As Ouahib arrives in town , carrying the weight of a family that has weathered hardships, including parental separation, and the lingering echoes of a once vibrant home, he embarks on a new beginning, yearning for a different chapter.
In contrast...
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All I see is darkness. I try to blink it away, but my eyelids feel too heavy. It feels as if they're glued together.
I try again and I somehow feel progress. I can see a light behind the darkness. Slowly, I can feel my other body parts.
I sense pain in my foot and a weigh on my chest. There is something itching on my hand. I try opening my mouth and I succeed but no words come out.
I try to open my eyes and fail again. I opt for trying to speak. The last thing I can remember is Ouahib's face which had lost all the colors, right before I fell into this darkness.
"Ou-ouahib," I try calling for him and the weigh on my chest disappears. Was someone lying their head in my chest?
I hear my voice which came out raspy. I feel that my throat is dry and try clearing it.
I hear a faint concerned voice and try to speak again. "Ouahib- water," I say, my voice clearer. I feel my hand being rubbed and a few droplets fall on it. Tears? Or the water I want to drink?
I try opening my eyes again and I successfully do. The light blinds me so I abruptly close them again, groaning.
I try again and this time I open them slowly, adjusting to the light. I blink a few times before, I regain all my senses back, in full function.
I turn to my right to find Ouahib, his face void of any color. His cheeks strained with tears which he hastily wipes away, as I look at him.
His eyes are puffy and his nose is a shade of red. The sight makes my heart ache. His hands come to cup my cheeks, "Liyati, are you okay? Is it hurting anywhere? You scared me!" He rants and his head falls into the crook of my neck.
I hug his head closer, "I'm sorry," I whisper and he shakes his head, looking up. He gently caresses my cheekbones and kisses every inch of my face, while I just hold his hand, reassuring myself that we're okay.
When he is done, I pull his face closer and wipe away his tears too. "Why were you crying?" I ask softly.
He laughs and it brings a faint smile onto my face. "It wasn't like my wife, who loves to tell me about her books and everything to eat my ears off which I love by the way and I surely love my wife too, was lying unconscious and I- I didn't know if she would make it or-" His voice breaks at the end and another set of fresh tears starts streaming down his cheek and onto my hand.
My heart aches at the sight, again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, love!" I whisper and his eyes snap to lock with mine. "Say that again," he pleads. I knew this day would come and I'm more than ready to confess.
"I LOVE YOU!" I whisper and see the relief in his features, as they soften and the creases of worry disappear.
He closes his eyes and the tears don't stop flowing. At a point he even let's a sob escape his lips and finally he leans in closer and whispers, "I LOVE YOU, Liyati! I've loved you all along, I just never knew it." I smile at our mutual cluelessness and he takes my hands in his, which are holding his face.
