The man who had been sitting not far from her had been watching how polite the girl he liked was. He hadn't made the wrong choice in falling for the girl who had caught his attention the first time they met. Unaware of it, he smiled to himself.
"How have you been, May?"
"Praise be to God, Ustadz. I'm doing well."
"So you've arrived," came Ustadzah Hana's voice, which Mayra greeted by reaching out her hand.
The girl reverently kissed her teacher's hand, then sat down again. Ustadzah Hana took a seat beside her husband.
"May, you already know why I invited you here today, right?"
"Yes, Ustadz."
"There's no need to delay any longer. The young man who wants to ask you to enter into ta'aruf is already here."
Mayra looked up in surprise but quickly lowered her gaze. She hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings earlier. She hadn't realized there was someone else besides Ustadz Fahmi and Ustadzah Hana in her teacher's living room.
"Assalamualaikum, Mayra," a gentle greeting reached the girl's ears.
"Waalaikumsalam," Mayra replied, still keeping her face lowered. She was still too afraid to look at what the man looked like.
"May, without introducing myself, you must already know me, even if you only know of me."
Those words made Mayra turn her gaze to the right. And she was utterly shocked to discover who the person actually was—the very person Mayra already knew.
"M-Mr. Farhan," she stammered.
Farhan smiled at the girl sitting not far from him. The smile made Mayra's heart tremble.
"Yes, May, it's me, Farhan Abdullah," he said softly.
Mayra turned toward Ustadz Fahmi, and the Quran teacher smiled and nodded firmly. Mayra was still trying to convince herself that this was real.
"It's true, May. Farhan is the man I told you about the other day—the one who wanted to enter into ta'aruf with you. So, are you willing, dear? I have known Farhan since he was little because he is my friend's son. So I know very well that he is a good and responsible man."
Mayra lowered her head to hide her smile. She never would have expected that the man who had always been her idol on campus was the same man who wanted her to be his life partner. The man she secretly mentioned in her prayers. Yet she also knew who she was, so she never dared hope that he would look her way. Who would have thought that he would now be standing before her, wanting to enter into ta'aruf with her?
"Well, May?" Farhan pressed impatiently. His heart anxiously awaited an answer from the girl he adored.
Mayra tried to calm her pounding heart.
"I've already told my parents about this, Ustadz. And Dad said he gives us his blessing and is waiting for Mr. Farhan's family to come to our house."
"But what about you, May? Are you willing to accept Farhan?" Ustadz Fahmi asked again.
Mayra gave a faint nod.
"Try to say it clearly, May. We want to hear your answer, so Farhan can be more certain that you aren't rejecting him," Ustadzah Hana coaxed.
"Yes, I accept, and I'll wait for Mr. Farhan and his family's arrival," Mayra whispered before lowering her gaze. A faint blush appeared on both her cheeks. Embarrassment enveloped her heart.
"Praise be to God," Farhan said, rubbing his chest in relief.
"There you have it, Farhan. Tell your parents right away that the Hutomo family is waiting for them."
"If that's all, may I take my leave, Ustadz? I need to go to the mosque. The children must already be waiting for me," Mayra said as she excused herself.
"Oh, yes. Go ahead."
"Assalamualaikum."
"Waalaikumsalam," the three people Mayra left behind answered in unison.
Farhan stood to escort Mayra out of Ustadz Fahmi's house. Honestly, the fact that she never lifted her gaze from the floor made Farhan want to tease her, but at the same time, he was happy because it meant the girl didn't easily look at the opposite sex. She guarded her gaze so carefully. It was no wonder Farhan had given his heart to Mayra.