shattered souls By Afsheen k.

The turning point

Irha

Life has a way of circling back to haunt you. Just when you think you've moved on, the past comes crashing back, scattering your dreams and dredging up old memories. That’s exactly what happened today. I woke up from a nightmare filled with darkness, hollow feelings, and trauma. It swallowed me whole, leaving me empty. Despite this, I forced myself to get up, go through my daily routine, and head to Zayyan’s to babysit Arhan again.

I was about to hail a taxi when an unknown number called.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, five foot."

His voice was so deep, one can drown in it.

"What do you want, Angry Bird?" I replied.

"Are you ready? I’m sending my driver to pick you up," he said.

"No thanks, I’ll take a taxi.
Is this part of the deal?"

"Yes, until you work here."

"But I haven’t accepted the deal yet."

"You agreed to today’s shift. Now stop arguing. The car will be there in five minutes."

"No, and don’t tell me what to do."

"Oh, but I will. According to your policy, you can’t deny an accepted shift. And if you don't get into my driver's cat I'll come pick you up myself So it’s either my car or the driver’s."

"Ugh, fine. And just so you know, you’re infuriating, Zayyan. I’ll kick your A-S-S one day." I hung up.

If the day could get any worse, I’d climb into bed with my favorite blanket, hot chocolate, and binge-watch true crime on Netflix. But then, Zayyan’s driver dropped me off. I spent a joyful few hours playing with Arhan. Time flew by, and before I knew it, we were walking in the garden.

Arhan excitedly shared details about his new Pokemon card collection.

"And it has ginantinc Pokemon! It’s so awesome," Arhan said.

"Ginantinc? Oh, you mean gigantic," I corrected him.

"Yes, gijantic."

"Jeremy, it’s gigantic. Repeat after me: G-I-G-A-N-T-I-C," I spelled out.

"GOJNATIC!" he mimicked.

We both burst into laughter, and it went on for a long while.

"Looks like you guys are having fun without me?" That deep, musky voice again.

"Don’t be jealous, Daddy," Arhan said.

"Yes, Zayyan, don’t be jealous. We have a connection, and the only one you’re connected to is your laptop and work. Besides, you probably don’t even know how to play Pokemon cards," I added.

"How dare you question my abilities. I can definitely play and win against you," he said, his tone challenging.

"Yeah, in your dreams," I laughed, pretending to be amused.

"Let’s do a match to prove it," he said.

"Wait."

"Yes! Let’s do it! She’s a champion; you can’t win against her, Daddy," Arhan cheered.

Zayyan clutched his heart dramatically. "My own son is a traitor."

Arhan and I set up the cards, and Zayyan took his place across from me. We divided the cards and began the game.

"The rule is simple: there’s popularity number on each card. We lay them out, and at the end, whoever has more popularity wins," Arhan explained.

Zayyan’s eyes met mine with a challenging glint. I could see the determination in those green eyes.

"Okay, since you’re a newbie, you can go first. Even though I’m going to win," I said.

"I’m not a newbie. And keep dreaming; this game is mine," he replied.

"Alright then, I’ll go first," I said.

I laid down my cards, and Zayyan did the same. My heart pounded as we reached the end. I could hardly bear the thought of losing.

"Let’s count," I said, trying to keep my composure.

"Yes, let’s count," he smirked.

His smirk was infuriatingly attractive. No way I was letting myself be drawn in by this man. I definitely needed therapy.

We counted the scores.

"You tell your total popularity first," I said.

"No, you first," Zayyan countered.

"Come on, are you scared to lose?" I taunted, hitting his ego just right.

"Scared? Never." His confidence was as intense as his attractiveness. His veiny hands were distracting, but I forced myself to focus.

"Five hundred sixty thousand and eighty-four," he said with a smirk.

"Hah! Got you. Five hundred sixty thousand and eighty-five," I said triumphantly. I won by just one point.

His smirk faded, and his eyes darkened. That’s the shade of green I was talking about.

"Yeah, I told you, Daddy, you can’t win against her," Arhan cheered as he jumped into my arms.

"You were supposed to be on my team, little man. She must have counted wrong," Zayyan said, still not accepting defeat.

"Oh, do I see that little ego getting hurt?" I mimicked.

"Yeah, whatever. You win," he said with a resigned shrug.

"Yes, I know right!" I grinned, feeling victorious.

We bantered for a while, and I felt alive again. The empty feeling had vanished. I was part of this moment with them, and I was trying hard to ignore the fluttering in my heart. Zayyan was a father, and the last man I should be attracted to.

Zayyan took Arhan to bed and told me to wait. I questioned my sanity as I wandered by the pool. When Zayyan approached me in sweatpants and a simple T-shirt, I lost all coherent thought. He looked like a Greek god with his hard muscles and defined abs barely concealed by his shirt.

"Care for a drink?" he asked, standing in front of me.