I walked into the living room with two cups of coffee in my hands.
Manar was already sitting on the couch with a blanket over her leg. She held her head and whimpered in pain.
I reached a cup out to her and she took it.
"Thank you."
I nodded back and took a sip from my own cup.
A long silence followed as we sat across from each other.
"Sorry for yesterday," Manar broke the silence.
I tightened my grip on the warm cup. "No problem. I hope it doesn't become a habit, Manar." I pushed my loose hair over one shoulder. "Alcohol is not the solution."
This was the second time I saw her in a drunken state.
Since our first meeting, it was clear that Manar was struggling with something.
Manar glanced at my neck and looked away.
When I realized that there was a bite there thanks to Imran, I lifted the collar of my shirt.
"Good morning." I turned and saw Imran standing at the door. His hair was messy, his shirt was wrinkled and his sweatpants hung low around his hips.
I nodded briefly and looked away from him. "Coffee is in the kitchen."
Footsteps echoed through the room as he stepped in front of me. "Zara," Brown-green eyes looked at me intensely. "Will you help me with that?"
A sigh left my mouth as I got up from the couch. I took my steps towards the kitchen and took a bag of Nescafe from the drawer and poured it into the cup.
Imran stepped into the kitchen and closed the door behind him. "Zara."
I poured the boiling hot water into the cup and put a spoon in it.
"Zara." Fingers circled my wrist and I looked up. "You know perfectly well that I called you for another reason."
I pulled my hand from his grasp. "What do you want me to say, Imran?" I pressed the head his way. "You didn't say anything about your whereabouts for hours and then you come knocking on the door in a drunken state. At night."
A loud sigh left my mouth as I looked away. "How did you even get here?"
"With the cab."
At least they didn't drive unsafely.
With my hip, I leaned against the counter. "How did you and Manar even drink?" My eyes flashed into his. "Was this planned?"
"No." He ran his hands over his face. "Manar called me drunk and asked if I could take her home. Once there, one thing led to another.."
There was silence between us.
"I'm not okay with this, Imran," I muttered annoyed. I crossed my arms. "I never want to be in the position I was in yesterday."
My thoughts drifted to yesterday. "I came home happy from therapy, wanting to tell you I'm recovering. I'm making progress." A small smile appeared on my face.
Imran looked at me in surprise.
"But you weren't home." My tone held disappointment. "Then, I thought to myself, let me prepare dinner for us. It's our first day after the wedding and I couldn't wait to see you again."
I couldn't wait to have your arms around me.
My eyes looked at him sadly. "You didn't show up, though. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting. You were nowhere to be seen." Tears began to sting my eyes.

YOU ARE READING
Burn the truth (ENG)
Mystère / Thriller"How many tears do I have to cry, to clean myself of you?"