Dua-e-Khair

Sahil (5)

Present Day:

Toronto, Canada

The inspection team continued to stroll around various parts of Toronto in order to find new leads and clues but those weren't enough. Today, the team decided to follow the FBI agent in case something pops up. To be a better judge of the whole situation Ahil and Saba also decided to tag along separately just to stay out of suspicion.

"Wouldn't it be better if we drive together?" Saba suggested Ahil as they both stood in the parking lot.

"You're better off with the prosecutors.... You should go with them" Ahil replied.

"You don't get to decide what I should do....If you don't want us to go together just say so.... I have no problem in driving alone" She sounded offended. She wasn't up for orders.

She waited few seconds to get an answer from him but all in vain. Just when she was opened her car's front door, Ahil spoke:

"Lets take my car"

He walked towards his car. When he was about to get in he looked at Saba who was still standing beside hers.

"What happened?.... Get in, we don't have that much time anyway" Ahil said softly. His tone was never dictating when he was around her, not today not 10 years ago, he knew very well that she ain't someone who would bow down her head in submission.

"Hmm..." She nodded as she marched towards the passenger's seat. The other second she was sitting beside him again, in his car, years later, both of them were the same but the time wasn't. She couldn't help the guilt that trickled down her throat.

They were heading towards Stratford which was approximately 2 hours away from Toronto. The suspect was attending an auction in Stratford so they thought it will be best if they keep an eye on his activities there. Minutes were passing by and both of them were silent, no talk, not a word, nothing. The silence was growing awkward between them. Ahil's attention was on the road ahead yet his subconscious was still not over the fact that Saba was sitting beside him, it hurt him a little but he didn't show it once.

Saba kept looking out of the window and sometimes her phone too, but she couldn't bring herself in initiating the talk this time considering the last conversation they had in the bar. She thought it would be the best to stay silent.

"Do you want coffee?" Ahil asked her as he pulled up near a coffee shop.

"Umm.... yes but I'll come along" Saba head out with him towards the coffee shop.

"May I have one hot triple shot espresso macchiato regular please?" Ahil spoke to the lady on the counter while Saba instantly looked at him. He changed big time she pondered. He wasn't a big fan of strong hot coffees but he changed over the years, she thought to herself.

"Umm.... I would like a regular iced brown sugar shaken espresso with sweet cream cold foam and caramel drizzle" She spoke her regular coffee order just as she liked. She was always an iced coffee girl all these years which he already knew.

After 5-10 minutes of waiting, their order arrived and both came back to the car. As Saba sipped through her coffee, she took note of the scars on Ahil's arm, that seemed like old stitches, each a few centimeters long. She couldn't help herself from asking:

"What happened here?" She pointed with her index finger, took another sip as she laid her eyes on his face.

Ahil looked down at his scar and said:

"Got in an accident few years back.... the stitches left some scars".

"Hmm..." she nodded.

"Was it bad?.... I mean.... was the accident severe?" She proceeded with caution, she didn't want to ask personal details as she had no right but she wanted answers for the sake of her brain.