Hushed Confessions | ✔

{32} Quest for Love

Malik Idris

"Malik, are you sure you're well enough for this?" asked Nathan as he drove down the dark road, the only brightness coming from his headlights.

"I'm... fine," I said in a strained voice, my eyes shutting from the immense pain from my abdomen.

Ridwan snorted. "Once upon a time, I was stabbed too. You're not fine at all."

"Shut up," I mumbled. "Sajdaa needs us."

"Malik," sighed Nathan, "you're horribly injured. Two serial killers will not have mercy on you if you lack in your normal abilities. Ridwan and I could find her."

"I need to see that she's okay. I have to see her."

"Why?" questioned Ridwan, suspicious.

My face paled, and Nathan rolled his eyes, knowing it was only a matter of time until Ridwan would question my intentions towards his sister. I didn't blame him. My interest in Sajdaa was more personal than normal officers, if anything I was becoming obsessed with her.

After so many hardships and trials, it was Sajdaa who brought the light I desperately avoided. She held me in her grasps, bent to her every word, and hung over her laughter. Slowly, Sajdaa was becoming a drug, an addiction I needed to fulfill to keep my sanity, a beauty that kept me hypnotized.

She saw me at my worst, at my best, and at my weakest. She'd accepted all my flaws, reminding me of Islam at every corner of our difficult journey together. She never forgot Allah and she never abandoned her Creator, no matter the circumstances. She saved me from damnation in a world where people manipulated my every decision.

I couldn't lose her, not after everything we went through.

"I just care for her," I said quietly.

"Right, and it's just care you feel?" asked Ridwan, not convinced at all.

"Perhaps."

"You realize you're both Muslims, meaning you can't date or anything, right? My sister would never let a man impede on her relationship with Allah," he stated, before pondering his own words. "Unless you propose."

A slow smile spread across my lips. "Yeah."

Whether he understood the hidden meaning or not, at that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that Sajdaa meant much more to me than anyone else. Her love could fill the thirst of a man, who was deprived of such sweetness for years, leaving a bitter taste instead.

I was done with all those feelings that Audrey planted in my heart, done with letting them grow, done with the painful leaves of my past. I had Allah and Sajdaa, well, only if I got to her in time.

Please, Allah, I prayed, save Sajdaa from Audrey's madness. Please save the girl I love.

* * * *

Chills crawled up the back of my spine, an airy breeze blew past us, bringing all the discolored brown leaves with it. In the distance, a howl was heard.

I uneasily glanced at the broken warehouse in front, my hand resting on my holster. Broken windows had shattered with sharp shards, falling into the moist earth, and digging deep into the surface.

A yellow caution tape surrounded the building, but there were no officers at this time of night, only their crime scene left behind. Gesturing for Ridwan and Nathan to stay close, I took cautious steps towards the scene, walking in through the doors.

Everything was silent, too silent.

The floor creaked beneath our feet, most likely alerting those around us of our location. Quickly stopping, I surveyed the area. Remembering from my previous mistake, I turned on my flashlight, scanning every corner of the room.