Dark Secrets ✔️

Chapter 9

Afrah's POV

We were now eating our spaghettis separately in complete silence which felt awkward. So me being me, I decided to break the silence.

"How are you feeling? Does it still sting?" I stop eating to look at him.

"It's fine." He simply replies.

"You should stay home for a few days, I will update you of what's going on," I advise.

"How can I trust that you won't fall asleep?" He points out and I couldn't blame him. After all, he's right to doubt me.

"I was waiting for you to mention it. But you have my word that it won't happen again...In Shaa Allah." I say the last part under my breath and I could swear I saw him form a smile but it didn't last long.

"You should smile more often," I find myself saying as I finish up my food, "You look good when you do." I continue and he seems impressed with my straightforwardness.

I didn't use to be like this. But I learnt that the world is an unpredictable place, so you need to learn to stand up for yourself. The same way I lost my parents without notice, I can lose everybody else around me like that.

I grab his plate and join it with mine to take it to the kitchen but he takes it from my hand and takes it himself.

"I should get going, my brother must be worried," I say, looking at the time on my wrist-watch when he arrives.

"Wait for Marcus, he's on his way." He informs sitting next to me.

"Is it too dark?" I smile, "Are you concerned about me, Assad?" I tease impressed at how comfortable I became.

"Not at all." He replies coldly again.
At least he didn't care that I called him Assad. I mean, he gave me a look as if surprised but that was about it.

"Then, I'll be going now," I insist and watch as he grabs a pillow and places it on my lap. "What are you doing?" I watch him lay his head on the pillow.
Technically he was laying his head on my lap.

"Is all this for me not to leave?" I find it amusing.

"I'm tired." He doesn't admit it, of course.

I won't complain. He has gone through a lot today, so I'll just wait for Mr Freya to come and stay with him.

"Do you live with anybody else besides Mr Freya?" I ask due to the extra three rooms that were upstairs.

"No." He answers and I wonder why does he have so many rooms. "Tell me about yourself," He asks, suddenly.

"What?"

"You mentioned your brother being your guardian. What happened to your parents? Why don't you live with them?" He questions a little too straightforward which I wasn't expecting.

Suddenly a memory comes to me, all of a sudden without warning and without reason. I close my eyes as the memory runs through my mind.

Flashback:

"Ismail, I'm hungry!!" I scream my brother's name as I approach him.
He would normally scold me saying that there was no need for me to scream when he was right next to me. But not now. He was just sitting there facing down. I was going to come closer to him but then heard the sound of a phone hitting the floor. Had he dropped it on purpose?

"Ismail," I step closer and hear sobs, "Ismail?" I call again and sit down on the floor in front of him to see his face.

That isn't sweating. It couldn't be sweat. He barely did any movement today.
They were tears. But why?