Till now, all our meetings had felt accidental, but three days later, it almost felt like Rayan was stalking me — I ran into him again, this time in a different market.
But unlike before, this meeting wasn't surprising. It felt... normal. We noticed each other, smiled, and waved. The best part? Alex wasn't with Rayan.
I walked up to him and said, "Alex isn't with you. Is your work done?"
Rayan replied, "Alex is wrapping up the work here, but it's not finished yet. We have to head to the next location after this."
"Oh," I said, my voice carrying a hint of disappointment.
Rayan noticed and said, "But there's still time before Alex arrives, and I'm free for now. Did you got anything? If you need help with anything, feel free to ask."
"Well, no," I replied. "I'm just looking for a good opportunity. Small thefts like these depend on so many things. That's why I end up going home empty-handed most days. But... if you have time... maybe we could walk... together?"
"Of course," he said, smiling.
We walked together through the market, happily and without any rush. The market felt different today. Instead of being a place filled with work, attention, and danger, it suddenly looked like a place to just... hang out.
I kept glancing at Rayan's hand, again and again, secretly hoping we could walk while holding hands. He caught me looking at him a few times, but didn't seem to understand what I meant.
But after walking for a while, the opportunity I'd been waiting for finally appeared.
I pulled Rayan aside and said, "You wanted to help me, right?"
"Yeah," he replied.
I continued, "Look at that jewellery shop owner. He's pretty well-known for scamming people. I've heard his weighing machines are rigged — one shows extra weight when he's selling gold, and the other shows less when he's buying. What a greedy man."
Rayan raised an eyebrow. "Okay... so are we robbing this guy?"
"Oh, yeah," I said with a grin. "But first—do you have enough coins on you right now?"
Rayan walked up to the shop and, without saying a word, placed a pouch full of gold coins in front of the shop owner.
The greedy man's eyes lit up as he practically dove over the counter. "Yes, sir! How can I help you? What would you like to see?"
Rayan said calmly, "A gold necklace. A beautiful one."
"Oh yes, of course!" the shopkeeper replied eagerly and began displaying several options.
Rayan patiently looked through them all before finally picking one. "Yeah, this is the one. I like it. I'm buying it."
The owner weighed the necklace, and just as Rayan was about to hand over the pouch of coins—
A thief swooped in from behind, snatched the pouch, and bolted.
The thief, of course, was me.
"Hey! Thief! Thief! Catch him!" the owner screamed.
Rayan, still holding the necklace, immediately ran after me, shouting, "Hey! My money!!"
From behind, the owner yelled, "Yes, young man! Catch him!"
But of course, he wasn't actually trying to catch me. He ran after me only until we were out of sight—then we ran together, laughing and breathless, until we ducked into a quiet corner.
We were gasping for air and laughing at the same time.
Still catching my breath, I asked, "Did you enjoy it? Why are you so happy?"
"Oh God, I actually feel bad for the owner," he said, bursting into laughter.
"You don't need to worry about him. That man will easily make up the loss by scamming his next customer."
I took the necklace from Rayan and held it up, admiring its shine. "What a beautiful necklace."
Rayan smiled. "Do you like it?"
"Of course!" I grinned. "It'll sell for a big amount."
I was glowing with excitement. "Wow, someone was right—money really can make more money."
Rayan laughed. "I bet they didn't mean it quite like this."
"Umm, whatever," I said with a playful giggle.
After that, Rayan left for his next location, and I headed off in my own direction.
Days passed slowly, and I realized I had grown so used to Rayan—used to seeing him, talking to him—that on the days he came home late, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing.
And then, somehow, more than a month had passed since we first met.
One evening, while I was at home, the door suddenly burst open. It was Rayan. He looked incredibly happy. Without saying a word, he walked straight to me and hugged me tightly. A rush of butterflies filled my stomach.
Looking up at him with a smile, I asked, "Did something good happen?"
"Yeah!" he said, beaming. "Remember that important work I told you about? It's finally done. I can go home now."
It was good news—for him.
But all I felt was a quiet wave of sorrow.
One thought echoed in my mind:
"So... will he leave?"