When Stars are Hidden

Chapter 28

"What would you say, if I asked you to marry me?" Tawfiq spoke with a serious expression.

Wait. What!?

Did Tawfiq just ask her to marry him?
Or was she hearing things?

"What did you say?" Naima's eyed turned round.

Not sure if her mind was playing tricks on her.

"Habiba, you heard me loud and clear the first time." Tawfiq muttered.

He wasn't exactly proposing to her yet. He realized things were getting out of hand with Naima and him.
He didn't want to do anything haram. He may seem bad to others and sometimes behaved like a harami but he feared Allah and right now temptations were doing a lot of things to his mind. A lot of things.

To say the truth, Tawfiq hadn't originally meant to get that close to Naima. He was just being good and kind to the girl who no one seemed to care about. He didn't know when it happened but he had fallen for Naima and it was bad.

Was it the day he carried her to his car to send her to the hospital? Or was it the first day they crashed into each other at the hallway and his kindness was just a way of his mind trying to cover up the fact he was falling for her?
Either way, it had happened already and he couldn't change it.

He was 22 today. Probably would have finished schooling already back home. He would have been married too or about to get married already if he was back home. Maybe to one of his mother's many friends daughter.

But here, he wanted to finish school and have a stable job to look after his own family without depending on his parents.
He worked part time now to repay back all the money he used-wasted-from the account his parents kept filling. In high school he needed the money but now he didn't need it as much so he was going to give it back.
Maybe.

He had used up a lot. Paying back could take up his whole life and his dad probably wouldn't accept his money.

Tawfiq was knocked out of his thoughts when he heard Naima laughing.
Why was she laughing?
Did she think he was joking.
Typical. He did joke with a lot of things.
But he was serious with this and she should have been able to tell he was actually being serious.

"You are kidding right, You are-what-22 today and you keep on playing silly games. Grow up, Tawfiq." Naima tried to make her voice sound normal but inside she was dying.

She prayed Tawfiq was just joking with her. Because if he wasn't, she had no idea what she'd do or say.

"Am I laughing or smirking? You know me well and you know I'm not joking. If you could answer my question because It's getting a little weird. . ." Tawfiq trailed off.

He wasn't exactly proposing but it felt like it. He just wanted to know what she would say when he did propose to her.

Naima on the other hand knew Tawfiq was not joking at all. He was dead serious but decided on giving him the benefit of the doubt.

If he was joking, he would have smirked as usual or laughed at his own crazy- not so funny-joke. But he wasn't.

He had a serious face on with slight. . .was that a blush? Was he shy all of a sudden?
Naima thought.

"Why are you asking me such a question?" Naima answered his question with her own question.
Why was she making the conversation more longer than necessary? He just needed a simple answer.

"Just an answer, Habiba" Tawfiq muttered and raked his hair. He felt his cold was getting worse by the second. It was a given.
Anytime he got a cold and he didn't cure it fast it would lead to him getting a fever. Which was never good.
He had to give his coat to Naima because his girl came first. . .his girl. . .Astagfirullah.