Aliya

chapter eleven

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat.

"No, not really," I lied, a trickle of sweat trailing down the back of my neck.

Thankfully, it seemed Maryam didn't notice.

She groaned, falling back on the bed. "You're absolutely no fun."

"Because it wasn't any fun," I shot back, "he seemed so different from that time in the garden; so much more hostile and tense and aggressive."

"But aside from that, was there anything else that was different about him?"

"No, not as far— his eyes."

Maryam paused. "His eyes?"

"They were black again last night," I said, slowly. "But they were brown on our last garden date."

Maryam frowned, tilting her head. "Someone's eye color can't just change overnight, Aliya."

"No, I know that," I mumbled, "which is why I don't understand."

"Maybe you saw it wrong, do you think?"

"Maybe," I said slowly.

But somehow I doubt it.

"Was there anything else that happened last night? Did he give you anything?"

"He didn't give me a kiss or a hug, if that's what you're hinting at," I said, rolling my eyes. "I thought I said that before."

"That wasn't what I meant," she said, giving me a look. "You know, did he give you anything else worth talking about?"

I paused, eyebrows furrowed as I tried to remember. "Oh! He gave me a letter."

"A letter? Ooh, is it for another date?"

"No, it was from my Khale back home," I said, reaching in to feel my pockets. "It should still be here; I'm wearing the same thing I wore yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I put it in one of its pockets."

"You got a letter from home?"

I looked up then to see Maryam frown. "Did the return letters arrive already?"

"I... I think so? I saw a maid carrying a whole basket full of letters earlier."

"Oh," she murmured. "Oh, I see."

It took me another second to realize that Maryam's bottom lip was trembling, and the reason was as glaring as the letter I held in my hand, and the clean, empty desk in her room.

I dropped the letter like it burnt me.

"I'm sure yours will come sooner or later," I assured, panic starting to rise inside me. "Maybe the maid just misplaced it."

"No, I don't think she did," Maryam said, biting her lip to hard that when she pulled it away, I could see drops of blood.

"No, I'm sure she did! You'll see, it'll be here when you come back for dinner tonight!"

Maryam took a deep breath, shaking her head, and when she looked back up, her watery eyes had disappeared. "I'm okay, Aliya," she said, "my parents have better things to do, anyway."

"No, they don't! They must have written to you, they must have—"

"No, really. I'm okay, I promise. You don't need to comfort me now. Besides," she paused, starting to giggle, "you're terrible at comforting people."

My panic started to subside. "I'm just not good with crying, whether it's me or anyone else. I don't know what to do."

"Oh, I think that's obvious," Maryam laughed. "Now, hurry and open that letter. I want to read it!"