The message that changed everything

On a bright sunny afternoon, Salma was doing what many people do when they have a little free time scrolling endlessly through Facebook reels.One reel became two.Two became ten.Ten became twenty.At that point, even Salma herself had forgotten what she was originally looking for.Then suddenly...Pop!A notification appeared."A message?"Curious, she opened it."Assalamu Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatu."It was a simple greeting from someone she recognized.She stared at the message for a moment."Should I reply?"Her finger hovered over the screen.Then she remembered."Wait... isn't this the guy who keeps liking my photos?"After enough hesitation to qualify for an Olympic competition, she finally replied.Little did she know that this simple response would begin a journey neither of them expected.The stranger's name was Abdallah.At first, their conversation was casual.A greeting here.A question there.A little laughter in between.But somehow, one conversation became many conversations.Soon, Abdallah politely asked for her WhatsApp number.Salma nearly dropped her phone."My number? Already?"She hesitated.Thought about it.Ignored the question.Thought about it again.Then finally gave in.And just like that, the WhatsApp chapter officially began.Abdallah was a curious person.Very curious.Almost suspiciously curious.He asked about herself.He asked about her marital status.He asked about her family.He asked about her future plans.At one point Salma became convinced he was secretly working for a research organization.Finally she asked,"Why do you ask so many questions?"Abdallah somehow managed to avoid answering while continuing to ask even more questions.To this day, Salma never received a proper answer.Days turned into weeks.Weeks turned into months.The conversations never seemed to end.Voice notes became longer.Calls became more frequent.Good morning messages became expected.Goodnight messages became mandatory.Sometimes they would spend hours talking.Other times Abdallah would fall asleep halfway through the conversation while Salma was still speaking.The next morning...