These Impossible Things

Malak appreciates how Ali notices details about her. After six weeks of dating, he asks her to visit his grandmother. She’s mildly concerned at the speed of this, but she agrees, enjoying the ease of their relationship. When Ali presents a clear-eyed assessment of the economic and political challenges Egypt faces, Malak feels excited by his passion for their country of origin. They talk about Ali’s plans for a PhD and professorship, and Malak is pleased when he casually references her presence in his future.

Lewis tells Jenna that he has fallen in love with a woman named Zee, whom he first met online. She is a Muslim woman from Liverpool, though Lewis considers her less religious than Jenna. Jenna tries to be supportive of his happiness but feels jealous that she is no longer the most important person in his life. When Lewis leaves for a phone date with Zee, Jenna texts two friends (both of whom she sometimes has sex with) to meet her; when they are unavailable, she texts Mo. She tells him to meet her, but she then changes her mind and takes a cab home without telling Mo she is leaving. She watches a movie with her parents, not noticing the many missed calls from Mo, who was waiting to pick her up as she had requested.