The Artist And The Atheist

| 10 | ESCAPE TO SIGHTSEEING |

بسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In The Name Of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

⊱ ⋆ ⊰

The wind lightly and calmly blows, peeking from the glass windows, finding her seated on posh couches in the lobby. The stars gleam brighter, hoping to distract her from her agony to its charming and luring beauty. They want her to lose herself while gazing at them, admiring them, providing temporary refuge to her in them, but Wafa doesn't let them steal her attention as her lens scrutinizes the lines displayed on her tablet screen over and over.

Aside from the hostility experienced by the Velvet members from the residents of Mombassa, we were still successful in donating fifteen percent of the profit from the Anniversary concert... Seiga is pledging to pay fifteen percent more to the hospital from its personal funding, hoping that it will diminish the sentiments of hostility towards Seiga from Kenyans.

She heaves a sigh, but the smile remains intact on her visage.

Manipulators. That's all she can think of them.

Seiga is pledging to pay fifteen percent more to the hospital from its personal funding.

Wafa jerks her head up as the sudden clatter hits her eardrums.

Kyle puts the glass of caramel fudge iced coffee on the round coffee table for her, then sits on the saddle arm of the cream couch, adjusted opposite to hers.

The vocalist turns off her tablet and mutters a thank you before sipping. She then absentmindedly swirls her drink with a numb smile.

"Do you know the fifteen percent from which they paid?" Wafa sardonically chuckles. Bitterness is evident in her voice as she says 'they'. "Five percent from the profit earned and ten percent for my money. And the remaining pledged from their personal funding--"

"That'll probably never be donated." Kyle finishes for her. Ruffling his hair, he shakes his head with a clenched jaw. "You shouldn't have volunteered."

"I shouldn't have ever. But I fell for the trap and wanted to help." She looks at him, then steals her eyes away. "And, unluckily, it backfired."

He hates it when she's like this-- sad, for she used to remain carefree and jovial that watching her like this twists his heart in a painful grip.

Kyle doesn't like it.

Wafa takes a deep breath as she frees herself from the anguish burning in her heart and forgives Seiga for deceiving her. A believer is not bitten from the same hole twice, and she has learned her lesson. The vocalist knows she can not trust Seiga Incorporation again, for the ones running it aren't humans with soft hearts and feelings, but snakes ready to bite whenever they get the chance with hungry eyes, searching for their gain.

"Khair," The vocalist sits up and places her tablet on the coffee table. "I did it for a good reason. May my Lord accept it, for my attentions weren't to seek fame and praise."

(well)

She smiles again. This time it reaches her eyes, and it feels as if all the colorful flowers have blossomed and all the caterpillars have turned into graceful butterflies with enchanting colors.

He studies her for a moment, then focuses on his drink.

One sentence, and yet he can feel the peace, the tranquility radiating from her form as if she has taken off all of her burdens and entrusted to Someone Whom she knows will help her and take care of her.