Dareen

5# Nightingale

Music: Nightingale- Yanni.
Elliot
"Did he do anything?" I asked softly making her look at me. "Don't be ashamed, Dareen. If something happened, you must tell me."
"You rescued me before he could do anything." She smiled faitly, but just for a second before tears started to fall from her eyes again.
"Shh..." I whispered pulling her to my chest.
I never knew how much I cared for her till now.
"I never felt like an orphan before, but I feel so vulnerable, now." She sobbed pulling away from me.
"You have to trust me."
"I do."
"Do you have clean clothes here?" I asked.
"I have a shirt and the yoga pants. Why are you asking?" She whimpered.
"Where are they?" I asked ignoring her question.
Reaching back, she picked up a small bag from the back seat.
"Okay, listen to me. You need to change out of those." I motioned to her ripped dress and my blazer.
"Here?" She narrowed her eyes.
"The glass is tinted, and I'll leave the car. Lock the doors once I leave and make sure that the widows are closed. I'll get something from this café till you finish. Hit the horn twice when you finish, okay?"
When she stayed silent, I sighed.
"Listen to me for once." I groaned.
"Okay." She whispered, and I stepped out of the car.
"Don't forget to lock the doors." I reminded before slamming the door shut.
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Dareen
Watching him walk away, I sat their silently- not moving for a few minutes before I started to take off his blazer, my dress and then putting on a white tank top and a pair of black yoga pants.
Sitting quietly, I looked out of the window to find him sitting on a step outside the café with something in his hand. Slowly, I turn the key in the ignition before hitting the horn twice. Finally, he joined me back in the car.
"Um- I got you a cup of strong coffee to help you sober up a bit more, but you have to eat this first." He handed me a small box.
"I can't eat anything." I scrunched my nose in disgust.
"C'mon Dareen, you have to eat something. Alcohol will make you feel sick in the morning and you're too pale that I'm afraid you're going to faint."
"Elliot, please." I whimpered.
"Just one bite." He insisted handing me a piece of bagel.
Raising it to my mouth, I felt my stomach turning and vomit rising to my mouth.
Pushing the door open, I ran to a basket nearby and emptied my stomach.
"Shit!" He sighed holding my hair with one hand and rubbing my back with the other.
"Feeling better?" He frowned holding me up. I shakily nodded feeling so tired.
"Sit here." He helped me sit it the car, and got out a small bottle of water.
"Drink some water." He suggested and I obeyed silently.
"I need to take you home." He sighed, and I nodded with a groan feeling my stomach empty more than ever.
"Is it far away from here?" He asked closing my door and getting into the driver's seat.
"No, five minutes or so." I whimpered. -------
"Here, let me help you." He said helping me out of the car. "Wear my jacket." He instructed picking it up and wrapping it around me before we started escalading the steps slowly.
"Do you have a key?" He asked.
"Under this pot." I sighed, and he quickly got it and pushed my door open.
"You need to take a shower and then sleep. Are you staying here alone?" He asked as I lumbered to my bedroom.
"Yeah." I answered quietly.
"I won't leave you like this. Can I stay here and sleep on the sofa or on the floor?"
"Don't worry about me."
"I have to, but if that will make you feel awkward, I can leave."
"No, not awkward. I will get you a blanket."
"Take your time. I'm not going to sleep now anyway." He shrugged.
"I'll take a shower and then get them for you."
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Elliot
Listing to the rhythmic sound of running water mixed with the sound of occasional sobs, I stood there looking out of the window. There's no moon in thr sky which I find very ironic. There's nothing good in the world anymore. There's no kidness or humanity.
There's nothing good in humans to the extent that dogs care more than us.
It's also very ironic when a man thinks that the word 'bitch' is a curse-word. Now, I think that the word 'human' is the curse-word. At least, the dog won't bite his owner. He won't kill his puppies or hurt his wife...
When night looks darkest, it is often before the fever breaks that one senses the gathering momentum for change, when one feels that resurrection of hope in the midst of despair and apathy.
Sometimes when you're overwhelmed by a situation - when you're in the darkest of darkness - that's when your priorities are reordered.
Just today, I found out that Dareen is one of my priorities. In fact, she comes before my own brother, the one whom I gave up everything for.
"Here is the clean blanket." I heard a quiet voice behind me.
"Okay, go to bed, now."
"I won't be able to sleep." She frowned as her eyes started to water once again.
Squatting in front of her, I held her hands in mine.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you."
"Why are you apologising? It has nothing to do with you." She whispered.
It does. I wanted to scream these words out, but I was too much of a coward to confess something like that.
"You can take a sleeping pill." I suggested looking at her red eyes.
"I don't have any." She whispered.
"We can try hot milk if you want. It'll help you."
"Mum used to do that for me." Her voice began to shake.
"A cup of herbal tea would do the magic as well. Do you have any?"
"Yeah."
"That would work better. Sit here and I'll make it." I helped her on a high stool.
"Sugar or honey?" I asked pouring the boiled water in a mug.
"Honey, but just a very little bit." She answered.
"Okay." I nodded adding a bit of honey to the tea before stirring it and handing it to her.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it." I shrugged.
"I want to sleep already." She smiled taking a small sip.
"I used to drink that every night."
"You're living alone?"
"With Linda and my little brother."
"Linda is your mother?" She furrowed her brows.
"She's the one who raised me, but not my biological mother."
"Hmm." She nodded. "I am going to my room."
"Okay, sleep tight."
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Sitting there in silence, I continued to watch the pictures on the wall.
Dareens' smile was clear in all the images, but something made my heart ache.
There's a set of pictures- all taken at thr same spot- the first one was of a couple. In the second one, the woman's baby bump was clear. In the third picture, there was a girl and a dog. Then the man disappeared and it became the girl, the dog and the woman. Then... the woman disappeared anf it became just Dareen and the dog...
"No, please." I heard her voice from inside.
Striding to her bedroom, I hesitated. Should I open the door?
"Uh- no." She cried out again. That's it, I pushed the door open to see her body covered in sweat and her face drenched with tears.
"Dareen, wake up." I shook her, but she just continued to groan and whimper.
"Dareen, it's just a dream. Wake up." I pulled her to sit up, and finally, her eyes opened.
"Calm down. It's just a dream." I whispered handing her a glass of water.
"You didn't come." She whispered.
"I came, and here I am with you. Don't be afraid." I wipped her tears, and she took me off guard when she wrapped her arms around me.
Should I hug her back?
God, that feels awkward.
Finally, she pulled away and I removed my hand before touching her.
"I'm okay." She said to herself.
"Get back to sleep. If you need anything, call me. I'll check on you every now and then if you don't mind."
"It's okay." She sighed lying back down.
Walking out, I reached for an asprin and gulp it down with water. The headache is too much that I feel my head is going to burst any moment.
My phone beeped, and immediately, I checked it to find that it was a message from Mark.
"Everything is under control. I locked his door before leaving. I guess that what I did will help him sober up a bit quicker."
"Okay, thank you, man. I don't know what am I gonna do. I'm afraid of doing something that I might regret later." I pressed send and waited for his reply.
"Don't go there till you make sure that you won't do anything crazy. After all, he's your brother. We all make mistakes."
"That is NOT a mistake. It's a crime. You didn't see how he was holding her!"
"I can imagine." He replied.
"I have to go. Talk to you tomorrow."
"Alright. Bye."
With that, I threw my phone on the coffee table and went to check on her to find her back to crying in her sleep. Sighing, I sit by her side on the bed and run my hand through her hair to calm her down.
She looks really vurlnerable and innocent... .