Part 5

“Don’t mind Yusef, he is just being annoying as he always is.” Nasim said with a reassuring smile.

“Are you really his ‘girl’?” asked Riyaz curiously.

“Someone’s gotten talkative since I gave you that notebook eh? And no I am not his girl, at least not to me. You see, my dad and his dad are very good friends. So the two of us had been playmates since kindergarten.” explained Nasim.

“Then you must really like him.” Riyaz said teasingly.

“No I don’t! I just talk to him because my dad wants me to.” rebuts Nasim defensively.

“And he’s not even my type.” she added with a cheeky grin.

“So what is your type?” Riyaz probed on.

“That’s for me to know and you to not find out.” replied Nasim with a tint of blush on her cheeks.

“And I thought that you are a very quiet and solemn person, I must have got that very wrong.” she added on trying to change the subject.

“Well, thanks to you I’m not one.” he rebutted ruffling her hair playfully.

Confirmation for his existence seemed to break through from behind those dark veils of the past. Was this it? This feeling, this heartwarming sensation, is it love? As he watched her talk cheerfully, he can’t help but smile. Something he rarely felt in the past 18 years of his life. Maybe, just maybe, this was a new beginning.