body to bury for Allah's sake. I got along with the moms and aunts present, I had to give myself a pat on the back for being a free spirited person. We ate lunch and had a little dance session before Haneef offered to drop my friends home before me. They both seem to get along with him so much, most especially Tay Tay, they're both experts in the savage bullying game.

" Today was fun, you enjoyed yourself yeah?"

" Yeah I did, your mom's very nice" I respond, fixing the strap of my handbag around my arm, ready to get down from his car. " Yeah, she likes you that's why"

" I like her too, she's a complete vibe. I'll see you tomorrow Haneef"

" No, wait" he says, making pause while trying to get down from his car. " What?"

" Don't you think we need to talk?"

" What about?"

" Come on Zakiyah, it's pretty obvious" I really don't want to go down this lane now. With a deep sigh, I respond, " I don't want there to be something to talk about Haneef" and get down from his car without waiting to hear his response. " Zakiyah wait" he says, following behind me out of the car. " Haneef please stop this. I really don't want to ruin the friendship we have" I snap, stopping in my heels to pour my heart out. " Our friendship is blossoming into something more beautiful why don't you want it to happen?"