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Behind A Smile 142
Approximately four hours later, Zynah arrived in the city. She pulled over in front of her parent's mansion and honked the horn once. The gatekeeper peeped through the peephole of the gate, before opening up and allowing Zynah in. Just as she alighted from the car, and was about to walk into the house, her phone began to ring inside her handbag. Indubitably, she knew it was Bilal. He had constantly been calling every thirty minutes or even lesser, to know if she'd arrived. Zynah fumbled around for the phone in her bag and when she finally got a hold of it, the call ended. She quickly returned the call. "Where you now? Haven't you arrived yet? It's been four hours," he said, his voice a mix of irritation and concern. Zynah exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes. "I just arrived," she replied, her tone flat. "You can relax now." "Alhamdulillah," He breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally." "What?" She sneered. "It took you forever," he teased. "I'm glad you arrived safely.
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Ramlah heaved a sigh, her voice laced with frustration. "He is not answering any of my calls," sje told Zynah. "Do you think he is mad at me?" Zynah shrugged. "Maybe he is busy with some other things." "I doubt it. He always has his phone with him. Maybe he got angry and decided to call of the wedding himself. If that is the case, Ya Zynah, I won't be able to take it." "Let me try," Zynah said, picking up her phone, and dialed his number. To Ramlah's dismay, he picked up immediately and Zynah put the call on speaker. "As salam alaykum." Came his husky voice. "Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah," Ramlah responded. "How are you doing and everyone at home?" "All fine, Alhamdulillah," he replied, curtly. "I want to speak with you," Zynah began. "is that going to be possible today? I'm around." Muslim hesitated for a while before responding, his voice strained. "Alright. I'll be there in few minutes." "Thanks. I will be waiting for you," Zynah remarked before endi
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Ramlah took in a deep breath before finally walking down the stairs and out of the house. Dr. Muslim black car parked outside was the first thing she saw when she stepped through the gate. With a mixture of nervousness and uncertainty, Ramlah approached the car. And immediately she did, the car door swung open, revealing Dr. Muslim. Ramlah hesitated for a moment, her heart racing in her chest, before finally sliding into the front seat. For the next five minutes, silence dominated the atmosphere. Ramlah didn't know where to start from. Dr. Muslim didn't speak either. It seemed as though he was also gathering his thoughts. Finally, he broke the silence. "Your sister called earlier," He began, his voice low. "I know," Ramlah responded curtly, her tone defensive. She wanted to ask him why he'd been avoiding her calls but like a coward, the words died on her tongue. "She said she wants to speak with me," he continued. "What is it?" Ramlah hummed. The conversation was get
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For some inexplicable reason, Bilal felt uneasy. He had tried to reach Zynah several times, but her line was either busy or she wasn't picking up. He waited for a while, then called again, and when she didn't pick up this time, It had him worry, for it was highly unlike her. With slightly trembling fingers, he dialed her number again, and this time, it connected. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as she spoke. "Zynah, I—" "This isn't her," Ramlah's voice cut him off, her tone laced with a hint of smugness. "Oh! Ramlah..." His voice trailed. After everything that had happened in the past few months, he didn't feel comfortable speaking to her. It was high-key awkward. "How have you been? How's home?" Ramlah rolled her eyes. "Good," She responded, curtly. "I have been trying to call Zynah. Is she close by? Please give her the phone," Bilal went straight to the point. It was obvious Ramlah didn't want to speak to him, and he understood her reason. "She isn't here," Raml
Behind A Smile 146
Zynah's jaw dropped in disbelief. She had to double check to see if he actually hung up on her. A surge of anger coursed through her veins as she turned to Ramlah. "How did Bilal know Ibrahim was here?" "Sis," Ramlah called gently before slowly approaching. "I...told him." Zynah swallowed hard. "That was so insensitive of you! How could you do that!" She exclaimed, her voice rising. "I'm sorry, Ya Zynah, I just wanted to...I wanted to—" "Don't even try to explain anything! Thanks for complicating things!" She hissed and stormed out of the room and headed straight to her patent's to inform them she was leaving. She just couldn't bear to spend a minute more in the house, not knowing the preposterous things cooking up in Bilal's mind. She felt a fanatical need to explain things to him in a way he would understand. In the hallway, she met Ibrahim, leaving already. She heaved a sigh to calm herself down a little. The last thing she wanted was to take out her frustration on hi
Behind A Smile 147
Bilal froze - his hand hooked, midair. His heart instantly began to thump rapidly in his chest. He quickly brought down his arm and opened his mouth to explain, to apologize but words failed him. Instead, a lone tear slipped out of his eye as he realized the gravity of his action. Without another word, he turned around and walked away, leaving Zynah stunned and hurt. Once an abuser, always an abuser - Zynah couldn't help, but agree with the harsh truth. Her eyes were still widened. She still couldn't believe Bilal had attempted to hit her again. Not after all they had been through. Not after promising never to do it again. For the past few months, Bilal had worked really hard in trying to make her know how changed he really was, but one little hurdle in the way, was all it took to reignite the monstrosity in him. She understood why he was angry - anyone in his shoes would be, but instead of listening to what she had to say, he acted rationally and ended up exacerbating the situat
Behind A Smile 148
Bilal's heart raced as he parted his lips to ask her if she loved him too, but he fathomed he could be crossing the boundary drawn, so he ended up stomaching his question. He would patiently wait for the time she would reciprocate and if the time never arrived, he would accept that as his fate and learn to live with the fact. If her feelings for him were indeed still alive, they would reveal themselves in due time. Zynah's lips thinned into a line. She seemed to have predicted what was on his mind. She heaved a sigh, as she also didn't have a straightforward reply to the question. "So...I found out what you and Adnan were up to. Why you two were so eager for me to return, huh?" Bilal chuckled. "The surprise has been ruined, all thanks to my irrational self." "Trust me, it wasn't ruined," Zynah reassured him. "I sincerely appreciate your efforts, yours and Adnan's." "Adnan!" He suddenly exclaimed, glancing at his wristwatch. "Oh no! It's five minutes past his closing hour
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Zynah stretched her limbs and yawned, her eyes opening to reveal an empty room. The soft morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow in the room. She glanced at the nightstand and found a plate of freshly cut fruits. A small smile spread across her face at Bilal's thoughtful gesture. As Zynah got out of bed, and sauntered towards the living room, she could already hear the sound of video game playing. As expected, she found Bilal and Adnan seated with folded legs in front of the television. Her presence wasn't even acknowledged until she cleared her throat. Bilal's gaze automatically darted to her and his lips curved into a lopsided smile. "And the sleeping beauty is finally awake." Zynah couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Did I sleep for too long?" She asked, taking a seat on the couch behind them. "Not really," Bilal replied, dropping the gamepad on the floor, and moving to sit on the couch beside Zynah. "Are you feeling better now?" "Yeah," Zynah re
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