Echoes of Agony

Chapter Twenty One

Zaytun was perplexed by AbdulJalal's recent behavior towards her. While it was nice to receive affectionate gestures, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. It wasn't just the sudden sweetness, but the fact that he suggested going on a date, whereas she was always the one initiating them. She couldn't help but wonder why he had started acting so differently towards her.

Sunday was usually a day for Zaytun to run errands and catch up on work. But today was different. AbdulJalal planned an outing for them, claiming that she was distant lately and that he didn't like the way their relationship was evolving.

She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "Why are you doing this, AbdulJalal?"

"What do you mean?" he replied, his eyes alternating between the road and Zaytun as they drove to their destination, which she was unaware of.

"You're suddenly taking me out. You've never been this attentive to me and my feelings," Zaytun explained.

AbdulJalal remained silent, continuing to drive until they arrived at a park. She looked around, taking in the beautiful scenery.

He got out of the car and opened her door, urging her to step outside. He then retrieved a picnic basket and a carpet from the backseat, presenting them with a joyful smile.

"Tada! We're here for a picnic," he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "You mentioned that you liked going on picnics when we first met, remember? The night when we were asking questions of each other?"

Zaytun's heart swelled with emotion as she recalled that night. She was the only one asking questions, while AbdulJalal simply listened. She was touched that he remembered such a small detail and had gone through the effort of planning a picnic for them. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't want to cry, so she held back her emotions.

It was a dark and peaceful night, with only a few people strolling by. The two were sitting close to each other, enjoying a spread of delicious food that AbdulJalal prepared, including Zaytun's favorite cake.

As they ate and chatted, she gazed at AbdulJalal with adoring eyes, while he talked animatedly about his future plans and aspirations. This was a new side of AbdulJalal that Zaytun had never seen before, as she always thought of him as quiet and reserved. But tonight, he was in his element, and he didn't stop talking all night long. He shared his visions for the future, his dreams of taking over the company, and asked her personal questions about her life, like what she liked to do in her alone time and her relationships with her friends. She was thrilled to answer his questions and basked in the attention that he was showering her with.

With every new date that they went on, AbdulJalal kept coming up with new surprises and activities to do together. All of these experiences gave Zaytun a newfound sense of hope and optimism, and she momentarily forgot about her pregnancy and the challenges that lay ahead.

During one of their dates, they traveled to Bali. The couple went sea kayaking. Zaytun was taken aback by this because the last time they went sea kayaking, during their honeymoon, AbdulJalal had made them fall into the water as he didn't know how to kayak. But now, as she watched him deftly paddle through the waves, she was amazed to see how quickly he had learned. She was impressed by his progress and felt happy to see him enjoy the activity.

After their kayaking session, they stopped to eat something. Excitedly, she asked him, "When did you learn to sea kayak?"

With a soft smile, AbdulJalal replied, "I was always good."

Zaytun was confused. "Huh? No way."

He chuckled, "I'm just joking. I learned. I know you love sea kayaking, so I thought I should learn too, so we can do it together."