Eternity

Chapter 55

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu

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Zayan arrived home late one evening, exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders. The day had been relentless—endless meetings, last-minute reports, and no time to even grab a proper lunch. His muscles ached, and his mind was buzzing with the overload of tasks he had completed. All he wanted now was to collapse into bed and shut out the world for a few hours.

As he entered the house, the familiar, comforting scent of home greeted him. He paused for a moment, closing his eyes, and let out a slow breath. The sound of faint laughter from the living room drew him in, and when he walked further inside, there she was—Ayzal. She sat on the couch, her feet tucked beneath her, flipping through a magazine with a soft smile on her face.

The sight of her instantly made him feel a little lighter. Without thinking twice, he walked over to her, dropping his bag by the door and loosening his tie. He didn’t say anything, and she didn’t need to ask. The weariness in his eyes spoke louder than words. Zayan plopped down beside her and, with a quiet groan, laid his head in her lap.

Ayzal looked down at him in surprise, the magazine falling from her hands. "Rough day?" she asked softly, her fingers instinctively reaching for his hair, gently combing through the dark strands.

Zayan closed his eyes at the sensation, her touch immediately soothing him. "You have no idea," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the fabric of her clothes. "I am not sure how I survived it."

She chuckled, her fingers continuing to play with his hair. "Poor thing," she teased lightly. "You work too hard. You should take a break once in a while."

He huffed out a laugh, opening one eye to look up at her. "I would, if I wasn’t the only one in the office who knows how to do my job properly."

"Oh, is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mr. Perfect over here. No one else is competent, huh?"

"Exactly," he deadpanned, though there was a glint of amusement in his tired eyes. "I am surrounded by amateurs. It is a burden, really."

Ayzal laughed, shaking her head at his dramatic response. "Must be hard being the best at everything," she said, her tone teasing but affectionate.

Zayan closed his eyes again, enjoying the gentle way her fingers massaged his scalp. "It is. You should pity me more often."

She smirked. "I already do."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a while, the only sound being the faint hum of the television in the background. Zayan’s breathing began to slow, the tension in his body gradually easing as Ayzal continued to run her fingers through his hair. It was a simple, tender gesture, but one that brought him an immense amount of comfort.

"You know," she began after a few moments, "you are like a big cat when you are tired."

He cracked one eye open again, the corners of his lips twitching upward. "A big cat?"

"Yeah," she said with a playful smile. "Like a lion or a panther, all tough and fierce during the day, but when you are tired, you just flop down and demand attention."

Zayan chuckled, the sound low and warm. "I don’t ‘demand’ attention."

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow, glancing pointedly at the way his head was currently resting in her lap.