The Promise

18) Omer

"Omer, why does dad always yell at home?" my younger brother, Yusef asks me.

I hug him tighter and cover his ears so he won't hear anything except my voice.

"Hey, let's play a game, Habibi"

"What is it?" he asks eyes glinting, I smile and tell him, "We close our eyes and imagine a place we love"

I say smoothing his eyelid to close it holding his body in my embrace.

"Did you imagine?" I ask

"I imagined nana's house in Turkey"

I smile remembering "yes, remember the smell of her cookies and her voice singing for us"

He smiles as his body relaxes in my arms drifting off.

"Don't leave me, dad" he murmurs in his baby voice and a tear escapes my eye as I press on his ears, hearing mom's whimpers of pain.

"Omer?" Ali calls rubbing his eyes from the other bed.

I open my arm for him to come and he leaves his bed running into mine and they both sleep with me holding them like every day with me awake all night hearing her, not able to do anything.

I startle from my sleep looking for them around me, another flashback.

It's already 12:30 I slept for an hour, great. I track them in my head, 4 hours this week.

I reach for my phone; need to see her. I open the folder I have for her with all the photos I screenshot since she was in 3rd year of college and smile when her face comes into display.

After a while I stand to go and take a walk to calm my insides. My flashbacks have always been there, but some days they get intense they make my control slip on my body and thoughts and I don't want that to happen when she's there; I want to give her my complete focus.

She'll need a lot of work and sessions to get her to warm up and accept information from me. I remember her stiff body language and finger cracking, read before it can be a sign of nervousness.

Heading for the door; I hear shuffling outside and someone talking, but I can't make out who then a thud follows so I open the door.

She's there, wearing a black dress and a lot of skin is showing. I avert my eyes, she jumped when she heard me open the door and spun around quickly giving her door her back.

"G-Good evening" she stutters; I hate it when I always make her nervous. I feel my heart clench, I look at the hallway.

"Good midnight" I say frowning to myself, why was she out this late, wearing this dress.

"You have a problem again with the card?" I ask still eyes on the hallway.

"I guess my card is broken" at that I look at her eyes trying to avoid the milky skin showing.

She's looking at me with that challenge in her eyes again, I know there's another side. But so calm, so calm and numb; no reactions, no certain personality showing.

"I'll tell Crew to change it for you"

"I don't want that"

This girl will be the end of me, I raise a brow at her and she raises hers back putting her hands on her waist.

I nod as I understand 'I don't want anything from you', but I won't give her that.

I take a step towards her focusing on those eyes, "What are you doing here outside with this attire, dove?" I let myself ask.

She raises her brows "I get to do whatever I want"

I nod, "and don't call me that" she warns.

"Why not, dove?"

"I said stop" she says, but her voice calm; it doesn't show disapproval.

"No one orders me, little Miss"

She laughs, fuck, that sound. "And this is an issue of mine, so stop calling me that, grandpa" I raise my brows letting a smirk form on my mouth,

"Now you're bullying me for my age?"

"Maybe" she says eyes glinting, no this is not safe.

I let my face harden again, "Look dove, you look like a star that fell straight from the sky, but you don't go around wearing a dress that clings to you like that and in that hour of night" I tell her voice low; only she can hear and leave.

Because she wasn't just pretty. She was otherworldly and vaguely threatening.