A Thing, Beyond Forever

16.

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"Zuki beta...Zuki.."

Zuki beta? I drew my eyebrows together to listen attentively this time. To make sure I was listening correctly or it was just a dream. My eyes were still closed. I was half awake by this time. 

"Zuki beta get up" Mum called again. Why is she calling me with so much endearment today I couldn't understand. Maybe I will have to open my eyes to check what's going on in reality. 

"Zuki are you up or not?" Mum's voice drew closer as she came into the room to check on me. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. Still scrunching my eyes as I looked up at her. 

"How are you feeling now? I made some soup for you" and that's when I realised why she was calling me with love dripping in her tone. Honestly speaking sometimes I like being sick because of all the attention and pampering I get which I don't get normally.

She kept the bowl on the side table and then placed the back of her hand on my forehead. A thing parents do to check the temperature of fever. "I am going to go for a walk now. Do you want to come along? The sun hasn't risen fully yet. Fresh air will make you feel good." She patted on my shoulder as I sat upright. 

"Yeah sure" I shrugged. I was already feeling better from the past two days that I was sick from a viral fever so I brushed my teeth, washed my face, drank the soup and headed to the common park in our area with mum. 

As soon as we entered the park. Mum met the aunties in the colony. It felt like they joined together in the park to complain about their husbands or their in laws as they had no better job to do. After greeting them, I headed to carry on with my own walk. 

Five minutes into walking, my shoe laces started to get in my way. I made my way into a corner to tie them but before I could kneel a boy started to tie them. 

"Um...hello? excuse me?" I tried to jerk my leg away but he held my ankle and didn't leave till he was done tying. 

Only when the boy rose to his feet, I realised that it was none other than Yazan. "Hellooo. Long time no see" He began as he was extremely happy with our encounter. 

I looked around to see where Mum was and without answering him. I turned away and resumed my walking session. He came jogging beside me and turned around as if he was walking backwards beside me. 

"You should at least have some manners to thank me for tying your laces you know"

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Thank you" I said plainly. 

"By the way how are you? I haven't been seeing you in school from past..."

"Two days. I had fever." I said interrupting him. 

"God. If you don't wanna talk just say it to me on my face rather than giving me these plain answers" 

I turned to look at him. He looked genuinely irritated from my behavior. "Do you come here daily or today is something special?" I asked him instead of answering his previous question.

"I come here for a daily jog. We live in the same area if you remember and there's only one park in this area so, trust me, meeting you here is truly a coincidence"

"I see" I nodded. I looked around again. "My mum is here somewhere, she comes her daily for walk too and I don't want her to see me talking to you. She will think that I came to the park just to talk to you"

"But she permitted you to study with me at my home why will she have a problem now?"

"That's because she thinks your mother teaches both of us. She is not aware that both of us are anything close to friends. Now can you please walk properly"