CHASING LOVE

Chapter#01

Hard hands. Brushing against her soft skin. She couldn't see but she could feel.

It was him.

She could feel him.

His fingers danced over her cheeks as they wiped the tears away.

"Zahra," the whisper echoed against the silence of the night.

She wanted to say something. She wanted to hold him, touch him but she couldn't feel her hands. She wanted to open her eyes but couldn't. It was as if her waterlines were glued together.

"Zahra, wake up. I am here." She opened her mouth but no voice came out.

His thumb rubbed her eyelids softly.

Tears of frustration ran out of her eyes as she tried till the end of her will to open her eyes and see him. Just a glance.

Wanting all that happened to be a bad dream and him being here a reality.

But only if that could happen.

"You won't get up?" She shook her head vigorously not wanting to upset him. She wanted to get up and hug him.

Then everything went silent. His fingers no more on her skin. She couldn't feel him beside her.

An echo of a hard slap made her jerk up in the bed as she looked around frantically.

The room was bathing in darkness, he wasn't there.

It was a nightmare.

Again.

Zahra held her head in her hands, as her breath came out labored.

Once her heartbeat was back to normal that she opened the lamp gulping some water down her throat. Her hands were still shaking.

She pulled open the lower drawer of the side table and took out a sleeping pill.

She stared at it for some time before a helpless groan left her mouth and she threw it in the farthest corner of the room.

"I hate you. I HATE YOU." She yelled clutching her hair, pulling at them harshly.

"I hate you." She sobbed laying down again and curled up as tears roll down her eyes once again.

_

Zahra gulped the whole glass of juice down in one go, pushing the bread down her throat.

"Zahra, eat slowly," Her mother called from the kitchen as she walked in and washed her hands.

"Mama, I am already so late," She rushed putting her wristwatch on.

The horn beeped from outside making her walk out to the living room and pull her sleepy siblings up.

"Areesha, Bilal. Hurry up, your van is here!" She almost pushed them out of the house.

"I will visit the orphanage today." Her mother said and she nodded pushing her iPad into her bag.

"I will try to be home earlier but no promises." She pouted before kissing her mother's cheek.