FOREVER WITH YOU

Chapter 36: Was He Talking to Her?

Khalid, Yasim, Hamid, and Habib left before it was three o'clock in the afternoon. The lively villa returned to silence all of a sudden.

The lowered volume of the television seemed to be very loud in contrast. 

Rayyan felt annoyed by the sound, so he took the remote control and swiftly turned off the television, then lay back on the sofa, his gaze drifting toward the ceiling . 

After he prayed, He checked the time. Three hours had elapsed since he yelled at her, and she still hadn't come downstairs.

Rayyan glanced at the stairs, his hands pausing mid-motion as he lifted his glass of lemonade. He took a sip, but his revulsion was instant; the sweetness was overpowering. He grimaced, setting the glass down abruptly. Another glance at the stairs, and his distaste deepened.

He leaned against the back of the sofa for a while, then he stood up and walked into the bathroom. After he exited, he glanced at the stairs and climbed them out of control.

Rayyan walked slowly along the corridor of the second floor to the door of Tasleem's room. He paused outside, hesitating for a moment, before reaching out and pushing the door open.

Tasleem was reading a presentation on her Apple laptop on the couch when she noticed the door had been opened. She turned her head toward the door, and her eyes met Rayyan's.

The warm, golden sunlight of dusk streaming through the window fell on Tasleem's face, illuminating her features with an ethereal glow. Her large eyes, like shimmering pools of crystal water, sparkled with a hint of warmth, their brightness intensified by the fading light.

Rayyan felt his breath catch as he gazed into Tasleem's captivating orbs. His anger and frustration dissipated, replaced by a sense of nervousness that pricked his skin. The room around him blurred, leaving only Tasleem's gaze. Rayyan's composure began to fray. He felt like he was drowning in Tasleem's gaze, unable to look away.

The crystal light in her eyes was more attractive than Rayyan knew, stirring a hint of nervousness in his heart, a fluttering unease in his chest. It was only then that he realized, somewhat dully, that he had gone up the stairs to find her.

'Yes! why did i come upstairs?' he thought 

Tasleem didn't ask him why he came, she sat up on the couch. 

Rayyan's heart hammered against his ribs. He'd come upstairs unprepared, and now words failed him. He tried very hard to figure out an excuse, as if he was covering for something. He pretended to be calm outside, racking his brain inwardly, and cleared his throat. "Next Friday, we'll be going to Hajiya Inna's House," he blurted out.

What Rayyan said surprised Tasleem. She stared at him. Rayyan's heart racing, his breath caught in his throat, as he struggled to maintain his composure. His heartbeat thumped faster - thump, thump, thump - without slowing down as she opened her eyes wide, her gaze piercing through him.

Such a strange reaction jolted Rayyan. He tried to look calm and distant, but her piercing gaze shattered his composure. He felt his posed calmness collapse under her gaze, and nervousness seized him.

Rayyan seemed possessed, becoming a little crazy whenever he looked her in the eye. 'What's wrong with her?' he thought. 'Her eyes are big already. Why did she widen them even more? Who was she trying to captivate?' Rayyan didn't know how to respond to the situation and started to become mad instinctively. "Stop looking at me!" he cursed.

He had asked her nicely to go to Hajiya Inna's house seconds ago. Why had he gotten mad the next second? Rayyan must have been out of his mind. Tasleem couldn't follow his mood swings. She was shocked by his yelling and blinked.