Hana sat next to her mom, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

“So habibti, what are we going to do about this?” her mom asked, and Hana shrugged.

“There is nothing to do Mama. He is talking with Kalthoum.”

“Are they engaged yet?”

“Well I didn’t think so, but here you are preparing her wedding dress.” Hana said pointing towards Kalthoum’s dress and her mom smiled.

“I don’t think they are, you know how Rawya likes to brag. If Kalthoum was engaged, especially to Houssam, she wouldn’t have been able to stop talking about it. I think Kalthoum was just getting ahead of herself.”

“Like usual.” Hana muttered.

“Is everything okay between you two?” her mother asked, and Hana hesitated before shaking her head.

“No. She is changing and I don’t like who she is becoming.”

Her mom cocked her head to the side.

“How is she changing?”

“She’s obsessed with Houssam’s wealth! That’s all she wants to talk about, and it’s like that’s all he means to her. She probably doesn’t even know that his favorite color is green or that his favorite food is grape leaves. It only matters to her how many cars he owns, and how big his house is!”

“You know his favorite color and food?” her mom asked with a slight smile, and Hana blushed slightly.

“Only because I was interviewing him for the paper.”

“How is that going?”

Hana shrugged.

“I still have a few questions left but it’s getting so hard to talk to him without hurting, I’m debating just letting Abdullah take over.”

Her mom was quiet for a few seconds.

“So do you want to hear what I think you should do?”

Hana hesitated, before nodding.

“Okay.”

“You tell your Baba.”

Hana’s eyes widened, and she began to shake her head in panic.

“No. No, no, no I can’t do that Mama.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t tell Baba who I like!” Hana exclaimed in horror, and her mom laughed.

“Why not!?”

“It’s so embarrassing!”

“I don’t see why it should be. Your father and I were young once. We remember what it was like to be in love!”

“Mama!” Hana groaned, and Mama laughed again.

“Do you like Houssam?”

“Yes.”

“Then I don’t see that you have any other option.”

“And what is Baba supposed to do? Go up to Houssam and say, ‘hey my daughter is in love with you, and while I know you have never shown any interest in her before, but do you want to marry her?!’” Hana slumped back against the couch, clutching her hands to her heart. Mama regarded her thoughtfully for a few seconds.

“Does your brother know?”

Hana nodded.

“Yes.” She replied, and her mom’s eyes widened.

“You told Hisham before me?!” she asked in an offended tone, and Hana gave her a smile.

“I’m sorry Mama. He sort of guessed.”

“Well I don’t know how because you did an amazing job of keeping it a secret.”

Hana shrugged again, and stared up at the ceiling.

“Do you think if he wasn’t with Kalthoum I would have a chance?” she asked quietly, and her mom’s face softened.

“That’s why you have to talk to your father.” She paused to put a hand on her daughter’s arm. “To find out.”

“I couldn’t face it if he said no Mama. I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“Why do you assume he would say no?”

“Because he has never shown any interest in me.”

“Maybe he is hiding it just as well as you did?” her mom asked with a smile, and Hana shook her head. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. She didn’t want to hope for something, and then have it come crashing down on her.

“I’m scared.” She whispered, and her mom nodded.

“I know habibti. I know.”

“I don’t think I can tell Baba, and even if I did, I don’t think I would let him talk to Houssam.”

“Why not?”

Hana shook her head.

“I just can’t. That’s not who I am, I’m not the type to go after the guy.”

Especially when the guy was almost engaged to her friend.

“Well there is only one other thing to do.”

“What?” Hana asked.

“You get over him.”

***

Houssam stared at the little girl in utter and complete shock. It was a good thing both children were engrossed in their toys and the movie because if something happened right then, he would have been too paralyzed in astonishment to do anything about it.

Because she likes you.

Because she likes you.

She liked him?!

Hana liked him!?

It couldn’t be. She gave him no indication about it whatsoever.

Well duh you idiot. You were going after her best friend!

But still, surely he would have picked up on something if she did!? They had been around each other a lot! Maybe Layla was wrong?

“Habibti what do you mean Amtu likes me?” he asked, and Layla huffed in annoyance.

“Amu can I have juice please!?” she pleaded, and he realized this was like the fifth time the poor child was asking him for it. He hurriedly gave her a cup, before putting some in Kareem spill proof Barney glass, and after she had drank her fill, he decided to try again.

“Layla, tell me more about what Mama and Baba said.”

She eyed him wearily, as if she was regretting even talking to him in the first place.

“I don’t remember. Amu, Kareem is trying to take my Lego!” she exclaimed, and Houssam impatiently took the pink block out of his nephew’s hand, replacing it with one of his big blue ones.

“Come on habibti, you said they said they wanted me to marry Amtu Hana?”

“Oh yeah,” she paused to put two Lego’s together. “Mama said that she hopped you would get married because Khaltu Hana likes you and you get along together.”

Both relief and disappointment flooded through Houssam.

So it wasn’t romantic then. It was an invention of Ilham’s imagination. He had been on the receiving end of that so many times in his life, that he should have been able to brush it off by now.

Well if that was the case, why was his heart still beating in overtime?

But maybe it was for the best. He was with Kalthoum. He couldn’t deal with anything else…

But it was Hana!

If it was true that she did like him, then…

Well he wasn’t sure what that meant honestly.

Houssam folded his arms over his chest, and stared at the screen, not seeing the movie. He needed to think. Like really think. This was a lot to take in, and he wasn’t sure what to do with this information.

Part of him was reluctant to believe it, after all it came from the mouth of a child in preschool. But at the same time, children that age were innocent and truthful, they didn’t lie. But then again, she might have heard one thing from her parents, and totally misunderstood it.

Ugh he was so confused! He himself wasn’t even sure how he was feeling, and now to have this information…

Okay.

For now he would pretend that Layla didn’t tell him anything. Until he could get it confirmed by someone, he was willing to bet his sister would know if there was something going on, he would just act like nothing had changed.

Just then he heard a car pull up into the driveway, and his heart practically leapt out of his body.

So much for acting like nothing had changed….

***

Hana gathered up her jacket, her laptop, and water bottle from the front seat of the car, and made her way up the front stairs of Yusra and Amir’s house. It was her last day of watching Kareem so she had decided to make a day out of it. She had gotten a cake, and some chips and salsa, and had also made some rice and chicken. She just needed Houssam to help her with it, as it was too heavy to carry herself. As she pressed the doorbell, and waited for him to open the door, she felt nervousness flood through her. She had been glad that she had confided in her mother, after all it had been hard for her to keep it to herself so long without talking to anyone. Ilham and Yusra just weren’t the same considering they both had connections to Houssam. She needed her mom and part of her regretted that she hadn’t told her earlier.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Layla’s little face lit up with a smile.

“Amtu Hana!” she exclaimed, and Hana smiled, bending to brush a kiss over her niece’s cheek.

“Salaam habibti! How are you?”

“I’m good! Amu Houssam bought the Lego movie for us!” she exclaimed, and Hana smiled as she stepped into the house.

“That was nice of him!”

Layla nodded.

“Baba also got me a Disney Princess Lego set! He got Kareem a Mickey Mouse one too!”

“Aw that’s nice. Salaam Houssam!”

Houssam looked up from where he was holding Kareem, staring at her for a few moments, his face unreadable.

“Hey.” He said finally, and she shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

“Hi. Do you mind getting the food from the car from me? Baba put it in for me but it’s too much for me to carry at once.”

There was silence again as he continued to stare at her.

“Are you okay?” she asked finally, and he quickly nodded, his ears reddening.

“Uh yeah, um of course. I mean, well…no it’s nothing don’t worry.” He stammered out, and both Layla and Hana looked at him in surprise. He cleared his throat, and handed Kareem to Hana. “Is the car unlocked?” he asked, avoiding her gaze, and she nodded.

“Yes.”

He bobbed his head before pulling on his shoes, and leaving the house. She watched him from the window as he descended the stairs towards her car, his face still a mask of confusion.

“Layla, was Amu Houssam okay today?”

Layla nodded.

“I think so. We just played and watched the movie.”

“He didn’t say anything?”

“I asked him if he was going to get married.”

Hana felt her stomach sink.

“W…what did he say?”

“He said InshaAllah.”

“Oh.”

InshaAllah.

So it was true…

Hana shifted Kareem onto her other hip, and as Houssam came back into the house carrying the food and cake, she felt the searing pain tear fresh across her heart.