In Our Stars

8: There For you

May Almighty Allah Grant you the peace you have been looking for.
Juma'at Mubarak

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"By your side when you're all alone, I will be there." – I'll be there by Walk off the earth

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Sydney, Australia

Jawad leaned back in the black leather chair, trying and failing not to squirm in his seat. He has been sitting in the same position for more than two hours, a man was bound to get tired. He sighed lowly when the man on the line spoke again, his voice rasped by age and coupled with the thick Scottish accent, it was a bit difficult to understand him. Jawad has been hearing him talk for a few months now, so he knows what word he pronounces in a certain way.

"Is that alright with you Mr. Deeko?" Jawad only nodded, his tongue heavy in his mouth. He was also tired of correcting the man, his name was Dikko, not whatever he chose to pronounce. He'd even tried to make it easier for him and just asked him to call him by his first name, Jawad, which was even worse, surprisingly. And they weren't friends, so JD was out of the list.

"Are you hearing me Mr. Deeko?" he shook his head. He might just go with the JD then, or risk his ears bleeding from hearing his family name being murdered, almost every work.

"Yes, the—"his personal phone rang. The sound cut him off effectively. His brows furrowed as he tried to think of who it might be, the phone rarely rang and he mostly had an idea who it would be. Mostly Fahad or his aunts, on the off chance his uncles from his father's side, and Layla. She hasn't called him in months, almost a year. He doubted it was her, but Fahad knew he had an early meeting and unless it was urgent he wouldn't call.

He let hope bloom in his chest, and a smile almost split his lips when he saw the L and red heart flashing on the screen. She had saved the name like that almost ten years before and he hasn't bothered to change it.

The elderly man's voice reminded him of surroundings, he muttered a low curse, not thinking twice as he let the words leave his mouth.

"I'm sorry Mr. Gibson but I would have to cut this meeting short. I'll have my assistant send you the slides and we can pick up from where we left off next week, if that's okay?" he'd asked a question but didn't bother waiting for a reply. He tapped the red button on the computer screen that would end the call then eagerly swiped the answer button on his phone and put the phone to his ear.

His heart raced in his chest and the smile he held back bloomed on his face, making his cheeks hurt. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled that big, maybe since he left London. He felt like a giddy teenager talking to his crush, or first girlfriend. It was accurate though, except for the teenager bit.

Layla's breathing was soft on the phone, he breathed a low sigh of relief when he figured she wasn't crying. That was good news. With the way he was feeling, he might call the airport and get the jet ready to fly to her. He was always ready for her.

"Hey, Lee." Tired of the breathing competition and just entirely too eager to hear her voice, he greeted. Hoping his voice didn't sound as excited as it did to his own ears. He exhaled and told himself to act cool as he raked his hands through his hair.

"Hi," Layla replied, after what felt like forever when it couldn't be more than a few minutes. He heard her sharp exhale. "Are you busy?"

Jawad looked at the stack of paperwork he had planned to go through after his meeting, then to the proposed designs of a new software technology the company was developing, all of which he planned to get ready before the day ended. He chuckled loud enough for her to hear, and maybe the entire office too.