Divine Affinity

Whispers of silence

My departure from home was quick with the slightest prick of pain. Perhaps it was that mum and I really had no more tears left to shed. We shared a tender stare, a hearty embrace and off I was into the first moments of the rest of my life. Mother was to leave for India in a week to stay with her family, I couldn't stand her being alone. As for myself, my now in laws had booked us a hotel room a few miles from town and a one way flight to Persia early the next morning.

I was escorted to my room by 2 of Rayhaan's cousins,  Imaan and Sana. They were awfully quiet for young girls and it stayed that way until Sana suddenly blurted out, "Rayhaan is very quiet, don't take it personally." A little startled by her remark I simply assured her that we were still strangers and I expected him to be quiet.

The girls left me in the room as I removed the heavy jewellery and dress,  slipped on my (long) nightgown and laid my head on the luxurious pillow. Listening to the clock tick on and suddenly I heard the door creak open. I have nothing to fear, nothing to be nervous about. Breathe...

Rayhaan did not even look in my direction,  he simply drew open the covers to his side of the bed and positioned himself at the very edge. He was a complete stranger,  yet it stung like the abandonment of an old friend.

Somewhere between midnight and 4am, in between the tossing and turning of failed attempts to fall asleep, my stretched out hand rested just for a second on his. The cold, icy skin caused me to shudder. "Are you cold?"  I heard a sleepy voice say. "No I'm okay, I'm sorry if I've disturbed you"  I replied, waiting for reassurance that that wasn't so. "It's late," he responded in a voice now wide awake and extremely gaurded, as if he had regretted his moment of weakness, "Get some sleep". And with those words, the whisper dissolved back into hollow silence and the night seemed to drag on forever...