The Nearest Heaven

Part 15 - Soothing

Part 15 - Soothing

"He wouldn't dare hurt you!" Faraaz told Fadiyah fervently. His chocolate eyes blazed with an intensity that she had never seen before. There was undeniable truth in his eyes, his intention to protect her and keep her safe from anyone who thought about harming her was made clear in his eyes. Fadiyah knew just by looking into his eyes that she was staring into his soul. And it warmed her heart, because she knew that without a shadow of a doubt, Faraaz would keep her safe, even if it ended his life. "I won't let him hurt you, Fadiyah," he vowed earnestly. "Nor will he get close enough to do it, Fadiyah!"

In a heartbeat, she flung herself at him, on his chest and cradled him as if her life depended on it and she cried into his chest. She cried for the fear that she lived through, for the emotional and physical abuse inflicted upon her and the emotional scarring it had done to her, she cried for the mental anguish she went through alone, for the way that Rasheed had treated her and the way she allowed it to continue, but most of all, she cried because the truth sank in. Finally.

She realised that she was safe.

It seemed to be a weird concept after living in fear for almost three years. However, she knew and trusted that Faraaz would do everything to keep her safe from Rasheed Afzal. Unable to lift herself off Faraaz, she basked in his warmth and comfort that he provided, she spoke in a quiet, reserved tone. "But what if he hurts you? Or Waqqaar? Or Jacob? Or the innocent Aaban?" Her tone faltered on the last name.

There was a sense of steely resolve in his voice as he spoke. "He won't, Fadiyah. I will make certain of that fact."

"But –" her protest died on her lips once she felt his deep inhale, almost as if he were preparing to argue with her. "Fine," she conceded.

"I promise, Fadiyah, I promise that I won't let anything happen to anyone."

Had anyone else been in Faraaz's shoes and situation, Fadiyah would never have believed a word that they said. How could they protect her if they were a quadriplegic? If they were bed-bound? What use would they be to her if they were not mobile? Yet, unsurprisingly, no such doubt surfaced in her mind. In the short space of time that Fadiyah had been with Faraaz, she had seen the eternal flame quietly smouldering in his eyes. There was a zest for life, a need to serve and protect others that she did not quite understand as yet, but she accepted it. Over the last few months, she had seen the truth in his words, in his promises, to know that he would carry them out, even if it killed him.

Closing her eyes, she remained still and allowed the beautiful thudding sound of Faraaz's heartbeat to soothe her worries as stray, hot tear drops rolled down the corners of her eyes. "I... I don't want anyone to be hurt because of me," she whispered. "I don't want anyone to be in any dilemma because of me, Faraaz."

"No one that you love will be hurt, my little kitten," he promised gently. "Now, please, please, don't stress about it anymore. I will do everything that needs to be done."

He took a deep breath, whether to calm himself down, or to give her a second to control herself, she didn't know. "Don't give him the power to control you. You are the most important thing to me, Fadiyah, and I will not let him nor my sister hurt you. Let Jacob take care of this matter."

It had taken Fadiyah days to come around to the idea of letting Faraaz and Jacob deal with Rasheed. She was torn between wanting to know what they knew, or to let them continue with their research and investigation and keep her in the dark. However, the slightly rational part of her that knew that the best defence was an offence, she asked Jacob to tell her what they knew.

To her dismay, they found out that he was in their town looking for her by asking around for her, but the people of the town hadn't told Rasheed anything because Faraaz was the closest thing that the town had to royalty, as stupid as it sounded. His family had been one of the first to move into the town and help establish it. As such, they happened to owners of the most land, as well as owners of the bigger, more important stores and mall owners. Knowing that because of their history, Faraaz's father would help them out if they were in trouble, not many would go against his wishes, especially to sell his son out to a stranger. Aasif Ali was not a man someone would intentionally go against, not if there was anything between their two ears.