The Love of Habib
Chapters 16.11

Aish immediately gasped to hear it. He raised his head in shock at the sight of the habib. The word disappointed was so embedded in his heart that he forgot that his cheek was still sore. For a moment, Aish opened her mouth in surprise but could not get a word out of her lips. His neck seemed to be suffocating and unable to make any sounds. The defense that had been burning in his heart immediately evaporated somewhere replaced by shock, anxiety, and panic. For habib Khalid had never said these heavy words to him.

"I'm..." Aish crept her hands firmly holding tightness.

"Not from the boarding house.I mean this place is very new to me with all the rules and activities. I used to live in the city and never studied religion, but after coming here I did not get used to it because everything was very strange. I.. I also try to memorize but my ability is not that far"

"Don't make a defense." Cut habib Khalid not happy.

Aish is back. He stared at Habib Khalid, afraid of all the crazy thoughts in his head.

"Sister Khalid..." Called begging.

"Don't you want to chase after me?" Habib Khalid asked him.

Aish did not hesitate in the matter and nodded her head in panic as a strong answer. But habib Khalid was not at all amused by the seriousness on his face. Instead of being touched, he threw cold water over Aish's head.

"Then try. One way is to study diligently and keep memorizing, if you like this continue then.. isn't this too disappointing?"

Akh, Aish's heart is hurting. Habib Khalid kept urging him to learn!

Study!

Study!

And study!

Habib Khalid should know how difficult it is to adapt to this place and how difficult it is to understand the lessons here. In this place, he had to learn English, learn Arabic, and memorize the Qur'an!

He had to put in a lot of effort in a month!

One month!

If it wasn't for Khalid's habib here, Aish would have long since escaped from this place!

"Don't cry. I'm not gonna melt." The habib's voice was cold.

Aish did not realize that she was crying. He raised his hand to wipe his face hurriedly. After listening to what the habib said just now, he did not know what else to say because what came out of his mouth was probably just a defense for him.

But, ugh!

Why do these damn tears keep flowing when he does not want to cry in front of the habib. He did not want to look weak in front of him!

Really am.

Aish continued to rub her wet face until a large hand stopped her hand movements. He raised his head to look at the owner of the hand. I don't know when the habib stood right in front of his window with his long outstretched hand touching his.

"Does it feel painful?" Ask Habib to Aish.

"sickness..." Aish whispered back to crying.

Habib Khalid felt helpless, "Sorry, but this is for your good." He feels guilty.

He was initially determined to ignore Aish while pressuring her to study seriously. But all the defenses on his face slowly eroded at Aish's pitiful face.

Aish was crying in front of him, surely his heart was so sore that it didn't realize his tears had already melted. Habib Khalid looked at him with the same pain, he was utterly helpless and decided to dispel his pretense.

"I'm also sorry to disappoint Brother Khalid. I promise I will take memorizing more seriously tomorrow." Said Aish promising with a strong sense of regret.

He thought that Habib Khalid would pity him, but he was wrong because the habib was pressuring him even more.

"Alright, then first memorize juz amma. Next week I'll ask Umi to check your shipment, how?"

Aish immediately gulped his bitter saliva,".... Should it?"

Habib Khalid tilted his head still staring at him with a smile? Did Aish see wrong?

"Should. For now, try as much as you can with a note do not be lazy. If you manage to finish what I asked for, you'll get a reward." Promise with a meaningful smile.

Hearing the word gift, Aish's mind immediately soared.

"What gift?" Ask enthusiastically.

Habib Khalid's hand took off his hand, then moved to touch his right cheek which was still wet by Aish's tears. Swiping it gently, he felt that the hand of the habib was coaxing his sore cheek so as not to make trouble again. Aish's heartbeats instantly went crazy inside the chest, this so gentle treatment as well as this sweet touch, Aish became dazed thinking about it. He wondered in his heart, why did the habib not hesitate to touch him but at the same time the habib was very reluctant to touch this other girl?

Why did the habib do this to him and why not to others?

Ah, whatever the reason Aish is still happy to know that she is the only girl the habib can touch. Other than that, he doesn't care. But asking doesn't hurt either, does it?

"Because it's a gift, it's only natural that I keep it a secret from you." Said habib Khalid disperse the reverie of Aish.

"Sister Khalid..." Doubtful, Aish's hand was raised hanging in the air.

Under the light of the night moon, her long eyelashes trembled lightly showing how nervous she was at the moment.

"Hem?" Habib Khalid lowered his voice, very opiate and sweet in Aish's heart.

Fascinated, the hand that had hesitated now moved back up, slowly his slender fingers touched the back of the hand habib on his cheek. Aish's apricot eyes flashed nervously watching the expression on the habib's face. Samar, under the reflection of the moonlight Aish saw that the habib was looking at him with such a gentle look. The dark eyes give an illusion that she is the only girl who can enter the depths of the eye. The illusion is so real and Aish feels that everything should be like this. Well, like-like

"Ah." Aish surprised.

His hand was suddenly flipped over by the habib and gently grasped. Astonished, Aish turned to look at the grasp of their hands. The big, strong hand was embracing his small hand, spreading a warm feeling into his heart. It was as if there was a rain of multicolored flowers that were beginning to flood his soul at this moment. So delicate. Habib Khalid's hand had no rough strokes but left traces of calluses on the fingertips of a hard worker who was always in touch with a pen or other sincere object. This callus may have been around for years because it is rather thick, but even so Aish does not feel strange or uncomfortable touching it. On the contrary, he was pleased to be able to touch and feel the hands of Habib Khalid clearly and carefully.