Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter 42

"Ibraheem," Misha's voice shook with anxiety, pain and fear with every word she said. "I don't know what to do. I am so scared." It was too late for Zoya or Rubab to stop her and frankly, they didn't want to because they were as scared as her. Something about this guy, about Zahid Sheikh scared them more than they had been scared with Ibraheem. In fact, Ibraheem felt like a safe haven at the moment. It was an indescribable feeling that had overwhelmed all of them.

"Misha? What's wrong? Why do you sound like that?" Ibraheem's relaxed state started to fade. Her voice was trembling and something in Ibraheem's heart and mind could feel her fear and it wounded him.

"I don't know where to start from, Ibraheem." Misha felt her heart beat escalating and she feared she was having a panic attack but Rubab's hand that was rubbing Misha's back and Zoya's hand that was clutching unto Misha's hand calmed her down.

"Okay, so for now, just calm down alright? Nothing is going to happen to you. Everything is alright so relax, meri jaan. (My Life.)" Misha felt her heart beat slowing down to its normal pace with every soothing word that Ibraheem was saying along with the feeling of having her friends beside her. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah I guess." Misha said breathing softly into the phone. "I don't know why I called you but I felt so scared in this moment and I didn't know who to talk to so you were the only person to come to my mind." Misha explained in one go and Ibraheem nodded his head as if she was watching him right now.

"It's fine. I am glad you did. So want to tell me what happened now? Are you safe?" Ibraheem said as he walked towards his car and sat down inside it to listen to her clearly without interruption. He was at his cousin's mehendi when Misha had called him but the moment he saw her name flashing on the screen, he quickly excused himself and left the area to pick up her call afraid that she might hang up and regret her decision. At first, he couldn't believe his eyes that Misha was calling him on her own account without him asking her or anything. He hadn't heard her voice in ages and God, he had to admit, he missed it more than he could admit.

"I don't know if I am safe." There was a pause after what she had said and Ibraheem could start to sense a feeling of doom.

"What do you mean by that? Did someone bother you?" Ibraheem felt his brows knit together. He wanted answers but he knew she was already fighting with herself to say more so he decided to let her say it.

"There was, no, no, there is a guy." Misha didn't know what to say next. "I told you that I went out today right? To celebrate my result?" When Ibraheem remained deathly silent, Misha took that as her cue to continue. "So me, Zoya and Rubab went to a café to eat and then there was this guy who showed up out of nowhere."

"What did he do?" Ibraheem questioned while containing his growing anger because he knew where this was going.

"He started asking us questions and," Misha breathed and exhaled sharply before continuing "He wanted to talk to us and get our contact information, Rubab thought he was high on something, we told him we weren't interested but then,"

"Then what?" Ibraheem gripped onto the steering wheel tightly to contain his anger as he imagined all that Misha was telling him.

"He grabbed my phone and called himself from it to get my number. When I tried to stop him, he grabbed my wrist tightly and wouldn't give me back my phone." By now, tears settled on the corner of Misha's eyes begging to be unleashed along with her voice that shivered as it remembered what had happened. "My brother, Qasim, showed up and started to beat up the guy but the guy's friends beat my brother up as well until I threatened to call the police. He left then with a threat that he will hunt me down. My brother is really hurt Ibraheem, he has bruises everywhere." Misha started to cry and sniff into the phone as she recalled the scene from when the guys were beating her brother up. It wasn't an easy sight to see.