Chapter Text
“Never eat anything other than what is prepared by Jamil.”
One strike.
“Do not do anything unnecessary like using knives or the stove.”
Two strikes.
“Always, always listen to Jamil because he is the one person you can trust.”
Three strikes, Kalim is out .
No wonder Jamil cracked under all the pressure Kalim put on him. Kalim always took pride in never breaking any promise he made to Jamil, but perhaps that was (is) part of the problem. A symptom and a cause of the rift between them. With each new formal or unsaid promise, it got a little bigger, the thing that should bind them together unraveling that bond.
Nobody could say that if they didn’t make these flimsy oaths they would be alright in the present day – Kalim is sure that it’s thanks to them that he’s still alive. The childish words given to him while he was down allowed him to keep hoping for the future. But if they added weight to Jamil’s anguish, maybe they shouldn’t have made them. Kalim’s sanity is of little value compared to Jamil’s well-being.
It’s too late to think about the damage they inflicted on Jamil now. What happened can’t be erased but their promises can. Little by little. Until these chains built by their own words can be properly dismantled.
The wrinkled paper in his hands is as heavy as lead – an inscription for the upcoming Masterchef classes. Baby steps. If he could manage to do that, it’d lessen the amount of time Jamil spends on him. It’s a good thing. The best choice. What Jamil would want because he would never stay near Kalim if it wasn’t for work – that’s what he said himself.
So Kalim swallows back his tears and writes his name on the paper.