Who is Anisa Haque?

Chapter 30 -

Khalifa

Khalifa's brows often betray him in tense situations. They could furrow, twitch or completely unclench without so much as a warning to the rest of his body so he could adjust his behaviour according to this new found emotion. 

Right now, he was caught between a clench and a twist as he listened to one of the most traumatic incidents to ever happen to someone he knows.


He was amazed how quickly things had changed. Three days ago his life had been nothing more than a constant trade off between the gym, polo, boredom and work.


Now? He was experiencing a rush of sympathy mixed in with a little anxiety as he sat cramped uncomfortably in the front seat of a 2002 Honda Civic with a young woman crying her eyes out as she narrated a very harrowing experience to him. 

And even though in the last 36 hours this woman had kidnapped, bullied, insulted, rough handled and even handcuffed him, Khalifa wanted nothing more than to wrap her in a tight hug, kiss her on the forehead and tell her everything is going to be alright.

 
'I don't think she'd appreciate that!' he cautioned himself. If there's anything Khalifa has learnt in the last two days, it's that 1) Anisa Haque likes keeping things halal and 2) Anisa Haque really values her personal space, physically and emotionally. Besides, Khalifa tends to get carried away with playing The-Good-Guy role, he often crosses the line between sensitive and creepy.



Still, he gazed at Anisa as she spilled, nodding at the right moments, sighing in agreement and occasionally dropping soothing words of encouragement.



He had never felt closer to another human being as he felt at that very moment. He had guessed that this Ibrahim had really hurt Anisa, but he didn't realise the extent. She has experienced a heartbreak that was leaps and bounds worse than he had.



Ever since Habeebah gave him the elbow, Khalifa had believed he would be scarred for life. What happens when a purported auren zumunci breaks up? When you've been nurtured to believe your future is certain with your first cousin, everyone gets invested in your relationship. You almost feel as if you owe your family to make it work.



But then just like that, it blows up in your face. She quits and runs away, leaving you alone to deal with heartbreak and disappointment. And then you have to walk around with the entire family looking at you like you're a colossal failure. You were handed your future on a silver platter and you still couldn't make it work?

Would he ever be able to move on? Never, he'd always believed. Habeebah will forever be a part of his life, whether he liked it or not. No matter how hard he'd try to avoid her, they still lived in the same home, they all answer to MBA and f that wasn't enough, they also share some DNA.



Even though Khalifa's apartment was at the far east wing of the Amana mansion, their paths were bound to cross at the masjid, at family dinners, the movie theatre or a million other places in their mortifyingly self sufficient home.



Having to bump into your ex everyday is tough, especially for an avoider like Khalifa, thats why he'd always believed his and Habeebah's was the worst heartbreak situationship ever. Until now that he's heard the truth behind Ibrahim and Anisa. His was a joke compared to this! Her pain caused him to realise how trivial his concern about bumping into Habeebah actually is; when Anisa probably gets reminded of Ibrahim, heartbreak and infertility every time she sees a baby, a child or even a pregnant woman!



No wonder she's always on edge, she's got a lot on her mind.



He wished he could just zap Anisa's pain away. He hated Ibrahim so much for doing this. Much more than he resents Habeebah for breaking his heart the way she did.



As tough and aloof as Anisa likes to portray herself, she always has good intentions behind her actions and Khalifa admired that. She doesn't deserve this. No one does.



The handkerchief he had handed Anisa sat awkwardly on the gear stick, waiting for her to accept its kind presence. It was all he could do not to pick it up and blot away one tear droplet that was hanging precariously on the edge of her thick, wiry lashes. But that would also cross the line into creepy territory and he was sure he wasn't ready for another one of Anisa's lectures on professionalism.



'That was the day I decided to restructure my life,' she continued hoarsely as Khalifa's brows continued to twitch over all the gestures he was trying to suppress. 'My future had disappeared right before my very eyes and there was no use crying over broken tubes.



'My new purpose in life was to work hard and take care of my parents until their time on this earth is up. In the mean time, I would strive to give them the best of this world. Maybe even make enough money to enjoy myself when I retire at 40.'



'40 only?' Khalifa chuckled. 'Doesn't life begin at 40? We need you to stick around longer, Ms. Haque.' When Anisa didn't respond, he brushed away his poor attempt at humour and cleared his throat. 'You are right to seek revenge,' he said carefully.