7 Steps of Love

Step - 7.6: Overcast

Yousef left for his apartment in the middle of the night, this time being more careful, his mind was full of confusions and worries, but he wanted to clear all the dust that had clouded his judgement. He wanted to stay away from Lilly to think about what he wants to do in his life, he was at the brink of breaking down, but he knew it wasn't an option anymore, he knew he had to be stronger than ever. Getting in a relationship and keeping things sorted was hard for him.

Lilly was a strong-headed woman, and he was a sensitive guy, he was vulnerable, but he was trying to change himself into a better person. He reached his apartment, cuddled Muffin and Dollar and decided what he needs to do next. He sat down for a couple of minutes and decided he needs to go see his family and enjoy with them, he decided it will give him a clear idea as to what he wants to do with his relationship with Lilly. It was a delicate issue, he recalled Aman's words. He recalled that Aman was going to give Lilly far more than just himself, he was going to give her a house, a married life, a family. But Yousef.... He didn't give her anything except for himself, his own broken-self.

He grabbed his passport, packed his luggage, sent Dollar and Muffin to the dog keeper and flew to New Jersey. 

Lilly on the other hand wasn't even sure what she should do anymore, she tried to understand Yousef, and be patient with him, but he disappointed her. She knew it was a hard path to choose, she knew this was to end up in something like this. But she chose it anyway. She was a strong-headed girl so she soldiered-on. She blew off all the candles and went to sleep.

Yousef reached the airport and flew to New Jersey, he reached his home, his parents and siblings were surprised to see him as he hadn't told anyone about this trip. He got some sleep immediately after reaching there.

Lilly woke up and did her house-hold chores and got into her work-mode, she never let Yousef affect her performance at work, she was quite good at dealing with her professional issues, despite of the mess her personal life had caused. Deep down she was waiting on Yousef to either call or text her, but little did she know that Yousef was long gone. 

Yousef, on the other hand woke up, he had some business calls to make, which he did, later on he hung out with his family.

"How did you decide to abruptly come here" asked Mama Erakat.

"I missed you guys that's why" Yousef answered as he hugged his mother.

"Is everything alright Yousef? Is there anything you want to talk about?" his mother asked.

"No, mama, everything is alright, I just wanted to clear my head, that's why I came here" Yousef answered.

He loved his mother a lot, and he didn't want to hide anything from her, but before telling her what he felt, he needed to decide what he wanted to do with his relationship with Lilly. Before he could tell his family, he needed to clear his head and take a final step, he needed to get rid of this overcast first.

Lilly also knew it was about time she decided what she wanted to do with her relationship, it was causing her pain, but she knew Yousef was the kind of man she always wanted, not cause he was good looking but cause his heart was pure and honest. He was always honest with her about his past, and she accepted him for what he was, leaving him would mean leaving something she treasured more than anything.