Back at Tehran, Iran.

I was back at Tehran- where it all started. I was anxious the entire flight.

My mind kept replaying our moments, our memories, our story. Everything felt raw.

I finally landed.. that airport. It held our last moments together from my previous trip. It brought everything back. I couldn't believe that I was back at the land where it all started.

Rafiq's parent's sent a driver to pick me up from the airport. The entire drive to his house was anxiety-filled. I was so nervous about our first meeting. I kept imagining how he would react. Would he ignore me? Would he be cold or distant? Would he be normal at all? Should I say hi first? Should I say hi first or just wait for him?

I was so nervous. I was in such an awkward situation.. one that only Allah could have orchestrated. It almost felt foolish, showing up to his house after all that silence. I mean, the guy literally ignored me… and here I was, going to his house. It sounded crazy. But I knew this wasn’t just me- it was Allah’s planning.

As the car got closer to his house..my heart starts racing. I try to calm myself down. The driver pulls up to the front of his house. It's night time by now.

Thankfully, his mom came out first.. that eased me up a bit.

And then… there he was. Standing in the dark.. I could barely recognize him. At first, he looked like a totally different person. I had to really look to make sure that its him..

Yeah, it was him.

He waited until his mom finished hugging me. Then he walked closer and said hi, and I said it back. Simple. Cordial. I was fine with that.

I went inside his house and his wife was there. She was super excited to see me. The rest of the night Rafiq kept coming in and out of the TV room, while I was sitting talking to his mom and wife. I told them about Casablanca, my flight, random things.

An interesting part was that my voice changed. It sounded different. It's like Allah beautifued my voice. I have a nice voice normally, but that night, it felt amplified. I didn’t even want to stop talking because I couldn’t get over how nice it sounded.

I was surprised myself. I thought I was imagining it. Then later I read that Allah heighten your senses in charged moments or places . I thought I was imagining it, but i wasn't. And I am sure he noticed too. He was in and out of the TV room. At one point he helped take my bags upstairs.. that's when he called me out of the TV room to figure out which bags to take upstairs..

Just looking at his facial expression, the way he called me out, the tone of his voice.. I knew instantly- that he felt whatever I felt. With him, it was so easy to tell.

The way he spoke.. it reminded me of my previous trip with him.

That’s the thing about Rafiq- no matter how much he hides behind silence or distance, his eyes, his voice, his energy… they give him away every single time.

And that night, I felt it. The connection. The truth that was still there between us.