CHAPTER THREE

Throughout the day, I could barely concentrate. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I had a lot of work, so I closed way later than usual. Surprisingly, Maryam waited all through that time. She said she didn't have anything doing at home, especially since she was new in town. I rounded up quickly and went on to turn off the lights. Maryam picked interest in the light coming from one of the stores. "Shouldn't you be turning that off?" she asked, pointing in its direction.

"Nah, it's Fred. He sleeps here sometimes. He likes to sleep with the lights on."

She curiously strolled to see for herself. She met him covered up from head to toe with a blanket, the fan at its fastest and the windows wide open. "Why can't he just turn off the fan and drop the blanket. Looks like a waste of power if you ask me."

"I kind of get though. A mix of two distinct temperatures. The feeling is different."

"Nah. I think he's cold though."

"Maryam, don't."

"What? I'm helping." But I knew she wasn't. Her sly grin screamed she was up to no good. She turned off the lights and the fan. She looked at me, like an innocent child would, after leaving the taps on and flooding the house in the process, then come up to you like they did nothing wrong. Worse, they'd look so cute that you couldn't get mad. And no, I did no such thing when growing up. But my brother did. "He'll sleep better now," she said, trying to appeal to my disinterested self.

"You forgot the windows though," I said, finally deciding to play along.

"Right. The windows." And they were shut too. We giggled as we left and even louder when the heat woke Fred up about a minute later. We ran out quickly to avoid being caught.

"You knew I worked here, didn't you?" I asked when we were finally outside.

"Sure. I found out not long after I got the job. Emily told me."

"Really? I'm surprised she knows. Haven't spoken to her in a long time either. So why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"You really were stalking me, weren't you?"

"Well, a queen has to know where her loyal subjects are," she teased.

The thrill, the rush got me in my feelings. I got so caught up, that I didn't know when I blurted out the words, "I fancy you."

Her smile faded rather quickly into an expression I couldn't quite make out. "Let's call it a day," she said.

"Your dinner?" I asked, hoping she would stay.

"It's a bit late now and I'm quite tired. Maybe some other time. See you tomorrow," she said. I did nothing again as she left. I had read out an entire epistle but somehow, I was the only one who could hear it. The words never left my lips.

The deafening silence was my companion all through my way home and through the night. Maybe I spoke too early. We only just met each other after such a long time. While it didn't seem like it, a lot most definitely had changed. And I hope I hadn't ruined the relationship between us. I look at my phone, staring long at her number, unsure of whether to call or not. In the end, I dropped the phone and went straight to bed. I'll face the consequences tomorrow, I thought.