REMARKABLE

21

3 years ago

11th March 2015

His heartbeat thrummed furiously inside his chest, he couldn't even breath properly as the distance between the door decreased with every footstep. He was walking towards his doom, like all those years ago. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he ran an unsteady hand down his face, trying to control his haywire nerves. The world revolved around him as he stood in front of the door to his bedroom and raised a trembling hand.

She was fumbling with the sequins on her wedding skirt as she sat in the middle of the bed, it had been hours and there was still no sign of her newly wedded husband, his sister and women who had accompanied her to the room had left too about an hour ago. She stretched trying to straighten the kinks in her back when she heard the translucent doors to her left slide open. She turned around only to find her husband in the doorway, Armineh wouldn't have noticed his labored breathing if it hadn't been echoing in the pin drop silence of the room. Her gaze shifted from his chest to his face, deep worry lines were etched across his forehead as it glistened with beads of sweat. Armineh grew worried about him, even more so when he tightly held onto the door, his knuckles turning white.

Yahya rasped, 'I have married you, this is your place, do whatever you want, Just-' He took a deep breath,' Just do me a favor and stay as far from me as you can.' He said, coldly even if his demeanor reflected his internal struggles, it has been twenty-two years since- he had spent seventeen years in fear of his past and he still wasn't over it, yet.

Armineh was about to ask him if he was okay when he turned around on his heels and walked away from her. He was gone as soon as he had come, for all it could have been a figment of her imagination. Armineh shrugged her shoulders, this marriage was an added burden, if anything and she was in no hurry to pursue him either. She will do a mighty fine job of keeping her distance. Armineh gathered her heavy skirt from around her and rose from the bed, her bangles jingling with the movements as the wall clock read 11:30 pm in bold. A yawn escaped her mouth as she crouched on the floor beside her bags and pulled the zips open.

❇❇❇

Present day

Armineh had been typing an email with only her job on her mind when her secretary's voice interrupted her and she upturned her head to look at Sania with furrowed eyebrows.

'Miss Armineh, Mr Anaam Raza is here to see you. Should I send him in?' Her secretary asked as she poked her head inside her office through the slightly ajar door.

Anaam Raza? What's he doing here?

'Yes, ofcourse. Send him in.' Armineh said and straightened in her seat. It's been long since she had last seen him or his siblings including his older brother and presumably, her husband.

Anaam walked into the chic office to find her sister in law typing away on her laptop, her fingers flying over the keyboard with impeccable speed and solely focused on what was in front of her on the screen. She had barely noticed when him coming in. She was dressed elegantly as always, her chocolate hair tied in a pony tail at the back of her head.

Anaam cleared his throat to get her attention.

'Oh! Anaam. Come. Come in.' Armineh beckoned him further into the room and greeted as she rose from her chair.'Please take a seat.'

Anaam opened the buttons of his grey striped blazer before taking a chair.

'How are you, sister in law?' Anaam asked wiggling his eyebrows. Now, why did he do that?