TREASURES AND THORNS

Chapter Twenty two

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”
                                          -Rumi

RUKKAYYA

(Secret haven)

UNEDITED

I woke up a bit confused, unsure of where I was and how I had slept off. A few seconds later, memories from the previous night came back to me in flashes. I was still perched against a solid surface that was not my bed.

I got up with a start. How had I fallen so sound asleep on his chest? I was ashamed of myself.

"Good Morning," he said his voice rough.

"Umm, Good Morning!"

"Its time for salat."

"I'm sorry I fell so asleep!"

"Seriously?" He gazed at me with so much intensity that my heartbeat picked up instantly. The effect his gaze was having on my heart rate was becoming unbearable.

Ya Ahmad was still a sight to look at even though his eyes looked a bit red as if he hadn't slept a wink. I felt a strange urge to smooth my fingers over his perfectly arched full brows.

I fell silent.

"We're getting late," He announced. We both got up from the bed. When we were halfway to the bathroom, I stopped.

"What?" he asked.

My bladder was full and impatient and I couldn't just go about my business in his presence. I tried desperately to block out the memories from the previous day when he had stayed with me in the bathroom. I failed miserably though because it came at me in bits and flashes. God! It was unbearable!

"I can tell what you're thinking," he said with a smile.

"What?"

"Are you going to be okay alone in there?"

As crazy as it sounded, I wondered for a second if I was see through that he could easily read my mind just by looking at my face. How did he do that?

I nodded.

"Fine, I'll be right here," he said.

I heaved a sigh of relieve.

****

I ate as though I had the appetite of two people. I surprised myself by being unbothered by the pair of eyes staring at me. I was especially famished that morning, there was no disguising it.

I had to give it to the kitchen staff.  I was never a die hard foodie but the  meals in the mansion were out of this world delicious. There was an array of meals on the menu that morning. I still could not tell what most of them were and I didn't bother asking.

I particularly enjoyed the red velvet cupcakes that morning. It was as though it was my first time trying it. The cake was so soft that it almost melted on its own in my mouth and the taste so savoury, I didn't mind the spending all day relishing it.
A thought struck me just as I devoured the last part of the masterpiece.

"Aren't you running late?" The clock on the wall in the kitchen dinning space was a proof of that. It read 8:15am. Ya Ahmad was still wearing a shirt and sweatpants.

"I'm staying home today," he announced.

The events of the day before were unusual but I didn't think it would stop him from going to work. In the short time that I had lived with him, I could tell that he wasn't a fan of breaks.