Beloved

16.

'Ayat? Where are you going?' I heard Saba's tired voice as I was getting the next morning.

'I am going out for a walk...I'll be back in a couple of hours' I turned around and walked to her bed.

'What time is it? I'll come with you' Saba rubbed her eyes to look at me properly.

'No...no...I am not going far. You stay here...I'll be back before 10 for breakfast' I went to the closet and grabbed my running shoes and jacket.

'I can't let you go alone Ayat...you came here with us, you are our responsibility' She said to me in a caring tone.

'I understand...but I am on my own Saba, it doesn't matter where I am...I'll be fine...I have my phone with me, I'll call you guys if anything, don't worry' I told her and got out of the room before she could stop me. When my parents were alive, we all used to come to Naran during summer break. It was like our second home...after Mama fell sick we stopped coming here. Seeing all the places where I once spent so much time with family made me feel so emotional. I wanted to go around the town and see it all once again for sake of reliving those great memories.

'Where are you going?' I wasn't too far from the hotel when I heard his voice from the back.

I turned around and saw Mr.Hamza standing few feets away from me, panting.

'Are you following me?' I yelled at him. He was unbelievable.

'No...I just enjoy running around strange towns like a madman for fun' He came closer to me.

'You...' I started to warn him off, but he cut me off.

'I know...I have no right to care for you, but you can't stop me from thinking about you and no I wasn't following you...I was in the lobby working when I saw you heading out...where the hell are you going?' He said all at once. Seeing him explain himself like that made me smile, but I wiped it away before he could notice it.

'If I tell you will you stop following me?' I asked him, and he shook his head to say no.

'Thought so...' I turned to leave but he quickly walked around and blocked my way.

'Can't you just try to not make me worry about you? Why are you such a mystery?' He questioned me.

'You are mad Mr.Hamza...I didn't ask you to worry about me...if you do, that's your problem...and I don't need any protection, I am capable of taking care of myself' I walked around him and continued marching towards the river.

'You have been here before?' He followed just as I thought.

'Yes,' I decided that instead of not answering him, it was better to simply answer him to avoid any possible dispute. I was tired of fighting with him,  any argument I had with him took so much out of me mentally and left me with so much to think about that I thought that it was in my best interest to avoid getting into any arguments with him. At least for now.

'Great...you can show me around then' His smile grew as he joined me on my solo adventure.

'I didn't offer you to join me' I said without looking at him. My patience didn't last very long.

'You didn't say no either' He replied, and I remained silent. We walked in silence and it didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. He stopped to take pictures and talk to the locals occasionally, but mostly he just walked beside me like a companion, as if we were equal.

'It's nice isn't it?' I said to Mr.Hamza when I saw him in complete awe as we reached the river. The scenery was absolutely stunning, the tip of the mountains was covered by a heavy fog and sun was slowly pecking out of the gray clouds. The dark green trees that stood tall alongside the river as the cold wind whistled through the leaves, created its own beautiful melody.