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
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
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
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
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
Clad in a pure white kaftan, Bilal was standing in the living room and glancing at his wristwatch. He had been waiting for Zynah to emerge from her room for quite a while now, but she seemed to have forgotten that they had somewhere to go. He heaved a sigh and was about to go to her room when he sighted her approaching. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," she apologized as soon as she got close. "I couldn't find my phone." Bilal waved his hand dismissively. "It's alright. Let's go." He jiggled the keys in his hand as they walked out of the house. Zynah locked the door and sauntered out to Bilal standing by the other side of the car. Immediately she got close, he walked to the other side of the car and and opened the door for her. "Thank you," Zynah muttered. "You didn't have to do that though," she said, a smile tugging at her lips. As much as she wanted to deny it. The little gentlemanly gestures from Bilal warmed her heart. It had always been what she wanted from hi
Bilal was seated in the car, his head on the steering wheel. Zynah's gentle knock on the window startled him. "Bilal," she mouthed before opening the door and getting in. "Bilal," she called again, her voice rising in alarm. "Are you alright?" Her heartbeat raced when she got no reply. "Bilal." She panicked and tapped him on the shoulder. "Bilal!" "I'm fine," he finally replied, raising his head from the steering wheel, and inserting the key in the ignition. "Are we leaving?" Zynah asked, surprised. "Is there something else you want to do here?" He asked, his tone flat. "Have you talked to Nazmeera's doctor about the speed of her recovery?" She asked. "We really need to know how it's going." "I have," Bilal responded curtly. "Anything else?" "We still have to talk to the doctor Muslim referred," Zynah persisted. Bilal's face scrunched. "About?" "About your own health of course," Zynah huffed. "Maybe some other time. I'm tired," He muttered, twisting the key in the
Waking up with a splitting headache had become a normal routine for Zynah. She yawned and stretched out, then closed her eyes again for a few more minutes, before the adhaan was made. Groggily, she got out of bed and ambled towards the bathroom to perform ablution and then offer her fajr prayer. It was already a quarter past seven when Zynah finished reading the Qur'an and had returned it safely to its place. The rays from the morning sun penetrated through the small opening of the window and shone on her - a reminder that a new day had begun. She sauntered towards the window and allowed her gaze wander around and linger on the beauty of nature; the sky was bright, flock of birds could be seen flying about. To Zynah, the morning seemed extraordinarily beauteous - she was having a good feeling about the day. Zynah heaved a sigh, breaking free from her trance. "What's this feeling?" She asked herself, as a smile crept its way up her lips. She shrugged it off, and sauntered out