*taps mic* Is this thing on?

(feedback screeches) Ouch. Sorry about that, guys. (laughs nervously)

Ahem. Okay. Hi. Salam. It's been a while, hasn't it?

How have you guys been? Hope you've all been well. 😊

Since completing this story, I've never stopped thinking about it. Partly because of all the notifications I keep getting, and each time I open them I get sucked back into the CTBB world. Plus, thanks to you guys, we reached number one in the spiritual category three times! So yeah, I can't exactly let go of this story completely. It's in my heart, in my dreams, and in my soul. And I've been missing it lately.

Missing it enough to resurrect a couple characters and drag them in for an interview. So are you ready?

(awkward silence. Someone coughs)

I said ARE YOU READY?

(everyone cheers and whoops)

That's more like it! Now, let's bring in your favourite couple, the stars of the show, the driving force of the entire story, Mariam and Damian!

(Damian and Mariam enter the stage, waving at the crowd of screaming fans)

: Assalamu Alaykum!

Dariam: Wa alaykum musalam, Aishabella!

(Exchanges a hug with Mariam and a smile with Damian, while trying to control inner fangirl urges to freak out)

: So, how are you guys? I'm so glad you could make it to the show.

Damian: (looks around) Are we on TV?

Well, no. But you have a lovely live studio audience of Wattpad readers instead!

Damian: (smiles at the crowd, crowd goes wild) Wow, I didn't know I was that famous.

(chuckles): You have no idea... (glances at all the crazy readers holding up "I Love Damian" posters)

Mariam: Are all these people here...for us?

Yep. They adore you guys.

Damian: (puts arm around Mariam and beams) Of course they do. Who wouldn't adore us?

Mariam: (rolls eyes and smiles)

Okay, so let's get started with the questions. I'm sure everyone is eager to know all the details.

Damian: (smirks) But we gotta keep it PG, right?

(Mariam shoots him a look)

(chuckles) Of course. Now let's get started. Finally.

Mariam: (gives Damian a reprimanding look to behave himself) Yes, finally.

First of all, how are the kids?

Mariam: Oh, they're great, Alhamdulillah. Imran is growing so fast, and Malak just got her first tooth out.

Damian: Little Zak has started preschool and he's quite the popular kid, just like his father. (smirks)

Mariam: Well, Imran is doing well in school, just like his mother. He's a very smart kid.

Damian: Don't forget popular.

Mariam: School's not just about being popular, Damian.

Damian: Well, our kids are popular and look how happy they are.

Mariam: It's also important they learn at school.

Damian: (presents his wife to the crowd) My wife, the ultimate nerd.

Mariam: (pokes tongue at him) Yeah, a nerd with a medical degree.

Damian: See? Nerd.

Mariam: And yet you still married me.

Damian: How could I not? You're beautiful.

Mariam: Oh, so that's all you care about? My looks?

Damian: Hey, beauty is not just on the outside. It also comes from (pats heart) within.

Mariam: (rolls eyes) You're so cheesy.

(snickers) Well, I did write him that way.

Damian: I just wish you didn't have to make me such a jerk at the beginning. I mean, why couldn't I have been a slightly nicer person?

Hey, the title wouldn't be Converting the Bad Boy if you weren't a bad boy.

Damian: I guess you have a point, but still. I was such an a-hole.

Mariam: (nods head in agreement) Yeah, you really were.

Damian: I don't even want to think what would've happened if you hadn't changed me, Mariam. Like, what if -

Mariam: Don't say what if because everything that happened was part of Allah's plan.

Yes, very true, Mariam. Speaking of Allah's plans, how did you cope with Kareema's...you know?

Mariam: (sighs heavily) Well, to be honest, we are still coping, even though it's been twelve years...

Damian: (holds Mariam's hand) We had each other, and that was what really helped me during that time. The whole family came together and somehow that feeling of not being alone in our grief made it easier to bear.

Mariam: The memory of her still lives with us, Allah yarhamha.

Damian: Even more so now that my father and I changed our surnames to 'Kareem' instead of Brewer. I'm reminded of her every time I state my name.

Why did you change your surname?

Damian: I just didn't like the meaning of it. Brewer was an occupational surname in Anglo-Saxon times, and it means to brew alcohol in Old English, so I didn't want to carry a name like that around. And just as my father said, 'out with the brewer and in with something newer.'

Speaking of your father, the whole ordeal must've been particularly hard on him.

Damian: Oh yeah, it was hard on him. He had been Muslim for barely two weeks when Mum passed. But I think once he put more faith in Allah his life became better, and he was able to find solace in Islam because it made him feel connected with Mum.

Now onto a much lighter topic: your relationship. We never got to see how you guys settled after the wedding.

Damian: Yeah, what a shame you didn't write about that! It was very interesting.

My bad. Anyway, how was it for you, Mariam?

Mariam: It was such a big adjustment for me. I mean, I moved out of my home to live with this guy. Although my family visited regularly, I missed them. Even Nasr and his teasing. But living with Damian was both amazing and...

Damian: Fun?

Mariam: I was going to say weird, but okay.

Damian: It was fun in a weird way.

Mariam: We were in that honeymoon phase. And when you're in that phase, you tend to overlook your partner's faults.

Damian: What faults? Look at me, baby, I'm flawless.

Mariam: ...

(silently agrees with him)

Damian: You know, despite it being a depressing time for all of us, I loved the first few months of our marriage. I got to see sides of Mariam I had never seen before. Like her fun side. I didn't know it existed until that day we had a food fight in the kitchen.

Mariam: But then we had to clean up after, so it wasn't that fun.

Damian: Hey, I thought I was the pessimist in this relationship.

Mariam: I'm just stating the truth.

Damian: Anyways, since we were still living with my dad and Auntie Kate, we didn't have as much freedom as we wanted, plus we had to go to our classes everyday which sucked. But whenever we did get the time to spend together, I always had a blast, even if we were just doing nothing. After all, it's not about what you do, but who you're with.

Mariam: I really shouldn't have fed you lasagne yesterday because all you're spouting now is cheese.

Damian: But you still like it.

Mariam: Meh.

I'm sure everyone here is curious to know who said the three magic words first.

Mariam: Said what?

Damian: I love you.

Mariam: Aw, I love you too!

Damian: I was talking to Aishabella.

Mariam: (sighs) Do you see what I have to live with?

Yes, you are a very lucky woman.

Damian: (grins) She is, isn't she?

So who said it first?

Damian: Me, of course. This girl is such a chicken!

Mariam: No, I'm not!

Damian: (places hand on heart and looks dramatically into the distance) In a moment of emotional vulnerability, I suddenly felt the need to express my love for this woman. I just had to say it. I had to speak my true feelings.

Mariam: What surprised me about it was how soon he said it.

How soon?

Mariam: Not even two days.

Damian: (still dramatically) I should've said it sooner.

Oh, Damian. You are quite the romantic, aren't you?

Damian: I try to be. You know, I still give her flowers every year, and if not for our busy careers we would've gone out more, but I try to take her out whenever I can and get Auntie Kate to babysit.

So when did you two get your own place to live?

Mariam: Well, financially, it was more convenient to live at Damian's place, and we didn't get our own house until Imran was two years old and we had both gotten jobs.

Damian: Imran came at a busy time in our lives. We were both in our last year at uni and not really prepared to take care of a kid, but hey, we managed, Alhamdulillah, with help from the fam.

Mariam: Medical school and a baby aren't the best mix, but good thing Immi was able to look after him while I studied for my finals. The only problem was when the baby bump started to show, and people would give me looks.

How did Zaid take it?

Damian: What's Zaid got to do with anything?

The readers want to know, okay? Zaid was part of the story too.

Damian: Yeah, but he's irrelevant.

Mariam: No he wasn't and you know it, Damian. Zaid was actually very helpful. He offered to carry my books many times and helped me catch up on classes I missed out on because of doctor appointments.

How nice of him.

Mariam: Yeah. Eventually he moved on from his hostility and we were back on good terms.

And are you still in touch with him now?

Mariam: I wouldn't say in touch, but I sometimes see him and his wife and kids at the supermarket or the park.

His wife?

Mariam: Yeah. I've met her once at the masjid. Her name is Hafsa, and she's a very kind, smart woman. She works as an engineer and part time author.

How very cool. And what about Zaid? Is he a doctor now or...?

Mariam: He's a surgeon, actually. He works at a different hospital to me -

Damian: Thank God.

Mariam: (shoots him a look) - and he is very good at what he does. After all, he did beat me with the ATAR score!

Damian: (mutters) Nerd.

Mariam: Damian, be nice.

Damian: I am being nice! Being a nerd is a compliment!

Mariam: Oh, really?

Damian: Yeah, because you're one. And I would never call you anything bad.

Mariam: (sarcastically) Of course, because you're the kindest, sweetest husband ever.

Damian: Don't forget extremely good-looking.

Mariam: Yes, that too.

Damian: (widens eyes) Did you hear that? She finally admitted it! (pumps fist)

Mariam: I said it just to humour your pretty little mind, sweetie.

Damian: You think my mind is pretty?

Mariam: Yeah. Pretty little.

(gushes)You guys are so cute.

Damian: If you think this is cute, you should've seen us on our honeymoon.

Unfortunately, we didn't.

Damian: And whose fault is that? (pokes tongue)

Mariam: Hey, don't poke your tongue out at the girl who wrote you! It's disrespectful.

Damian: (points at me) She made me do it!

(sniggers evilly) Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Mariam: Are there any more questions? Cause we gotta leave soon and pick up the kids from school.

This is the last question, I swear.

Damian: Aw, are we done already? I'm kinda enjoying this interview thing.

Who knows? I might do another one... (winks at the readers)

Mariam: Okay, hit us with the last question.

The last question is...*dramatic pause*

Damian: ...

Mariam: ...

What's your favourite colour?

Mariam: Seriously?!

Nah, I'm just messing with you.

Mariam: ...

Damian: (laughs)

Okay, for realsies, now. Name one thing you like about each other and one thing you don't.

Damian: Isn't that two questions?

Mariam: Was that even a question?

(waves hand dismissively)Details, details.

Mariam: I suddenly feel like we're at a marriage counselling session.

Damian: God forbid. Let's never get to that stage. Ever.

Mariam: In Sha Allah.

Damian: Okay, one thing I like about Mariam and one thing I don't... can I skip the last part? I don't wanna die tonight.

Mariam: Oh, don't worry, sweetie, I can take a little criticism.

Damian: In that case, where do I start? (rifles through pockets) I think I made a list just for this occasion.

Mariam: Just get on with it.

Damian: As you wish, my darling whom I love so much.

Mariam: Yeah, yeah. (smiles)

Damian: First of all, I love how Mariam can look at the brighter side of things. Like, it doesn't matter how crappy the situation is, she'll always find something good. Even in a person like me.

Mariam: Hey, don't be hard on yourself.

Damian: See? I don't know how she does it!

Now for the hard part. What's something Mariam does that annoys you? And it's okay, this is a safe space -

Mariam: Again with the marriage counselling.

The first step to solving your problems is admitting you have a problem.

Mariam: We don't have any problems!

Damian: Alhamdulillah.

Mariam: Except...

Damian: (mutters) Here we go.

Mariam: Sometimes we don't see eye-to-eye, and I'm not gonna say our marriage is perfect, because no marriage is. It's a team effort, and we both have to meet halfway to make it work. But I guess the only problem is that we're very different people -

Damian: Who are in love with each other.

Aw!

Mariam: Most of the time.

Damian: Well, yeah. But I love when Mariam gets angry. She has this fire in her eyes that's amusing to watch and -

Mariam: (glares at him)

Damian: Yeah, just like that! Thanks for the demo, habibti.

Mariam: (continues to glare, eventually laughs)

I suppose you two work out your differences through humour, right?

Damian: Life without humour is like pizza without the toppings. It just ain't right!

I completely agree. So, Mariam, now it's your turn to say something you like and something you don't like about Damian.

Mariam: But Damian never got to say what he didn't like about me.

Damian: (chuckles nervously) I think I'll pass on that.

Mariam: Oh, come on! I wanna know.

Damian: Fine, but please don't hurt me.

Mariam: (sweetly) can't make any promises!

Damian: Here goes nothing, then. (takes a deep breath) Mariam can be a little...indecisive. One time we went out for dinner and she literally changed her order four times because she couldn't make up her mind! She has a hard time sticking to one thing, so one minute she'll tell you she wants to do this, and the next she'll completely change her mind and want to do something else. I just can't keep up!

Mariam: Is that all?

Damian: ...Yeah.

Mariam: Well, everyone does tell me I can be a little indecisive, especially when I want to try everything.

Damian: So you're not gonna kill me?

Mariam: (laughs) Damian, habibi, if I was going to kill you, I would've done it ages ago. But thanks for sharing.

Damian: I guess it's your turn now. And I think I know what you're gonna say.

Mariam: Well, to start off with, what I like about you the most -

Damian: Like?

Mariam: Fine, what I love about you the most is your jokes. Even though I roll my eyes at most of them, you are quite funny, and you keep things interesting.

Damian: Thanks, baby!

Mariam: Don't call me that. Otherwise I'll call you Da -

Damian: No! please, no!

Mariam: (smiles in satisfaction) Anyway, as I was saying, what I least like about this dude -

Damian: Hey, who you calling a dude?

Mariam: (ignores him and continues) - is his obsession with his reflection.

Damian: What?!

Mariam: Don't act like I didn't notice every time you check yourself out in the rearview mirror, or whenever we pass any reflective surface you spend five minutes fixing your hair.

Damian: You're making me sound like a girl!

Mariam: You're worse than me, honey, just admit it. You have a problem.

Damian: Oh, come on. If you looked like me, you'd wanna check yourself out from time to time.

Mariam: (rolls eyes) Sometimes I wonder if your cockiness has actually faded or if it's getting worse.

Damian: Like you don't do the same thing! How many times do you make us stop in the middle of the parking lot to adjust your hijab using some random car's windows? Once there was someone inside and she beeped the horn at you to get away.

Mariam: That was one time! Plus, hijabs take more maintenance than your hair would ever need.

Damian: Have you seen me in the morning? Well, of course you have, but don't you remember how dishevelled I look? And I always have to make sure I look good anyway - I run a company, for God's sake!

Mariam: You know, sometimes I think you're more in love with yourself than me.

Damian: That's ridiculous!

Mariam: You're ridiculous!

(talks over them arguing)Well, folks, I guess that wraps up our interview, as that's all the time we have for today. (Dariam continue to argue) Aren't they just adorable? Give it up for our favourite couple!

(Dariam stop arguing once they hear the applause)

Jazakallahu Khairun for taking the time to sit with us today.

Damian: Oh, it was a pleasure.

Mariam: Yeah, Jazakallahu Khair for having us!

Damian: (faces readers) and to all my fans out there, I love you too! (blows kiss, several girls faint)

Yeah, I think you guys should leave before any more people end up in hospital for over fan-girling.

Damian: My wife is a trained doctor, so if anything happens...

Mariam: Nothing will happen, In Sha Allah. Now let's go back to being parents and pick up the kids.

Send my Salam and hugs to the kids for me, will you?

Mariam: Will do! Ma'a salama, Aishabella (hugs)

Damian: Ma'a salama! (waves and smiles one last time to the audience before walking off with Mariam)