.

Haya.

Two vibrations and my phone was near my ear on instinct. I blindly swiped the call button and picked up the call of whoever was calling. I already knew who it was but the deep and raspy voice of the person over the phone, that made me smile even with my eyes closed.. confirmed my thoughts.

"Good morning, Haya."

"Hmm, good morning." I replied, still half asleep but trying to make myself up from my deep slumber I could properly talk to him.

I did not even know what time it was, all I knew was that today was Sunday and all I wanted to do was sleep. I had worked more hard then usual this week, just to avoid the eyes of my father. And that simply caused me to feel exhausted by the end of the week.

"Are you still in bed?" I heard Amir ask.

I was still in bed, half naked and my hair probably looked like a bird's nest. I was so glad that Amir wasn't too fond of video calls.

"Yeah, you woke me up." I affirmed, trying to keep my eyes from closing yet again but failing miserably.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" He questioned, it took me a few seconds to even understand his words since I was so sleepy.

"It's Sunday, Amir." I reminded him.

In our country, Saturday and Sunday were supposed to be the week off for everyone. In his country, it was Thursday and Friday. I never understood why.

"Oh right, I'll let you get back to sleep then."

"No, it's okay. I want to talk. You didn't pick my call last night." I rubbed my eyes and put the phone away from my ear for a moment as a yawn escaped my mouth.

"I was occupied. I wanted to call back later but it was quite late."

He replied, making me nod as I plopped back on my pillow once again, letting my hair fall all over my face as I fought sleep.

I heard Amir say something, he probably asked me a question again but I didn't understand it and didn't even reply.

"Haya," He took my name twice before I tried to open my eyes so I could talk to him.

"Hmm.." I hummed because I knew my words would literally tell him that I was more than half asleep right now.

I heard a small chuckle.

"I'm just going to hang up so you can sleep, okay?"

I didn't know whether I replied to him or not, whether he said anything else or simply hung up but all I remembered was feeling the darkness envelop me and a smile that managed to break through my face even in sleep.

"Haya, wake up."

I groaned and turned around, pressing my head even more under the duvets. I was so warm and snuggly right now, I didn't want to open my eyes..let alone wake up.

"Haya, come on.."

My mother. It was undoubtedly her voice and her gentle shake on my shoulder. I pulled my head out of the cover, opening my eyes for a moment before I groaned once again.

The curtains added a certain glow to the rays of sunlight that entered the room and I had to squint my eyes and then shut them as I tried to not wake up. There was no point though. My mother was going to sit here untill I woke up and walked around the room to show her that I was now awake.

I let out a sigh and opened my eyes once again, adjusting to the lights. Another yawn escaped my mouth as I looked at her, all ready to take over the day. Her hair was tied back into her usual hair style, her face glowed even in her minimal makeup and her smile was all too present.

I sat a little up and nodded at her.

"Good morning, what are you doing here?" I asked, looking at the time.

It was two in the afternoon and I already knew that she was actually judging me for greeting her with a good morning at this point.

"Do I need permission to enter my daughter's room? Hmm?" She enquired and I shook my head, shrugging.

"No, I was just wondering what you're doing here. That's all."

"They told me you weren't awake yet so I thought I'd come and wake you. Maybe we can have a walk in the garden."

Ugh.

I didn't want to. I loved my mother so much that I knew it would be hard to keep things from her. I told father about my decisions when I was very sure of them, he could read me very well but he never asked me anything until I went to him and told him about it.

On the other hand, my mother always knew what was going on in my head and she could judge me in a matter of a few seconds. While I did want to tell her about Amir before the news reached my father, I wanted some more time to think.

Clearly, that was not going to be happening anymore.

"I'm still sleepy."

I tried to excuse myself, feigning a yawn. My mother was just about to sleep when my phone on the side table vibrated, creating a sound against the hard wood table.

My mother stared at my phone.

Amir, it read.

Thankfully, she could only read the name and not the text. I picked up my phone with a calm expression on my face but the moment I read the message, a smile broke out of my face.

I know you need your beauty sleep but I've got a free hour and I'd like to spend some of it by talking to you.

I looked up, only to see my mother with her eyebrow raised at me.

"You don't look too sleepy to me anymore." She stated, I sighed but a smile broke out of my face anyway.

"And there's the smile, come on. Why don't you get dressed and meet me in the garden?" She suggested once again, I looked at my phone and then at her.

"But I-" I hadn't talked to Amir properly since yesterday.

"You don't want to keep a Prince waiting but a Queen is higher in rank." She reminded me.

I rolled my eyes at her, getting out of bed.

"Fine, mother. I'll see you in the garden."

I walked into my closet, typing on my phone as the door shut and I heard my mother leave the room.

If only the Crown Prince could think about other things than me in that one free hour.

"Yes, here I am." I announced, looking at my mother who was eating lunch in the garden. Her attention went from her food to me as her eyes scanned me from head to toe.

I smirked, knowing that she didn't like my choice of dress. My mother wanted me to wear her kind of style clothes. She wanted me to wear knee length plain dresses that were decent on the eye. Meanwhile, I was dressed in a blue short dress with flower prints and color splashes.

"Aren't you chilly in that dress?" She questioned me instead, not commenting on what I was wearing in a manner that might offend me.

It was getting a little cold in Buredaan lately and while the mornings were exceptionally cold, the after hours were much better with the sun shining bright.

My legs did feel cold but I didn't really care so I shrugged in front of my mother.

"No, I'm okay." I replied, standing in front of her. She pointed at the seat.

"Sit down, Haya. Or do you have to go somewhere?" She enquired, I shook my head.

I was planning to call Yaman and Aaliya in the evening but that was pretty much it. I didn't have any other plans.

"No, I am staying at home today." I told her, plopping down on the chair in front of her and picking up a strawberry from the table.

She raised an eye, almost surprised.

"You've been more responsible lately. Have my lectures finally got to you or do you have someone to impress perhaps?" She enquired, shaping her question in the most her way possible.

I knew who she was referring to, I just smiled.

"The ones to impress are already quite impressed, mom." I notified, she chuckled at the confidence in my voice.

"You get your confidence from your father." She stated.

No, I didn't agree with that. I got my interest in politics, my straight forwardness, my urge and my passion from my father. The rest of me was just my mother. My sense of style, the way I spoke, my confidence and rebellious nature, it was all her.

"Are you sure? Because according to dad, you were quite full of yourself when you met him." I asked her back, she shook her head at me. She looked like she disagreed.

"I was very vulnerable but I never let it show. You don't show your weakness to men,"

And I got my ability to look like I was in the best possible state even when I was breaking down, from my mother. She was the only one who could actually spot my weakness and confront me about it. For others, I didn't have many problems in my life.

"I know, you taught me that." I murmured, picking up another strawberry.

"You didn't tell me about your meeting with Prince Amir? How did it go?" I was just about to eat my strawberry when my mother asked me about Amir and I couldn't help but lower it, as I stared at her.

"What meeting?"

"The one in DC. You met him in your suite, didn't you?" She said it so simply and I nodded, not surprised.

She always knew what I was upto.

"I'm not even surprised that you know." She gestured me to continue, and I did.

"It was quite personal. He was very comfortable in telling me what he wanted and I did the same." I told her in hidden words when I knew that it would only take another ten seconds to blurt out what Amir had actually asked of me.

"Are you dating?" I sighed, shaking my head at her.

"He doesn't believe in dating, it's haram."

The things my mother had caught me doing in my life, the word haram coming out of my mouth was quite ironic. She smirked.

"He's religious, we all know that. What did he ask of you?"

"He offered me marriage." I answered flatly.

For once, my mother actually looked shocked. And not even in a bad way because the grin that was threatening to slip past her lips at any time, it gave me her approval already.

She liked Amir, she always had.

"Haya,"

"And he told me that I could take time to think but this was what he wanted from me and he didn't want to settle for any less." I told her, biting my lip.

I knew in my heart that I could love Amir, that I was probably falling in love with him..I knew it in my heart that he was a man of his word but that was all I knew. He was totally opposite, a completely different man from me. My heart wasn't confused but my mind was still shaken up at the idea of marriage.

I was treated like the most precious person in this place, in my home. Would I be treated the same way there? Would he love me like my family loved me? Would he accept my odds the way my family had accepted them?

My mother saw the stress on my face.

"Why do you look so distressed?" She asked, I swallowed.

"I have very strong feelings for him and I feel like we are so different. He's so pure and religious and I'm just the opposite of that. I don't even know if it'll work."

I tried my best to explain her.

"He is a Crown Prince and he offered you to marry him. I don't understand why you didn't say yes in that very moment." I let out a laugh at that.

"And I'm the materialistic one in this family.." I trailed off, shooting a glance at her.

She stood up from her seat, wiping her face with the napkin and dropping the fork back on the table.

She came near me, placing herself on the seat by my right side.

"Haya, all I'm saying is that you've always wanted something like this, you have always wanted to be in such a position and now you're confused because you think you're not like him? Because you've a different culture and values? Because you're not a virgin?"

I didn't understand how she always read me so well without me even telling her the entire story.

"You have a golden heart, Haya. A pure one." She placed a hand on mine, I turned my head to stare at her.

"To me, that's the best trait of any woman. As long as he's okay with your past and your life, as long as he's not looking to mould you into someone he wants you to be, there's no reason for you to say no to him." She coaxed me to say yes, more than half of me was already convinced because of Amir and she had managed to shake the other half too.

"He pretty much convinced me last night anyway, he had an answer to every question of mine." I told my mother, remembering how he had told me several times that I didn't need to change him and he didn't need to change me.

"Does King Abdullah know?" My mother asked, I shook my head.

I didn't think Amir had told his father yet. He was probably waiting for me to be a hundred percent confirm about this.

"Amir has full faith in his father. He's confident that there won't be any issue from his side." I told her, continuing.

"He wants me to talk to dad. I don't know how to." I said to her, she laughed.

"Only you know how to talk to your father, Haya. Your brothers are shit at it."

She cursed, I gaped at her in mock surprise.

"Shit?"

"Your brothers are not very good at it." She corrected herself.

I cleared my throat, checking my phone for any new message but no finding any.

"I'll talk to him next week, before Amir's arrival in Maraaish." I murmured, my mother clicked her tongue.

"I don't think your father would appreciate that. Tradition is that Amir's father calls your father and talks to him." She explained, I understood that.

It would be a little inappropriate but I had to atleast get my father ready for that call.

"But I have to inform dad first."

"Yes, you should do that." She responded, seeing as I picked up the strawberry yet again, only to drop it into the plate as she spoke up again.

"I want to talk to him." She announced.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Who?"

"Prince Amir. I want to talk to him."

I groaned.

"Mother, for God's sake." I mumbled in annoyance, she shrugged.

"I can very well ask my assistant to make the call but that will be recorded. Would you rather have that?"

And I knew she would actually do that and my father would get informed of it.

I didn't want that.

Before I could come up with an answer, my phone buzzed on the table and I looked at it, reading the message.

The crown Prince has alot of thoughts in his head at the same time. He's a multi tasker, you see.

Amir replied, my expression must have turned a little better which is why I felt my mother nudge me.

"Speak of the devil?" She asked.

"He's not a devil. He's an angel." I almost defended him like an eighteen year old madly in love and my mother was clearly amused at the sight.

"You're so infatuated, it's almost cute."

"Now you sound just like Aaliya." I shot back, she raised an eye and pointed back to my phone.

"Well, call him." She insisted.

"I have to ask him first. I can't just call him and hand over the phone to you."

I replied, taking some time as I leaned against my chair and shot him a text.

Haya.

Are you still free?

Amir.
Why do you think I've replied to you?

Haya.
Because I'm special?

Amir.
You are.

Haya.
I told my mother about you.

Amir.
About me?

Haya.
Yes, about us. She wants to talk to you.

Amir.
Now?

Haya.
Yes, now.

Amir.
Give me her personal number. I don't want to ask my team for it.

Haya.
I can make you talk to her.

Amir.
No, that's not very respectful.

I looked at my mother, as I sent her personal number to him.

"He's asking for your personal number. I gave it to him." She nodded.

"Alright." She murmured, least interested in talking to me now since she was awaiting the call of the man who had asked me to marry him.

I didn't know what she would even talk about with him but knowing my mother, she would never tell me the details of her conversation.

Still, I hoped that when Amir called..she would stay seated beside me and let me hear it all.

Her phone rang right in front of me and she swiped across the screen, picking up the call with a gentle smile.

"As-salam alaykum, Prince Amir. How are you?"

She said, greeting him without even hearing his greeting first. I heard Amir's voice through the phone as he replied but before I could hear the conversation any further, my mother stood up smirking at me.

"Where are you going?" I questioned as she started to walk away from me.

"Are you serious?! You can't do this to me." I said out loud, my mother chuckled.

"Yes, she's not very patient as you see."

Was the last thing I heard before she disappeared from the garden, leaving me gaping.

@Haya : “In generosity and helping others, be like a river. In compassion and grace, be like the sun. In concealing others’ faults, be like the night. In anger and fury, be as if you have died. In modesty and humility, be like the earth. In tolerance, be like  the sea. Appear as you are, or be as you appear.” -Rumi

Thoughts?