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Kaveh Fayyad was back at Little Stars Elementary school.
It was a windy day in their city. Spring was slowly rolling to an end, flowers budding to sweet fruits and welcoming the summer breeze. Rainy season was due on them soon, even the air hinted to it.
Dahlia watched as her students stood like the most obedient little angels, with a little impatience here and there. The initiator of most of the mischief that took place, Jason, was standing besides her with a shy smile again since Kaveh greeted him with a hello. She did not even have to hold his hand to keep him still or make the kid stand besides her.
Jason was behaving, it was the eight wonder of the world. Peace, there was a moment of peace in Dalia's life. Supposedly, at least.
Dahlia peered at the Kaveh from beneath her lashes. He was impeccably dressed even this afternoon. There were sunglasses over his eyes. From his stance it was clear that his eyes were glued to the gate, from where he was expecting his little sister to expel.
Kaveh was standing a little too close to Dahlia, further away from the rest of the parents, even though his designated spot was in front of Alana, Azar's teacher. Their conversation at Nargis' house seemed to have broken through whatever reservations led him to maintain distance from her for the past couple of months.
The piercing eyes had stopped bothering her heart and soul, now just his mere presence seemed to do that. He wasn't doing anything, just standing there; yet somehow crossing the invisible line he had no right to cross.
A part of Dalia was secretly swooning at his competency with her kids, but a part of her was also severely annoyed. Kaveh was making her look bad at her job – doesn't matter he was doing it unintentionally. The only reason Jason behaved around him was because Kaveh was a stranger and the little rascal was self-destructive and lived to make his caretakers miserable; not because that man was better at disciplining. However, that's not how it would appear to the neighboring parents and her employers.
"It's nice of you to make time for Azar everyday," Dahlia spoke up, filling the silence between them, trying to keep out the indignation she was feeling out of her voice. "She gets so excited every time you come to pick her up."
He looked up, a smile made its way to his lips. "She wouldn't have it any other way. She cries all the way home in the days I can't make it. Then I have to find other ways to make it up to her."
"You seem to be good with children."
"It's all the experience I had from raising Salman." His lips spread into a playful grin.
Kaveh was joking around with her. Dahlia had a hard time wrapping her head around it. The man with the coldest eyes she had ever seen. But there was nothing cold about him, not any longer. Her mind replayed the conversation she had with Lily. She could no longer think of him as the cruel person she used to regard him as, even if she tried to.
