Qurban

•20• Fire / آگ

Altamash was in his room doing his morning stretch work out when his phone rang. Noticing the vibrating device, he plucked the ear pods from his ears and slid the green button.

"Hello?"

"What are you doing?"

His best friend's voice came a bit distorted due to the giggles and screaming from his end.

"Nothing. Why did you call?"

He threw the question at him while wiping down his face with a small hand towel.

"I wanted to ask for a favor?"

A smirk clad Altamash's lips as he teased

"Since when did you possess the courtesy to ask?"

He heard the grown man grumble on the phone before a soft click sounded from his end indicating that he had walked out of the room he was previously in.

"Jokes aside, what I called you for is I cannot attend tonight's event."

Altamash's brows pulled together in confusion but before he could voice it out, Subhan spoke again

"I have to take Safa somewhere tonight."

"You're going on a date, that's what you mean?"

There was a glint in Altamash's voice but a tiny sigh from Subhan's lips made him aware that may be something was wrong.

"Is everything okay between you two?"

He asked with caution. He witnessed first hand how much they both loved each other, so to think something might be wrong didn't sit well with him.

"Nothing. It's just...I think we both need time for ourselves."

Altamash didn't know the dynamics of a married couple, but he could understand needing time to just sit and relax. He waved his hand in the air like it wasn't a big deal and said

"It's okay. I received the invite, so I'm going anyway."

There was another shrill laughter from the other end and his best friend thanked him in a hurry before hanging up. Altamash dropped the phone on the bed and went inside the bathroom to take a nice warm shower. After coming out all clean and dressed in a black button down and pants, he opened the drawer of his bed side table and took out a dark red rectangular card tied at the front in golden ribbons. Pulling the strings of the ribbon, the card opened. He didn't read the card though, he knew what was written inside already. What he didn't expect was the small white paper tucked in the corner when he first received it.

Unfolding the paper, he read the word in his heart.

'I know you already will come with Subhan, but I wanted to invite you personally. You've been very helpful with all the work and other stuff.
The children love you already and they will appreciate your presence at the event.
If you find it in your schedule to cut time, the children would be very happy.... I'd be too.
Zainab.'

He would have gone nonetheless if his schedule allowed or not. But to know that she invited him herself and that I'd be happy too was just enough for him to cancel every single one of his commitments and go to that event alone. There were so many things he wanted to do for Zainab Aqeel but couldn't. Now if he could just make her happy by his presence alone at the event, nothing in the world would stop him from doing so.

For her, he would.
***************

At around six thirty in the evening, Altamash came out dressed in a crisp pressed midnight black suit. The sleeves were cuffed at his wrists, the white dress shirt underneath  tucked in his waist was stretched taut across his muscles making the muscles of his biceps almost bulge. His air were styled to give him the most rouge gentlaman-ly look. Strapping a platinum watch around his wrist, he draped the coat over his broad shoulders. He didn't bother with a tie and completed his look with his favorite scent. Something spicy and earthy.