١٨

876 45 4
                                    

Dedicated to @moraten_may


Asaad's POV

Taking in the view of the town, i lit a cigarette.
I was pissed, livid. Nobody had ever spoken to me in that manner, and gotten away with it. I couldn't even bring myself to yell back at her, I couldn't afford to hurt her, especially not at such a vulnerable time.
I ran my hand through my hair, in frustration.
How could she raise her voice at me like that?
I sighed.
If it were someone else, I knew exactly how to handle the situation, but with her....
I understood that she was going through a lot, but did that justify treating other people like crap?
I had baggage I was dealing with too, probably worse than hers, and yes I wasn't the nicest or most approachable person, but I didn't yell at everyone around me, did I?

What made matters worse, was that despite the anger in me towards her, I still wanted to go back to her place, to see her again, to make sure she was fine. There was something about seeing her in a bad mood , it made me unhappy and I'd would always feel the urge to cheer her up again.

Looking around, I remembered when i first brought her up to this rooftop. I could see her eyes smile, I could sense some relief in her. I would do anything to make her feel that way again.
I was not trying to force her, but I only suggested her coming to school so she would have a piece of herself back, so she could feel a form of distraction, surrounded by her friends and studies. Rethinking, i was starting to doubt my decision. Was she really mentally fit to pay attention in class? Regardless, i just needed her to cheer up, i had been in a similar situation before and the last thing i wanted, was for her to drown in agony.
Choking on the smoke, i coughed out a bit, throwing the remaining cigarette to the floor and crushing it with my foot.

I took an elevator downstairs, and walked up straight to the manager's office. His eyes lit up when he saw me. He knew exactly why I was there so he quickly placed a key in my palm as we greeted.
Every time I didn't feel like going back home, I'd spend the night here. I had reserved a specific room for myself and I didn't have to pay because I technically owned the hotel.
I couldn't go back home to my siblings in this state, I did not want to set a bad example for them.

I unlocked the door to the room and stepped in. It had been cleaned up from when i had been there last.
I proceeded to take a shower and then prayed Isha.
I sprawled on the bed and my thoughts immediately wandered back to Elham.
How was she doing? I wondered.
I impulsively picked up my cellphone and tapped on her number. Panicking , I ended the call, hoping it hadn't begun ringing.
I shouldn't bother her, she probably needs some space.

I decided I would just wait till the next day, hoping she'd actually show up.

I called Aseeyah to confirm if everything was going fine with El, and she told me I had nothing to worry about,
With that , I fell asleep.




******
Elham's POV
I peeled my eyes open, it was time for subh already. The last thing I could remember from the previous night was running into my room and bawling my eyes out, I couldn't remember falling asleep.
I checked my cellphone for the time and was caught off guard when I noticed I had missed a call from Asaad.
Why could he have possibly called me? Especially after the way I had spoken to him.
Flashing back to the previous night, I felt disappointed and embarrassed. I was being a drama queen. I was being self-centered and i was pushing away someone who just genuinely cared about my well-being.
Sighing, I headed towards my bathroom to perform Wudhu.
Once I was done, I decided to wake the others up before praying my salaah.
I had eventually opened my door after crying yesterday and let Aseeyah and Yasmin in.
Aseeyah slept on my bed with me and Yas took the couch. A wave of guilt hit me. I hadn't realized I was being a horrible person until now.

The Niqabi Girl Where stories live. Discover now