How Love Happens - Chapter 34

 

Dreamily, Haifa smiled as she thumbed through the sheets of paper she was asked to file. Though she was at work, her mind was consumed by thoughts of her perfect boyfriend. Zishan had transformed everything she thought she knew about love, relationships, and even happiness. For the next two weeks, Zishan visited her in the evenings, and they would go for a stroll on the beach.

Haifa couldn't believe how they could talk for hours, and yet, it never felt like any time had passed. They would sit together on the beach, watching the waves, discussing memories from school, and sharing their hopes and dreams for the future. Initially, they sat side by side, but within a few days, she found herself sitting in front of him, her back leaning against his chest.

It was the most romantic thing ever. Every day, she hoped time would stand still so she could stay in his arms forever. Haifa felt like she was living in a dream. She still had doubts whether he would show up every day as he promised. But, to her amazement, he appeared right on time. They went out at night, took leisurely strolls, or simply sat together in the joalis in front of her home.

She had learned so much about him, she discovered that he loved thriller movies, was terrified of flying, and had an aversion to fizzy drinks. More importantly, she felt like talking with him she was rediscovering herself. So many long-forgotten memories resurfaced while she was with him.

Her phone buzzed, and she quickly grabbed it, her smile widening even more.

"Hey, sweet," Zishan's voice chimed in. Yes, she was now someone's "sweet."

Haifa had learned that Zishan was an endearment thesaurus when it came to her – she was always a baby, sweet, princess, or honey. While she liked "princess" the most, she hoped it would stick even when they were old and grey.

"Hi, I miss you," she said softly, glancing around to ensure no one was there to listen.

He gave a small chuckle, "I miss you too. I called to say I might have to change tonight’s plans. The guys have been bugging me for not seeing them for some time. And tonight is the Premier League finals." He said. Haifa sighed crestfallen – boys and their football.

"Sure…" she began, "Then I will see you tomorrow night?" she asked hopefully.

“What do you mean? You don’t want to go? I mean, I was hoping you could meet my friends,” he said.

Haifa gaped, “You want to take me to watch football? With your friends?” she asked. She had never had an interest in the sport and was absolutely never invited to watch one, let alone with friends. Suddenly, she had a great urge to say no, just to save herself from the nerve-wracking situation.

“Yeah, why?” he asked.

“Um, I don’t really understand the game,” she fished for a way out.

“It would be fine. I will explain,” he said, his voice growing excited. “This would be fun. Unless you don’t want to, I don’t want to pressure you, but I would love to have you there with me.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes, I haven’t seen my sweetheart the whole day,” he said softly, “I miss you.”

Endearment thesaurus, her heart felt so full, “Then I will be there with you,” she said.

After work, she went home around one in the afternoon. Zishan had said he would pick her up around five, so she had a few hours to herself. Haifa had gone to read through football news and about the game just to have something to talk about. But for the life of her, she had no clue what they meant when it was a foul.

Like all Maldivians, she knew the basics of football—how it was played and the most popular players like Ronaldo and Messi, or the major teams like Manchester United, Barcelona or Arsenal. But that was the extent of it for her. It was the technical details that baffled her, like the offside position, which is if a player is nearer to his opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

Most importantly, she was very nervous about meeting his friends. Haifa had never had the opportunity to meet any of Aseel’s friends, no matter how much she had begged him. But now that the time had finally come with Zishan, she was not at all ready. It was finally hitting her that she was not only meeting them, but they were meeting her too. She wanted them to like her; she knew how important friends' influence was. She wanted to be in their good books.

By the time Zishan came, she was a nervous wreck. He took her to the communal sports center. The guys he referred to were three friends from school days. They were absolutely charming and happy to meet her. The area was fully set up for the occasion with a big screen and many men sat around. Once the game started, she realized she had been worried for nothing. Men were not at all bothered by anyone when a game was on.

Zishan sat next to her, explaining who was playing and patiently answering any questions she had. The intensity heightened just fifteen minutes into the game when one team scored. Haifa relaxed and observed the audience from her seat. It was really interesting to watch them. She categorized the supporter's styles mentally. The loud ones, shouting at the TV; the pacers, having difficulty sitting still under pressure; the scrollers, the nervous ones who couldn't watch at length and opted for scrolling through their phones while sneaking glances at the screen. And finally, the silents, ones like Zishan.

She found his attention was solely on the screen, his expression nil, and had no movement. Like those predatory cats watching their prey, completely still. His eyes and breathing were the only indicators of his reaction. It was fascinating. Haifa had no idea how they were so invested in a game or a team with which they had no personal connection whatsoever. Just unconditional love at its purest.

Zishan returned to normal during half-time, taking her hand and leaning close to her. His eyes still drifted to the screen, listening to the interviews and reviews. As she turned her attention towards the screen, caught up in the spirit of the supporters, Haifa felt the magic of the sport. It was quite impressive to begin with, and the players displayed exceptional talent. She, herself, even cheered when the goals were scored in the final minutes.

“You had fun tonight?” he asked. “It wasn’t so bad with the guys, right?”

“Yep,” Haifa was actually feeling really good. “I am getting the hang of being around my boyfriend’s world,” she said proudly.

“Good,” he said smiling, “because my parents have invited you to our home for tea.”

Haifa was still reeling from Zishan’s invitation when she came home that night. She found her mamma sitting in the living room, watching her usual program alone.

“Ifa dharifulha, come sit with me,” she said.

Haifa sat next to her mother. “Aunt Rugiyya and Saira not home? They usually watch this with you,” she asked.

“No, they are at Naseema’s, preparing for a new shipment. We need to help them out from tomorrow onwards,” she replied. “Where have you been?” she asked casually.

Haifa took a deep breath; she had been expecting her mother to ask for some time now. “I went to the communal sports center to watch football.”

“With?” her mother inquired.

“Zishan.”

“You have been spending a lot of time with him lately,” her mother observed.

“I meant to tell you. I, um… We had decided to start going out,” she said awkwardly.

Her mamma nodded, her eyes on the screen. “Does this mean you have changed your mind?” she asked.

“Changed my mind?” confused, she asked.

“About moving back to Male’,” her mother said.

“No, why do you ask?” she asked.

Her mother turned to her, “So, is this new relationship just for fun?” she asked skeptically.

“No, of course not!” Haifa replied.

“How are you going to continue it if you are moving away?” she asked bewildered. “What does he think about it?”

“We had just started going out; I haven’t really thought about discussing it yet,” she said.

It was a lie, she had thought about it a lot. Haifa felt bad for not telling Zishan about her plan to move back to Male’ if she won the competition. He was so supportive of her, he probably thought the reason she was so hopeful about winning was just to advance her career. She had considered telling him several times; she didn’t like keeping secrets from him.

“Ifa, he is a good person. You have to talk to him or else both of you are going to suffer,” her mother advised.

Haifa wanted to deny, wanted to argue. But the last time she had defied her mamma just because she spoke the truth didn’t turn out well for her. So instead, she nodded, hoping she would come to a better solution soon.

***
"Are you sure I look okay?" she asked for the third time.

Zishan squeezed her hand, offering a reassuring smile. "You look beautiful."

Haifa took a deep breath, attempting to calm her racing heart. She hadn't anticipated that meeting her boyfriend's parents would be this stressful. She smoothed her hand over her head cover, absentmindedly addressing nonexistent creases. Thoughts raced through her mind about what she would talk about and how she should address them. Perhaps meeting them this soon wasn't such a good idea.

As she entered the house, she was welcomed by three men, each sharing a resemblance with Zishan. He introduced his father, Umar, and two brothers, Nabeel and Shifan. Zishan's father had lines around his eyes and white strands peppered at the temples.

His home was cozy and lively, but what caught her attention was the wall next to the TV rack. The entire surface, from floor to ceiling, was adorned with an enormous, beautiful bookcase holding dozens of books neatly arranged in rows. Haifa stopped in her tracks, unable to believe her eyes. She had seen many bookshelves, but this one was extraordinary. It made her feel a bit like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

"Do you like it?" she turned to find Zishan's father beaming at her.

"I am speechless," she admitted. "How... Is this all yours?" she asked, utterly dumbfounded.

"Some, but most are Habeeba's," he said. "In our time, there was no internet or many books here on the island. She is an avid reader. She used to ask anyone who went to Male’ to bring her books. She had piles of them when we got married. I built her this case so she could add more. It used to be mostly romance novels, but after she began studying teaching, more books related to her field were added."

“What does she teach?” she asked, curious.

"English," he replied.

"Zishan said you are a teacher too?"

"Yes, I teach Dhivehi," he laughed. "Opposites, right? But a carpenter at heart. I built this years ago."

"It's impressive."

“Come, Habeeba is already in the dining room.”

The tea was an assortment of local snacks, both sweet and spicy. Habeeba, his mother, was a sweet, plump woman with a hearty laugh. Her glasses gave her a very professorial vibe, but her smile was gentle. They were just in the middle of their tea when Zishan’s phone rang. He excused himself and went outside, leaving Haifa alone with his family.

“I'm so glad you are here. Zishan has been talking about you since you moved here,” Habeeba said, leaning close to her. “I hope we can meet your family too soon.” Her eyes twinkled, making Haifa blush.

Haifa’s heart sped up as she suddenly felt very warm. She knew what his mother was hinting at—they were hoping to meet her family to discuss their marriage. She obviously had passed their approval; they wanted no delay when it came to marrying their eldest. Haifa had daydreamed about being his wife, but the prospect of talking about it with his family was making her shy. She hadn't really talked to Zishan about it yet. But it felt so right this time; he was the only man she would ever want to be married to.

Thankfully, she was spared from answering when Zishan entered the room once again. “It was my boss; we got the budget finalized!” he announced excitedly.

Everyone cheered for his achievement, and the room buzzed with excitement. Haifa felt a rush of relief, grateful that the question his mother had raised was long forgotten in an instant.

When he took her home, it was almost dark. He held her in his arms and looked deep into her eyes. “Thank you,” he said.

“For what?” she asked.
"For two years, I had been working on my project, hoping to get them to see how important it was. Every time they made excuses and shut us down. Today it finally happened because of you."

"I'm sure you would have found a way," Haifa said shyly. "I just gave an idea. It was all your effort."

He shook his head, "No, everything seems to fall right into place. And it all began with you. You are my lucky charm," he said.

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Have a wonderful day!