A tale of love, loss, and new beginnings.
Hareem wants to start over, Momin is stuck in the past. Can a newly wedded couple learn to love and accept one another while also dealing with an uncertain future and a haunting past?
Trigger warning: ptsd...
TRIGGER WARNING: do not continue if you are sensitive to blood, violence or suicide. Please do not proceed if you have a past of self-harm and may get triggered. Skip this chapter, DM me and I'll give you a safe summary. Please.
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Chapter Fourteen
Momin was amazed at how light he felt.
He had, without revealing the exact details, told Hareem the state of his heart, and had lightened the emotional burden from his shoulders. It was like he didn't need to hold back when talking to her. With friends, he would avoid talking about family because he knew they wouldn't understand. With family he couldn't talk about his friends or affairs that he knew would worry his loved ones, but with Hareem, although they had essentially talked in a completely abstract manner, he wasn't afraid to mix the facets of his life.
If this is how it feels to be married, then I'm glad I am.
His grin deepened as he recalled how embarrassed she had looked when she had removed her hand from over his and had asked to go for her class.
She'll get over that shyness soon, In'sha Allah.
He was on the roof of his loft that same evening, inhaling the fresh air of the night mixed with the sweet scent of the raat ki rani (night blooming jasmine). He leaned back on his arms, staring up at the sky and allowing his thoughts to move away from Hareem and towards Ashiq.
If what Hareem had said was true, perhaps coming across the man who looked like Ashiq was a reminder for him. A reminder to finally address his brother's disappearance. He had to find out where his brother was, and ask him why he left them.
I need to know where our love lacked for him.
Momin's throat grew tighter, but he ignored it. He felt more determined than ever before. For years he had tried to bury himself under studies and work, meeting each goal his parents had set from him as well as for his brother. He had been so focused on filling the gaping hole of his brother's presence that he hadn't bothered looking for him. His father and townsfolk had searched for his brother for weeks, before the police had recommended that they stop their search. Teenage boys ran away all the time, the police had said. They returned sooner or later after getting a feel for independence.
Not his brother though.
He now had a goal to achieve, and had to use his head to the best of its capabilities.
His investigation was going to be secret, he decided. Probably between him, Hareem, and a bunch of professionals who he would hire to help him, since involving his parents would cause things to get too emotional. He couldn't handle emotions right now. He only had to focus on logic.
The night before Ashiq left them, what was going on in his mind? Momin knitted his eyebrows together, focusing hard on that day.
Momin had been home from college that weekend. His midterms were less than three weeks away and he had wanted to visit the family before submerging himself in studies for the next six weeks, additionally Ashiq's school prize distribution was that weekend. As always, Ashiq had bagged top grades on over five subjects, and so had insisted that Momin attend the ceremony too. Momin had never topped a position in his school years, so Ashiq made it a point to tease Momin by insisting that he attend the ceremonies.
