Something Special

Diego coughed at Wade's hearty slap against his back. The bulking redhead kicked off his sneakers and made a beeline to the kitchen. "As Salam Alaykum, man. The food ready?" He ducked into the refrigerator. "I'm starvin'."

Diego shook his head, skirted past his friend, and pulled a bag of tortilla chips from the oak cabinet. "Adeelah didn't start cooking yet." He tossed the bag in the air. "Here." His friend instinctively caught it.

Wade followed Diego into the living room. "What do you mean she didn't start cookin'? You invited me over for lunch." Wade fell silent, flashed his eyes and smirked as the soft hum of shower water permeated through the closed bedroom door. "I see." He flopped and propped a leg over an arm of the overstuffed side chair. "You couldn't let her make my mac and cheese first? It's why I trekked out here to the boonies." The bag popped open between Wade's burly hands. "I hate that long ride down the LIE."

"We're happy." Diego handed his best friend a bowl of salsa, "The further away from the city drama, the better." He sat on the edge of the sofa and turned the tv up loud enough to drown out the sound of the shower.

"Yeah," Wade talked between crunches, "Can't argue with that. After all the trouble Adeelah's ex caused, you two deserve some peace, inshallah."

Diego set his jaw. "Taal's not stirring up anything, is he?" He sat straight and reared his shoulders back. Every nerve prickled with the urge to protect Adeelah and the baby. "I won't have my wife upset by him again." He stood. "Perhaps I should speak to him."

Wade tossed the bag of chips on the walnut-stained coffee table and chortled. "Calm down, brother. No trouble." He continued as he licked each fingertip of his right hand. "Besides, I don't think it'll ever be necessary for you to talk to him again." He shot out of the chair with surprising ease for a man his size and carried the empty bowl to the kitchen. "You made things clear the last time." He dumped the bowl in the sink and grabbed the jar of salsa from the fridge. "Broken noses tend to do that."

Diego folded his arms. "He touched my Dee."

Wade reclaimed his seat and chips. "If I recall," he pointed a chip loaded with salsa at Diego, "you were only intended at the time." He twitched his bushy ginger eyebrows and shoved the food in his mouth. "I get it, though," he mumbled. "She's special. That's why I kept her with me that day Taal attacked her in front of the masjid. I knew there was something about her. When I saw how interested you became once you laid eyes on her, mashallah, I was sure I made a wise decision."

Diego gazed at the ceiling for thunderbolts. "That's the version you're sticking with, amigo?"

"Yup, Now, look at you two." Wade puffed his muscle-bound chest. "Married and about to have a baby."

"You must be so proud of your intuition."

Wade jutted his bearded chin in the air. "I am, alhamdulillah. You can name the baby after me if it's a boy."

"Don't worry," Adeelah glided out of the bedroom; the hem of her denim skirt swished over her bare feet, "It's at the top of the boy's list." She greeted their guest, yanked up the sleeves of her emerald green long-sleeve tee and rounded the kitchen island. "Lunch won't be long. I'm not baking the mac and cheese."

Wade scowled at Diego. "See how you mess things up for me? Come on, sis. You gotta bake it."

"Next time, I promise," Adeelah said over clanking pots. "Sabr, brotha."

"Ugh," Wade dropped his head back, "fine. I still get salmon cakes though, right?"

"You got it. Diego, can you fill this pot for me?"

Diego patted Adeelah's bottom and took the pasta pot. "Sure." The geometric-patterned mint khimar made her brown skin glow. Hell would freeze over before he would allow Taal or anyone else to make the content on her face fade.

Adeelah paused and grinned at the soft knocking sound coming from the front door. She caught Diego's gaze with her twinkling eyes. "Oh, that must be Lindsay."

"Lindsay?" He glanced at Wade emptying crumbs from the bag into his open mouth. "You invited her?"

"You're having a friend over, why can't I? Can you get the door, Wade?"

"'Kay." Wade tossed the empty bag on the island and bounded for the door.

Diego leaned in closer. "What are you up to?"

Adeelah grinned and began running a wedge of cheddar up and down the grater.

"As salam alaykum." Lindsay's full lips formed a bright smile. She dropped her handbag on the floor and threw her arms up as she glided into the kitchen. "How are you feeling, sis?" She pat Adeelah's lower abdomen then frowned. "You're just getting started? Let me help."

"Jazakallah." Adeelah handed Lindsay the block of cheese and twirled towards the stove.

Diego left the kitchen, encountering Wade, beet-red cheeks over his beard and mouthing "who is that?" while pointing in Lindsay's direction.

He clamped a hand on Wade's neck. "Would you like to see if the ladies need some help?"

Wade glanced and smiled at the women. "It's only fair. We can't reinforce gender stereotypes, now can we?"

Diego laughed and turned his struck friend towards the marble-topped island. Lindsay, standing on the other side, soon put Wade to work. Although the fighter could easily take a man down, the pearl onions she passed him proved more challenging. He made quite the scene trying to peel back papery layers from the tiny bulbs with his meaty fingers and blushed every time one popped in the air from his strength. "I'm sorry," Wade furrowed his brows, "guess I'm not very much help."

Lindsay giggled and picked up another onion that got away from the smitten man across from her. "Alhamdulillah, I think you're doing fine." She switched the bowl of onions for one containing fresh green beans and demonstrated snapping the ends to Wade. "It's always nice to see a man cooking."

Wade pulled his mouth into a half-smile and commenced with cracking the ends off the beans. "Honestly, I'm not a great cook," he looked at Lindsay, "but I'm willing to learn."

Lindsay slid the back of her hand across the beads of sweat on her forehead. Her umber skin brightened from the unseen blush underneath. "That's good to know."

Lunch became an early dinner filled with restrained flirting between the besotted duo as they sat in different parts of the open-concept apartment. The various shades of red Wade became when talking to Lindsay provided the meal's entertainment.

After Maghrib prayer, Adeelah and Diego waved from the door while Wade walked Lindsay to her car. "So," His wife smirked and squeezed his waist, "did he ask about her?"

Diego pinched Adeelah's bottom, delighted by her giggle as she rushed into the apartment. "Yes, but you knew he would, didn't you, mi amor?"

"I had a feeling." She unpinned her head covering, plopped her feet on the sofa and laid on a cushion. "Lindsay's special—smart, funny and inspiring in her love for the Deen. I just felt deep down that she would be perfect for him. Given the way he looked at her, I think I was spot on."

Diego put her head in his lap and loosened the mass of coils from the band restraining them. "Interesting, and exactly how did he look at her?"

She rubbed the bump and grinned ear to ear. "The same way you looked at me that day in the coffee shop."

Diego brushed Adeelah's pillowy lips with his. Alhamdulillah. She was truly a ni'mah.