LOVE ALWAYS WINS.

43.

stepped on it in anger, she heard some noise but she wasn't sure where it came from. The sound came from the guest room and it was him, Elam was drunk, it was what he did at that time. He was selflessly laying there on the floor. She rushed to check on his pulse but he was perfectly fine and his temperature was ridiculously high.

She kneeled next to him in defeat and she breathed out loud. When she was about to get up and get going, he grabbed her arm and she turned to look at him. But what she saw, was not the man she knew, she was so sad to see him like that after two full weeks without seeing him. She wondered what could have happened to him, the room smelled like shebeen. She gently let go of her arm and left.

He went after him even though he couldn't walk properly but she didn't want to hear anything from him. She drove off. On her way, tears were falling to her chin, she pulled over and cried so hard because of what she saw in her house. She couldn't believe what she saw, he even lost weight. She wondered why were his friends not there to look after him.

She turned the car and drove back to the house. She found him on the couch sleeping, she covered him with a fleece and then started cooking. He woke up in the evening and the first thing he smelled was food. He was in shock he started to look around but there was no one, he got up and the headache hit him hard. He went to the fridge to grab a beer but he was stopped by her voice, he froze he thought he was dreaming.

Zama: Put that down!

He slowly turned and he saw her and ran to her and hugged her tight and cried in her arms. His breath was alcohol.

Elam: I thought I would never see you again.

Zama: Go take a shower I will dish up for you.

Zama texted her friends and told them that she was going to be late. They say down in silence.

Elam: Thank you for this and for coming back.

Zama: What are you doing to yourself?

Elam: I didn't know what to do. For the very first time in my life, I wanted to die.

Zama: Then why didn't you die? Do you know this world would be better off with people like you?

Elam: That really hurts. But I deserve that, I don't know what to say, baby.

Zama: Please don't call me that.

Elam: I'm sorry.

Zama: I'm sure you are. Now I have to go, my bags are in the car I will come and take the rest soon.

Elam: Where are you going?

Zama: That doesn't concern you.

Elam: I met her again at the launch party, I saw how close you were, and that made me sick to my stomach. I was scared mostly of losing you.

Somehow that night I knew that my life with you was going to be over. I was so scared Zama I didn't know what to do. Believe me, I tried to tell you but I just couldn't and I knew that she didn't matter but what we have is stronger than us...

Zama: How many times did you sleep with her?

Elam: I don't know and I don't even remember our first night together but I do remember that her uncle came with her the next at the commune and they asked for me...

Zama: I'm not interested in that, I want to know about this whole fucking time you were sleeping with her. The late-night emergency, the overtime. Was any of that true?