How Love Happens - Chapter 37

 

When Haifa saw Zishan waiting for her outside, she felt her happiness flowing over. She rushed to him. When he saw her, he stopped pacing, smiled, and came towards her.

“Hey.”

“Hey, I have to tell you something…” she started excitedly.

Zishan shook his head, raising his hand to halt her. “I am sorry, but you will have to let me do this,” he said, taking her hand and leading her outside, “I was going to do this last night, but since you lost the competition, it just didn't feel right. I have to do this before I lose my nerve.”

Now, Haifa was concerned. She had no idea what he was talking about. "Babe, are you okay?" she asked, looking at him. "You seem on edge," she said. His face showed signs of fatigue, and lines of tension bracketed his mouth.

He was acting strange, and unease crawled down her back, making her anxious. His hand even felt a bit sweaty in hers as he led her down the road on the outskirts of the island. They walked for about five minutes, and she was just about to lose it when he turned her towards the beach.

A gentle ocean breeze caressed her face, and the soothing melody of lazy waves kissing the shore filled her ears. The sky of inky darkness, was a myriad of stars twinkling, while the nearly full moon was illuminated with soft glow.

Haifa blinked in surprise at the pathway on the sand with red and pink rose petals. “Why are…?” her words drifted off as she walked unsteadily down the path, with his hand on her lower back to support her. She stopped breathless at the spot when the scene came into view.

The beach was scattered with more petals outside a very elaborately placed dozens of flameless candles in a big heart shape. Inside the heart stood a wooden structure with flower-shaped lights with leaves and string hung like a canopy. A small dinner setting was placed under the canopy; a round table with two Tiffany chairs. An off-white cloth added class to the table and was also tied to the backrest of the chairs. The table had plates and napkins already set with candles that changed color.

“Oh, it's beautiful,” Haifa said in awe, looking back at Zishan.

“Would you like to join me?” he asked.

She nodded eagerly, wishing she had dressed up more.

A man approached in a waiter's attire with serving trays. Haifa laughed when she saw that it was one of Zishan's friends. He, however, pretended not to know them and served like a well-trained waiter.

It was the most romantic dinner yet, from the start Zishan had requested they do not talk about anything about work. He wanted to talk about each other and leave the stress away for a while. Haifa knew he actually did not want to talk about her losing the event. It was fine for her, she was too much charmed by everything already, and she had no intention to talk about anything else.

By the time the dessert was over, Haifa had forgotten all about the competition or the phone call she had received. She had never had such a magical night, Zishan was the most charming and humorous dining companion. He was the best companion for her, period. When she stood up, Zishan moved behind her to take her bag from the chair for her. When she turned, her eyes widened when she found him kneeling in front of her.

Suddenly, Haifa knew exactly why he had made the night special and what was about to happen. Her hand flew to her mouth, he wanted to say something, but her throat clogged up, and her heart began to beat so fast, that she could barely draw in her breath. Zishan took her left hand and looked up at her tenderly.

“When I first saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Little did I know that my life would change at that very moment. You became my light, my encouragement, my beloved, and my best friend. I had never known a love so pure, a heart so kind. And I don't wish to know another heart ever again.

I love you so much, and I want to give you every happiness. I want to fulfill all your dreams and be the partner you've always wished for. I want to build a life with you, have children with you, and grow old with you. Haifa, my love, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?” he asked, his voice deepened with emotion.

Haifa stared at him in stunned disbelief, overwhelmed by his words and the love radiating from his face. Her gaze dropped to the beautiful ring he held in his hand, and tears fell down her face. A choked sob escaped her lips, and she found herself unable to speak. Another whimpering sound came as her hand trembled, pressed against her mouth.

"Is that a yes?" Zishan asked, his smile lighting up the moment.

Haifa could only nod as she let him slip the ring onto her finger before straightening up to hug her. They laughed joyfully together as he kissed her, "You had me worried for a minute," his eyes twinkled.

She sniffed, and the "waiter" discretely offered her tissues, which she took gratefully.

"I had no idea I would be this emotional. You should give me a warning for things like this," she said as she somewhat composed herself, "I never thought proposing was a thing here, you caught me completely off guard,” she exclaimed.

Haifa was obviously familiar with the concept of proposals, but in the Maldives, it wasn't a customary or obligatory practice as it was in European countries. Which was the reason she had never expected such a grand proposal.

"Ah, didn't you know? That's what the cool kids are into these days," he teased.

Haifa laughed. She had to admit the small community had absorbed various cultures all over the world. Nowadays, people are enthusiastic about celebrating everything, from baby showers to gender reveals.

Zishan turned to his friend, "Did you get that?" The friend nodded, shaking his phone at them, grinning.

"He took a video? You had planned everything," she said.

"I did," he said proudly.

Haifa stared at the lovely gold band with different-colored diamond studs; it was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. She couldn't believe it—she was engaged to the most adorable man ever. She smiled brightly at him as he bid their "waiter" goodnight after thanking him.

"Ready to go back?"

"Wait, I have to tell you something first," Haifa swallowed hard, trying to build her courage. She had to tell him now; there was no turning back anymore.

Zishan's brows furrowed, "Sure."

She made him sit and pulled her chair in front, sitting across from him. "Turquoise Company called and offered me a job."

"That's wonderful," he said, smiling. "How did this happen? I mean, I know you deserve it, but they chose Lamya as the winner."

"I know, that's exactly what I said. But it turned out there were other factors involved," she relayed the conversation to him.

"That is amazing."

"They offered me good pay with other allowances and an apartment."

"Why would you need an apartment?"

"The job is in Male'," she said quietly.

He stared at her, "You wanted to go back to Male'?" he asked,

"Yes, of course. That's the whole reason I was in the competition."

“I had no idea, you never mentioned wanting to move back before,” he said. “You are going to leave me?”

“I told you,” she said, standing up and averting her eyes.

He stood up too, “No, you haven't. I think I would have remembered something as important as that.”

“Okay! Okay! I am sorry. I should have told you. I was just scared; I didn't want things to be different.”

“So instead, you chose to deceive me?” he asked

“I didn't know even if I could win the competition, so there was actually no reason to say anything until I knew for sure.”

“You wanted to move only if you won?”

“No, I wanted to move the day I came here. My mamma made the decision to bring me here; I had no choice.”

“Now you have the means, so you want to leave?”

“Yes. I do,” she said hopefully, “Come with me. We can start a life there.”

“I cannot leave; I have my work here, it just began. It's not even about that; my family and friends are here. This is my home.”

“That is my home!”

“No, it's not; you belong to this island, your family is here.”

Her eyes flashed, “I might have been born here, and my birth certificate says my home island is Vavathi, but I grew up in Male’, that’s the only home I know.”

"You accepted the job without even discussing it with me?" he questioned.

"I didn't think I needed your permission!" she retorted hugging herself.

"It's not about permission, and you know it." They locked eyes, the tension thick between them.

Zishan sighed and took her hands in his, “Hon, why don’t we think about this? Come up with a good solution. It doesn’t have to be decided tonight.”

“Are you going to change your mind?” she asked boldly. His expression said what she needed to know, “Neither am I. I love you, but this is something I have to do. I want to work in a great company doing what I do best.”

“If you leave, it will be over for us.”

“It doesn’t have to be; we can have a long-distance relationship,”

“Long distance only works if the distance is just temporary,” he said sadly. They stood looking at each other, wanting to say so much.

“Your decision is final?” he asked.

Haifa nodded, “This is just something I have to do.”

“You are not just leaving Vavathi; you are leaving me too,” he said quietly, “There won't be a second time,” he said.

Haifa took his hand, “I love you so much, I don’t even know how I will be without you,” she said, “Please, let's try long distance for a while even. Maybe things would change.” She pleaded her eyes brimming once more.

He shook his head, “It's just a waste of both our time, hoping for things that cannot happen.”

“Then this is it?” she choked.

Zishan enveloped her in a comforting hug, choosing silence over words. Haifa, overwhelmed by the realization that she was letting go of the most precious part of her life, sobbed into his chest. It was precisely why she had avoided discussing the topic for so long. She understood the selfishness in her reluctance, recognizing the deep attachment they had formed. She never intended to cause him pain, yet she found herself feeling terrible for being the source of his heartache.

When he finally released her, he gently took her hand, and together they walked back home in a heavy silence. Each lost in their own thoughts, they stole furtive glances at one another. Their kiss at their usual spot felt bittersweet, tinged with an air of finality. Time lingered as they held hands, gazing into each other's eyes. In Zishan's eyes, Haifa detected the pain and longing. A part of her wanted to plead with him to join her, but she recognized the enormity of the sacrifice she would be asking him to make.

"How much time do you have before you leave?" he inquired.

"They've given me about three weeks to start, but I might be leaving earlier than that. I need time to move and settle down before I can begin," she explained.

He nodded, replying, "I'll be heading back to training tomorrow morning and will stay for the next two weeks."

"Won't you come next weekend? I really want to see you before I leave," she pleaded.

"I don't think I can. I can't bear to watch you leave," he admitted, looking away.

Haifa nodded, feeling her heartbreak once more. He cupped her face between his palms, locking eyes with her. "Remember, you're a strong, smart, and capable woman. You can do anything and achieve every dream, all you have to do is believe in yourself and never stop being you. And never forget that I love you more than anything in the world."

Her bottom lip trembled, tears welled up in her eyes. "I love you so much."His hands glided down to gently take both of hers. Their gazes fell simultaneously on the ring as his thumb brushed over it. With a heavy heart, Haifa removed the ring, her hand trembling as she offered it back on her open palm. Zishan shook his head and closed her fingers over it.

"I made it only for you. No one else could wear it," he said grimly.

She finally went inside, and her whole world had changed. She felt aged and laden with grief.

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Have a wonderful day!