The Last Day, The Garden
Chapter 13 – The Last Day, The Garden
The last day of the trip arrived quietly.
No dramatic music.
No announcement.
Just a morning where the hotel room felt a little too small because everyone knew they would be leaving.
Crystal packed like she was fleeing a disaster.
Ivan packed like he was solving a puzzle.
Isabelle packed like she was trying not to feel anything.
Aleem packed like he had already decided something and didn’t want to give himself time to un-decide.
At New Chitose Airport, the world was bright and orderly.
People rolled suitcases.
Announcements played in Japanese and English.
The air smelled like coffee and duty-free perfume.
Airports always had a specific kind of energy–
movement without intimacy.
Everyone was leaving.
Or arriving.
But nobody stayed.
Isabelle tried not to let the thought sink claws into her.
Crystal was busy buying snacks like they were going to starve on the flight.
Ivan trailed after her reluctantly, holding a bag of items he didn’t want.
“This is unnecessary,” Ivan complained.
Crystal replied, “Your existence is unnecessary.”
Ivan sighed. “See? This is why no one wants to date you.”
Crystal gasped. “I don’t want men. Men want me.”
Isabelle smiled faintly.
The bickering was familiar.
Safe.
But Isabelle’s heart was not safe.
Because Aleem had been quiet all morning.
Not distant.
Just… focused.
Like he was carrying a sentence on his tongue and deciding when to let it out.
Isabelle tried to ignore it.
She told herself she had done the brave part.
She told herself she could survive any answer.
But the truth was her chest felt like it was full of held breath.
They checked in.
They cleared security.
They walked through the airport’s bright corridors.
Crystal and Ivan disappeared into a shop like they had a sixth sense for duty-free discounts.
Isabelle lingered outside the shop entrance, watching the crowds.
Aleem stood beside her.
He didn’t speak.
Isabelle’s heart pounded.
She told herself to breathe.
In.
Out.
Then Aleem spoke.
“Belle,” he said quietly.
Isabelle turned.
His voice was calm.
But his eyes were serious.
“Can you come with me for a bit?”
Isabelle’s throat tightened.
“Where?”
Aleem nodded toward a direction away from the shops.
“There’s a garden,” he said.
A garden.
Inside the airport.
Isabelle blinked.
The word felt strange.
Soft.
Unexpected.
Isabelle’s breath trembled.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Aleem didn’t touch her.
He didn’t grab her wrist.
He simply walked.
Isabelle followed.
The garden was quiet.
A pocket of green inside a world of steel and glass.
Plants sat under soft lighting.
A small water feature made gentle sound.
The air felt different here.
Calmer.
As if the airport had a hidden heart.
Isabelle sat on a bench automatically.
Aleem remained standing for a moment.
He looked down at her.
Then he sat–
not beside.
Across.
Again.
Distance.
A boundary he kept even now.
Isabelle’s hands were cold.
Not from the weather.
From anticipation.
Aleem’s voice was low.
“I thought about what you said,” he began.
Isabelle’s chest tightened.
Aleem continued, carefully.
“I’ve been thinking since that café.”
Isabelle nodded, unable to speak.
Aleem’s gaze held hers.
His expression was calm.
But something in his eyes looked… tired.
Not exhausted.
Determined.
Like he had wrestled with himself and finally reached the end of the argument.
“First,” Aleem said, “I want you to hear this clearly.”
Isabelle’s throat tightened.
Aleem’s voice deepened slightly.
“You weren’t confused,” he said.
Isabelle blinked.
Aleem continued.
“I know you. I watched you heal. I watched you become yourself again. You didn’t confess because you were desperate. You confessed because you were honest.”
Isabelle’s eyes burned.
Aleem’s voice softened.
“So… thank you,” he said again. “For trusting me with that.”
Isabelle swallowed.
The tears threatened.
She held them back.
Aleem inhaled slowly.
Then he said the sentence Isabelle had not dared to hope for:
“You’ve always been my ideal type.”
Isabelle froze.
The world narrowed.
The garden blurred.
She stared at him.
Aleem didn’t look embarrassed.
He looked honest.
Not romantic.
Honest.
“I didn’t let myself think about it,” he continued. “Because you had someone. And because I respected that.”
Isabelle’s breath trembled.
Aleem’s gaze stayed steady.
“But… you’re you,” he said quietly. “And I would be lying if I said I never thought you were the kind of woman I could build a life with.”
Isabelle’s chest ached.
Not grief.
Something warmer.
Something terrifying.
She swallowed hard.
“Aleem…” she whispered.
Aleem lifted his hand slightly.
A gentle pause.
“I’m not saying this to sweep you into romance,” he said. “I’m saying it because you deserve the truth.”
Isabelle nodded.
Tears slipped down.
Silent.
Aleem watched her for a moment.
Then his voice grew more serious.
“But there’s something we cannot pretend is small,” he said.
Isabelle’s breath caught.
Religion.
Aleem said it plainly.
“I’m Muslim,” he said. “You’re Christian.”
Isabelle nodded.
Aleem’s gaze held hers.
“I don’t want to be the kind of man who dates you and hopes you’ll change quietly,” he said. “I don’t want to pressure you. I don’t want to pull you away from your family.”
Isabelle’s throat tightened.
Aleem continued.
“And I don’t want you to say yes to me because you’re afraid to lose me,” he said. “If we do this… we do it with open eyes.”
Isabelle’s hands trembled.
She wiped her cheeks quickly.
Aleem’s voice softened slightly.
“So I’m asking you,” he said gently, “are you willing to explore? Not for me. For you.”
Isabelle stared.
Explore.
The word made her chest tighten.
Because it wasn’t a demand.
It was an invitation.
Aleem continued, careful.
“I can’t promise this will be easy,” he said. “Your family might not understand. My family will have questions. And you might learn about Islam and decide it’s not for you.”
He paused.
“And if it’s not for you, I will respect that,” he said.
Isabelle’s breath shook.
Respect.
Aleem’s respect was always the loudest part of him.
Isabelle looked down at her hands.
She thought about her childhood church.
The hymns.
Her mother’s prayers.
Her cross necklace.
She thought about Aleem in a surau.
The quiet.
The discipline.
The calm she felt just by being near it.
She thought about the months he had stayed.
Not to win.
Not to take.
Just to keep her alive.
And she realized something.
Curiosity was already in her.
Not because Aleem was attractive.
But because the peace she witnessed had been real.
Isabelle lifted her gaze.
“Aleem,” she said softly, voice trembling, “I’m… willing.”
Aleem’s eyes softened.
Isabelle continued quickly, because she was scared her courage would evaporate.
“I’m not saying I’ll convert,” she said. “I’m not promising anything. But I’m willing to learn. I’m willing to understand. Because… I want to know what gives you that calm.”
Aleem’s throat worked once.
He nodded.
“That’s all I’m asking,” he said.
Isabelle swallowed.
Her voice was small.
“So… what is your answer?”
Aleem’s gaze held hers.
And then–
finally–
he said it.
“Yes,” Aleem said.
The word landed gently.
Not as fireworks.
As a promise.
Aleem continued, low and steady.
“Yes, I want to try,” he said. “Yes, I like you. Yes, I want to see where this can go. But we do it properly. Slow. Honest. With boundaries.”
Isabelle’s chest tightened.
Tears spilled again.
Not grief.
Relief.
Aleem didn’t stand to hug her.
He didn’t touch her.
He let the moment be what it was.
Sacred.
Isabelle wiped her face, laughing weakly through tears.
“You’re really not romantic,” she whispered.
Aleem’s lips twitched.
“I’m trying,” he said.
Isabelle laughed again.
Then her laughter softened.
She stared at him.
“Aleem,” she said quietly, “thank you.”
Aleem’s gaze softened.
“Don’t thank me for choosing you,” he said. “That should be normal.”
Isabelle’s throat tightened.
Normal.
She didn’t know if she believed in normal anymore.
But she wanted to.
When they returned to the shopping area, Crystal and Ivan were still inside the shop.
Crystal emerged first, holding a bag triumphantly.
“DONE,” she declared. “I have snacks for the flight.”
Ivan followed, looking tired. “I lost money and dignity.”
Crystal squinted at Isabelle.
Then at Aleem.
Then back at Isabelle.
“Why you two look… different?” Crystal asked suspiciously.
Isabelle froze.
Aleem’s face remained calm.
“Different how?” he asked.
Crystal narrowed her eyes. “Like… softer.”
Ivan frowned. “What does softer mean?”
Crystal pointed. “I don’t know. It’s like… vibe.”
Ivan muttered, “You and your vibes.”
Isabelle forced a laugh.
Aleem’s voice stayed steady.
“Maybe because we sat in a garden,” he said.
Crystal gasped. “GARDEN? Where? Why never bring us?”
Ivan rolled his eyes. “Because you will scream.”
Crystal scoffed. “I won’t.”
Ivan stared. “You screamed at snow.”
Crystal yelled, “Because SNOW IS IMPORTANT.”
Isabelle laughed.
This time it came easily.
And as Crystal continued arguing and Ivan continued complaining, Isabelle glanced at Aleem.
His eyes met hers for a brief second.
A quiet understanding.
A secret.
Not yet shared.
Not yet announced.
But real.
Isabelle’s chest felt warm.
Not fireworks.
Not drama.
Just a steady warmth.
Like a handrail.
Like a floor.
Like something that would hold.
They walked toward their gate.
Four friends.
Two of them carrying a new truth between them.
And for the first time, Isabelle didn’t feel scared of the airport.
Because this time, she wasn’t being left.
This time, she was being chosen.