The Question
439 Words
Chapter 2 — The Question
The next day the rain hadn’t stopped. Aisha wasn’t planning to return to the waiting room. But somehow she did. Maybe it was habit. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was something else.
When she walked in, she immediately noticed him. Same chair. Same relaxed posture. Same crooked smile.
“You came back,” Noah said.
“You sound surprised.”
“I had a bet with myself.”
“And?”
“I won.”
She sat down beside him. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
There was a brief pause. Then he asked it again.
“Tell me something about yourself I should never forget.”
Aisha groaned.
“You’re really committing to this question.”
“Absolutely.”
“Fine.”
She thought for a moment.
“I’m afraid of deep water.”
Noah tilted his head.
“Even the ocean?”
“Especially the ocean.”
“Why?”
“When I was little, my cousin convinced me sharks lived in swimming pools.”
“That’s traumatic.”
“It really is.”
He laughed.
“Alright,” she said. “Your turn.”
Noah rubbed his chin like he was choosing carefully.
“I once drove six hours just to see a sunset.”
“Was it worth it?”
“Best sunset of my life.”
She studied him for a moment.
“You’re either very romantic or very dramatic.”
“Both,” he said confidently.
⸻
Days passed.
Then more days. A strange routine formed between them. If Aisha arrived at the hospital, Noah was there. If Noah was there, the waiting room became less unbearable. They talked about everything. Childhood memories. Dream jobs. Places they wanted to travel.
At some point Noah brought a small camera. Aisha noticed it immediately. “What’s that for?”
“Documentation.”
“Of what?”
He lifted the camera and pointed it toward them.
“Proof that today happened.”
She laughed.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Exactly.”
But he pressed record anyway.
“Hello future people,” Noah said dramatically.
Aisha covered her face. “Oh my god .”
“Today we discovered that Aisha hates mangoes and fears sharks in swimming pools.”
“This is humiliating.”
“Important historical record,” he insisted.
Despite herself, she started smiling at the camera.
And just like that, the first video was made.
Neither of them realized how important those recordings would become.
Or how many there would be.
Or how desperately someone would need them one day.
(To be continued)
- Writer
