That weekend, Eman Mustafa went home. The next morning, while they were all having breakfast, her parents asked her about her college and the hostel. She answered by telling them about her daily routine.
When breakfast finished, they all went their separate ways. Her dad went about his job, her mom left for the kitchen and her one and only sister, Hamna, went to the lawn while she went to her room.
After a short while of solitude, Hamna came into her room and told her that Sameer was there to see her.
Hearing he was here waiting for her took her to a place she wished not to remember. Sam had been her best childhood friend on top of being het cousin. She shared everything with him. Then, one day he proposed her and everything changed. When he asked her to marry him, she went silent for several minutes until she realized that she couldn't and wouldn't marry him because she didn't like him anymore.
The blood in her veins pumped faster as her heart began to race; she was running out of breath. The world and everything in it seemed to stop for a moment.
* * * * * * * * * *
Eman and Sam were both once again silent. He confused, She was just silent. For the last hour, neither of them spoke. Before he was happy just to talk to her when she had originally responded to his questions easily, over the last few months after he proposed, she had changed. She became more distant and reserved.
There were times when he felt like she cared a lot while talking to him but other times, she seems confused. Each conversation was a hit or miss situation, sometimes he seemed fine while others times felt like she wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. The latter of the two was how he felt now.
"Correct me if I am wrong, but there are many times where it feels like you don't care if I come for you or not," Sam says with a disheartened tone as she sits in front of him, eyes gazing out the window, looking at a bird in the garden.
A moment passed before she looked at him only to see him sitting there like a solicitor using his dejected presence as a tool to persuade her of his feelings.
"What do you want me to say?" Eman's eyes are fierce and her tone cuts deep into his core. It sounded dispassionate and final the same as her answer to his proposal.
"For starters, you could tell me I am wrong," He replied.
Eman rolled her eyes before saying with the same emotionless tone, "You are wrong ".
Sam half-smiles through his sadness as he searched her eye for any inkling of truth in her statement, "I wish that were true, every moment of every day, but your behaviour compels me to believe that isn't true."
Eman pursed her lips and sighs heavily, "Why do you feel like that?"
Her anger now clearly evident in her tone.
"It's the way you answer my questions with the same exasperated tone and soulless eyes," He added.
"Whatever, I tried to give you an honest answer. If you don't like it, there is nothing I can do." She turned her face away as a trace of sadness crosses her face, lining the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes.
Sam frowned, hurt by her answer.
"It isn't about liking or disliking your answer. It is about the fact that you only answer in short 'yes or no' statements, making me feel like I would get a more productive answer just talking to myself," His answer wasn't cruel, just matter-of-fact.
"How else am I supposed to answer a generic question like 'are you okay?'
I'll answer you in yes or no. Other than yes or no, How can it'll be answered in a speech format? So, give me that speech I'll do that for you. If you ask a question that requires a little more thought, then I will answer a little more thoughtfully," She ended her answer with a bored look.
"You could always try asking about me," his hurt at Eman's dismissal of him was evident.
"What is there to ask? Isn't it
Obvious that you are okay since you came to my house, sat down in front of me, and talked with me in a clear state of mind? You wouldn't have done that if you weren't okay, would you?" Her expression remained the same as she tilted her head, adding emphasis to her rhetorical question. "You would still be at home in bed."
"This is just a formality, Eman." he replied.
"Sam, you know for a fact that I don't believe in formalities. Even if you don't ask about me as well, I wouldn't not mind it at all. " She replied. He was speechless.
"Then drop the formalities, but we could at least talk about our days," Sam added.
"Sam, what am I supposed to discuss about my day? Or what I'm doing? I already know You are doing Chartered Accountancy (CA) and you know I'm a Pre-Medical student. What am I supposed to ask? Quantitative methods? New technologies? Business communication? Economics? If not that then what about accounting or business or the stock market?" Her words sped up, frustration bleeding into her tone. By the time she finished, his face had become bright red.
"We--we talked about different things besides studies before," He scrambled for words.
"I don't have time to waste on frivolous conversations. You are an accountant, Being to be an accountant you must be very practical. You should understand, shouldn't you?" She responded.
Sam could not speak anything.
"How is talking about things like the human liver, the human heart the brain, the kidney or blood circulation supposed to lead to a romantic relationship?" Eman added.
"Eman, you are right. But I'm saying this only for developing an understanding between us," Sam responded.
"We know each other too well. If you think discussing biology, anatomy, accounting, mathematics, and business will develop an intimate understanding, then next we will discuss this," She said seriously.
"No, I do not mean that. Please, try to understand my point," Sam surrendered.
"I'll always try to understand,"Eman replied.
"You know how important you are to me. I have a lot of expectations regarding this friendship and you. That's probably why I have become more sensitive to things revolving around us," it was a lame excuse and half-hearted response.
He again felt like she was not here and he was talking to himself. She was again looking into the garden and was nowhere.
* * * * * *
YOU ARE READING
The WAY YOU LIVE | ✔
General Fiction"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." He was all she needed. But after being rejected and ending up heartbroken, can Eman find her one and only? Or has she fallen out of love for good?
