To Be Free

05 | Wild Roses

~And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, "If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe."~

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"Is it even real?" Lina thought. "Or is it just inside my head?"

What Lina felt right now, as she sat next to her father, with Haris sitting opposite to her- it was dreamlike.

She was still trying to process the whole thing. She was still trying to understand.

Everything felt so unreal. So unbelievable. It was as if Lina was dreaming. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to wake up from this dream.

Lina twirled the fork in the biryani and quietly glanced around the dinning room. Her eyes then landed on her father and eldest brother.

Haris and her father were in a conversation. In a language that she was yet to figure out. Lina glanced at the empty seat next to her.

Just when they had settled down to eat lunch, Tanveer had received an emergency call from the hospital. It was only then when she had learnt that her third eldest brother was a resident doctor. And if she was being honest, with how gentle Tanveer had been with her and the calming aura that he had around him, she had guessed that he must've been involved in a field that needed people to be more compassionate.

Her eyes found her eldest brother and almost an invisible smile graced her lips when she recalled how he had engulfed her in a warm hug.

Something, that Lina felt was against his very nature.

If it wasn't how he had greeted her, Lina wouldn't even want to approach him. Simply because the aura that her eldest brother carried, gave away that he wasn't a man to be messed with. But when his eyes had landed on her, Lina had seen how his sea green irises had softened.

For a moment, she had felt that such gentleness was only for her. The warmth that she had felt in his arms was only for her.

However Lina had quickly brushed away that thought. Because, doubt had settled on her heart. And like that one annoying stain on a white shirt, it had refused to leave.

"No" Lina had refused. "Don't be absurd, you're not that special. He's just being kind."

Although, deep down her heart, Lina knew it was a ridiculous statement. For why would a man like him be gentle as he had been with her? Why would he let his guard down if she was a mere stranger?

You simply don't offer hugs to strangers in order to be kind.

However, as always her brain had refused to believe anything. While her heart....it was like a constant battle.

On one hand, it had blatantly denied whatever counter argument was presented. Whereas the other hand-a smaller part, was saying otherwise. It told her believe. To take a leap.