Hearts Of Gold

23 Benevolence

"Ah, yes. He talks about love with God, does he not?"

"He does," Burq clutches the book tighter, "beautifully so." He tilts his head. "What is the secret of love, Waleed?"

Waleed seems to think over his query, taking a while before answering, "Our prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, the heart of a man lies between the fingers of God. He turns it in whatever direction he wants. What we can do is to pray to Him to turn our hearts towards faith, His love, because that's the right direction."

"So the secret of love is to ask Him for it?"

"Yes, my lord. For the love of God is greater than any other love. And when we abandon our desires for God, He gives us what we desire and more."

Burq takes in his words, then chuckles softly. "I didn't know you were so philosophical."

Waleed smiles sheepishly. "Ah, no, my lord. These are not my words but her ladyship's."

Burq arches an eyebrow. "Leyla's?"

Waleed nods.

"How so?"

"You asked her one day what she desired the most. She replied that the love of God, for it's the greatest of all love. And that only His love can fulfill all her desires," Waleed tells him. "I was serving you breakfast at the table that morning. It was her ladyship's birthday and you wanted to give her a present, so you asked her this question and she answered with this."

Burq searches his memory for the event but comes up empty-handed. "What did I gift her then?"

"A ruby and diamond necklace, my lord." Waleed nervously locks his fingers. "I know all this because she asked me to join you both on her birthday. It was at home."

Burq hums reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm not thinking of you to be peeping around the house." He rest his elbows on his knees and leans forward. "Did she like my gift?"

"How can I know, my lord?"

"From her facial expression?" he suggests as if an obvious fact.

Didn't she get excited and hug him? Didn't it make her happy?

Waleed shakes his head, as if seeing through his thoughts. "She smiled and thanked you."

Burq knits his brows quizzically, feeling disappointed. "That's all?"

"I suppose extravagance never impresses her, my lord. She's your wife, you may know better."

He's right: she's different. But maybe he never knew her better. Maybe he still doesn't.

Waleed grins as he adds, "I baked her a birthday cake and she kept thanking me the whole day and told me how amazing that was. She got me a pen afterwards too. Her ladyship is so kind."

Burq frowns, reaching for his teacup and taking a sip. Did she like the cake more than his present? He needs to learn to bake a cake too.

Damnation.

He finds Waleed with his eyes again. "Did I love her?" he asks him frankly.

Waleed looks at him with surprise, baffled, before lowering his gaze. "As I said before, my lord, I didn't know of your feelings for her, neither of hers for you."

"But we lived under the same roof," Burq points out.

Waleed coughs awkwardly. "Pardon my straightforwardness, but you never shared the same room, my lord. She used the guest room for as long as she was here. And when she left, she returned everything that belonged to you."