Fate

Chapter 3

Silence.

Pin drop silence was what Meerab heard as she slowly regained consciousness. The after effects of the anaesthesia caused a wave of nausea to pass through her body, settling into her chest. She struggled to open her eyes, her body numb.

A sharp sting burned her throat when she tried to speak, her voice lost, her words coming out in a muffled groan.

Gathering the strength to open her eyes she forced them open only to tightly shut them again when the white light above her blinded her.

She could still feel the strong light through her lids as they ached but then she heard shuffling and soon the ache vanished. Her stressed eyes relaxed and she let them slowly flutter open this time. The white light no longer blinded her. It had been turned off. Her vision was blurry and she blinked a few times, her right hand instinctively rising to rub her eyes but she winced and shut them again as a sharp stabbing pain shot up her arm.

"Sshh, araam se. Be careful" a voice whispered. A large, warm, very manly hand engulfed her small, delicate one and to her surprise, Meerab felt herself relax at the touch as it moved her arm down very slowly until it rested in its original position against the sheets. The hand then took ahold of her fingers gently and began rubbing soothing circles on her knuckles with its thumb.

She then felt a soft, tender kiss being placed on her knuckles before the lips were replaced by the thumb again. The hand then gently, lovingly caressed a soft path up her arm, across her collar bone and up her neck, each slide of the fingertips against her skin causing her to relax further until it reached her face.

The hand gently cupped her right cheek, thumb stroking her cheek bone with a featherlight touch. Her eyes were still closed but her senses were more aware now. She heard a small whimper that sounded almost like a suppressed cry, the hand still caressing her cheek.

Her eyes gently fluttered open, squinting a little as they adjusted to the light. She was facing the ceiling when her vision returned to normal, the ceiling lights illuminating the room in a warm glow.

The hand on her cheek was still now. She turned her head in the direction, there was a constant throbbing ache in her head from the moment she had regained consciousness, her neck stiff, her body numb as the effects of the anaesthesia slowly wore off . Her eyes widened and her breath hitched when they landed on the man that sat in the chair by the bed. Tears filled her eyes as her brain registered his presence, a lump forming in her throat, his name leaving her lips involuntarily in a feathery whisper,

"Murtasim..."

His expression mirrored her own as tears streamed down their faces, his hand now gripping her cheek a little firmly as his lips quivered at the sound of his name from her lips.

7 months. He waited 7 painfully long months to hear her say his name. It sounded like a sweet melody in that moment.  He gasped for air as he swallowed the lump in his throat and got up to stand beside her by the bed.

Leaning down he desperately cupped her face between both his hands, their foreheads and noses touching as they cried together. They cried for this unexpected reunion. They cried for the  time they lost. They cried for all the potential moments and memories they lost during the past 7 months, the experiences they could've shared. But most of all, they cried for each other.

Both of them had missed each other more than words could describe. They longed for each other, craved each other. They ached to be reunited. But Meerab's mind was in a constant turmoil since the night she left home and him. She had been in a constant battle with herself since that night. She had no complaints regarding him. She had acknowledged and accepted his love, care and respect for her in front of the strangers that had become family to her.