Inked Sapphire (Dear Dahlia Season 3)

16

CONTENT WARNING: Violence, attempted murder

Weeks passed. Rahim flexed his arm in the mirror. Before, he’d wanted to smash the glass, because he didn’t want to look at the mark. Now, though, he was beginning to not mind it. His arm still hurt bad some days, but on others, it felt okay.

Maybe I’m just getting used to it, the durast thought as he walked out the bedroom, and stepped out into the sunshine. It was a cold morning. Frost didn’t cover the ground here, which was good. Rahim checked all the trees. Some apples were ripe, so he took them and put them in a bag. The tulips seemed okay, so he picked them too. They would be baked into the flower bread that Wadi made.

Trekking to the back door, Rahim inhaled the fresh air. It was nice to do that after being cooped up inside like a chicken. “That reminds me,” the man muttered, and strode into the house, placing the fruit and flowers down before taking out the piece of paper from his pocket. “Anybody got a quill?”
Dahlia looked up. “What do you need a quill for?” she asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Rahim held up the groceries list. “Oh,” his daughter said, and handed it over. After he wrote it down, the durast set off to collect food.

Like a hunter, Rahim thought to himself. Except using money instead of a spear. Then he thought that simile was a bit stupid, and dropped the thought altogether.

After buying the chicken, a cat kept following him. “No,” Rahim said. “You are very cute, but no.”

The cat stared at him with big green eyes.

“This is my chicken. Not yours.”
“Mrow,” was all the cat replied with. The animal then tried to paw at the bag, but Rahim held it away from the feline. “Saints,” he muttered. He knew cats were liked in Islam, but really. Couldn’t this particular one not pester him?

By the time he got home, a bird was looking at him, perched on a branch in the orchard. Rahim groaned and opened the door. “You buy some meat and then every animal in the world wants it.”
“Did you meet a bear?” Saida asked as she helped Wadi take out the flower bread from the oven.
“Why would I-”
“She keeps thinking there’s a bear in the woods,” Dahlia muttered, leaning on the counter.
“Careful!” Rahim chastised, and Dahlia yelped as she got some flour on her top. “Ugh, do I have to change again?”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Wadi replied. “The top will be clean again in no time.”
“Not if Saida washes it,” Dahlia retorted.
“Hey! I’m improving.”
“Yes, but yesterday you mixed up the soaps.”
“Wasn’t that you?” the heartrender asked, quirking a brow.
“Oh yeah,” Dahlia replied, eyes widening at the realisation. Rahim shook his head.
“Did you see any cats?” Dahlia asked.
“One tried to follow me home,” the durast replied as he set the chicken on the counter.
“Let me wash this, and I’ll put it in.”
“Okay,” Wadi nodded.

Everyone bustled about the kitchen. Dahlia moved to the table, where Wadi put the flower bread on the mat to let it cool.
“Are we going to sell this?” Saida asked.
“Hopefully, if I don’t get any soap on it,” Dahlia joked.
The older sister rolled her eyes. Rahim smiled to himself as he washed the chicken, then rubbed it with lemon before putting it into the already hot oven. He hissed as his arm suddenly contracted with pain, and he nearly dropped the chicken. Saida quickly caught it before it could land on the floor, and put it in.

“I’m sorry,” Rahim said.
“It’s okay,” Wadi replied gently.

Funnily enough, Rahim didn’t feel angry at himself for messing something up this time. Wadi pressed a kiss to his cheek, and he smiled before setting the table. Dahlia cocked her head to the side and rubbed her thumb over her wrist. Saida was reading a medical book. Rahim glanced at it and smiled to himself, then looked around the kitchen. For once, everything felt complete. Even with the mess of the curse and the pain and exhaustion, Rahim couldn’t help wishing things could stay just like this.
“Oh, the hinges have gone again,” Saida suddenly said, holding up the door of the cupboard.
Rahim shook his head. “The hinges are unhinged.”
Saida groaned, but Dahlia replied, “they are.” She hadn’t gotten the pun, it seemed.
“Why do I even try,” Rahim muttered before going over to fix the door. Wadi wrapped an arm around Dahlia’s shoulders, whilst Saida smiled. “That was a good one Papa.”
“Thank you. See? I do make good jokes,” Rahim said to Wadi as he manipulated the matter to put the hinges back together.
“Keep believing that,” Wadi teased back. Rahim shook his head.