With You

Chapter 22

The sky was covered with thin clouds as sun was playing hide and seek. The traffic was somewhat less in that area where he had parked his car seeing the girl who had caught his attention, Zarah.

Ryan didn't want to admit but today he was feeling lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off from his chest. His heart finally was feeling like it had been put to its normal condition after keeping it in a constricted form for too long. Was it just because he offered the first prayer after his childhood?

Hanan had advised him to take baby steps towards his religion. So on first day he made him listen some motivational speaker who he used to listen to and then made him read the Quran. The chapter named Ad-Duha. He had cried after reading that whole chapter. And from that time he had started taking few steps towards the religion which he was ignoring from the day his parents left him!

After one week, today he had offered the morning prayer as Hanan had told him to. He had started learning some verses of the Quran and Ryan was grateful to find a friend like Hanan who was so patient with him as he was teaching him about the religion and its five pillars.

Now he was returning to his office after giving a visit to his factories when he saw Zarah standing with her mother. Didn't know if it was a miracle but Ryan was seriously shocked to see himself alive after his heart missed several beats seeing Zarah. She lowly replied to his greeting, doing her best to not to look at him as he came near them.

"We had came for Zarah's check up and now were heading home."

Ryan stole a glance of Zarah as her mother told him the reason. He pursed his lips as he was unable to understand the feeling that crept to his gut, was it happiness?

"C'mon, I'll drop you."

"There is no need. You will be getting late for your work."

Ryan smiled at Zarah's concerned words as she looked at him, squinting her eyes a little to save herself from the sun rays which were straining through the clouds.

"Not too late besides these are some perks of being the boss."

Zarah's mother chortled at his statement while he was a little surprised of seeing this side of himself.

He could make a joke!

Very well Ryan!

Not a bad improvement!

Zarah bowed her head down and Ryan was pushed to think what was bothering her? She never talked much with him but he could understand her gaze which would be raking on him when he wasn't seeing. But today she wasn't even looking at him while talking with him. Was she getting her memory back? Did she remember something about him?

Zarah's mother made her accept his offer and he couldn't stop himself to look at the rear view mirror when Zarah took her seat at the back seat of his car. Their eyes clashed for a split second and they quickly moved it away, maybe with a redness creeping to their cheeks.

Ryan pulled the engine to life before putting the car on the route to Zarah's house. His fear still haunting Ryan as the thought of Zarah leaving him gave him goosebumps. He really needed to do something!

***

Zarah opened the door to their house quickly as she could feel Ryan's waiting presence behind her. After having an awkward ride with Ryan, Ammi had invited him inside their house to have some tea.

She was not upset to see him but she was not happy either. Zarah was maybe confused as how to react seeing him in front of her all of a sudden when she was thinking only about him. Didn't know she was rude to him? Did he feel bad about her tone? But she was really worried for him and now looking at him, she was bound to think that something had happened in his life when she was getting that intuition of his need.

"Come."

Ammi entered their house and gestured both of them to come, leaving her alone with Ryan. Zarah didn't want to be in his vicinity because she couldn't trust her words that could betray her and she would make a fool out of herself in front of Ryan.

"Are you upset with me?"

Her breath hitched hearing Ryan's voice which halted her ascending steps. She bit her lower lip and turned to face Ryan who was now looking at her with his questioning gaze. Zarah shook her head, looking down at her fidgeting fingers, trying to make herself little gutsy to ask the question which was running in her mind.

"Are you okay, Ryan?" Zarah asked, looking at Ryan from the corner of her eyes as he seemed to be observing her silently, "From one week I'm getting this vibe that you are in some problem or something. I was just praying to Allah to ease your difficulty."

She quickly closed her eyes as the words didn't stop from her lips. What was so eagerness to tell him that she prayed for him? Like really, would she ever think before speaking. Now he would think that Zarah was an attention grabber or more like a show off!

"If you used to pray for me, how could I ever be in difficulty."

Zarah looked up at Ryan's face and found him with a small smile. She had never seen him giving a proper smile but that felt like a genuine and a beautiful aspect of his feature. Her heart strings strummed gently seeing him giving a smile that was only for her and she quickly vanished inside her house to put a grip on her raging breath.