𝐅𝐚𝐮𝐱 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

Chapter 26

Aariz can't take all these butterflies making him lightheaded. Their feet lifting and moving in sync against the zebra crossing. Selena's eyes scan the cars while Aariz gazes at the exceptionally stary night. The silence that once used to be eerie is rather calming.

His stargazing eyes planes down at her. Her hijab flapping behind her brushing against his sleeves. Momentarily his eyes close to registering her scent. If he could he would freeze this moment. Selena's knuckles brush against Aariz's pants. The grip of her hand on her mobile tightens. She inches away from him feeling the rush of warmth in her.

However, Aariz clutched onto her mobile. His fingers are mere a centimeter away from hers. Her hand trembles causing her mobile to slip out of her grasp. Nevertheless, she dips down and catches it. Her fingers land on Aariz's holding her phone. Her eyes move to the traffic sign. It's still green.

They both straighten their eyes unable to meet each other with their hands holding the two ends of her mobile. Their hold from enough that if the other lets go the mobile won't hit the asphalt and crack open.

His phone buzzes in his pocket as they reach the other side of the road. They both halt near pedestrian stop signals. He pulls out his mobile with the other hand still on her mobile. Selena's eyes fall to the screen. Parking. The screen reads. An alarm to remind him his parking time is about to be over.

He shoves it back in his coat pocket and looks at her. She looks away. Where had she been all these years? He recalls a short-lived physical togetherness they shared a few minutes back. Though Nuha would argue that it was haram and her dad would have probably pushed them miles apart he can't help but feel her hand tightening around his arm. He can still feel her fingers pressing on the patch unknowingly. But he didn't grind his teeth. She knows and has seen all the vulnerable moments closer to knowing him well but at the same time knows nothing at all.

"You should get your car back in our area.", Selena is still not willing to give up on her mobile.

"It's okay... A little fine is worth this moment.", his words make Selena's hand lose. The mobile doesn't fall.

"Stop! Okay! Your parents pay a million dirhams for your education. They don't deserve this fine for you casually hanging out with some random girl.", she folds her hands to glare at him whose smile glints in his brown eyes. He clutches her mobile phone closer.

"A random girl? I doubt that. Besides, no one's gonna know. And if they ever ask, I'll tell them I was out with you," he chuckles looking at the lock screen, "Truth be heard. Can't deceive them.", Aariz shrugs holding his hands in the air.

Selena's hesitation makes her eye the playfulness in Aariz eyes.

"I am going home.", Selena bolts around striding her way towards the jungle of buildings.

Aariz stares at her as she walks away. His heart beating faster than he had imagined it would if they ever crossed the road of love. Knowing he doesn't want this road to end he paces his footsteps and screams, "Okay then wait for me at the ice cream parlor," he hands her the phone, "I was imagining it to be your hand."

Selena stares down at her phone for a moment. Her thoughts run into the wilderness of her imagination. His warm hold on her hands moves up her arms into her hair. The blinking of the eyes helps her escape out of her head before the thoughts consumed her soul. Clearing her throat she snatches her phone away from him and turns around, "Oh I can wait for you till eternity. But not just there. I am craving savory food.", she flips her hijab on her shoulder, "Kulfi king. We're getting Pani poori."

"You know you should have brought an extra pair of shoes with you so that you could change after the event.", he pushes his hand in his pants pockets as he walks up to her, "I wish you could wear my shoes. But then you wouldn't have fallen for me. Because I know you secretly like me. After all I am so tall and handsome as hell.", he looks away, broadening his chest proud of his statement. His fingers play with his hair.

Her eyebrows raise as she realizes, "Did you just refer to Wildest Dreams."

"What can I say... Nuha used to chew my ears off with this song back in time when it was first released.", Aariz still doesn't know Taylor's version of ''Wildest Dream'' had also been out.

"Okay now stop wasting time and leave already.", she smirks behind her mask and turns around to leave.

As Aariz turns around to cross the road he can hear his heart echoing in his ears. This girl is precious. How can a person who has suffered so much still be so full of energy? How did she live all those years dying inside alone with no one to reach out for? How did she not break? How did she grow through the cracks the men gave her? Why did she cover her pain with the bandages of achievements? Did she do all this to get people's approval to live, to make it a little more bearable?

In the darkness and stillness of abandoned school areas, he feels the chills run down his spine as he tries to imagine what could have happened. Who else around him is hiding this gruesome past. Who else has been dying alone with everyone thinking they are too egoistic of their actions just like he used to think of her.

He parks the car in the bustling lively commercial area. The neon lights, the crowd of cars lined around the turn, the waiters walking to and fro between shops and cars to deliver Karak. He doesn't realize until now how much he has missed this. This energetic life that he has been accustomed to. Not the slow life of old people back in Denmark. He could have gotten lost in his thoughts if Selena hadn't waved at him. An aluminum container with a plastic container over it in her hand makes his mouth water. He licks his lower lips and removes his mask.

The doors of the car close with a thud as they both sit in the car placing the containers on the armrest. Six poori. They both stare down at the chopped onions garnishing poori.

"That's it?", he asks.

"Yeah. I'm kinda disappointed too. But okay. Probably your parents are at our place so they'll have more food at home.", Selena shoves a poori in her mouth and raises the plastic white container to her lips. Her mouth is overfilled with food but she still slurps the green spicy water.

She chokes on it, placing the container in Aariz's hand. Pulling the tissue from her pocket to her mouth she coughs feeling a burning sensation ticking at the back of her throat. Her eyes water as she looks at Aariz.

"So much crying in a day isn't good for your skin. You know that?", he says before placing the poori in his mouth.

There is an impatient silence as Selena chews and waits for her mouth to push the bolus down her esophagus, "Says the person who has an equal amount of acne on his face.", Aariz chokes on his food. He tries to push away the tingling temptation to cough.

"Acne is a part of us, that's what I have learned from Nuha," he rubs a tissue on his lips which turn rosy after he removes the tissue.

"If we were giving a dirham for every pimple we have since puberty we would have retired long ago.", she laughs recalling the nightmares of her PCOD breakouts, where no antibiotics seem to work.

She can get used to him. She can. But she must not. Because he is the flapping bird in her sunsets.

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