With You

Chapter 14

After three days, the life of Amroha began slowly to come on its pace just like Zarah's life. She was now getting ready for the new day at her hospital when her phone began to ring. While combing her hair, she let it ring seeing an unknown number. But seeing the caller's constant efforts, Zarah had to pick up the call.

"Who's it?"

Zarah made her voice fixed to put some fear on the stranger while picking up her bag from her study table.

"Is this Zarah's number?"

Her heart did a flip which she had no idea about as her gut churned in an unusual manner hearing the man's voice who was none other than Ryan. Zarah was slightly embarrassed on the rolling of her stomach, that was not the first time she was hearing a man's voice. But her name from him sounded pleasant-

"Yes."

She quickly answered to get a grip on her wavered thoughts.

"This is Ryan. We... Me and Hanan wanted to meet you. For the procedure of Hamida's...Hamida's body clai-"

"Yeah sure. I'm just leaving for the hospital." Zarah answered seeing his attempts to sound normal but she could hear the hesitance in his voice, to treat his sister as dead. The hospital which was in charge for the patient's data in the accident was different so she just had to go in that hospital.

"Ok."

The call went off with his barely there answer and Zarah was left hanging on the call. Was she thinking something else too from his side? Why, when she was hating him the other day over his blunt question? Maybe she wanted him to question about her well being or something about Maira on how she was fussing over due to her absence. But he didn't say anything. Moving a hand over her features and taking a long sigh while getting fed up with her thoughts, Zarah left for the hospital where Ryan would be waiting for her.

Her feet created a silent tapping sound on the ceramic floor as Zarah made her way to the reception where she could see Ryan and someone with whom he was talking, perhaps Hanan.

"AsSalamuAlaikum."

Zarah muttered once she reached them and Ryan just nodded his head turning to look at her while Hanan returned her greeting with a small smile.

"This is Hanan..." Ryan said gesturing towards the man standing beside him as he turned fully to face her, her heart missing a beat seeing his formal self with slight stubble and proper hair which were pulled back with the help of gel. "and this is Zarah."

Zarah was irritated with her thoughts, why on earth she was observing him all of a sudden. But she couldn't deny, she had remembered him in her every prayer-praying to her Lord that he should bestow his peace and blessings on him, to make him choose the straight path of his. Because Zarah knew, how could Ryan's shattered being could get healed and she didn't want to see him astray when he was so close to the light.

***

Ryan watched, Zarah gave a warm smile while looking down for split second as Hanan thanked her for her care towards Maira. He gulped as a weird feeling crept inside him seeing Zarah smiling, looking at Hanan over his gratitude.

Why?

Did she belong to him?

No.

But seeing her giving that warm smile which she hadn't given him ever felt wrong. As if that smile was not for anybody else, it should be only for him. He had no right to think like that, but he was helpless in front of his mind that ran with a thunderous speed.

Zarah went inside the morgue looking at him for a minute and they waited outside, he knew it was going to be difficult ahead when they had to identify and claim the body. The face of Hamida which used to be radiant with life, that never showed the pain she used to feel, Ryan didn't want to see it lifeless and with the pain which had been etched on her face for ever.

"There is some paperwork and then you can take her home."

Zarah came back and informed them. Being the closest one, Hanan had to do all the formalities and he could see his hesitancy. He had reached yesterday and Ryan could see how Hamida's death had affected him. His sister and Hanan was of the same temperament- excessively talkative and more than cheerful. But now a silence resided in Hanan's aura and it felt bad to see him like this.

"How's Maira?"

Zarah asked taking a seat beside him as Hanan went inside the morgue to carry on with the formalities. Ryan looked ahead at the closed door, fearing that his eyes would open his secrets of jealousy of few minutes ago.

"Good."

Zarah nodded and they fell into an awkward silence as he refrained from taking one more glance at the lady sitting beside him.

"So you would be attending Hamida's funeral?"

Again Zarah's voice broke the silence around them and he was more than surprised hearing her question. How could she ask him that when he knew his interest in God and religion? Or more like it was only her who could ask him that absurd question.

"No. Why would I?" Ryan answered, pinching his nose to move away the feeling of distress, "After everything, you are still asking me this silly question."

Zarah pursed her lips at his question and Ryan knew he had striked a chord of her religious heart. "Because it's never too late to return."

"And look who's talking, the person who never saw anything bad in her life. Go back to your fairy land Ms.Zarah because I don't need your so called advices."

He regretted his words but those were only a result of his angry mind and Zarah's attempt to push him towards religion. He got up to cancel out every further discussion Zarah was planning with him because he didn't want to. God, religion always left him tired and disturbed because it was only a human made thing for him.

"Yeah. Good bye."

Zarah mumbled and he felt the wetness in her voice but he didn't turn to see her because that would make him her slave which he never wanted. He felt a wave of air beside him and just like that she was gone pulling the strings of his heart which felt like tugging as she moved away from him.

He took his seat on the chair, pulling his hair to the roots to move away every thought which was coming due to Zarah and about Zarah. Ryan closed his eyes only to be opened by the loud commotion outside the hospital, the horns and screeching sounds making him restless.

***

She glanced one last time at Ryan just with the hope that he would look at her but he didn't. Were her words so wrong or bad that he didn't want to see her? Wetting her lips, Zarah exited the hospital and stopped at its shade for sometime, to console her broken heart.

Yeah she had crossed her limits but nobody gave Ryan a right to hurt her like this. Why he had to assume that all was well in her life? Yes, she had ups and downs in her life but she didn't like to advertise it. Her vision became blurry with the tears which were constantly gathering in her eyes.

Harshly wiping her face with the remnants of her sadness, Zarah moved ahead. She would never think about him, never ever try to contact him. If he wanted her to move back in her so called fairy land, she would get vanished there without leaving a trace behind her.

Muddled up in her never ending thoughts, Zarah didn't understand when she left the foot path and didn't hear the constant horn that was telling her to move away from the path.

The sudden shot of pain made her mind weak while her body fell limply on the road as the coming truck hit her. The tears and whimper of pain escaped her as Zarah felt the pool of her own blood wetting her cheek, the light of pain crawling in her head and while closing her eyes, the only image she could form was of Ryan's.