My Emir ✅

Chapter 37- Veils off.

     

How do we tell the sea that we are drowning on land?

        It has been five minutes since she ended the call on him. All he could do was stare at the blank screen of his phone in disbelief. Why would she hang up the call on him? Come to think of it, she couldn't be blamed. His words still hurt her. He didn't want that. He wanted to meet up with her and set things right between them. Her absence was suffocating, and he was barely holding up. However, he didn't want her to feel pressured in any way. He could have driven to her apartment there and then, but there was hardly a guarantee that she would open up to him when she couldn't do it over the phone.

    The blank screen of his phone appeared to be mocking him. He gave in to the urge to throw it across his bedroom__ the room he shared with her.
   The door slid open, and his mother walked into his room. She spotted the device at her feet and shot him a questioning look. She picked it up and held it up for him to see how damaged it was. That wasn't the first time he had done that.
  “ It's broken now,” she said. “ You really need to stop venting your anger on your phones.”

   Zayn rubbed his palm over his face, letting out a groan. Mama Aisha was already making her way toward his bed, where he was seated. She made herself comfortable beside him and took his hand in hers. She marvelled at how the tiny hands she used to hold had now outgrown hers. She shot him a small smile that arguably lifted his spirit a bit.

    “ Did you get to talk to her?” she asked about the obvious.

    “ She didn't allow me to,” he replied. “ she hung up on me.”

   “ You can't blame her entirely, son,” she cupped his face, caressing his cheeks gently. “ she's hurt. And she'll need more time to heal.”

   Zayn only nodded in understanding. There wasn't much he could do about it. Once again, he reminded himself that; patience is a virtue.

    Mama Aisha tossed his phone on the bed. “ Get a new one soon.”
   He chuckled.
“Emraan and Eskander are downstairs. I'm cooking something for us.”

    Amazing grace.

   “ What are you cooking?” Zayn asked, his lips splitting into a smile.

   “ Just come down first.”
   She got on her feet and made for the door.

   Zayn watched quietly as his mother closed the door behind her. It didn't take a minute before those nagging thoughts started to rush through his head again. That he wasn't worthy of her. And that, he had failed her.
   He forced himself off the bed and headed downstairs. At least with that, he won't be left alone to even think of drowning in thoughts.
   His mother made mention of Emraan and Eskander being downstairs. Those men won't leave him to his thoughts, even for a minute.

          *~*

      She should have listened to her husband and allowed him to drive her to the palace to meet Sultan, instead of going alone. She had been too angry to listen to him. Now, she is hundred percent sure that she was being tailed by two sleek black cars. Both of them were of the same brand and model. The likeness was hard to ignore__ Mercedes C300. It all started at the Kano Government House runabout. They had been right behind her. She hadn't bothered, driving casually as the road was jammed with vehicles. Too much traffic for 9 pm.
   Eventually, the traffic had eased, and she steered the car towards home. At first, she brushed it off when she noticed the two cars were still trailing behind her.