Amara's POV
"Did you tell him how serious you're about him?" Zoya asks.
"No! Are you crazy?" I say.
"Did you tell your mom?" Dina asks.
"No..." I sigh.
"Will you?" Beena asks.
"Yes." I say, shyly.
"Your mom's so chill, she'd be asking about grandkids the second the nikkah's (Islamic marriage) done." Zoya chuckles.
"I'll be asking for nieces and nephews the second her nikkah is done." Beena grins.
"Guys! You're thinking too ahead!" I glare at them.
"Like you haven't?" Dina laughs.
"I said I wanted to marry him, I never said anything about him wanting the same. This is the same exact scenario as me wanting to marry Chris Evans but that isn't happening either." I frown.
"Okay, but this is not the same as wanting to marry Chris Evans." Beena disagrees.
"Zoya's right. You and Peter actually have something going on unlike you and Chris." Dina nods.
"I wish I could marry Chris." I pout.
"Honestly, same." Zoya agrees, as the other girls burst into laughter.
• • •
Peter's POV
Watching her talk on the topic of religion had sparked such passion in her eyes, it almost made me jealous.
Does she have the same passionate look in her eyes when she thinks about me?
I wasn't joking around when I said I wanted to know more about Islam. I wanted to know what had Amara so mesmerized, I wanted to understand her better, maybe this might end up being appealing to me.
"Hey, Mr. Romantic. Can you not take up the whole couch?" Rooble pushes me to the side.
Daamir and Munir take a seat in front of us.
"How's things with Amara going? Have you broken her heart yet?" Munir looks at me suspiciously.
I roll my eyes. "No. Things are going great, actually. Thanks for the support."
"So, you two are dating or?" Rooble asks.
I sigh. "She keeps asking me but I haven't made it official..."
"So, you're on the path of breaking her heart?" Daamir asks.
"It's a lot of commitment, dating a Muslim girl. She probably expects a long term relationship." I shrug.
The three boys look flabbergasted because of disbelief.
"What?" I ask, blinking out of cluelessness.
"You're an absolute asshole. You need to let go of Amara, dude. I don't think this will end well if you have a mindset like that." Munir says.
"You guys are overreacting." I say.
"You haven't even officiated your relationship yet! I don't know if you noticed, but she isn't going to stick around long if this isn't going further than a fling." Daamir sighs.
"Exactly! Poor girl is probably waiting around for you to finally make you it official, this isn't some fickle game." Rooble shakes his head.
"Plus, she isn't like the girls you've been with in the past. She has values and morals. Short-term things aren't for her. You've taken things a little too far with her without even talking about what you two actually are. That's fucking dangerous." Munir says.
"I would recommend either ending this relationship or actually committing. You can't play with an innocent girl's life like this, you delusional psycho." Rooble scolds me.
"Damn, you guys are up my ass about this. Is she your friend or am I your friend?" I roll my eyes.
"Sorry to break it to you, but Amara's a better human being." Munir tries not to laugh.
My parents have been happily married for over 21 years, I have the perfect role models for a committed relationship, yet I just can't seem to understand it.
Why be with the one person for the rest of your life?
It's partially why I'm an atheist, commitment to anything is not how I like to roll.
But thinking of letting Amara go... The thought brings a bitter taste in my mouth every single time.
Rooble sighs. "Peter, on a serious note, someone like Amara will be expecting marriage if she's in love with you. Don't screw her over with delusional promises."
Marriage? No way would Amara think about marrying me so quickly!
"That's stupid. She probably hasn't even thought about it this far." I scoff.
Daamir groans. "This idiot is so stubborn. Don't come crying to us when things go south. We gave you all the warnings you needed to save everything."
• • •
"Peter!" I see Zoya wave at me from across the hall.
It's been a few weeks since Amara has been trying to educate me on the beauty of Islam and honestly, I've been intrigued and excited for every lesson.
The stories and lessons are so interesting, it blows me away.
But in those few weeks, Amara doesn't let me go further than hold her hand; and sometimes, not even that. It's absolutely frustrating because I want to kiss those lips of hers so fu—
"I haven't seen you in a while!" Zoya interrupts my thoughts.
"Hey! Zoya! It feels like I meet you every single day though." I chuckle.
"How is that?" She raises a brow.
"Rooble talks about you every single day. So, even though I don't physically see you all the time, it feels like you're always there because of him." I smirk.
I can tell she becomes quickly flustered. "Stop teasing me!"
"I wish I was just teasing but it's true." I laugh but I cut my laughter short. "Can I ask you something?"
"As long as it's nothing to taunt me with." She replies
I grin. "No, it's not like that." I shove my hands in my jean pockets. "Does Amara talk about me a lot?"
I see a clear a smirk appear on her face. "The great Mr. Peter Bilal is feeling a little insecure?"
"Yes, Ma'am." I smile.
"Lucky for you, she doesn't stop talking about you."
"Really?" I smile widely. "That's a relief."
"I know she can be timid about showing emotions... It's because she doesn't like being a burden..." Zoya sighs. "It's really tough for her to express her true feelings. I was found almost dumbfounded when she told us she confessed her feelings to you. That's a big step for someone like her."
My stomach tightens from thinking about how much guts it took for her to tell me how she really felt about me.
"I know you've been beating around the bush about giving your relationship an official title. I suggest you do it fast because poor girl is very in love with you." She says.
Zoya isn't dumb, she can catch things from just watching. I can tell that she knows I'm hesitant about the whole relationship thing.
"Has she said why... uh... why she's in love with me?" I ask, out of curiosity.
"She doesn't have to say anything to tell why she chose you, you idiot boy." Zoya chuckles.
Damn, everyone's been calling me an idiot lately. I must really be leaving an impression.
"You can tell why by the way she acts around you. You make jokes that make her laugh for hours, you're always complimenting her, teasing her, treating her right; just overall, you're good at keeping a smile on her face and keep her heart racing." Zoya says.
I know I'm smiling like an idiot because my cheeks start to feel sore from it. My heart feels like it'll pop out of my chest from fluttering so intensely.
Suddenly, she sighs. "I'm going to be murdered for telling you this but... please don't be with Amara if you're not serious..."
I knit my brows together in confusion. "Why would you be murdered for telling me this?"
"You didn't let me finish." Zoya looks down. "Amara... she's serious about you, Peter. Like life-long-commitment serious."
"What... what do you mean?" My heart drops.
"Like marriage, commitment. She wants a future with you, Peter. She wants to spend the rest of her life with you, that's why she even bothered to let you get so close to her, romantically. If you're not wholeheartedly dedicated to this, please, I beg of you to break it off."
Long-term commitment? Marriage? Spend the rest of our lives together?
I take a few steps back. "I-I have to go, Zoya. I'm sorry, I just remembered I have something to do."
I spin on my feet and quickly walk away before Zoya could stop me.
Amara expects too much from something I started off as light hearted...
I don't think I'm enough for someone as wonderful as her. I don't think I can keep her happy for the rest of my life. Most importantly, I don't think I believe in myself enough for such a big responsibility.
I fucked up.
- - -
A/N: I know you guys want some more Peter and Amara moments but you're going to have to be patient bc they're progressing. 🤣
Next Update: Saturday, July 27, 2019.
Please vote and comment and let me know how y'all feel!!