"You can't love someone back to life, Israfil." She whispered. Her chest heaved with desperation, her heart throbbing against her rib cage.
He shook his head, "You can try," Israfil responded softly. "Let me love you, Farah."
-
In a society of lies...
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chapter forty one - fatn (فتن)
song of the chapter ; touch it - ariana grande
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THE CLOCK WAS ticking.
For each second that passes, every click of the thin hand counting the moments, there's another beat of Farah's heart slamming against her ribs with such vigor that it had her winded momentarily. She tightened her hands around Israfil's shoulders, clutching for a lifeline as she buried her face into the side of his neck. She still had so much to tell him, and he knew that she was still much more damaged than she let on, but yet, he loved her?
"How?" She said after a bit.
He furrowed his dark eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
She pulled back, red-rimmed eyes searching his face. "How?" She croaked, "How can you love me, Israfil?" Suddenly finding his silver gaze too intense, she let it fall to his neck. "I haven't even told you everything. How can you love someone like me, when there are better people out there?"
"Look at me," He urged. When she didn't, he repeated himself, his voice still tender and unwavering. "Look at me, Farah."
She met his gaze.
"I don't want to love anyone else," He whispered, letting his words flow freely out of his mouth courageously. He was brave, daring, even. Farah admired his honesty-- she would never be able to be that outspoken, no matter how much she could try. "I just want you. I love you. I'm in love with you. No one else." Another soft whisper. "Just you."
He leaned his forehead against her own, sucking in such a sharp breath he thought his lungs would collapse. "Just you, Farah."
Farah's heart was drumming so harshly she could hear the blood being pumped from the organ between her ribs to the one in her skull. It was rushing through her ears, thick and warm. She felt lost among clouds, but somehow, going in the right direction. Her fingers trembled against his skin as she rested her head on his shoulder, a burning need to say it back only furthering. She knew he had loved her for a long time, it was shown through his actions, the small or big gestures, or even him just remembering certain things she had told him about herself. Yet, it seemed so surreal to actually hear him say it out loud, and that, she didn't understand.
Nothing else mattered. Here and now was relevant, and the rest that came after would be dealt with then. She was finding peace in herself, pieces shifting and reordering to make her feel whole again. It was getting better, she was starting to feel... okay again. Happy. And nothing could ever ruin that, not even her own self.
