𝐴 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝐴𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝐴𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

'Take my heart don't break it,
Love me to my bones'
~anonymous.

Rahma's eyes snapped open, her breathe coming out harsh but she was unable to move on the bed. She willed herself to calm down and by the time she did, she was able to sit up on the bed. She sighed and checked for the time on the wall clock facing her bed. She knew for a fact, she'd be late for work.

She pushed herself off the bed and walked to the bathroom, not having the energy to be quick as she hadn't gotten any sleep. She had woken up in the middle of the night to a bad dream and when she thought she could catch some sleep before work after subh prayers, same thing happens.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, she groaned at how easily it was for eye bags to appear on her face and how exhausted she looked. She stripped and as she walked past the mirror, she forced herself to ignore the fading scars on her back -- were they really fading though?

She took a bath and convinced herself she looked better, even though she felt nothing close to better, then went back into her room and dressed. She didn't bother concealing the eye bags, she needed evidence for being late as she was going to say she didn't catch any sleep, which is not a lie.

Rahma went downstairs, taking note of the quiet house, it was always like that as she was the only one in her mother's part of the house and Hammad too. Halima's room was in her mothers' side and her other brothers have the boys' quarters.

She didn't meet anyone in the living room, so she assumed they were out and about their day. She picked her keys on her way out and as she caught sight of her car, she changed her mind and pulled out her phone to order an Uber. She was about to finalise the order for the ride when the gates opened and her brothers' car drove in. She waited for him to park and get down.

"Good morning". She greeted. He stopped and looked her over.

"Morning. Aren't you supposed to be at work?". He asked making his way to the boys' quarters and she followed him.

"I'm late, why are you back". She continued following him, they went to his room and he waited to pick a file and his phone on the table before turning back and showed her the items then started making his way out again, she followed him.

"Please drop me off at work".

"You have a car and it's fueled". He replied her.

"I know, but I don't have the energy to drive".

"But you can work?". She kept quiet.

"Ya sudais please just drop me, it's by the road on the way to your work place".

"Stop disturbing me". They had reached his car.

"Please".

"Get in". She started making her way to the passenger side when he stopped her saying dawud was in. She rolled her eyes discretely.

She got in the backseat and made sure she was settled before looking at her brother in the rearview and his friend then reluctantly grumbled a greeting, he nodded. Something he did when sudais was present when she greeted.

"Who's bringing you back home?". Sudais asked after a while.

"Uhh, I'll order an Uber".

"It's not safe for you to go in an Uber in the night, call Hisham to get you".

"Okay". She tuned them out as they engaged in a conversation about something she knew nothing about.

Sudais' car stopped in front of her workplace and she thanked him then got and made her way to the building, he didn't leave until she was inside.