Rountree walked over to the desks and sat down, frustrated, tired, and sore. He wanted to go home, but he knew he had to figure out a way to get Jordan another chance to take her test. Just then, he heard footsteps approaching him.
"Hey," he said without looking up.
"Hey. You're still here," Fatima replied, sitting down across from him.
"Yeah," he replied, still not looking at her.
"Do you want to talk?" she asked softly.
"No. You wouldn't get it anyway," he replied.
"I'm not sure about that," she said gently. "Hey. I think I have a card to play at UCLA, if you want me to," she offered when she got no response.
"Are you sure?" he asked, sitting up.
"No, but I think it's worth a shot. You said it's basically over for her, right? So what's the harm in trying to fix it?" she asked. Devin smiled a little.
"You'd do that for her?" he asked. Fatima smiled.
"Absolutely," she said gently. She reached over and gently caressed his hand, then stood up. "And, if I'm not mistaken, I have one hour before office hours end. I'll call you on my way back," she said softly. Devin smiled.
"Hey, wait one second," he said gently. Fatima turned around. He looked her in the eye and gently cupped her face, then pulled her close and hugged her tight.
"Thank you, Fatima," he whispered.
"Don't thank me yet. I'm not one hundred percent sure this will work," she said gently.
"Thank you for trying," he whispered. Fatima grinned and walked out. She drove to the campus, then sprinted across the parking lot in hopes of making it in time. She arrived at the professor's office with ten minutes to spare, and she knocked on the door.
"What can I do for you?" the professor asked without looking up.
"My name is Fatima Namazi. I'm not one of your students, but Jordan Rountree is. She missed her final today, but it wasn't her fault," Fatima began, still breathing hard from her run.
"And that's her own damn fault. I made it clear at the beginning of the year, the final would not be something they can make up," he said, not looking away from a paper. "Now, if you'll excuse me, honey, I need to finish grading the papers of the people that bothered to show up."
"Please just give me two minutes," she said calmly.
"You have one," he replied. Fatima nodded.
"Jordan and her brother were pulled over for no reason. They had it timed so she would be here an hour early, and some racist cops pulled them over and held them for no reason. I have proof," she said, pulling out her phone. She showed him the video, praying it would be enough to convince him. "Neither of them did anything wrong. The cops admitted it. But, by the time they were released, the final was almost over. If you give her one more chance, I can promise on behalf of Jordan and her brother that she will show up, and she will do her best to ace it," Fatima said. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it had been more than a minute.
"Fine. Eight A.M tomorrow, I want to see her here. If she is so much as one second late, no grade. Understand?" the professor said softly.
"Understood. Thank you so much, sir," Fatima said softly.
"Don't expect this to ever work again. You're dismissed," he replied. Fatima nodded and walked out. She walked up to Jordan's room and knocked on the door. A girl that Fatima didn't recognize opened it, with a bottle of wine in her hand.
"Hi, um, I'm looking for Jordan," she said nervously.
"Jordan, get your ass in here," the girl yelled. Jordan came out and ran over to Fatima. They stepped outside and closed the door.
"Were you drinking in there?" Fatima asked. Jordan looked away.
"Please don't say anything. It was just a little bit of my friend's, I swear," she said gently.
"Okay. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to tell you that I spoke with your professor, and he agreed to give you another chance. You need to be there at eight, okay? Be early. I mean it," Fatima said gently. Without thinking, Jordan wrapped her arms around Fatima.
"Thank you," she whispered over and over again.
"Of course. It wasn't that big of a deal, sweetie, but do not blow this. No more drinking, okay? I don't want you to be hungover tomorrow," she said gently.
"I promise I'll make you proud of me," Jordan whispered.
"I already am," Fatima replied, hugging her gently. "Now, if you don't need anything else, I'm going to head home, okay?" she whispered.
"Okay," Jordan whispered. Fatima gave her another quick hug, then walked out. She felt a little nervous as she walked to her car, so she decided to call Devin.
"Hey. I'm leaving UCLA. Well, I'm walking to my car, and it's really dark, so I figured I'd call you," she said.
"Okay. How did it go?" he asked. Fatima smiled as she grabbed her keys.
"He agreed to give her a second chance. Tomorrow at eight," she said, grinning as she opened her door.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
"Yep. I stopped by her dorm and told her already," she replied.
"Wow. I, um, I don't even know what to say, thank you, Fatima," he said softly.
"Of course. What happened to you guys was disgusting, this was the least I could do," she responded.
"Fatima, I'm pretty sure you just saved my little sister's life. That test was, is everything right now," he said softly.
"I know. But, he made it very clear that she was never going to be able to miss a test again," Fatima replied, turning her car on.
"We can work with that," he replied.
"Hey, tell you what. If you want me to, I'll pick up a pizza and come over," she offered. Devin grinned.
"That sounds amazing," he replied. "Extra pepperoni?"
"You know it. Hey, I'm gonna go. It's already dark, so I want to focus on driving," she said softly.
"Okay. Be safe, okay? Shoot me a text when you get to the pizza place," he said.
"I will," she replied. She hung up and tucked her phone into her bag, then made her way to the pizza place. She texted him once she was inside, then sat down after ordering. At first she'd found it strange that he always asked her to text him when she got home, or to a restaurant, or wherever, but she'd grown to understand why, and she responded in kind. She understood that it was because he worried about her safety, even though he was fully aware that she could take care of herself. Once she got the pizza, she took it out to her car, got it safely in the passenger seat, then texted him that she was heading to his place. When she got there, she grabbed her bag first, then the pizza, then she walked up to his door. He opened it before she could even knock, and smiled as she walked inside. She set the pizza on the counter, then put her bag on the floor next to the couch. Devin had already opened the pizza box, putting two slices on each plate. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of parmesan cheese, then shook some on to his pizza. He set the bottle next to Fatima's plate. He set his plate on the table. Meanwhile, Fatima was performing a prayer in the guest room, then changing into a pair of comfortable sweatpants and her favorite hoodie and hijab. She came out a minute later and smiled. "Hey, you started without me," she teased gently. Devin smiled.
"Help yourself, slowpoke," he retorted. Fatima grinned and made her plate, then sat next to him at the table. They dug in quickly, not chatting much as they devoured their food. "You want more?" Devin asked, standing up with his empty plate. Fatima laughed.
"Can I make myself a salad instead?" she asked. Devin narrowed his eyes.
"If that's what you genuinely want, I won't stop you, but here's some advice from an expert: Pizza tastes better," he said, gently taking her hand in his. Fatima laughed and rested her head on his shoulder.
"And you're the, um, the so-called expert in this scenario?" she asked, grinning.
"Why, yes. Yes I am," he retorted. Fatima laughed. "Tell you what. Let me make us both a salad, okay?" he said gently. Fatima frowned.
"You want a salad too?" she asked.
"I like salad," he whined. The truth was, he tried to do everything in his power to remind her that she didn't have to eat something she didn't want to, especially since he'd seen the way her ex boyfriend had treated her, constantly telling her to eat a salad instead. He knew better than to try to stop her from eating what she wanted, but he tried to do his best.
"Okay," she finally agreed. She stood up and followed him to the kitchen. "Wait, Tree, before we make the salads-" she said softly.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Can I have another hug?" she asked nervously.
"Of course you can. Come here," he said gently. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, rubbing the small of her back gently. "It's okay now," he whispered. "It's okay," he said over and over again. He could feel her body shaking a little, so he squeezed her gently and let one hand find hers. He tangled their fingers together and smiled.
"Let go," she whispered, pulling away a little. Devin immediately let go and offered a small smile.
"Better?" he asked. Fatima nodded.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I just-" she began.
"Went through a lot today. It's okay. I'd be lying if I said I didn't need a hug too," he said gently. Fatima smiled and gently bumped their shoulders together, then opened the refrigerator. She gathered the ingredients for their salads, then smiled softly as Devin began to prepare them. She loved being so close to him, even if nothing about what they were doing was intimate. Even if they were just working, or watching a movie, or making dinner, she loved Devin's company. "Hey," Devin said loudly. Fatima jumped, and Devin immediately grabbed her wrist. "Don't zone out. You have a knife in your hand. Put it down, put it down," he said gently. Fatima set the knife on the cutting board and closed her eyes. "Go lay down on the couch. I'll finish the salads," he said gently.
"I'm okay," she replied, continuing to chop the carrots. Devin put his hand on her wrist.
"You're tired. Go lay on the couch, okay? I'll finish these up," he whispered. Fatima reluctantly agreed and walked to the couch. She laid down and closed her eyes, reminding herself not to fall asleep. Devin chuckled and went back to preparing the salads. A few minutes later, he was finished and set the bowls on the table. "Salad's ready," he said, sitting down. When Fatima didn't answer, he went over to the couch and sat next to her. "Hey, sleepyhead," he said softly. When he got no response, he gently caressed her arm. "Hey," he murmured. Fatima groaned softly and pulled a blanket over her head. Devin laughed and smiled. He reached over and sweetly tickled her stomach. Fatima jumped awake and laughed. She climbed on top of him and started wrestling him immediately, laughing as he pulled her against him. He snuck a quick kiss on her cheek, then held her against him. "Let's eat," he whispered. Fatima stood up and made her way to the table. They ate quickly, and Fatima was too full for anything else. She flopped down on the couch and smiled. Devin sat next to her and pulled her into his arms. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of the events of the morning, and instead remembered how nice Fatima's hug felt. He was surprised at first, but gave in immediately. He felt safer, happier with her, and her hug made him immediately feel that everything was okay.
"You want to put on a movie?" Fatima asked sleepily. Devin grinned.
"Absolutely," he whispered. He reached over and gently traced her cheek with his knuckle, then pulled her closer. "Come snuggle," he whispered. Fatima snuggled into him and smiled. He kissed the top of her head, then wrapped his arms around her and turned the TV on. "What do you want to watch?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter. I'm going to go to sleep," she whispered. Devin laughed.
"Then let's get you in bed. Mine or the guest room?" he asked. Fatima smiled.
"Here is good," she decided. Devin laughed and stood up, then scooped her into his arms. He carried her to the guest room and set her on the bed, then pulled the blankets over her.
"You want me in bed with you?" he asked. Fatima smiled.
"Yes," she decided, lifting the blankets. "As long as you cuddle with me," she said softly. Devin grinned and pulled his shirt off, then crawled into the bed next to her. They shared a soft kiss, then snuggled closer together.
"Night, Fatima. Thank you so much for everything," he whispered.
"Night, Tree," she replied.
